Companies to Join Forces on Expanding Local News for the Black Community

BIN: Black Information Network, the 24/7 comprehensive national audio news network dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective, and Real Times Media (RTM), a Detroit-based multimedia holding company focused on media, marketing, and content expressly for urban audiences, announced today a strategic partnership to share and distribute news that is most important to the Black community.

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This new partnership expands upon the recent announcement that beginning in January 2022, BIN will expand their local news coverage in all 32 affiliate markets. Under the deal, iHeartMedia will source and distribute news stories from RTM publications across BIN radio stations and sites, and RTM will source and distribute BIN news, entertainment and sports stories and place BIN’s audio widget, a source of 24/7 audio coverage, on their digital properties. iHeartMedia will distribute RTM news on BINnews.com, BINnews.com/Atlanta and BINnews.com/Detroit. The deal also includes opportunities for iHeartMedia to convert RTM stories into audio reporting.

BIN: The Black Information Network launched in June 2020 as the first-of-its-kind 24/7 national and local all-news audio network. BIN is focused on service to the Black community and providing an information window for those outside the community to help foster communication, accountability and a deeper understanding. Since its launch, BIN has quickly expanded to 32 affiliate markets and can currently be heard in Atlanta, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and many more. BIN is also distributed nationally through the iHeartRadio app, available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices.

Real Times Media is a dynamic media company consisting of eight news, custom content and activation properties focused on amplifying Black voices. As the parent company to five of the country’s most respected Black-owned news organizations: The Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, The Chicago Defender, The Michigan Chronicle, and The New Pittsburgh Courier, RTM remains committed to delivering quality news, events, and entertainment for African American audiences.

“From the start, our goal at BIN has been to celebrate and invest in the Black community and shine a light on our most important stories,” said Tony Coles, President of BIN: Black Information Network. “This exciting new partnership allows us to extend our commitment to expanding local journalism, benefitting Black communities all across the country.”

“Our RTM brands have decades-long reputations within the community as trusted, valued resources for local Black news and perspective,” said Hiram E. Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of Real Times Media. “However, we also know that we cannot rest on our legacies to remain successful in an industry that changes every day. Being nimble, creative, and diverse about how we distribute our content is what has allowed us to overcome changes in the industry and remain competitive. Partnering with a progressive, undeniable force like BIN gives us the momentum and reach we need to continue to aggressively chase the future.”

About BIN: Black Information Network

BIN: Black Information Network is the first and only 24/7 national and local all-news audio service dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective. BIN is enabled by the resources, assets and financial support of iHeartMedia and the support of its Founding Partners: Bank of America, CVS Health, GEICO, Lowe’s, McDonald’s USA, Sony, 23andMe and Verizon. BIN is focused on service to the Black community and providing an information window for those outside the community to help foster communication, accountability and deeper understanding.

BIN: Black Information Network is distributed nationally through the iHeartRadio app and accessible via mobile, smart speakers, smart TVs and other connected platforms, and on dedicated all-news local broadcast AM/FM radio stations. BIN also provides the news service for iHeartMedia’s 106 Hip Hop, R&B and Gospel stations across the country. Please visit www.BINNews.com for more information.

About Real Times Media

Real Times Media (RTM) was established in 2006, but its legacy stretches back over 100 years. As the parent company to five of the country’s most respected Black-owned news organizations, the Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, the Chicago Defender, the Michigan Chronicle, and the New Pittsburgh Courier, RTM remains committed to delivering quality news, events, and entertainment for African American audiences.

In addition to its news organization, RTM is the parent company of Who’s Who In Black, a business lifestyle brand focused on live and virtual programming and content, RTM360°, a cultural marketing consultancy, and RTM Digital Studios, an unparalleled archive of historical photographs, videos, and film clips of the African American experience available through licensing for advertising, marketing, publishing, and film initiatives. Visit www.realtimesmedia.com for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210928005939/en/