Black News Channel expands reach with new distribution deals

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The Black News Channel is expanding with some familiar faces.

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The organization recently announced new high-profile commentators are added to its roster and its plans to deliver news surrounding Black America.

 “We’re standing on the forefront of a tremendous opportunity when you look at the stories of the past year: the pandemic, the George Floyd murder and the ensuing civil unrest, a very contentious presidential election, record unemployment, and all of these stories disproportionately impact Black and brown communities,” said CEO Princell Hair in an interview, per The Wall Street Journal.

“These are the stories that we have to get out.”

The network recently launched distribution deals with AT&T Inc.’s DirecTV, Dish Network Corp. and Comcast Corp.’s Xfinity. The new deals could expand the network’s reach to 52 million households from 2.5 million.

In addition to the network collaborations, commentators Marc Lamont Hill and Charles Blow will join the organization as hosts of an evening show. Former CBS 46 anchor Sharon Reed has joined the team along with Mike Hill and will host a morning show.

Hair signed on as president and chief executive officer (CEO) over the summer and was previously the vice president of news for CBS Television Stations group. The network is the only Black 24-hour cable news channel, when it was announced over the summer he was taking on the role he said:

“I am grateful to Chairman Watts and the Board of Directors for this opportunity,” Hair said per BNC. “I’m thrilled to return to daily newsgathering and compelling storytelling at the only 24-hour cable news channel aimed specifically at African Americans and other people of color, as the world responds to a pandemic, systemic racism and an economic crisis, all of which disproportionately impact the Black audience. I’m equally excited to join and support the talented team of journalists and staff across BNC’s platforms as the high stakes 2020 Presidential Race enters the red zone.”

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Hair received his Bachelor of Science degree from Florida International University in Miami, Florida in broadcast Journalism. His master’s degree is in business administration from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

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