Congratulations to my client Urban News Service on their historical achievement: In less than six months, they have become one of the largest distributors of news content to African-American owned newspapers in the country. Here is the the interview with one of three founding principals (the others being Andre Johnson and Joe Ruffin). Eric Easter emphasizes the importance of seasoned journalists telling black stories in print and embedding reporters in our communities for the long haul. Hear the Eric Easter interview on AM 900 WURD.
It is such an honor (and seriously fun) working with this team to tell their story: The concept was to supply world-class content to African-American publishers. These publishers had plenty of opinion, but original reporting and hard news was hard to come by. Urban News Service provides stories that reflect the actual African-American experience, not the crime, drugs, sex that dominate in major media. The team was able to accomplish its goals in an astonishingly short period of time. Starting from zero in April, 2015, Urban News Service were serving more than 205 black-owned newspapers with a combined circulation of 5.5 million by September—more than Ebony, Essence or Black Enterprise. It wasn’t easy. Publishers that fought the establishment for 100+ years and came through the black power movement of the 1970s had a deep distrust of anything new. Earning their trust required creating a superlative product and the hiring of hired well-known, award-winning reporters from major media with a sharp eye for stories. In January, Urban News Service inked a deal with the NNPA Black Press of America to provide content on their wire service.