A management controller, method and program product for forcing one or more power states on a display, the management controller comprising: a computer (110) configured to receive a power management electronic signal; the computer (110) comprising control logic that operates without use of an operating system to determine a desired level of the power management electronic signal and to set the power management electronic signal to the desired level; and the computer (110) configured to send the power management electronic signal at the desired level to a monitor (120).