Tallahassee is now the home of a brand new, 24-hour television network. The Black News Channel officially launched Monday and could reach millions of households across the nation.
The network says what sets it apart from other news channels is its coverage of black communities. The Black News Channel includes talk shows for black women and teenagers and plans to highlight historically black colleges and universities.
Network chairman J.C. Watts is a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma. He says the channel is meant to represent the lived experiences of African-Americans, instead of a particular ideology.
“Any African-American that is 45 years of age [or older], if they’re honest- I don’t care if they’re liberal or conservative- if they tell me of an experience they’ve had, I can say, ‘me too,'" Watts says.
Watts says the BNC is in talks to expand the channel to digital and streaming sources. He also thinks that while the network offers black perspectives, it can draw in viewers of all backgrounds.
“If people come minus their biases and say, ‘I do wanna learn’ about, you know, sickle-cell, I think we can be very educational and informational in that aspect," he says.
The Black News Channel is available to viewers using Dish, Spectrum, Comcast or Xfinity X1.
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