THE AMERICAN BLACK NEWS NETWORK
NEWS THAT INFORMS.
JOURNALISM THAT SERVES.
RADIO I PRINT I DIGITAL
The American Black News Network (ABNN) is a nonprofit public media organization providing original journalism, education, cultural storytelling, interviews and analysis focused on the issues, ideas and experiences shaping Black America.
JOURNALISM
BUILT TO
SERVE COMMUNITIES
PUBLIC MEDIA FOR
BLACK AMERICA.
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.
The American Black News Network programming is now available on PRX Exchange, a national public media distribution marketplace used by hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including NPR member stations, community, college and LPFM stations. Stations can discover and access ABNN Morning Update and ABNN Newsbreak, featuring concise, original national journalism focused on the issues shaping Black America.
ABNN HBCU News Collaborative
The American Black News Network HBCU News Collaborative connects historically Black colleges and universities with professional journalism, broadcast resources and hands-on training — at no cost to participating institutions.
Through the collaborative, HBCU radio stations and journalism programs can receive American Black News Network national news reports, timely breaking-news coverage and access to professional training in on-air presentation, broadcast writing, reporting, interviewing and storytelling.
Participating HBCUs may also have opportunities to contribute student and faculty reporting, interviews, audio, video and story ideas for potential distribution through the American Black News Network, helping important campus and community stories reach audiences beyond their local markets.
There is no affiliation fee, no contract and no charge for training or journalism services.
Our goal is to strengthen HBCU media programs, expand professional opportunities for students and help build the next generation of journalists while creating a stronger national pipeline for stories from Black communities.
CONTENT THAT SERVES YOUR AUDIENCE.
INVENTORY THAT SUPPORTS YOUR RADIO & DIGITAL OUTLET.
The American Black News Network was designed with the economics of local broadcasting and digital journalism in mind.
We know that adding programming or content 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 and digital outlets with additional premium news inventory around which they may develop local financial support.
COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS
Commercial affiliates can create local sponsorship and advertising packages around American Black News Network programming and retain the local revenue they generate.
PUBLIC, HBCU AND NONCOMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS
Noncommercial affiliates can develop appropriate underwriting opportunities around ABNN programming consistent with applicable requirements and their own station policies.
YOUR LOCAL REVENUE STAYS LOCAL.
ABNN does not take a percentage of your locally generated sponsorship or underwriting revenue under the launch model.
NATIONAL JOURNALISM.
BUILT FOR RADIO STATIONS.
GREAT JOURNALISM SHOULD ALSO WORK FOR YOUR STATION.
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:
ABNN MORNING UPDATE
Available in :60 and :90
ABNN NEWSBREAK
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.
HOW IT WORKS
1. BECOME AN AFFILIATE
Tell us about your station and programming.
2. RECEIVE ABNN REPORTS
Approved affiliates receive access to our weekday national news service.
3. CHOOSE YOUR LENGTH
Use the :60 or :90 version that best fits your clock.
4. AIR IT THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Reports may be aired multiple times throughout your broadcast day, giving more listeners access to the journalism and creating additional opportunities for local support.
5. BUILD LOCAL SUPPORT AROUND IT
Develop sponsorship, advertising or underwriting opportunities appropriate for your station — and keep the locally generated revenue.
MORNING UPDATE SAMPLES
(with 30-second ad/underwriter music bed)
NEWSBREAK SAMPLES
(with 30-second ad/underwriter music bed)
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 a 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.
ERICA LINNEY
CORRESPONDENT
JAMIE JACKSON
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.