Allen Media Group has inked author and Tv journalist Marc Lamont Hill to appear on its theGrio news/entertainment media platform.

The veteran journalist, who has appeared on such networks as CNN, BET and Fox News, will host a daily, one-hour television show for theGrio and a weekly podcast for theGrio Black Podcast Network.

Hill also appeared on the Black News Channel, the assets of which Allen Media Group acquired last month. 

“Marc Lamont Hill is exceptionally smart and talented, which makes him a great addition to our platforms,” Allen Media Group Founder/Chairman/CEO Byron Allen said in a statement. “TheGrio is one-hundred percent Black-owned, which gives us a unique perspective.”

Also: TheGrio Aims To Deliver News, Entertainment Content to Black Audiences Across Multiple Platforms

Hill added:  I couldn’t be more honored to join theGrio family at a moment when the stakes are so high for our community--economically, politically, socially, and culturally. I’m excited to be part of the most trustworthy and innovative Black news team in the world. Together, we will create and expand spaces for engaging the most vital voices, issues, and perspectives.”■

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group said that it acquired the assets of Black News Channel for $11 million.

The sale was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tallahassee, Florida. BNC’s previous owner, Shahid Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, invested $100 million in the programmer, Allen Media Group said.

Black News Channel ceased operations in March. It launched in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. The network claimed record viewing during its coverage of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, but was unable to break even financially, laid off staff and eventually went into bankruptcy.

“Allen Media Group will deliver a best-in-class network to serve the underserved African-American community and the advertisers who want to reach this extremely valuable audience," said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group.

Also: TheGrio Aims To Deliver News, Entertainment Content to Black Audiences Across Multiple Platforms

“Also, we appreciate the opportunity to provide cable operators, satellite companies, telcos, and digital platforms diversity of ownership, voices, and viewpoints on their programming line-ups by having a 100% African-American owned network,” Allen said. 

BNC, which has been running previously recorded segments since shutting down live operations, has carriage on traditional linear packages via Comcast, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Dish Network, DirecTV and Verizon Communications. BNC currently has approximately 45 million linear subscribers and Allen plans to grow the distribution to approximately 80 million linear subscribers over the next 6 months.

The channel joins Allen Media Group’s portfolio, which includes 27 network-affiliated TV stations, The Weather Channel and 11 other television networks, as well as digital platforms Local Now, HBCU GO, Sports.TV, theGrio Streaming App and The Weather Channel Streaming App. ■

Charter Communications said it has reached a deal to expand carriage of several African-American themed networks — AspireTV, Black News Channel, Impact Network, Revolt TV, The Africa Channel, TV One and Cleo TV — to its pay TV customers subscribing to the Spectrum TV Select video tier across its entire 41-state footprint. The rollout is expected to be completed by the end of June.

Spectrum TV Select is Charter’s most popular basic programming tier with about 125 channels, and is priced at $49.99 per month for the first 12 months. 

“Charter is committed to delivering programming that reflects the diverse interests of our customers, and these networks offer a wide variety of African American-themed news, lifestyle, entertainment and inspirational content,” Charter executive VP of programming acquisition Tom Montemagno said in a press release. “By including these channels on Spectrum TV Select we will significantly increase the networks’ potential audience while providing millions of our TV customers with even more choice, entertainment and value – at no extra cost.”

The channels were available on pricier Charter tiers in the past, and includes at least one channel that is likely to disappear in the future. In March, Black News Channel CEO Princell Hair said the network was shutting down in a memo to employees. However, at the moment BNC is still on the air. 

“We applaud Charter for its commitment to expanding access to diverse programming and making sure more networks that cater to Black audiences like Revolt are introduced to millions of Spectrum TV Select customers across the country,” Revolt TV CEO Detavio Samuels said in a press release. “We are focused on building the largest Black-owned media company that changes the narrative of Black culture, and carriers like Charter play a big role in helping Revolt achieve this goal by amplifying content that elevates the culture across categories.”

