# National Black News Channel Is Now Live



## Black Ambrosia (Oct 20, 2019)

*Jaguars owner investing in national Black News Channel*





TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — *Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan disclosed Wednesday that he will be the majority investor in the nation’s only 24-hour news network aimed at African American viewers, giving the network a deep pocket as it launches next month.*

The network has been in the works for years and an announcement about its launch was made earlier this year. But Khan’s backing gives it a substantial boost.

*“I am a big believer in the fact that we have a number of communities, obviously especially the African American, who are underserved,” Khan said in a phone interview. “We know the mission, but I’m hoping that as time goes on this becomes a bridge to connect all the cultures, including obviously south Asian, which I am. This is a great worthwhile cause. I want to see it happen.”*

*He declined to say how much he would invest initially but said it would be enough to keep the network running for a long time.

“It’s significant, and frankly it’s open ended. The investment continues to make sure that not only are the bricks and mortar, the equipment are really what it takes to make an excellent product, but also the people on the air and the programming costs,” Khan said. “It’s whatever it takes.”*

Khan is worth an estimated $8 billion and made his fortune in the auto equipment industry. As well as the Jaguars, he owns Fulham Football Club of the English Football League, Four Seasons Hotel Toronto and All Elite Wrestling.

*Former Republican U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, who was a star quarterback at the University of Oklahoma in the 1980s, will be chairman of the new network. It will be available via cable and satellite viewers in 33 million households.*

“When Shad and I were kids, they had three networks in the U.S. and today you have venues that you can speak to every demographic in the country in terms of news, but ... there’s no venue for the African American community to have a dialogue to talk about cultural things ... or news in general,” Watts said in the conference call with Khan. “This platform will create that, and we’re tickled that Shad has chosen to come alongside us and walk with us in this effort.”

T*he network has agreements with Charter Communications, Comcast and DISH and will be carried in major African American markets such as New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago and Los Angeles. The network is to begin broadcasting in November and will be based in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, with bureaus around the country, Watts said.*

*While Watts is a Republican, he said the channel will be about African American culture and won’t cater to political ideologies. Former Democratic Tallahassee Mayor John Marks is part of its management team.*

*“We’re not looking to be Republican or Democrat. Obviously, there will be current affairs, but we are culturally specific to the African American community. MSNBC, Fox News, CNN _ they may have African American faces on their news shows, but they are not necessarily covering the community from a cultural perspective,” Watts said. “We’re not looking to be left or right.”

He said topics that have gone undercovered elsewhere will get network attention, including news about historically black colleges and universities and sickle cell disease, which affects African Americans.*


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## dancinstallion (Oct 21, 2019)

Yes this is the right direction. Maybe we can get positive news coverage of us and be able to highlight our achievements.


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## Kanky (Oct 22, 2019)

I don’t trust this at all.


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## Black Ambrosia (Oct 22, 2019)

Kanky said:


> I don’t trust this at all.


I was leery when I saw the republican involved. I can’t remember what he did in the past but it was suspect. Then I thought about it more and decided to keep an open mind. If it really is apolitical then it shouldn’t matter. It has the potential to be very positive.


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## RoundEyedGirl504 (Oct 22, 2019)

Glad to see it will launch in New Orleans, I would check this out. If done right it would fill a huge void.


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## Crackers Phinn (Oct 22, 2019)

Kanky said:


> I don’t trust this at all.


Same here. Not even a little bit.


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## Laela (Oct 23, 2019)

NEVER trust a man with a handlebar... ever.


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## Miss_Luna (Oct 23, 2019)

Kanky said:


> I don’t trust this at all.



Same. He has already mentioned that this is a bridge for his community. Also, it will be interesting who actually runs the behind the scene piece of all of this. Not to be stereotypical, but is he planning to outsource the operations piece or will be hire the same people that he plans on broadcasting to the public, i.e. African-Americans?
The community is under-served, which includes giving them jobs, not just a minstrel show to parade around for money.


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## gn1g (Oct 23, 2019)

the new BET


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## Black Ambrosia (Feb 11, 2020)

*Black News Channel debuts as an option to CNN, Fox News, MSNBC*
The Black News Channel, an around-the-clock national news network with nearly exclusive African American anchors and executive leadership, began broadcasting Monday in select markets across the United States.

TV viewers now have an option to CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.

BNC is the first 24-hour news network “by black people, for black people, dedicated to the unique perspective of African American communities,” according to a statement on the company’s website. 


