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J.C. Watts Is Launching
Black News Network

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- J. C. Watts, the former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, has announced that he will launch the nation’s first cable-news network which will cover African American news 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
    Scheduled to begin broadcasting in early 2009 in six major cities, as part of a multi-year agreement with Comcast, BTNC will be headquartered in Washington, D. C. It will be owned by Major Broadcasting Company. The new cable network will initially broadcast in only six cities: Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington, D. C.
    But these are cities where its parent company, Major Broadcasting Company is already airing programming in 10 million homes. In other words, MBNC will be owned by Major Broadcasting Corp., which already airs programs in 10 million homes.
    So there is already an audience, said Alesia Powell, a former senior producer at CBS News, who worked on BET Nightly News (both owned by Viacom). “Absolutely there’s an audience,” Powell said. “There are people who want to know how what’s going on in the world affects them as a black person. How does it affect the lives of the people in their world.”


   

Posted May 21, 2008

    The new network will be similar to established giants such as CNN or the Fox News Channel.
    Since Nielsen records indicate that blacks watch more television than any other ethnic group, the point is to cover more of the issues that affect African Americans, Watts said.
   “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,” Watts said in a prepared statement.
    While the company has not released its projected operating costs, (which are blamed for the demise of news departments at BET and Radio One), experts say it already costs between $7 to $8 million annually to produce a quality one-hour news show.
MBC is owned by several entertainment personalities including former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, lawyer Willie Gary, Major League Baseball star Cecil Fielder and former rhythm and blues artist Marlon Jackson. Currently MBC is in 10 million homes.

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