Black Television (www.btnc.tv) News Channel (BTNC), the nation's only African-American news network, scheduled to launch in 2009, today announced a multi-year carriage agreement with Comcast (CMCSA, CMCSK), the country's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. Under the agreement, BTNC expects that it will be added to Comcast systems in the following key African American markets: Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Baltimore.
BTNC will be a 24/7 cable news network that provides original news programming with a distinctly African-American perspective, and therefore helps fill a major gap in today's media. BTNC
is the endeavor of J.C. Watts, Jr., former U.S. congressman from Oklahoma and celebrated athlete, and broadcast and cable news veterans.
"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,"
said Watts. "With this agreement, Comcast continues to demonstrate its commitment to working with independent programmers with diverse points of view."
BTNC will construct the first coast-to-coast all high-definition television newsgathering infrastructure with its network operations center located in Washington, DC.
About BTNC:
Black Television News Channel will be the nation's only provider of 24/7 cable news programming dedicated to covering the unique perspective of African American communities. BTNC will
provide access to information and educational programming to meet the specific needs of this growing and dynamic community, which is a major consumer of subscription television services.
BTNC will provide a new voice that represents African Americans in mainstream media and fosters political, economic, and social discourse. BTNC's programming will shed light on the unique
social, economic, and political challenges facing urban communities and help close the "image gap" that exists today between the negative African American stereotypes perpetuated by
mainstream media news and our enterprising black communities.
Contact:
JC Watts, Jr., Chairman
Ph: 877-4MY-BTNC
Fax: (202) -207-2853