Black News Channel’s Co-Founder and CEO Steps Down Two Months After Launch

Black News Channel, which just launched nationwide two months ago, just lost its CEO and co-founder, Bob Brillante, according to an announcement by Black News Channel.

Bob Brillante, a BNC co-founder, has stepped down from his position as CEO to pursue other opportunities. Chairman and co-founder, J.C. Watts, Jr. will assume the position of interim CEO until a replacement can be found.

Bob Brillante, Black News Channel co-founder and former CEO (wikimedia)

“Bob has been with BNC from its inception and has helped nurture this network from the seeds of an idea to the reality of launching a culturally specific news network focused on the diverse perspectives of the African American community,” Watts said in a written statement. “We are all grateful for his efforts and his sacrifice, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

“I have traveled around the country participating in interviews, serving on panel discussions, and sharing BNC’s mission and commitment to telling a more complete story of the African American community,” BNC Chairman and co-founder Watts said in a press release at the time of the official launch.“There is growing interest and anticipation about the Black News Channel, as well as a palpable level of excitement about our launch.”

As of now, BNC, which officially launched on February 10, 2020, can be seen on Spectrum, Xfinity X-1 Platform, and The Roku Channel. It will soon be available on additional distribution platforms to be announced in the coming weeks. BNC also recently announced its updated news website at www.blacknewschannel.com, where viewers can find additional content and information about the network.

BNC’s state-of-the-art network operations center is operating out of Tallahassee, Florida, with several news bureaus positioned around the country. BNC will provide culturally relevant and intelligent programming that will be informative, educational, inspiring, and empowering to its core audience. The network is collaborating with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and plans on providing the network access to stories not covered by other news organizations.

The network is also partnering with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to offer internship and training opportunities for the next generation of aspiring young journalists.