Black News Channel — which shut down operations on Friday, just two years after making a splashy debut — has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida.
In its Monday filing, the Tallahassee-based network listed $10 million-$50 million in liabilities, and estimated between 200 and 999 creditors are owed money.
“They filed for bankruptcy faster than they paid their employees the money they’re owed,” one former employee told TheWrap on Tuesday. “I received a partial payment this morning for two weeks of work. They still owe me for another week.”
That former staffer was one of roughly 230 who were let go last Friday when the channel ceased operations; the network plans to air repeats for the rest of this month.
The channel, known to viewers as Bnc, was founded by former GOP congressman J.C. Watts and veteran broadcast executive Bob Brillante with a mission to provide news for and about underserved communities. Just months after...
In its Monday filing, the Tallahassee-based network listed $10 million-$50 million in liabilities, and estimated between 200 and 999 creditors are owed money.
“They filed for bankruptcy faster than they paid their employees the money they’re owed,” one former employee told TheWrap on Tuesday. “I received a partial payment this morning for two weeks of work. They still owe me for another week.”
That former staffer was one of roughly 230 who were let go last Friday when the channel ceased operations; the network plans to air repeats for the rest of this month.
The channel, known to viewers as Bnc, was founded by former GOP congressman J.C. Watts and veteran broadcast executive Bob Brillante with a mission to provide news for and about underserved communities. Just months after...
- 3/29/2022
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
After months of uncertainty, Black News Channel (Bnc) is shutting down on Friday just two years after its launch.
Multiple employees told TheWrap they were notified individually that Friday would be the last day of live programming for the Tallahassee, Florida-based network. The channel was launched in February 2020 by former GOP congressman J.C. Watts and broadcast executive Bob Brillante to target Black audiences they felt were underserved by other news outlets.
One staffer said Friday department heads contacted individual employees by phone to inform them that they were being let go. “I’m disappointed in the way management handled the situation and their lack of transparency,” the staffer told TheWrap. “I’m saddened because there are so many amazing journalists who care about Black and Brown stories and truly believed in the concept. Now with no notice, their lives and livelihoods are in limbo.”
The news came a day after...
Multiple employees told TheWrap they were notified individually that Friday would be the last day of live programming for the Tallahassee, Florida-based network. The channel was launched in February 2020 by former GOP congressman J.C. Watts and broadcast executive Bob Brillante to target Black audiences they felt were underserved by other news outlets.
One staffer said Friday department heads contacted individual employees by phone to inform them that they were being let go. “I’m disappointed in the way management handled the situation and their lack of transparency,” the staffer told TheWrap. “I’m saddened because there are so many amazing journalists who care about Black and Brown stories and truly believed in the concept. Now with no notice, their lives and livelihoods are in limbo.”
The news came a day after...
- 3/25/2022
- by Antoinette Siu
- The Wrap
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