Among the channels included in the agreement are:

AspireTV: The television network that celebrates and reflects Black culture and urban lifestyle. AspireTV offers reality series, specials and independent films as well as dramas, contemporary comedies and documentaries that connect with and reflect its viewers.

Black News Channel: The only provider of 24/7 multiplatform programming dedicated to covering the unique perspectives, challenges and successes of Black and Brown communities. BNC delivers live news programming each weekday.

Impact Network: Founded in Detroit by Bishop Wayne T. Jackson and Dr. Beverly Y. Jackson, and is the fastest growing, 100% African American, independently owned Christian network in the United States. 

Revolt TV: A leading Black-owned and operated multimedia platform founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2013, and servicing content 24/7 across digital, linear, and live media channels. The platform produces rich content and original material with the biggest names in Hip Hop, along with reports of breaking news, current events, trends and announcements within the Black cultural movement and Hip-Hop world. 

The Africa Channel: A showcase for English language television series, feature films, documentaries and news about Africa and its influence on the world. 

TV One Networks: The hub of Black culture and entertainment with a broad offering of original programming and classic series, serving both diverse audiences for TV One and Cleo TV. Each network has a unique audience that serves viewers with fan favorites. Both networks are solely owned by Urban One, Inc., the largest African American-owned and operated multi-media company.

“We are excited Charter has expanded carriage of TV One Networks across its footprint,” said TV One and Cleo TV president Michelle Rice in a press release. “They are a great partner and like us, Charter recognizes the value of offering greater accessibility to diverse content that equitably and authentically represents the demographics of the viewers and communities we mutually serve.” ■

Black News Channel has ceased operations two years after its initial launch, network president Princell Hair announced in an internal memo to staffers Friday.

BNC, which launched in February 2020 right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, will no longer deliver live programming as it plans to file for bankruptcy, according to Hair. The network will air previously recorded segments at least through the end of the month, said network officials. 

“Unfortunately, due to challenging market conditions and global financial pressures, we have been unable to meet our financial goals, and the timeline afforded to us has run out,” Hair said in the memo.

The network, co-founded by J.C. Watts, Jr., positioned itself as the only 24-hour news service targeted to African-American viewers when it launched with more than 50 million viewers in February 2020. BNC’s accessibility had grown to reach more than 250 million touchpoints, with carriage deals with such distributors as DirecTV, Comcast, Spectrum, Dish Network and Verizon Fios, according to the network. 

The network rebranded in 2021, changing its name to BNC while developing  a 17-hour block of live news and public affairs programming. 

Also: CBS Media Ventures to Help Sell Ad Sales for Revamped BNC

Hair, the former CNN general manager who was appointed president of the network in July 2021, said in the memo that the network had just recently set an all-time viewership record this week for wall-to-wall coverage of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

Hair also said the network was forced to endure “painful workforce reductions at all levels of the network” in an effort to achieve the goal of a “break-even” business.

“Please know that I am very thankful for all of your hard work and deep commitment to our mission. We have differentiated ourselves, and your achievements over these last two years should be an immense source of pride that you will carry throughout the rest of your careers," Hair said.

Also: Multicultural Perspectives: Princell Hair Leads Black News Channel Through Turbulent News Cycle (Video)

Hair's full memo appears below: 

A little more than two years ago, the lights on BNC’s cameras flipped on for the first time. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, we launched a groundbreaking mission to inject positive change into a news landscape that, for far too long, had underserved and overlooked Black and Brown people.

During the past few months, we have endured very painful workforce reductions at all levels of the network as we worked to achieve our financial goal of a break-even business. This has forced all of you to do more with less, and your contributions have been remarkable.

Unfortunately, due to challenging market conditions and global financial pressures, we have been unable to meet our financial goals, and the timeline afforded to us has run out.

It’s with a broken heart that I am letting you all know that, effective immediately, BNC will cease live production and file for bankruptcy. We are saddened and disappointed by this reality and recognize the stress that this puts on you and your families.

