An “edutainment” and lifestyle network devoted to Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the United States, will launch in 2011. The announcement was confirmed by C3 Media, LLC a holding company, at a press conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Designed to fill a void in the cable industry, the channel will serve as the official destination of the four major HBCU Conferences (MEAC, SWAC, SIAC, CIAA) featuring Black College sporting events. Additionally, the network will offer a full complement of education & entertainment (edutainment) as well as lifestyle programming. Built on the solid foundation of the 143-year old HBCU brand, the network will focus on a previously unexplored aspect of African American life focusing on its significant cultural importance to the global community. The new channel will bring a different business model to the cable industry by reinvesting in the African American community it will serve. The HBCU Network will provide a 20% equity position to HBCUs, offering direct financial benefit and long-term sustainability. “The idea and vision behind the creation of the HBCU Network is to preserve and celebrate the African American colleges and universities, while also providing opportunities for their growth and further prosperity,” said CEO Curtis Symonds. “At the same time, we are passionate and excited about building a strong media brand and network from the ground up.” http://www.onnidan.com/index.php/ne...dicated-to-hbcus-set-to-launch-next-fall.html
Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN sports network entered into a programming agreement with a new cable network geared toward historically black colleges and universities, according to the executive starting the network. The HBCU Network plans to begin carrying live sporting events from predominantly black colleges in August 2011, said Curtis Symonds, chief executive of the venture. In addition to sports, the HBCU Network will broadcast entertainment, culture and lifestyle programming, Symonds said. The network will be “somewhat modeled” after News Corp.’s Big Ten Network, he said. The partnership is likely to be announced later this week, Symonds said. Chris LaPlaca, a spokesman at ESPN, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Symonds, the former head of affiliate sales and marketing at Viacom Inc.’s BET cable network, said distribution agreements are being negotiated with at least two cable companies, which he declined to name. He said he expects the HBCU network to be available in about 10 million homes when it starts. ESPN owns the rights to games from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which include the majority of the country’s 105 historically black colleges and universities. Those programming rights, Symonds said, will be shared with the HBCU Network http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-...-to-let-hbcu-network-carry-college-games.html
