Black News Channel Prepares Primetime Reboot (Exclusive)

The upstart cable company, launched in 2020, hopes to expand its audience by focusing on underserved communities “to fill a void” left by traditional media.

On March 24, Kim Janey was sworn in as the 55th mayor of Bostons. It was a historic move, with Janey becoming the first black person to hold this position in the city. Only one cable news channel broadcast it live: The Black News Channel.

It’s a big problem. It’s a big deal for the city of Boston, it’s a big deal for the United States, it’s a big deal for black and brown communities, said BNC CEO Princell Hair. Hollywood journalist. It’s what you get on BNC that you won’t get anywhere else.

As a start-up TV news channel facing tough competition, the BNC faces daunting challenges. But the talents of Hair and Channels believe that by focusing on communities that are underserved or not at all served by former players, there is a significant opportunity waiting to be unlocked.

It’s gratifying to be able to fill a void, to be able to step in and say we’ve been overlooked, says BNC presenter Marc Lamont Hill. We have an incredible mission as a network, and it is to tell those stories that legacy cable networks have not committed to telling.

Hills Black News tonight will launch BNC’s biggest movement to date: the rollout of a new prime-time range. Our goal will be to merge the right amount of context, perspective and depth, to add texture to today’s news, says Hair, noting that last year’s initial launch list was more focused on news from the world. cuff. day format.

Hill will drop anchor at 8 p.m. starting April 5; Yodit Tewolde will drop anchor Make the case with Yodit at 9 p.m., launch on April 12; and New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow will close the evening with Premium withCharles M. Blowat 10 p.m., from April 19. (Notably, the prime-time BNC relaunch comes as broadcasters focus on the trial of policeman Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis for the murder of George Floyd in recent years; it began on March 29.)

I have been on television for the past 12 years in some commentary capacity for MSNBC, Fox and CNN. Always in the capacity to be a force of opposition, juxtaposed with someone with very different opinions from mine, often in the position of having a discussion or a debate or as you want to call it with someone who devalued the lives of black people, says Blow. It’s not just a tiring experience, I think it narrows both my perspective and my abilities to become the oppositional running guy. What we want to do is have a show that really centers Blackness.

Hair says the Blows show will bring historical context and perspective to the lineup, while Hill says her 20-hour program “will cover the gamut from politics to pop culture.”

We won’t just be covering the headlines, even if we will, we will also be chasing stories that are outside the box, Hill adds. We will highlight the stories black people are talking about on Twitter or in hair salons, which may not be covered by mainstream cable media.

Tewolde, meanwhile, will bring her experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney at 9 p.m.Make the case came because I’m so used to conflicting environment [as an attorney], Tewolde said. We always had to advocate, I want to bring this to TV, bring the point of view of the people and ask them to stand up for everything we are talking about.

BNC was launched a year ago with 55 employees and availability in 2 million pay TV homes, and has grown to 150 employees in 52 million homes. The channel was co-founded by former congressman JC Watts, who remains the chairman of the company. Shad Khan, the billionaire owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL franchise, has backed BNC from its inception and is the majority owner.

While Hair says the channel has a strong direct selling ad business, it is actively courting more national brands for referrals. BNC signed an agreement with CBS Media Ventures in March that will see the ViacomCBS unit help boost business with major national distributors. BNC will also be rated by Nielsen starting in April.

While BNC launched last year, the new line is a new beginning, a reboot of sorts. I actually told a friend: I must be the reboot queen, Tewolde says, noting his work on the relaunch. Short TV by Scripps and Foxs Americas Most Wanted. What makes BNC different is that there was a long history and a brand with [Court TV and Americas Most Wanted] that people knew, it was almost as if people were trying to bring back what they felt before. It is something that is new, uncharted territory.

I’m just so excited that we can create a space for black news that doesn’t have the architecture of the larger culture surrounding it, adds Blow. Rather, what would you present to a black audience if nothing else existed?

A version of this story appeared in the March 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.Click here to subscribe.