The Black Television News Channel (BTNC) announced
that it signed a multi-year agreement with Charter Communications to premiere
the news network in 14 of the digital cable television service’s top African
American markets in the United States. BTNC programming will be shown in
Charter markets that include New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, Detroit,
Boston, Tampa, Orlando, Cleveland, Charlotte, Birmingham, Norfolk,
Raleigh-Durham, and New Orleans.
In 2014, FAMU entered into an 11-year agreement with BTNC to house its 24-hour, multi-platform news network in the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC). On Feb. 24, 2017, FAMU, BTNC, and Charter will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on FAMU’s campus to announce the African-American news network’s official launch date.
The addition of Charter Communications to the project
represents a milestone for BTNC, as it now has carriage or distribution
agreements with three of the nation’s four major subscription television
providers.
“As we get closer to the launch date of this groundbreaking
network, the University remains excited about the opportunity to play a key
role in bolstering the nation’s African-American news offerings, reporting the
cultural achievements of the African-American community, and developing the
next generation of minority journalists,” said FAMU’s Interim President Larry
Robinson.
According to a study by the Florida State University Center
for Economic Forecasting and Analysis, the network will serve as an economic
powerhouse for the North Florida region. The center reports that BTNC will
generate more than 100 jobs in Tallahassee and more than $30 million annually
in economic stimulus for the region. FAMU’s journalism and graphic design
majors, and other student groups and organizations, will benefit from the
millions of dollars of equipment and other resources provided by BTNC.
“Our students will receive internship and job opportunities
as a part of the BTNC collaboration,” said SJGC Dean Ann Wead Kimbrough.
“This unique opportunity affords our students cutting-edge training experiences
that will provide advantages in a competitive marketplace.”
According to BTNC, its network operation center will be the
first 4K Ultra HD newsgathering and production infrastructure of its kind and
will include a multi-million-dollar, media-training center for aspiring
journalists. FAMU students will benefit from multiple courses of study in
network broadcasting, digital media, virtual reality, and operations.
Kimbrough said locating BTNC’s headquarters on FAMU’s campus
provides the network the opportunity to link with one of the nation’s most
respected and award-winning schools of journalism. This location also affords
BTNC direct access to the next generation of aspiring multimedia communicators
and a rich pool of on-air contributing analysts including FAMU faculty,
administrators, staff, and alumni.