Black News Channel will be available to Contour TV subscribers as part of a carriage agreement between the news network and Cox Communications. 

The deal calls for BNC to be in front of millions of Cox Communications' subscribers across 18 states, although specific details were not disclosed. Cox joins Comcast, DirecTV, Charter/Spectrum, Dish and Verizon Fios in carrying the service, which offers programming dedicated to covering the unique perspectives, challenges and successes of Black and Brown communities. 

"We are pleased to reach this important distribution agreement with Cox Communications and continue BNC's expansion," said BNC CEO Princell Hair in a statement. "BNC's culturally-specific news and stories are filling a void in our news landscape that has existed for too long and provides opportunities for our partners to connect with Black and Brown communities that we super serve on a daily basis." ■ 

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.

Black News Channel has launched on leading satellite-TV platform DirecTV, which said it also will launch Cleo TV before the end of the year to greater diversify its program offerings. 

BNC, which overall launched in February, was added to channel 342 and to the DirecTV app on Aug. 31, AT&T-owned DirecTV said. “AT&T is committed to delivering programming that meets our customers’ diverse needs,” Rob Thun, EVP and Chief Content Officer, AT&T Communications, said in a release.

BNC said later it also will be available to stream on AT&T TV and AT&T Now. "News consumers in urban markets around the country with DirecTV will now have access to our uniquely specific content," Princell Hair, BNC's CEO, said in a statement. "We look forward to our relationship and the new access that this provides to our consumers.” 

Launched overall in 2019, Cleo TV is owned by Urban One, parent of TV One, which already is carried on AT&T's TV platforms including DirecTV (channel 328). Michelle Rice, TV One and Cleo TV general manager, said in a release: “We are excited about our continued partnership with AT&T as we further the reach and connectivity of Cleo TV.”

“We continue to build on our content offering and are very pleased to launch Black News Channel and Cleo TV," Thun also said in AT&T's release. "These additions further strengthen our diverse slate of content, and we’re excited to bring the networks’ important perspectives and unique programming to our channel portfolio.”

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. 

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.” 

Princell Hair, senior vice president of news and talent at NBC Sports Group, has been named general manager of CSN New England, NBC Sports' regional sports network in Boston.

Hair succeeds Bill Bridgen, who was named president of NBC's RSNs. Hair will report to Ted Griggs, president, group and strategic production and programming, for NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks.

Hair will head up the company's exclusive partnership with the Celtics. The RSN also airs New England Revolution soccer games and various other programming related to the Patriots and other sports in the region.

Hair was named SVP of news and talent in 2012. Before that he was SVP of news operators for Comcast Sports Group (Comcast owns NBC Sports). His resume also includes news/programming posts with Turner and Viacom including SVP of Turner Broadcasting’s strategic planning group, SVP of program and talent development at CNN Worldwide, and EVP and GM  of CNN/U.S.

He is also former VP of news for Viacom's TV stations group.