With the nation on the verge of a social justice reckoning not seen in this country since the Civil Rights era, we’ve been hard at work building our presence in the marketplace with unprecedented speed. Through a continuous run of distribution agreements on both linear and streaming platforms, BNC’s accessibility has grown to reach more than 250 million touchpoints. 

Since rebranding and relaunching the network a year ago, we have developed a 17-hour daily block of live programming and a lineup of shows that are outstanding. Every day we present stories, context and viewpoints that illuminate and celebrate the Black experience in a way that no other network has since the dawn of television. 

We have hired more than 250 Black journalists and Black production personnel, and all your hard work and dedication has lifted this network to incredible heights. There have been countless wins along the way, including gavel-to-gavel coverage of several trials that gripped our community, A-list guests throughout our dayparts and exclusive coverage of The Congressional Black Caucus’ first-ever response to the President’s State of the Union address. Just this week we set an all-time viewership record for the network during wall-to-wall coverage of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

I understand that this surprising and unfortunate news will naturally generate a lot of questions surrounding next steps. Our leadership team and human resources will be in touch to address them over the coming days and weeks.

Please know that I am very thankful for all of your hard work and deep commitment to our mission. We have differentiated ourselves, and your achievements over these last two years should be an immense source of pride that you will carry throughout the rest of your careers.

 In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and each other, and remember that we built something great here. BNC, or something very close to it, will surely return at some point, because the world needs it, and all of you have proven it can be done.

Black News Channel said it will launch BNC Go, a new streaming product on September 13.

BNC Go has carriage agreements with Amazon Fire TV, Pluto TV, Roku, Tub and Vizio. It says it will reach 200 million internet connected devices.

The 24-hour, seven day service will have 18 hours of original content between 6 a.m. and 12 a.m. ET, including a rundown of trending news, interviews with guests, branded segments and live shots from news events.

Programming is broken up into three blocks.

From 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., the streaming platform will feature The Morning Hype, hosted by Michelle Fisher, with top stories and cultural developments. 

The Midday Jolt with Marcel Clarke will stream from noon to 6 p.m., with analysis and live looks at events and people in the news and on social media.

After 6ix with Jimmy Marlow is up from 6 p.m. till midnight with a rundown of stories impacting Black and Brown communities in the U.S. and around the world.

BNC Go will also feature monthly themes based, such as back to school, Black business, travel, fall fashion, budgeting and personal finance.

As the LGBTQ+ community continues the fight to get Congress to pass key legislation, it also looks to continue to build influence and support for its social rights movement, according to Black News Channel (BNC) host Aisha Mills. 

Mills, who will host a not-yet-named daily primetime political news show for the African-American-targeted news channel that launched in February 2020, said the community is closely watching developments surrounding the The Equality Act, which will make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes in America. The legislation, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit and jury service, has passed the Democratic-controlled House but continues to languish in the Republican-held Senate.

“We have to guilt them all,” Mills said in a Pride TV Summit interview with Multichannel News senior content producer, programming R. Thomas Umstead. “It’s so much politics. … but what we can do on the outside is continue to put pressure and just guilt the handful of Republican politicians who don’t want it to move forward. The vast majority of people in America support LGBTQ equality fundamentally as it relates to basic dignity and rights.” 

Outside of Congress, Mills — who served as the first African-American woman president of the Victory Fund LGBTQ+ political action group — said she is encouraged by the inroads the LGBTQ+ rights movement continues to make throughout society. In particular, she said people of color have played and continue to play a major role in leading the fight for LGBTQ+ equity and representation. 

“It was actually Black, Latinx, trans-identified, nonbinary people who were the ones on the front lines, literally putting our bodies in harm’s way that sparked the movement,” she said. “Today, when we look at how far we’ve come, it is Black and Latinx people in storylines all throughout Hollywood, be it Moonlight or Pose or Laverne Cox in Orange Is the New Black that are the trendsetters, the culture makers and conversation creators.” 

She also dismissed criticism of the expanding acronyms such as LGBTQIA+ used to describe or define the community. 

