Celebrating Four Decades of Public Media Transformation
For more than four decades, Black Public Media has opened doors and created opportunities for Black storytellers in public media. Scroll down to reminisce along our 40-year timeline. Then go here to meet 40 Game-Changing Media Makers who blazed the trail that makes today's opportunities possible.
BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA 1979 - 2020
November 7, 1967 President Lyndon Johnson signs the Public Television Act.
January 10, 1977 In January 1977, the Human Resources Development Committee of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s board of directors endorses formulation of a Task Force on Minorities in Public Broadcasting. The mission of the 28-member group — chaired by Dr. Gloria Long Anderson, the CPB board’s vice chair and a Morris Brown
November 10, 1978 The Task Force on Minorities in Public Broadcasting releases “A Formula For Change,” a 90-page report containing the results of the 28-member task force’s research. The report includes 46 key findings and 70 key recommendations for improvement in five main areas: public broadcasting policy, employment, job training programs, programming, minority control, and audience research.
September 15, 1979 Black Public Media was founded as the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) in Columbus, Ohio.
March 1, 1980 Mable Haddock is named NBPC’s executive director.
June 1, 1980 NBPC begins coordinating “The Black Stream” PBS series, hosted by Bill Greaves.
April 8, 1981 NBPC holds its first annual conference.
April 9, 1982 NBPC hosts the first Prized Pieces Film Festival, showcasing work by Black indie filmmakers. .
February 15, 1984 The “State of Black America” airs on PBS (an NBPC co-production with the National Urban League).
November 12, 1986 In response to federal budget cuts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) cuts BPM funding.
January 21, 1987 Henry Hampton’s six-episode documentary, “Eyes on the Prize,” is broadcast nationwide on PBS over the course of several weeks. The series earns Blackside Productions several prestigious honors including Emmy, Peabody, and IDA awards.
January 1, 1989 The Independent Television Service (ITVS) is founded.
September 15, 1990 NBPC regains CPB funding after a four-year hiatus.
January 2, 1991 Filmmaker Julie Dash’s independent film, “Daughters of the Dust,” is released. The film is one of the first recipients of NBPC’s newly created project development fund and it is the first feature film directed by an African American woman to be distributed theatrically in the United States.
January 2, 1993 NBPC opens a video store in Columbus, Ohio.
January 2, 1995 NBPC hosts a convening of public media’s African American executives and producers.
February 1, 1998 Receives a 1998 Peabody Award. BPM Game Changers involved with the project include Orlando Bagwell (executive producer), Llewellyn Smith, Jacquie Jones and Noland Walker (episodic producers), and Marita Rivero (WGBH executive in charge of production).
January 2, 2000 NBPC moves from Columbus, Ohio, to Harlem, New York. The first office is on the corner of 125th Street and Lexington Ave.
January 2, 2003 Funded by NBPC and other members of public television’s National Minority Consortium (now National Multicultural Alliance), Orlando Bagwell’s Rojo Productions airs its groundbreaking four-part series, “Matters of Race,” on PBS.
January 2, 2004 NBPC hosts its last Prized Pieces Film Festival at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The opening film was Yvonne Smith’s documentary, “Parliament-Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove.”
January 2, 2005 NBPC founder Mable Haddock steps down as executive director; Jacquie Jones takes her place.
January 2, 2006 In response to Hurricane Katrina, NBPC launches its first online web series “The Katrina Project” featuring web-only video and audio shorts about the impact Katrina had on New Orleans’ Black community.
January 2, 2006 NBPC introduces its New Media Institute, a professional development program geared towards understanding and navigating digital and social media technology.
January 2, 2008 NBPC introduces the first season of “AfroPoP: The UItimate Cultural Exchange,” hosted by Idris Elba.
January 1, 2010 NBPC launches the Public Media Corps, a service to promote and extend broadband adoption in underserved communities. Fellows skilled in technology, media production, and outreach are placed in residencies at underperforming high schools, public broadcast stations, and nonprofit community anchor institutions.
January 2, 2012 NBPC launches the Digital Media Production Fund, a program grant initiative to support web series. “Black Folk Don’t,” by producer Angela Tucker, is among the first projects funded through this initiative.
January 2, 2013 “180 Days: Inside an American High School,” wins a Peabody Award. Series is produced and directed by Jacquie Jones and Garland McLaurin.
January 2, 2014 Jacquie Jones steps down as NBPC executive director. She is succeeded by VP of Programming Leslie Fields-Cruz.
January 2, 2016 NBPC introduces the 360 Incubator+ funding initiative. It is designed to identify innovative storytellers across various public media. NBPC also launches PitchBLACK, an interactive session during which Incubator Plus fellows pitch their projects to industry leaders who select the PitchBLACK grantees.
January 2, 2017 NBPC wins a $750,000 MacArthur Foundation Grant.
January 1, 2018 Extended Reality (XR) specialist/educator/producer Lisa Osborne is appointed to direct BPM’s new emerging media program, which launches the BPMplus VR Mixer series and various XR media training programs.
January 2, 2018 NBPC is rebranded as Black Public Media.
January 3, 2018 BPM hosts the inaugural National Black Media Story Summit in NYC. The assemblage of creatives, thought leaders, media technologists, funders, investors, and distributors engages in a series of conversations exploring ways to expand the distribution pipeline for Black content.
January 4, 2018 BPM publishes “The Black Paper,” featuring highlights and recommendations from the 2018 Black Media Story Summit.
January 1, 2019 BPM announces winners of the inaugural Jacquie Jones Memorial Scholarship and the Nonso Christian Ugbode Fellowship. Both programs commemorate the contributions of trailblazing BPM employees posthumously.
January 2, 2019 BPM launches a new series of Regional Black Media Story Summits. The first four are held in Raleigh, N.C.; Newark, N.J.; Houston, Texas, and St. Paul, Minn.
January 2, 2020 BPM celebrates its 40th Anniversary and hosts the second National Black Media Story Summit virtually, due to COVID-19.
Public Television is Born
Task Force On Minorities in Public Broadcasting Is Formed
‘A Formula For Change’ Is Published
NBPC is Born
NBPC Names 1st Executive Director
‘The Black Stream’ Begins
Inaugural NBPC Annual Meeting
Prized Pieces Film Festival Begins
‘State of Black America’ Broadcast
CPB Defunds NBPC
‘Eyes on the Prize’ Airs on PBS
ITVS Launches
NBPC Regains CPB Funding
‘Daughters of the Dust’ is Released
NBPC Video Store Opens
NBPC Convenes Black Public Media Executives and Producers
‘Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery’ Airs On PBS
NBPC Relocates to Harlem
‘Matters of Race’ Airs On PBS
Prized Pieces Film Festival Ends
NBPC Founder Steps Down, Jones Succeeds Her
NBPC Launches Its First Web Series
New Media Institute Emerges
NBPC Launches AfroPoP
Public Media Corps Is Launched
Digital Media Production Fund Is Born
NBPC Doc Wins A Peabody
Jones Steps Down, Fields-Cruz Succeeds Her
The 360 Incubator+ Is Born
MacArthur Foundation Grants NBPC $750,000
The BPMplus VR Mixer Series Begins
NBPC Becomes BPM
Black Media Story Summit
‘The Black Paper’ Is Published
Jones Memorial Scholarship and NCU Fellowship Launched
Regional Black Media Story Summits Launch
40th Anniversary Celebration
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