THE AMERICAN BLACK NEWS NETWORK
The American Black News Network (ABNN) is a nonprofit national news service providing independent, trustworthy journalism focused on the stories, decisions and institutions shaping Black America.
UNFILTERED CONVERSATIONS.
REAL IMPACT.
Strong journalism should not depend on whether a local station can afford a national newsroom.
The American Black News Network produces professional national reporting and makes it available at no cost to qualifying Black-owned, HBCU, community and digital stations.
We believe Black America should be covered with the same complexity, curiosity and seriousness as any other community. Our journalism is Black-centered, independent and not politically monolithic.
We report what happened, provide context and explain why it matters.
NATIONAL JOURNALISM.
BUILT FOR LOCAL STATIONS.
The American Black News Network provides qualifying stations with professionally produced national news reports at no affiliation fee — while creating new opportunities for your station to generate local sponsorship, advertising or underwriting support.
Every weekday, ABNN delivers two original national news stories:
Available in :60 and :90
Available in :60 and :90
Your station chooses the version that works for your programming.
And because ABNN does not charge qualifying affiliates for the reports, the value stays with your station.
Tell us about your station and programming.
Approved affiliates receive access to our weekday national news service.
Use the :60 or :90 version that best fits your clock.
Reports may be aired multiple times while current, giving more listeners access to the journalism.
Develop sponsorship, advertising or underwriting opportunities appropriate for your station — and keep the locally generated revenue.
CONTENT THAT SERVES YOUR AUDIENCE.
INVENTORY THAT SUPPORTS YOUR STATION.
We know that adding programming usually means adding another expense.
ABNN turns that model around.
Qualifying affiliates pay no affiliation fee for ABNN's weekday national news service.
Instead, ABNN reports provide stations with additional premium news inventory around which they may develop local financial support.
Commercial affiliates can create local sponsorship and advertising packages around ABNN programming and retain the local revenue they generate.
Noncommercial affiliates can develop appropriate underwriting opportunities around ABNN programming consistent with applicable requirements and their own station policies.
ABNN does not take a percentage of the station's locally generated sponsorship or underwriting revenue under the launch model.
Erica Linney is an award-winning television producer, writer and storyteller with more than two decades of experience in broadcast media. She joins The American Black News Network as an anchor and correspondent.
Linney has spent much of her career with the Christian Broadcasting Network, where she serves as a senior producer for Turning Point International (TPi). Her work has taken her across the United States and around the world, producing and telling stories from Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. She has conducted interviews, produced documentaries and feature stories, overseen studio and field productions, and helped lead a global team of producers.
Linney is a Telly Award-winning producer and holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Hampton University and a master's degree in script and screenwriting from Regent University.
At ABNN, Linney brings her experience as a producer, interviewer and storyteller to the network's national news coverage.
ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & ANCHOR
Jamie Jackson is an Emmy-nominated journalist, broadcaster and communications executive with more than two decades of experience in television, radio, digital media and public affairs. He serves as executive producer and anchor of the American Black News Network.
Jackson's career includes extensive local news experience as an anchor, reporter, producer and host in newsrooms across the country, including Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Wheeling, West Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Lafayette, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. His broadcast work has included NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS and NPR affiliates. WJCT notes that Jackson began his career at Pittsburgh's NBC affiliate, WPXI, and later worked for network affiliates across multiple states.
His local-news experience includes WTOV-TV, the NBC affiliate serving the Wheeling-Steubenville market; WHSV-TV, the ABC affiliate in Harrisonburg; and WLFI-TV, the CBS affiliate in Lafayette. In public radio, Jackson served as a host and reporter for WJCT Public Media in Jacksonville and later hosted NPR's Morning Edition for KERA in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Jackson later served as a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks and has also worked as a congressional correspondent and communications director in the U.S. House of Representatives.
His journalism has been recognized with a Capital Emmy nomination, an Indiana Broadcasters Association award and a Virginia Farm Bureau Journalism Excellence Award. He earned a bachelor's degree in justice studies from James Madison University.
At ABNN, Jackson leads the network's editorial direction and brings his experience in local and national reporting, anchoring, interviewing, public radio and public affairs to its national news coverage.