Media and entertainment mogul Byron Allen believes the news and media industry needs more inclusion, an issue he will address now that he is the owner of the Black News Channel (BNC).
In July, Allen was approved by a Florida bankruptcy court to buy BNC for $11 million from the network’s former owner Shahid Khan. BNC is now part of Allen Media Group’s company portfolio of 12 television networks, including the Weather Channel. The acquisition also brought a change to the network’s name: it now goes by TheGrio, the West African term for storyteller.
In a recent interview with CNN, Allen said that he wants the channel to be more inclusive, and that he doesn’t think there’s a need for a “Black news channel,” but rather a “good news channel.” He added that TheGrio will be “more focused on lifestyle, entertainment, news and sports.”
