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Tony Coles, left, and Tanita Myers of Black Information NetworkPhoto: Courtesy of Black Information Network
Now more than ever, we need and deserve as many platforms as possible that are spearheaded by Black voices.
As such, it is exciting news to see that Black Information Network (BIN), the first and only 24/7 comprehensive national and local all-news audio service dedicated to the Black community has launched.
Per the press release sent to The Root:
BIN will be distributed nationally through the iHeartRadio app and accessible via mobile, smart speakers, smart TVs and other connected platforms, and on dedicated all-news local AM/FM broadcast radio stations providing local news, weather traffic and sports in addition to national news — all focused on the Black community and from the Black perspective — in markets including Atlanta, Augusta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, GA, Detroit, Greenville, Macon, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Riverside, San Francisco and Seattle, with additional local markets being added over the next 60 days. BIN will also provide the news service for iHeartMedia’s 91 Hip Hop, R&B and Gospel stations across the country, including Power 105.1 in New York, Real 92.3 in Los Angeles, WDAS and Power 99 in Philadelphia, WGCI and WVAZ in Chicago, WJLB in Detroit, The Beat in Houston, The Beat in Miami, WQUE in New Orleans, KMEL in San Francisco and more.
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Instead of going the traditional media route of ad-supported content, BIN is enabled by National Founding Partners Bank of America, CVS Health, GEICO, Lowe’s, McDonald’s USA, Sony, 23andMe and Verizon. Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA) will be a national marketing partner.
Leading the launch will be Tony Coles, president of BIN and Tanita Myers, director of news operations. Coles has a relationship with iHeartMedia, serving as the division president of iHeartMedia Markets Group and Myers has over 15 years’ experience at Reach Media, including formerly serving as the director of operations for The Tom Joyner Morning Show, executive producer of the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and more.
“BIN: Black Information Network will fill a void by providing continual news and objective information with full focus on the Black community,” Coles said in a statement. “We began developing our 24/7 Black news source last year, and events of the last few weeks, especially the senseless and tragic death of George Floyd, highlighted the need for this network. Now is the time for our voice to be heard, and I could not be more proud of our work and the team we are assembling at BIN.”
“We are pleased and proud to support the launch of BIN: Black Information Network by contributing resources that will have the greatest impact—our reach, our multiple platforms, our technology infrastructure and our broad, in-depth relationships with consumers,” Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia said in a statement. “The commitment to service, and the immediate need we saw for a news and information destination for the Black community, accelerated the launch of BIN: Black Information Network to serve this community in an important new way. We are honored to be joined by some of the most important companies in the world that are also committed to this mission.”
For more information about BIN: Black Information Network and to tune in, visit binnews.com.