Statement: Revolt Launches RBN Studios
Soo Kim
Broadcast: Standard General, a New York-based investment firm founded by Soo Kim and Nicholas Singer in 2007, recently won an auction to acquire the broadcast media company TEGNA Inc. Kim believes that local stations such as TEGNA are valuable assets despite the industry’s turn to streaming. They agreed to acquire the company in an $8.6 billion deal, including $3.2 billion in debt; according to Kim, Standard General would “not [make] an investment this large” if they didn’t believe in local stations’ merits. Kim hopes to help TEGNA grow and thrive despite the changing environment of the TV industry.
Effective immediately, Veronica Placencia has been promoted to news director at KERO-TV in Bakersfield, CA. She was previously news director at the NBC affiliate in El Paso, Texas, as well as the assistant news director of the Univision station there. After these roles, Placencia joined KERO-TV in 2019 as assistant news director, and then she was the interim leader of the station’s newsroom after the departure of former news director Suzanne Rodriguez last fall. As assistant news director, Placencia launched KERO-TV’s equity, diversity, and inclusion committee and led the community board. Jim Doty, vice president, and general manager at 23ABC told Broadcasting+Cable, “Veronica’s leadership and mentoring skills make her a great fit to lead our newsroom…She has done a terrific job of growing the newsroom and we can’t wait to see where she takes us as our news leader.”
Monique Chenault - Revolt
Cable: Revolt, a Black-owned media company (in partnership with NBC Universal) founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2013, is launching RBN Studios, which will house its headquarters and studio business in downtown Atlanta. It will produce news, talk, and opinion programming for Revolt and for other companies. Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels has high goals for RBN Studios. He told Broadcast+Cable, “The Black perspective has been deliberately hidden from the world for too long. With RBN Studios, we will leave no stone unturned and shine a light in the darkest of corners to find the truth through a Black diasporic lens.” Monique Chenault, Revolt’s president of news and documentary, is overseeing the operation.
Devon Franklin will be staying at CBS Studios with a recently renewed multi-year overall deal. In addition to executive producing the CBS drama pilot Early Edition, Franklin has multiple projects in development. He serves as president and CEO of Franklin Entertainment production company and has been under a deal with CBS Studios since 2020. Outside of production work, Franklin is the author of multiple bestselling books. Recently, he headed the initiative to implement diversity and inclusion guidelines for Oscar’s eligibility.
Philo
Streaming: The entertainment-based streaming platform Philo reached an agreement with Kin to produce Boss Moves with Rasheeda, which will be the service’s first original series. In exchange, Philo will launch a Kin Channel, which will have upwards of 65 hours of Kin’s women’s lifestyle programming. The Kin library will be part of Philo’s base package. Boss Moves with Rasheeda began shooting at the end of February 2022 and will include 12 30-minute episodes that will show Rasheeda’s homes and businesses and will provide a behind-the-scenes perspective of her financial decisions.