Deca is a news channel based in Michigan. It focuses on impoverished communities throughout Flint and Detroit. It hosts digital media and distributes its content on cable television as well as the internet via their website. Users can download or stream the content at no charge, while they must pay for cable if they want to view it through traditional means. Deca produces documentaries primarily but also includes fictional shows that show the kinds of events that happen in young peoples' lives in the poorer neighborhoods of the United States. Deca was started by Donald Harper in 1995 when he encountered a young boy on the street corner who had no food to eat. He realized that all over the city there were young people like this boy who didn't have any options in terms of nourishment and shelter and he dedicated his new channel promoting awareness around this important issue.
Harper sold the rights to Deca to Sony in 2003 and since then Sony has expanded the reach of the channel into international territories in countries like Japan, Singapore, and Italy. Examples of the titles currently airing on the channel are Crime in the Streets, Biggie's Boys, and We'll Be Alright. Crime in the Streets is an award-winning documentary series that illuminates the inequality present in the different communities of urban Detroit. Five families are interviewed and followed throughout the series, allowing the audience to see how they evolve and adapt to changes in their environment. The final episode is set for 2016.
