*Tallahassee, FL — Black News Channel (BNC), the nation’s only African American news network, has revealed its new brand identity and logo after months of consumer research. With the efforts of partners like Screen Engine/ASI and the Carol H. Williams Advertising agency, BNC’s executive team has been to the top of the mountain and back in order to pinpoint the network’s precise look and feel that will be authentic to its target audience of African Americans.
Screen Engine/ASI is a Los Angeles, California based research and analytics firm specializing in the entertainment and media spaces. Using African American focus groups in Los Angeles, New York City, and Atlanta – as well as a national sampling of more than 1,400 African American participants, Screen Engine/ASI tested BNC’s audience assumptions, key messages, branding, and programming goals. From the data gathered over the past several months of study, Screen Engine/ASI produced a Topline Study report revealing its findings.
“It was important for BNC to verify its audience assumptions and to know with certainty the types of news stories and coverage African Americans want to see reflect their community and experiences,” says Kevin Goetz, founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI. “The research has been clear; African Americans have a strong desire to see a wider range of representation, especially when it comes to news that depicts more inspirational and uplifting figures.”
With the information included in Screen Engine/ASI’s Topline Study report, the Carol H. Williams Advertising agency went to work on redesigning BNC’s logo and taglines to give the network audience what they want. CHWA is a full service agency with offices in Oakland, Chicago, New York and Detroit that specializes in communicating to African American and urban consumers.
CHWA designed BNC’s new logo to incorporate two cultures, identified by spheres that overlap one another and represent the influence and shared experiences of both the African American culture and the national culture, at-large. Furthermore, the sun-like image illustrates that a new day is dawning in the world of mainstream media, one in which African Americans have an equal and authentic voice in the country’s national conversation.
With its new branding collaterals, BNC is ready to announce the network’s upcoming launch date. BNC Chairman and visionary J.C. Watts, Jr., former congressman from Oklahoma, celebrated athlete, and broadcast and cable news veteran, made a key announcement about the launch of the network’s programming at the 50th NAACP Image Awards Non-Televised Awards Dinner on March 29, 2019. Twelve-time Grammy nominated singer Ledisi joined Watts at the awards dinner as a guest of the network. Following the awards dinner, Ledisi entertained the crowd with her soulful award-winning rhythm and blues performance.Â
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“I am excited to reveal our network’s new look, as well as reinforce our continued mission to provide intelligent programming that is informative, educational, entertaining, inspiring and empowering to our African American audience,” says network Chairman J.C. Watts, Jr. “I am grateful to the NAACP leadership and members for allowing me the opportunity to make such a key announcement at their annual show.”
About BNC
Black News Channel is an independent network that is minority owned and operated, and it will be the nation’s only provider of 24/7 cable news programming dedicated to covering the unique perspective of African American communities. BNC is the endeavor of the network’s Chairman and visionary, J.C. Watts, Jr., former congressman from Oklahoma, celebrated athlete, and broadcast and cable news veteran. BNC will provide access to information and educational programming to meet the specific needs of this growing and dynamic community that is a major consumer of subscription television services. BNC will provide an authentic, new voice that represents African Americans in mainstream media and fosters political, economic, and social discourse; the network will be one voice representing the many voices of African Americans. BNC’s programming will illuminate truth about the unique challenges facing urban communities and help close the “image gap” that exists today between the negative black stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media news and our enterprising African American communities. Black News Channel will launch later this year to an estimated 33 million cable TV and satellite households in the top African American TV markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
About NAACP
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas at NAACP.org.
source:
Tommy Ross, Communications Director
[email protected]
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