Black News Channel Launches New Morning Show with Mike Hill and Sharon Reed, Expands Audience to 52 Million Homes

In an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal, BNC Chief Executive Officer Princell Hair spoke about the upcoming relaunch for the growing network.

Hair, who joined BNC in July 2020, has sealed distribution deals with major cable providers, such as Comcast, AT&T, DirectTV and Dish Network Corp., allowing the network to raise its potential audience to more than 52 million households.

“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 disproportionally impact Black and brown communities,” Hair said.


The new lineup of shows is set to launch in March and will feature high-profile commentators including Mike Hill, Sharon Reed, Charles Blow and Marc Lamont Hill who BNC network executives believe will help give Black Americans the news they aren’t getting anywhere else.

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(AP/ABC News) Four hours of morning television is a lot of time to fill, but new Black News Channel hosts Mike Hill and Sharon Reed don't expect to run out of things to say.

Their new program, which debuts Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern, is the centerpiece of Black News Channel's relaunch to emphasize commentary and a more analytical approach to the news. Nearly invisible when it debuted last year, BNC is methodically becoming more available to viewers.

“This is when I need my voice to be heard and I want my voice to be heard,” said Hill, who has worked at Fox Sports and ESPN. “So much is happening in our country.”

His co-host on “Start Your Day with Sharon and Mike" has anchored the news at CBS' Atlanta affiliate for the past five years and been a reporter in New York, Miami, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Cleveland.

Founded by former GOP congressman J.C. Watts, BNC has been run on a day-by-day basis since last summer by veteran television executive Princell Hair, who has worked at CNN, Comcast and NBC Sports.

BNC was available in only 2.5 million homes via cable or satellite when it started, and is now up to 52 million, or a little more than half of those available, Hair said. It started with access to 50 million Internet-connected devices and is now up to 180 million. Read more...