By George Alexander
Black Enterprise
April 25, 2008 -- Cable and network television news
programs have often been chided for their lack of
adequate coverage of issues and topics most
important to African Americans. That could soon
change. Last week, Black Television News Channel
(BTNC) announced plans to launch the nation’s first
all-news cable network dedicated to the African
American community. Based in Washington, D.C.,
BTNC is the creation of J.C. Watts, the former
Republican congressman from Oklahoma. The
launch is part of a multi-year carriage agreement with
Comcast Cable. Distribution is expected to begin in
early 2009 in Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit,
Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Baltimore.
A black cable news network will be a welcome
addition to the media world. This is particularly the
case given that BET cancelled BET Nightly News in
2005, replacing it with news briefs throughout the day.
At the time, network brass cited a desire to meet the
demands of its mostly 18- to 34-year-old
demographic audience as the reason for the
cancellation. Black-owned TV One also only offers
news briefs throughout its programming schedule.
Steve Pruitt, a senior partner at BTNC, told
Multichannel News, the industry trade, that BTNC will
be formatted very much like CNN and the Fox News
Channel as it relates to news and special
programming. The difference, of course, will all be in
the perspective. BTNC will bring news from an African
American point of view. That means black people will
not only be on-air talent but will be making the
important behind-the scenes editorial decisions on
what stories actually get covered.
With serious issues still facing black America—from
unemployment to poverty to inadequate education to
HIV and AIDS—and the prospect of an African
American in the White House, a network solely
focused on daily news content from a black
perspective is a welcome reprieve from a black
television landscape largely dedicated to
entertainment.
African Americans watch more television than other
ethnic groups, however according to Nielsen, TV is
the only arena where solid, broad news
representation of the black community has not been
achieved in any meaningful way. Watts hopes to
change that. "Our unique and vast content
partnerships with African American newsmakers will
provide our viewers live access to the stories and
people in whom our viewers have a special interest,"
he said in a statement.