“We don’t need to  try to distill down and create some singular uniformity in order to be a community and to reflect people,” she said. “Let’s name it all and claim it all because at the end of the day we identify ourselves for ourselves by ourselves and be respected in how we want to be acknowledged and addressed.” 

BNC Strikes Verizon Deal

Mills’s appearance at the Pride TV Summit came as Black News Channel reached a carriage agreement with Verizon Communications’s Fios TV. The deal puts BNC, which launched in February 2020, in some 3.7 million more homes, extending its reach to nearly 60 million linear cable subscribers.

Verizon joins Comcast, DirecTV, Charter Communications and Dish Network as a distributor, according to the channel. 

“Linear and digital platforms are seeing increasing value in BNC’s unprecedented coverage of the experiences unfolding in Black and Brown communities as well as perspectives, viewpoints and stories that are not presented anywhere else,” BNC president and CEO Princell Hair said. 

BNC (Black News Channel) has reached a carriage agreement with Verizon Fios TV, extending the reach of the African-American targeted news channel to nearly 60 million linear cable subscribers, both parties announced Wednesday.

The deal allows BNC, which launched in February 2020, to reach more than 3.7 million Verizon Fios TV subscribers. Verizon is the latest linear distributor to carry BNC, joining Comcast, DirecTV, Charter Communications and Dish Network, according to the channel. BNC offers coverage of the unique perspectives, challenges and success of Black and brown communities. 

Also Read : BNC's Aisha Mills Discusses The Equality Act and Representation at Pride TV Summit 

“We are pleased to reach this important distribution agreement with Verizon Fios TV and continue BNC’s strong growth trajectory during a period of contraction for most of the industry,” said Princell Hair, CEO of BNC in a statement. “Linear and digital platforms are seeing increasing value in BNC’s unprecedented coverage of the experiences unfolding in Black and Brown communities as well as perspectives, viewpoints and stories that are not presented anywhere else.” 

Also Read: Multicultural Perspectives: Princell Hair Leads Black News Channel Through Turbulent News Cycle (video)

BNC, formerly known as Black News Channel, has made a deal to have CBS Media Ventures help sell ads as the network rolls out a lineup of new programming.

CBS Media Ventures plans to supplement the BNC ads sales teams calling on direct response agencies and national advertisers outside of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, where BNC has sales offices.

Advertisers will have the opportunity to sponsor new programming BNC launched a new morning show, Start Your Day with Sharon and Mike, starring Sharon Reed and Mike Hill on March 1. It plans to debut new programs with hosts including Charles Blow, Marc Lamont Hill and Yodit Tewolde over the coming weeks.

“We’re thrilled to partner with CBS Media Ventures and extend our sales team with the reach and depth of their relationships throughout the advertising community. Most importantly, their team is aligned with our values, they understand why we exist and want to help drive our vision,” said Princell Hair, president and CEO of BNC. 

“Connecting with a demographic that has more than $1.3 trillion in annual spend presents significant opportunities, and we’re looking forward to working with CMV on building value for brands that want to engage with BNC,” Hair said.

Earlier this month, CBS Media Ventures said it would be working with NuTime Media, headed by Morris McWilliams, to help connect advertisers looking to reach Black viewers with programming syndicated by CBS. 

CBS Media Ventures’ Media Sales team represents a large portfolio of programming popular with Black audiences, including syndicated series it produces, such as Judge Judy and Hot Bench, as well as third-party programming, including The Wendy Williams Show, Family Feud and the upcoming Nick Cannon daytime talk show. NuTime will also be looking to steer advertisers to BNC.

“We could not be more excited to have BNC join our family of programming that appeals to the African American consumer," said Steve LoCascio, president of CBS Media Ventures. "We look forward to connecting BNC with our advertiser partners as a network providing programming that is informative, educational, entertaining and inspiring, and most importantly always remains true and authentic to the Black experience in America.” 

Over the past eight months since its February launch, Black News Channel has had to navigate through an extraordinary news cycle that included a ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, the manifestation of social injustice protests and a contentious Presidential election. 

