*Shad Khan, the billionaire owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is putting (some of) his money behind a 24-hour news network aimed at Black Americans set to launch next month.
According to bizjournals.com, the Black News Channel “will provide coverage of events and activities of specific interest and cultural significance to African Americans, according to information provided by Khan’s representatives.”
For Khan — said to be the majority investor in BCN — making the decision to invest in a 24-hour news network aimed at Black folks was an easy one, he said in a statement.
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JUST IN | #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. https://t.co/DZjTPWOhQs
— Florida Times-Union (@jaxdotcom) October 2, 2019
“I believe there is an undeniable calling for everything the Black News Channel will deliver to African American television audiences, who have historically been underserved in an era where networks have otherwise successfully targeted news to specific demographic groups and interests,” Khan said. “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.”
Khan declined to spill details on his investment but told the Associated Press “it’s significant, and frankly it’s open ended.”
“The investment continues to make sure that not only are the bricks and mortar, the equipment are really what it takes to make an excellent product, but also the people on the air and the programming costs,” Khan told the AP. “It’s whatever it takes.”
J.C. Watts, who represented Oklahoma’s 4th District in Congress in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is the mastermind behind the Black News Channel.
Watts will reportedly serve as company chairman; while co-founder Bob Brillante, who developed the Florida sports channel Sunshine Network and Florida’s News Channel, will be CEO, the reports states.
According to UrbanHollywood411, the network plans to hire about 100 people.
BNC will launch Nov. 15 and will reach an estimated 33 million households through distribution agreements with Charter Communications, Comcast and DISH, the company said.
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