Q: You said once that Republicans reach out to black voters only “60 days before an election.” Is this channel an attempt to remedy that?

A: I think that’s the problem with the Republican Party: They don’t take advantage of these venues enough. I would hope that both parties and people of all stripes would say, “Hey, here’s a resource and an asset.” I don’t think we want [to be] a venue for Republicans. Republicans have venues today, and they don’t use them.

AN INTERVIEW W/JC

J.C. WATTS TO LAUNCH AFRICAN-AMERICAN NEWS NETWORK

By Helena Andrews- 7/17/08

“There’s a whole lot more to the African-American community than entertainment and sports,” said J.C. Watts, the former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, who is switching gears from a newsmaker to a newsman. With the help of Comcast and DishNet, Watts plans to launch the first cable channel dedicated to the African-American perspective. (The only channels dedicated to African-American audiences today are BET and TV One, both of which have an entertainment focus.) The Black Television News Channel is scheduled to launch in early 2009. Just in time to inaugurate the first black president?

“Political news is just one facet of American life,” said Watts, who added that the channel will not have a partisan bent. So don’t worry — he has no plans to become the black Rupert Murdoch.

Read the entire INTERVIEW at: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11806.html