Currently heading the network charge is its President and CEO Princell Hair, former CNN general manager who knows the cable news business and has positioned the network to fill a void in delivering news and pertinent information targeted to an underserved African-American audience.

Hair recently sat down with Multichannel News for an extensive video interview in which he talks about the Black News Channel brand as well as the shifting cable news environment. Hair also weighs in on the television's diversity and inclusion efforts.

Newly named Black News Channel president and CEO Princell Hair takes the reins of the upstart network during a monumentally busy and turbulent news cycle, focused on covering the country’s growing social and racial unrest, an upcoming presidential election campaign and the pandemic that is disproportionately affecting people of color.

Hair, a former CNN general manager and most recently senior VP and general manager of NBC Sports Boston, recently spoke to Multichannel News about his vision for the five-month-old BNC, as well as his perspective on the cable news business and the return of sports amid the pandemic. Here’s an edited version of that interview.

MCN: Is Black News Channel’s role to be an alternative to the mainstream media for coverage of the African-American community?

Princell Hair: I believe that the network's mission is really to shine a spotlight on those stories in our community that affect our community. We have to continue to differentiate ourselves and deliver on our brand promise of giving voice to the varied experiences, priorities and viewpoints that matter in the Black community. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. I grew up in South Florida and I saw Haitian-Americans that had very different priorities than Africans who had very different priorities than Southern Black people. They're all Black and they're all different, and BNC really exists to tell all of their stories through their varied lenses.

MCN: As a veteran of the cable news business, how has the category changed over the years?

PH: I don't know if it has led or it has followed the electorate, but it has certainly become much more partisan in its approach. You have very clear delineations in the cable news world. We’ve kind of conditioned the audience to expect a certain viewpoint from the left or the right. Our goal here at BNC is really to provide diverse perspectives on the issues of the day along with more context. We want to really respect our audience enough to be able to make up their own minds without us having to guide them to whatever conclusions they come to. The truth is the truth and the facts are the facts. Sadly, the word truth has become a euphemism for middle of the road, and that’s just not right, because we've conditioned audiences to look at issues from the left or the right.

RELATED: Black News Channel Launches With a ‘Culturally Specific’ View

MCN: The sports industry has gone through many changes because of the pandemic. As a former cable sports executive, how do you se things evolving in this COVID-19 environment?

PH: We’ve all been forced to reimagine our businesses, whether you're in broadcasting or in sports. I feel like that is going to continue, especially as we kind of get deeper into this pandemic and potentially a second wave that may come sometime later this year or early next year. We need sports and sports will and have come back, but it's going to look and feel different, and we're going to have to consume it differently. In many ways, the pandemic has accelerated things that were kind of already underway, like remote working and remote production that have been experimented with, but have now gone into full throttle since the pandemic began. 

Charter Communications said it will expand carriage of Black News Channel throughout its service territory, making the country’s only 24/7 African American-focused news network available to all Spectrum TV subscribers in its 41-state footprint by early September.

Charter began providing access to BNC after its launch earlier this year in some of its biggest markets like New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. With the expansion, Spectrum TV customers in all Charter markets, including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Columbia, will be able to access the channel, providing it with even broader reach.

“Expanding distribution of Black News Channel will give even more Spectrum customers access to the network’s topical news,” said Charter EVP of programming acquisition Tom Montemagno in a press release. “It’s critical that we provide diverse perspectives on our lineups, and that we have programming that truly reflects the issues facing our customers and the communities we serve.”

BNC launched on Feb. 10 dedicated to covering the diverse perspective of African American communities. The channel features coverage of national political, health, business and sports news; stories about Black history and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and original programming, including the “Kelly Wright Show,” “Being a Woman” with hosts Lauren McCoy and Rarione Maniece, and “Doctor for the People” hosted by Dr. Corey Hebert. Earlier this week, the channel named former CNN executive Princell Hair president and CEO. 

“Charter Communications has been a great partner for our Network and has been committed to our success and the information needs of our audience from the start,” said BNC chairman and co-founder J.C. Watts, Jr. in a press release. “Expanding BNC‘s reach to subscribers throughout the Spectrum TV universe further demonstrates that commitment.”

