JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan will be the majority investor in the Black News Channel, which debuts on Nov. 15 to an estimated 33 million cable and satellite households in the U.S.
The network was founded by former Oklahoma congressman and University of Oklahoma quarterback J.C. Watts. It will be minority owned and the nation’s only provider of around-the-clock cable news programming dedicated to covering the perspective of African-American communities.
Bob Brilliante, who founded the Florida News Channel in 1998, is the co-founder and CEO.
The Black News Channel will be based in Tallahassee and initially reach 14 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and New Orleans. It has acquired affiliate distribution agreements with cable providers such as Comcast, Charter and Dish TV but may not be in every Comcast market on the launch date.
“I believe there is an undeniable calling for everything the Black News Channel will deliver to African-American television audiences, who have historically been under-served in an era where networks have otherwise successfully targeted news to specific demographic groups and interests,” Khan said in a statement.
“My decision to invest is an easy one because we get to answer that calling. This is a chance for me to make an impact on how African-Americans report and consume news and related programming, how their voices are amplified and heard and how all of us can better connect socially, culturally, economically and more.”
The BNC is targeting an audience that surveys show is the majority in many of the top-50 markets for bundled cable TV and broadband services, and who own more digital TV sets and order more video-on-demand services.
BNC’s research also shows that African-Americans subscribe to more premium cable services than any other group.
The BNC also will partner with Historically Black Colleges from a headquarters and media training center it is building in Tallahassee, which will train the next generation of journalists in advanced news-gathering and production technologies.
