Black News Channel to close
March 28, 2022
Black News Channel (BNC) is to cease operations two years after launch. The network president Princell Hair revealed the closure in an internal memo reported by nexttv.
The channel, which launched just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, has now filed for bankruptcy, laying off some 230 staff. The network will run recorded segments through the end of the month.
“During the past few months, we have endured very painful workforce reductions at all levels of the network as we worked to achieve our financial goal of a break-even business,” Hair said. “This has forced all of you to do more with less, and your contributions have been remarkable. Unfortunately, due to challenging market conditions and global financial pressures, we have been unable to meet our financial goals, and the timeline afforded to us has run out.”
BNC had carriage deals with several US distributors including DirecTV, Comcast, Spectrum, Dish Network and Verizon Fios.