Black-Oriented TV News: Has Its Time Come?

For the most part, TV news targeting African Americans has been a bust. Two now defunct cable networks, Black Family Channel and New Urban Entertainment, tried it in the early 2000s, and the pioneering BET now limits itself to breaking news and occasional specials, eschewing regular newscasts. But despite some skepticism, the concept is showing new signs of life at both the local and national levels.

The idea for one of them, the Black Television News Channel, dates to 2008 when former-Rep JC Watts (R-OK), a founding partner in the venture, announced his intention to raise $20 million to build the operation. Watts’ partners include Bob Brillante, a cable industry veteran who founded the Florida News Channel, a regional 24-hour cable channel; former US House of Representatives Budget Director Steve Pruitt; and Frank Watson, a media management consultant.

Brillante says the demise of black-owned TV stations has fueled the need for black-targeted programming -- to say nothing of the potential money that can be made serving an audience that watches 37% more TV than other groups. According to Brillante, BTNC programming plans call for a nightly one-hour newscast featuring “culturally specific” content as well a business news show and a morning news show. Other slots will be filled with talk shows.

The key contract it wants to resurrect is with Comcast. It had agreed to air BTNC in seven of the country’s top 10 African American markets -- Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and Baltimore.