BNC will be available upon launch at no additional charge to Spectrum TV customers who have Spectrum TV Silver, Digital Tier Package 1, or Spectrum Lifestyle TV. 

Black News Channel has tapped former CNN executive Princell Hair as its president and CEO, the network announced Monday.

Hair will oversee the five month-old, African-American targeted news network’s day-to-day operations effective immediately, according to chairman and interim CEO J.C. Watts. Hair replaces former network CEO and co-founder Bob Brillante who left the company in April.

Hair is familiar with the cable news business, having served as CNN’s executive VP and general manager in 2003, where he achieved major ratings growth during key news events including the Democratic and Republican National Conventions plus CNN’s Election Night in America 2004.

Most recently Hair served as Senior VP and general manager of NBC Sports Boston. Prior to that he worked as Senior VP of news and talent for the NBC Sports Group.

“Princell's experience as a news and sports executive is unmatched for its breadth and success. As a programmer he will bring energy and fresh thinking to the Black News Channel,” said Watts in a statement. “We are delighted to welcome him and excited to see him build on the foundation we have laid with the launch of the Black News Channel.” 

Added Hair: “I am grateful to Chairman Watts and the Board of Directors for this opportunity,” said Hair. “I’m thrilled to return to daily news gathering and compelling storytelling at the only 24-hour cable news channel aimed specifically at African Americans and other people of color, as the world responds to a pandemic, systemic racism and an economic crisis, all of which disproportionately impact the Black audience. I’m equally excited to join and support the talented team of journalists and staff across BNC’s platforms as the high stakes 2020 Presidential Race enters the red zone.” 

In the aftermath of the June protests over the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, African-American targeted networks and streaming services are vowing to continue to keep issues important to the Black community at the forefront of new programming as the news cycle shifts to other breaking stories.

Executives at services such as Fox Soul, BET, TV One and Black News Channel said they provide a platform for target audiences to voice their concerns and demands regarding police brutality, systematic racism and other issues even as other events dominate news coverage in the future.

“We are in a unique position,” Black News Channel VP of news and programming Gary Wordlaw said. “I think people will turn to our network and others to compare the type of coverage we’re doing versus what they’re seeing on CNN, Fox News or MSNBC, and see that we’re giving stories important to our audience longer, in-depth treatment.”

Along with full coverage of regularly-scheduled shows, Black News Channel in May launched BNC Now, a live afternoon news show that allows for more discussion of the issues facing Black America, Wordlaw said. The network has also produced town hall specials that focus on specific issues ranging from police reform to the continuing effects of COVID-19 on the African-American community.

Entertainment networks are also heeding the community’s call. Streaming service Fox Soul in May launched The Black Report, a news and public-affairs show that offers a voice to disenfranchised African-Americans and provides its core viewers with much-needed information, according to Fox Soul president James DuBose.

Expanding its reach, Fox Soul two weeks ago launched one- to two-hour programming blocks on several Fox-owned stations, including WWOR New York, KCOP Los Angeles and KDFI Dallas.

“When all the other networks and services go back to normal business, we will continue to provide a voice for the black community because we have the ability to celebrate black culture every day,” DuBose said.

BET has been aggressive in its approach to covering the protests and their aftermath. Along with several June town hall specials, the network’s June 28 BET Awards provided a platform for artists from Beyoncé to Alicia Keys to address the movement against police brutality and racial injustice within the country.

Funding ‘Content for Change’

BET also announced a new social-justice initiative called “Content for Change,” designed to support the creation, distribution, marketing and promotion of programs aimed at eliminating systemic racism and inequality in America. The initiative will receive $25 million in funding from BET and its corporate partners.

“We have to give people an opportunity to have a voice, to express their rage, to express their grief, to engage in community,” BET president Scott Mills said.

Wordlaw said that the issues of police reform and economic inequality that rose up from the Floyd protests will remain very important to the community. Networks targeting the African-American community have a responsibility to serve their audience by providing an avenue for discussion of such issues, he said.

