ABC Owned television stations are set to celebrate Black History Month with On the Red Carpet: Storyteller’s Spotlight featuring Black storytellers and a multi-platform slate of stories celebrating Black culture airing in the local newscasts of the eight-owned Stations, ABC’s Localish, and available in the new 24/7 live and local streaming channels, eight websites, mobile and connected TV Apps on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV
What’s Happening:
- Today, ABC Owned Television Stations announced the multiplatform slate of its Black History Month content with news stories, placing a focal point on voting rights and election reform while celebrating Black cultures, heritage, and communities. Led by the Race and Culture Content team embedded at all eight stations, the journalists will shine a light on current circumstances that are making it increasingly difficult to vote. Most Black History Month stories, news coverage and premium content are available on ABC Owned Television Stations’ newly launched 24/7 streaming channels, in addition to airing across linear in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno, and its connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.
- Award-winning On the Red Carpet Storytellers Spotlight series celebrates Black A-list storytellers. Cast members from the hit comedy series black-ish will discuss the show’s legacy and impact on the culture as it comes to an end. Quinta Brunson, creator, executive producer and star of ABC’s comedy series Abbott Elementary, shares her creative journey, challenges and wins as a woman of color in Hollywood. Marissa Jo Cerar, creator, showrunner and executive producer of ABC’s groundbreaking series Women of the Movement, talks about the importance of bringing the story of Emmett Till and Mamie TIll-Mobley to television and how being a Black mother impacted her creative process. Tara Roberts, National Geographic Explorer, takes viewers on a listening journey in the podcasts Into the Depths, the untold history of the transatlantic slave trade. She also shares with storytellers the importance and impact of Black voices in the podcast space.
- ABC’s award-winning Localish will broadcast feel-good features highlighting Black-owned businesses and community leaders, including its most popular show, More in Common, across all platforms.
- A brief overview of ABC Owned Television Stations celebrating Black History Month includes the following:
- ABC7/WABC-TV New York, the No.1 station in New York and the most-watched television station in the nation, is airing numerous news stories that celebrate Black communities, its leaders, and their historical role in art and entertainment while also addressing barriers that Black communities still face. Highlighted stories include an interview with Collette V. Smith, the first Black NFL coach, a profile on American artist Augusta Savage, and specials, Women on the Move: Black History Month, and Mentoring Kings: Black History Month. Award-winning Here and Now, the popular long standing African American public affairs program in the tri-state area, will cover issues and interests that impact and celebrate the community.
- ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles, the most-watched station in Southern California, will air numerous news segments, including an investigative data journalism story about voting rights. Stories throughout the month spotlight Black Restaurant Week, SoCal Black History Parade and Unity Festival, the heritage of Afro-Latinos, local Black-owned businesses, coverage of the NAACP Image Awards and special Black History Month celebration vignettes featuring national celebrities.
- ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago, is proud to celebrate Black History Month with special news reports, programming and vignettes throughout February. The market leader will air special presentations of the three-time Emmy Award winner Our Chicago: Building Black, a series that taps into the essence of Chicago’s Black community, hosted by ABC7’s Cheryl Burton and Hosea Sanders, with contributions from Jim Rose, Val Warner and Will Jones.
- 6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia celebrates Black culture in both its popular 30-minute FYI Philly show and Vision a Black Community Affairs program. The market leader will air numerous news segments and stories celebrating Black excellence, including the 50th Anniversary of Philadelphia International Records honoring legendary music producers and community leaders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
- ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco celebrates the Bay Area's Black community, culture and leaders through numerous news stories that inform, inspire and empower the local audience. Local content featuring Black-owned businesses, like Ethos Collective, a company that helps elevate Black wedding creatives who are impacted by racial bias in the wedding industry. Race and Culture journalist Julian Glover delves into voting rights issues.
- ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston celebrates Black history as Race and Culture reporter Rosie Nguyen examines issues surrounding voter rights in Texas and reports on other community-focused stories. In addition to news segments celebrating Black culture, the Houston market leader launches a 50-story collection of Black History Month stories available to stream across its 24/7 streaming channel and connected TV apps.
- ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham will air 30-minute HBCU specials and rebroadcast content from the previous year’s HBCU Experience, news segments and community programming to celebrate Black History Month.
- ABC30/KFSN-TV Fresno will air numerous stories in the 6:00 p.m. newscasts highlighting Central California’s Black communities throughout the month. Viewers can watch inspiring profiles about community members, individuals and Black-owned businesses, including a Black wine owner, and the mission of California State University, Fresno to encourage more Black students to learn wine-making.