Rethinking the word "urban"

While out of town last weekend, I turned on the tube in our hotel room and discovered WADL-38, a channel that bills itself as "Detroit's Urban Station." What's Happenin' was on, and I stuck around for the end to see what was next at 9:00 P.M.

True, most of the notable African-American sitcoms of the 70s d 80s have been overplayed in recent years. TV Land in particular ran the hell out of "Good Times" and "Sanford and Son." But I was still curious what other vintage programming Detroit's Urban Station offered. Perhaps a relative obscurity like "That's My Mama" was up next, or maybe even a drama like "The Mod Squad."

Well, there was no "next on..." promo, so I waited for the last 5 minutes of Shirley Hemphill until 9:00 came and a new show started. What would it be?

The next program on Detroit's Urban Station was...

"Fantasy Island."

A few minutes into that one, an on-screen graphic informed me the subsequent program would be...

"Magnum P.I."

OK, maybe I jumped the gun a bit in assuming an all-black lineup on this channel, and promos for shows like "The Bonnie Hunt Show" quickly made me realize that I might have read too much into the word "urban." But can you really blame me? I mean, not many outlets still air Rerun and the gang in prime time. It was a big surprise to Mr. Roarke and Tattoo immediately--men with certain exotic appeals, yes, but men on a show that was distinctly, well, white. They even wore white tuxes, for crying out loud.

And of course, "Magnum P.I." continues to belie the "urban" motif at 10:00 P.M. I don't know what WADL shows at 11:00, but "Hawaii Five-0" wouldn't surprise me. Maybe channel 38 is also Detroit's Tropical Station.