BNC, co-founded by former Republican Congressman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, is initially only expected to reach 33 million households in markets with sizable African American populations such as New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, according to The Hill. 

The company's goal, though, is to ultimately reach 100 million households. 






“Today, information is so targeted to groups,” Watts said in an interview with National Public Radio, according to reports. “Every demographic out there has a venue that they can access for news information, culture, wellness, etc. Except for the African American community.” 

The channel's programs will include traditional morning and prime-time news shows plus additional programming focused on issues that impact African Americans, including health, women, culture, history and weather, according to Bob Brillante, a veteran television manager who serves as BNC’s chief executive officer. 

Watts and Brillante announced the launch in November 2018 after more than a decade of planning, hiring and securing a headquarters for the network in Tallahassee, Florida. 

“I think there needs to be a more comprehensive story told about the African American community, and we’ll have a venue to do that,” Watts said to NPR. “We’re not looking to be liberal or conservative. We want to provide a venue for African Americans to have a voice, to be a part of the dialogue that’s going on in the country, be it incarceration reform or impeachment.” 


BNC will gather its news through a partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, which comprises more than 200 African American-owned community newspapers across the country that will serve as local-level bureaus for the network. 

The network also plans to work with several historically black colleges and journalism schools to offer students hands-on training. 

Among the channel’s cast of on-air personalities are former Fox News anchor and reporter Kelly Wright, former CNN and TBS host Fred Hickman, libertarian radio host Larry Elder, former Fox 44 anchor Lauren McCoy and former Central Florida TV journalist Laverne McGee. 


McCoy and Rarione Maniece are the morning co-anchors from 6 to 9 a.m. McGee and Hickman are the network’s prime-time anchors from 7 to 10 p.m. 

Watts said BNC will seek to target the “image gap” and black stereotypes depicted in the media.

“MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, they may have African American faces on their news shows, but they are not necessarily covering the community from a cultural perspective,” he said.

The channel is available on Charter/Spectrum, Xfinity X-1 and Dish networks, and will later be added to Sling and Roku, reports said. 

Reports say the network plans to bring bureaus to Atlanta, Washington and New York.

The company has about 65 employees.


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## Daernyris (Feb 11, 2020)

*"...........but we are culturally specific to the African American community. MSNBC, Fox News, CNN _ they may have African American faces on their news shows, but they are not necessarily covering the community from a cultural perspective,” 

The above sounds like some double speak to me.

Start a network, have black people get it poppin', then switch the programming to cater to whites or another demographic.  Didn't FOX, UPN, WB use this formula back in the day.

I'm wit y'all, ion trust this either*


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## itsallaboutattitude (Feb 16, 2020)

Where is Melissa Harris-Perry. I would think they would have reached out to her.


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## shelli4018 (Feb 17, 2020)

Their website absolutely sucks for a media company. Both the CEO and COO are white men. My feeling is this is (or will become) a supplier of Sinclair-esque misinformation directed at black folk.


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## Black Ambrosia (Mar 25, 2022)

PAYCHECKS ARE DELAYED AT BLACK NEWS CHANNEL​
March 25, 2022/ Scott Jones

An email went out to the staff at Black News Channel informing them that they will not be paid on time. Everyone at BNC is on direct deposit and according to the internal email obtained by FTVLive, those deposits are “delayed.” The company gave no reason as to why the delay is happening, but rumors are flying.

A number of people at BNC believe the network is bleeding cash and some believe that it could shut down by the end of the Summer. Many open positions are not being filled and now the current staff is not being paid on time.

“I’m very worried we are close to the end,” said one BNC employee to FTVLive.

Here is the email that went out to the staff and was obtained by FTVLive:


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## yamilee21 (Mar 26, 2022)

Edited, didn’t realize this post was already two years old.


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## Rastafarai (Mar 26, 2022)

It's officially shutting down:









						Black News Channel shuts down after backer declines to fund it further
					

Startup aimed at serving Black audiences had drawn journalists from established media outlets




					www.theguardian.com
				




I see that the channel wasn't being offered on streaming devices, and likely due to not having a platform to advertise its availability.

They should have teamed up with TVOne or KweliTV.


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## naturalgyrl5199 (Apr 1, 2022)

Rastafarai said:


> It's officially shutting down:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This could be gatekeeping though. In the same manner Koreans won't sell product to black hair store owners despite having a ton of cash to spend.

KevOnStage is a black comedian with streaming services coming. He needs support but seems to be making headway.


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## Black Ambrosia (Jul 21, 2022)




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