“It’s an awesome responsibility and I’m very happy to be a part of it, but we’re just a small part of it,” he said. “All of us have a responsibility to continue to put forth a story, and not one of us thinks any of us are independent — we have to work together to get the information to our audiences.”  

Comcast continued to offer free content to families sitting at home due the coronavirus pandemic by making on demand programming from more than two dozen multicultural-themed entertainment networks and subscription VOD services.

African-American targeted services available to Xfinity customers with X1 and Flex include AFRO, Aspire TV, Black News Channel, Revolt and TV One, Brown Sugar, The Africa Channel and Impact Network.

Latino-themed networks available include CBeebies, Cinelatino, Cine Sony, Cinema, Dinamita MX, Kanal D Drama, Kids Central en español, Pantaya, RCN Novelas, Universo, ViendoMovies and Vme Kids. International Networks now available include Filipino On Demand, Hi-YAH!, KOCOWA (all programs subtitled in English) and TV5MONDE.

The move to offer free services is the third for Comcast in response to the pandemic.

“All year round, we provide our customers with a wide variety of diverse and in-language programming and we’re happy to work with our partners to make a selection available for free,” said Rebecca Heap, Senior Vice President, Video & Entertainment for Comcast Cable in a statement. 

Black News Channel launched Feb. 10 in the midst of one of the busiest news cycles in recent memory. The only news service targeted to African-Americans, BNC has more than 50 million subscribers across distributors Comcast and Charter Communications, along with the Roku Channel. VP of news and programming Gary Wordlaw recently spoke with Multichannel News about the network’s launch and its plans to differentiate itself. Here’s an edited transcript.

MCN: BNC has been up and running for nearly two months. Are you satisfied with how the network has performed so far?

Gary Wordlaw: Absolutely. Launching a newscast on a local television station is difficult. Launching a 24/7 network is impossible. Yet a group of less than 60 people pulled together and got it done, and on Feb. 10, we launched this pretty much error-free.

MCN: There haven’t been any major technology hiccups since the launch?

GW: All the programs that were supposed to air and all the commercials that were supposed to air did, and the newscasts have gone on seamlessly. There were some hiccups from a technological standpoint: Getting up on Charter’s Spectrum [platform] was seamless; getting up on Comcast was a little more problematic. We’re up and running on both now and that’s good. We’re up on Roku as well, and we’re working on some other OTT platforms and some satellite platforms. Every day, the executive team is knocking on doors and making phone calls and trying to get deals.

MCN: What will people see when they tune in to BNC?

GW: They would see live newscasts from 6 until 9 a.m. And then at 9, there’s a live program, D.C. Today Live, which takes a look at all things Washington from a black perspective. Then we come back to Tallahassee to a studio show, Being a Woman, which discusses issues related to girls and women aged 13 to 40. In the early afternoon, we repeat the morning news and then from 2 to 4 in the afternoon we have a variety of programs. At 5 p.m., we go live again with a show called Ladies First, and that show speaks to women over 30 years of age. Then we have Kelly Wright, formerly of Fox News, who is doing his own show out of Washington. Then that’s followed by prime news from 7 until 10.

MCN: Is BNC providing a different perspective than the mainstream media?

GW: The reality is we hear a lot of the same kind of things from the other news networks: pundits yelling at pundits, politicians dealing with politicians. What we try to offer is understanding. We call it truth illuminated, where we give stories a chance to be told. We also find those stories out there that other people aren’t covering or, if they have covered it, we will expand on the coverage. For example, in February, with the 6-year-old girl who was arrested near Orlando, we took that story and talked with the mother and the grandmother and everybody else. We wanted to give the feel of, ‘If that were my child, what would I do?’ We try to tell the story down the middle and let the viewer decide. We don’t see a lot of people on the national news networks doing that.

MCN: How is BNC dealing with the constant flow of information regarding the coronavirus outbreak?

GW: We process the constant flow of information regarding the coronavirus outbreak the same as any other news network. We just report from a culturally specific perspective.

