Friday, December 8, 2017

TV ONE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO SUSPEND DAILY PRODUCTION OF AWARD-WINNING MORNING NEWS SHOW NEWSONE NOW

TV ONE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO SUSPEND DAILY PRODUCTION OF AWARD-WINNING MORNING NEWS SHOW NEWSONE NOW
 
 
SILVER SPRING, MD. DECEMBER 8, 2017 — TV One has announced that after four years of award-winning programming and distinguished service to viewers as the only Black daily newscast on television, the network has decided to suspend the production of NewsOne Now as a daily morning news show.  The final live show is scheduled on Thursday, December 21, at 7 a.m. ET

TV One premiered NewsOne Now in 2013, to provide a daily voice to Black America on important political and social issues impacting our community.  The foray into daily news was the idea of TV One CEO Alfred Liggins. 

“Providing a platform for Black voices is in the DNA of our entire company,” said Liggins.  “As a Black-owned multi-media company, Urban One (parent company of TV One) engages Black America daily, not just on television, but radio and also online via NewsOne.com and on 77 digital platforms.  We know there is a void in mainstream media and we plan to continue to be an outlet for Black news. Roland Martin will be a part of that plan.”

TV One Interim General Manager Michelle L. Rice added, “We had to make a tough decision to suspend a show we all love.  Despite the best efforts of the many talented people who work on this amazing show day to day, NewsOne Now struggled to attract a wide audience. Like any other network, we had to make a difficult choice.”

The network invested in the production of NewsOne Now for the past four years. In an effort to save the program, adjustments were made to the format this quarter. Despite the network’s commitment and investment, NewsOne Now did not gain traction with advertisers and viewers. TV One is working to  restructure NewsOne Now in 2018 under a new format that will better serve its audience and advertisers.

Although some staff cuts resulted from the show’s suspension. Roland Martin, NewsOne Now Host and Managing Editor will continue to be heard across all Urban One platforms examining issues of importance to the Black community.  No other TV One staff will be impacted.

“I’d be remiss not to express my immense gratitude to Roland, executive producer Susan Henry, and the entire NewsOne Now production team for their fierce dedication and tireless commitment to representing journalistic excellence every day,” said Rice. “I'm extremely proud of all that we've accomplished together.”

“I am undoubtedly saddened by NewsOne Now ending daily production,” said Martin. “We set out to give America, specifically Black America, a show that spoke to our issues, concerns and unique perspective. And we did just that.”

Roland also shared appreciation for his staff, viewers and network, stating, “I am immensely proud of this staff, and thank you to TV One CEO Alfred Liggins for launching this show in 2013. I cannot express how humbling it has been to have African Americans of all ages show me their appreciation for our work.  I promise to ‘keep giving them hell,’ so stay tuned.”
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ABOUT NEWSONE NOW:
NewsOne Now is hosted by Roland S. Martin, the 2013 National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year and former host of TV One’s long-running, award-winning weekly news program, Washington Watch with Roland Martin.  Each morning, Martin – who also serves as the program’s managing editor – sifts through the headlines of the day to spotlight matters that greatly impact the African American community. In addition to television, NewsOne Now reaches audiences 24/7 with exclusive program content and extended editorial on NewsOne.com and the NewsOne mobile app.  NewsOne Now is an evolution of Interactive One’s award-winning digital brand NewsOne.com that launched in 2008 and reaches millions of African Americans each month. Susan Henry is executive producer of NewsOne Now. D’Angela Proctor is TV One’s head of original programming and production.

ABOUT ROLAND MARTIN: Noted among TV Week's "Top 12 To Watch In TV News," Roland S. Martin is a nationally syndicated award-winning journalist and columnist. Currently, Martin is the managing editor and face of the daily news program News One Now for TV OneNews One Now is the first morning news program in history to focus on news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports and culture from an explicitly African American perspective. In addition, Martin is a senior analyst for The Tom Joyner Morning Show, where his segment is heard on more than 100 stations reaching 8 million people daily. Martin has appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher," "Dr. Phil" and ESPN's "Sports Nation," as well as made his big-screen debut with a cameo in the 2014 film "Beyond the Lights," starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw.  With his personal social media audience exceeding 1.5 million followers across platforms, Martin has been named to the Ebony Magazine Power 100 list, highlighting the movers, shakers and igniters in Black America, for the fourth time. Martin is a three-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award.

ABOUT TV ONE:
Launched in January 2004, TV One serves 59 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult black viewers. The network represents the best in black culture and entertainment with fan favorite shows Unsung, Rickey Smiley For Real, Fatal Attraction, The Manns and The NAACP Image Awards.  In addition, TV One is the cable home of blockbuster drama Empire, and News One Now, the only live daily news program dedicated to black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is solely owned by Urban One, Inc., formerly known as Radio One, Inc. [NASDAQ: UONE and UONEK, www.urban1.com], the largest African-American owned multi-media company primarily targeting Black and urban audiences.

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