• March 9, 2006

Just a few months after bloggers savaged the retail giant's Web site for producing computer search results in a way that appeared racist against African-Americans, Wal-Mart Wednesday announced it will begin airing programming produced in collaboration with TV One, a new cable network that targets African-American adults. In partnership with TV One, Wal-Mart will broadcast "lifestyle" segments with retail relevance on the "Wal-Mart Television Network," which reaches viewers in 2,850 Wal-Mart stores nationwide. This news comes on the heels of a report from the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia which measured African-American buying power reaching a record size of $761 billion in 2005. In the same finding, the Selig Center forecast buying power of $1 trillion by 2010-11.

--Erik Sass