Black Information Network Gains Momentum

Major media outlets in News and Talk radio serve the left and right political and social segments of the population. Traditional news stations and networks typically attract 50+ white males. Now Black Information Network is the first 24/7 national and local all news audio for the Black community. In contrast to most radio NT formats, BIN is designed to appeal to the 18-34 and 35-54 demographics.

I recently spoke with long-time colleague iHeart Media Division President and BIN President Tony Coles this week. Tony says, “Our focused mission is to tell news stories from the Black point of view. There are great things happening in the Black community that are rarely seen or heard.”

BIN launched in June, and it’s already operating in twenty-one cities. Tony projects the network to be in 30 markets by the end of the year. I asked Tony what kind of feedback the network is getting so far, and he said, “The response has been emotionally overwhelming. The word that has risen to the top of the research is “proud.”

The network is also providing an information window for people outside the Black community to help encourage communication and understanding. Tony points out that, “The George Floyd murder prompted us to debut the network sooner than planned. There’s a high level of distrust of media and the police that’s deeply rooted in the Black community.  Our goal is to produce fair and factual news from the Black  perspective”