Black News Channel reloads with talk focus, morning show

NEW YORK (AP) — 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.

For the most part, BNC has aired straight newscasts, but surveys revealed a desire for more depth.

“We're going to be presenting the news of the day, but we're going to present it with more context and more perspective,” he said.

BNC says it will soon be featuring programming with Charles Blow, columnist at The New York Times; Marc Lamont Hill, a Temple University professor, book store owner, author and commentator; Adrienne Lawrence, a former legal analyst and anchor at ESPN; and Yodit...