Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 7-19-19

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The Black News Channel (BNC) Will Launch In November In Major Markets
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
For African Americans looking for a news channel dedicated to the experi- ences of the Black commu- nity, the wait has been long and frustrating. The Black News Channel (BNC) is looking to change that with high-quality news and ded- icated programming for us, by us.
Black News Channel is a minority owned and oper- ated news network launch- ing on November 15, 2019 at 6 a. m.
The initial launch will be to approximately 33 million cable TV and satellite households in the top 25 African American TV markets. News bureaus will be located in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D. C., New Orleans and Atlanta. Expansion plans for 2020 – 2021 and beyond include adding news bureaus in Houston, Detroit, Orlando, and Chicago.
BNC will be a news or- ganization that gives voice to the varied experiences, issues, points-of-view and
J. C. WATTS ...Chairman and co-founder, BNC
GARY WORDLAW ...V. P. of News and Programming
that exists today between the negative Black stereo- types perpetuated by main- stream media and our enterprising African Amer- ican communities,” Mr. Wordlaw states.
The network will offer 12 hours of original program- ming daily, combined with other specialized program- ming. Sports programming will include coverage of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which has a large population of African American players who rarely receive coverage in the United States. The channel will also offer Olympic coverage. Women’s programming and unique documentaries about Black life and history will also be featured promi- nently.
Another aspect of the new network is their plan to offer “long form” reporting instead of the typical sound bite. Long form reporting allows for more in-depth coverage and facts fostering a grassroots, viewer-per- spective point of view. BNC wants the audience to de-
cide the conclusion.
The BNC is also very
keen on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their students and they are looking to hire young African Americans seeking a career in journal- ism.
Mr. Wordlaw enthusi- astically says that the net- work will take the time to train future African Ameri- can journalists and offer them the chance to learn in a welcoming and diverse workspace.
Mr. Wordlaw hails from Chattanooga, Ten- nessee, and he began his ca- reer in broadcast news more than 50 years ago. At the age of 16, Mr. Word- law became one of the first African American television employees hired in the state of Tennessee. After attend- ing college, Mr. Wordlaw continued his career in broadcast news by working as a reporter, writer, pho- tographer, and every other job in a broadcast news op- eration, including president and general manager. As a veteran station executive, Mr. Wordlaw has worked for many of the nation’s largest local television mar- kets like Washington, DC and Baltimore. Mr. Word- law has also held numer- ous journalism teaching positions at prestigious uni- versities, as well as ap- peared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Mr. Wordlaw is an eight-time Emmy-award winner for broadcast news and a recip- ient of numerous other awards resulting from his work in the broadcast news industry.
priorities that matter to African Americans. The mission will be to tell the entire story, and to em- power the Black community by addressing the issues of the day in a way that is edu- cational, unbiased and complete.
BNC is the brainchild of former Congressman J. C. Watts, Jr. of Oklahoma. Mr. Watts is a former pro- fessional football player who used his experiences in Congress and sports to build a business empire.
According to award-win- ning broadcast news vet- eran, Gary Wordlaw,
who was named Vice Presi- dent of News & Program- ming in March, “Mr. Watts had an epiphany that African Americans re- late more to people that look like themselves. How- ever, he noticed there weren’t media spaces that would speak to us, about us. The concept for BNC was born.”
Mr. Wordlaw will use his 50-year career experi- ence in broadcast media to develop and produce origi- nal news programming that will make a deep, rich con- nection to the network’s target audience.
According to research, African Americans are “subscription television’s most dynamic, high growth, and loyal consumers and the BNC’s unique brand will offer news from an authen- tic perspective. This vision offers balance to a commu- nity that is rarely projected in a positive light.
“The network aims to bring the truth about the unique challenges facing urban communities and help close the image gap
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