Upstart service Black News Channel recently pushed back its launch date to January from November in an effort to finalize additional carriage deals for the network, which currently has agreements with Comcast, Charter Communications and Dish Network for select markets representing around 33 million linear-TV homes, with additional contracts for mobile devices and smart TVs. Primetime anchors named so far include former CNNer Fred Hickman, Laverne McGee and Anthony Amey.

J.C. Watts, co-founder and chairman of the independently-owned Black News Channel, spoke with Multichannel News about the decision to move the network’s launch date into 2020. Watts, who served as a Republican House member from 1995 to 2003 and was a star college quarterback, also talked about the network’s mandate to launch in a crowded, competitive television environment. Here’s an edited transcript of their conversation.

MCN: Why delay the launch of Black News Channel until January?

J.C. Watts: We have a chance to make history with the number of households/devices that will carry our product, so we wanted to make sure we have everything together for our launch. In the next two to three weeks we’re going to announce some partnerships that will take us beyond where we are now. It makes sense business-wise and in terms of distribution to wait. We only get one chance to make a first impression, so we’re now going to launch on Jan. 6.

MCN: Are there potentially new distribution partners on the linear side, or are they some of the newer streaming services?

JCW: It’s both. When we started this years ago, digital wasn’t as big as it is today. The first question I received from our two biggest sponsors was, “what’s your digital strategy?” So we had not fully thought through that even though it was on our radar screen. Today, 98% of African-American millennials have cellphones, and 68% say that they get their news information from that cellphone. It has turbocharged itself over the last two or three years, so we’ll soon announce some partnerships that will allow us to be relevant where our audience gets its information from.

MCN: Do you have any sense of how many households the network will launch with in January?

JCW: I think, [in terms of] households, we’ll be in the 33 million range, but we’ll significantly increase our reach with some mobile deals. I feel comfortable in saying we’ll be able to announce those partnerships in the next three to four weeks.

MCN: How would you define the Black News Channel brand?

JCW: We are a brand that will be culturally specific to the African-American community. When you look at the landscape on linear television and even on the digital platforms, there’s very little news, information, educational and inspirational content that is culturally specific to us. The news channels today disproportionately talk about crime, athletics and entertainment more than news pertaining to us culturally. So that is our brand, and we say while those other things exist, there's more to the black community than what’s on the linear and digital platforms.

MCN: How important is the concept of Black News Channel given some of the developments we’ve seen recently on the political front, as well as in the culture?

JCW: I can say without exaggeration that the intensity and the relevance is more intense today than it’s been in the last 10 years. The culture of politics certainly has something to do with that. I testified before the Senate Commerce Committee a couple of weeks ago, and I said to them in all of the 200-plus channels that you can get on your TV dial, there’s not one place in that lineup that you can go to get content that educates and informs, and that is culturally specific to the African-American community.

We’re talking about current affairs, wellness, information on the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) community — there's nowhere you can go for education and information. The community has recognized that for many years, and our research says that African-Americans will watch content that is culturally specific to us, and that’s who we are.

MCN: Why do you feel this is the best time to launch Black News Channel?

JCW: Today, compared to two years ago or 10 years ago, the intensity level for the service has actually grown. There’s nothing that would encourage us to believe by any stretch of the imagination that the service is not desired by the community. We already have carriage today with Charter, Comcast and Dish, and we’ll have our digital deals in place that give us an opportunity with the carriage and the capital to sustain where we need to be going forward.

Black News Channel (BNC) has postponed its scheduled Nov. 15 launch to 2020 in an effort to take advantage of new technologies and distribution platforms, network officials said. 

“Our network is about providing intelligent programming that is informative, educational, inspiring and empowering to our African American audience, so they are participants in a national conversation,” says J.C. Watts, Jr., co-founder and chairman for BNC in a statement. “If we have the opportunity to include the largest African American audience possible from day one, then that should be our top priority.”

With the delay, the network hopes to more than triple its viewing audience of more than 30 million subscribers across traditional cable and digital MVPD's currently signed up for the service, said network officials.