nullSince exiting CNN earlier this year (amidst new chief Jeff Zucker’s shake-up), Roland Martin’s been busy at TV One primarily- most recently, in March, hosting the primetime special Amazing Grace: Drama In the Black Church – A Washington Watch Special with Roland Martin, which tackled themes of power, corruption and redemption in the Black church.

Now TV One has announced the launching of a new program to be hosted by Martin, titled News One Now, described as a live one-hour, weekday morning news program slated to premiere September 2013. 

In addition to hosting, Martin will also act as managing editor of the Washington-based news program that will be a “multi-platform experience” on radio, television, and online.

As we know, the pundit never did get his own CNN show, even though, as he stated, he came to that network with every intention of eventually being given his own show, after, of course, proving that he deserved to have his own show, which he felt that he did, adding that he hosted a number of “highly-rated specials for CNN,” and thus didn’t understand why the network’s decision makers never “rewarded” him with his very own show.
And you’ll recall Martin’s thoughts on why this never happened, speaking on HuffPostLive in April:
“You have largely white male executives who are not necessarily enamored with the idea of having strong, confident minorities who say, ‘I can do this’… We deliver, but we never get the big piece, the larger salary, to be able to get from here to there… If it’s a ratings game, and we won, how is it I never got a show?”
It’s maybe it’s not quite the *grander* CNN platform that Martin previously wanted to be granted his own show on, but he’ll get to sit on his bully pulpit for at least an hour a day, reaching a significant audience.

The rest of the story via press release from TV One below:

News One Now, culled from the third hour of a three-hour radio program to be syndicated on Radio One network stations, will provide viewers with a morning news program that for the first time in history, will offer news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports and culture, from an African American perspective. The morning show, based in Washington, D.C., will feature a broad spectrum of experts, newsmakers and celebrities who will share their insights on current affairs with Martin. Additionally, the program will implement a “Skype Net” component giving various Radio One hosts a platform to provide daily weigh-ins onNews One Now content, as well as inform the audience on hot topics in their respective regions.

News One Now will be a three-screen experience, allowing viewers and listeners to experience the show on radio, TV and through NewsOne.com, a website from Radio One’s web division, Interactive One. Various studies show that African Americans have a high usage of social media, and News One Now will heavily incorporate social media throughout the show (#NewsOneNow), allowing for a truly interactive experience with our audience.

Martin, the 2013 National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year, most recently served as the host of TV One’s long-running, award-winning weekly news program, Washington Watch with Roland Martin, which concluded its four-year series run in May. Parallel to the creation of News One Now, TV One has signed an agreement with Martin’s media company, Nu Vision Media, Inc.

“We are delighted to announce the launch of News One Now, which continues Radio One and TV One’s pledge to serving our audience with compelling, quality coverage of current news events, issues and trends affecting the Black community,” said Alfred Liggins, chairman of TV One and CEO and president of Radio One.

“African Americans are some of the most highly engaged cable news consumers, and it’s vital that we meet that thirst with a daily morning show that speaks to our issues, our concerns, from our perspective,” said Martin.  “News One Now will launch as the pre-eminent destination for the pulse of Black America.”

Craig Henry (Washington Watch, Parole Diaries) will be the executive in charge of News One Now on behalf of TV One.

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