A new TV network targeting an African American viewing
audience launched today. Black News Channel (BNC) is headquartered in Tallahassee,
Florida and co-founded by former Oklahoma Republican Congressman, J.C. Watts.
During a statue dedication in January, Watts said, “We’ve
done a lot as African Americans. Think about what Rosa Parks contributed,
Harriet Tubman’s sacrifice, Martin Luther King’s sacrifice, and Frederick
Douglass. Their contribution was to raise the conscious level of American to
say that you know, we are all human and, all created by the same God.”
BNC planned to roll out its programming in November and
January before announcing the Channel would launch on February 10th.
The Channel’s Vice-President of News & Programming, Gary
Wordlaw, told The Baltimore Sun, “We’re going to give the nation a look
at the black community that has not been seen on any other network. Our mission
is to illuminate and to tell the truth. We’re not partisan. We’re not
political. We’re journalists. And we want to give good stories from the
peoples’ perspective. We should be the people’s network.”
BNC will partner with the National Newspaper Publishing
Association which represents more than 200 Black-owned community newspapers. The
Channel will also work with Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs). For more information about the cable, satellite, and other options
available for viewing BNC, visit the networks website www.blacknewschannel.com.
