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Raycom Stations to Carry New African American Net Bounce TV in 26 Markets
5/5/2011
ATLANTA: Raycom Media is contributing the first television carriage to Bounce
TV, the developing over-the-air network targeting African Americans. Raycom has
agreed to carry Bounce in 26 markets when the network launches in the fall. The
deal with Raycom marks the first distribution agreement for Bounce, which was announced
about a month ago.
The Raycom stations will put Bounce in around 10 percent of all U.S. TV households
and around 19 percent of African American TV households. Network official said they
expected to be available to half of all U.S. TV households at launch. More distribution
agreements would “be announced shortly,” they said. Bounce earlier said that half
of its ad airtime would be made available to affiliates.
As part of the multi-year agreement, Raycom will carry Bounce as a diginet in
Cleveland/Akron, Ohio (WOIO/WUAB); Charlotte,
N.C. (WBTV); Cincinnati, Ohio (WXIX); West Palm Beach, Fla. (WFLX); Birmingham,
Ala. (WBRC); Memphis, Tenn. (WMC); Louisville, Ky. (WAVE); Richmond, Va. (WUPV);
Columbia, S.C. (WIS); Huntsville, Ala. (WAFF); Shreveport, La. (KSLA); Jackson,
Miss. (WLBT); Baton Rouge, La. (WAFB); Savannah, Ga. (WTOC); Charleston, S.C. (WCSC);
Myrtle Beach/Florence, S.C. (WMBF); Tyler/Lufkin, Texas (KLTV); Augusta Ga. (WFXG);
Montgomery, Ala. (WSFA); Columbus, Ga. (WTVM); Wilmington, N.C. (WECT); Albany,
Ga. (WALB); Biloxi, Miss. (WLOX); Hattiesburg, Miss. (WDAM); Dothan, Ala. (WDFX);
and Lake Charles, La. (KPLC).
“Bounce TV is the right network at the right time for our stations,” Raycom President
and CEO Paul McTear said. “Bounce TV will allow us to better serve our communities,
giving underserved African American consumers a new local television brand designed
specifically for them while also providing our local stations an ideal companion
network for their digital spectrum.”
The deal was ballyhooed by the National Association of Broadcasters, which is
in a pitched battle for spectrum. Advocates of the Obama Administration’s
National Broadband Plan are pushing to reclaim broadcast spectrum for wireless
broadband, saying TV stations underutilize the airwaves. The Bounce deal
carries the extra cache of serving what is considered in media an underserved
population.
Bounce TV will launch in the fall and target African Americans, primarily 25-54,
with a mix of movies, sports, documentaries, faith-based programs, off-net series
and originals. It recently acquired the rights to nearly 400 African American-skewing
movies, and several college football and basketball games, in a series of
licensing agreements. The network will air 24/7.
Bounce was founded by Martin Luther King III, Ambassador Andrew Young; and Andrew
“Bo” Young III, Rob Hardy and Will Packer, co-founders of Rainforest Films.
See . . .
April 4, 2011: “First African American
Broadcast Network Bounce TV to Launch This Fall”
Bounce TV will be an ad-supported network with half of that time being
available for local insertion by affiliates. Former executive vice president of
U.S. Syndication Sales for Sony Pictures Television, Jeffrey Wolf, currently
head of The Lobo Group, will handle network distribution of Bounce TV.
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