Everyone has that American dream of being on the big screen. Well, 106 & Park has a new portion of the show that could make your wish into reality. Encouraging the show’s audience and contestants to be a part of the public sphere, by bringing together people who love music of all genres a chance to compete for the spotlight. Urging participation of a common identity in a broader public culture.
Every Wednesday during 106 & Park’s segment from 6 - 8pm, three artists or groups compete before a live studio audience.
This particular segment of the show (Wild Out Wednesday) was added to BET’s popular video countdown show 106 & Park’s weekly schedule in 2011 to give vocal groups, solo artists and dancers between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight, the amazing opportunity to reach bigger heights. The competitions are divided each week by genre, so week-by-week groups or artists compete in separate competitions. The audience at home chooses the weekly winners and the best of the best come back for the summer all-star series. Relating to Haberma’s public sphere; “private individuals (genre competitors) would come together in a shared space and public opinion would be developed through discussion of ideas, values and events”. pg.174
