Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Business
BusinessCultureEntertainment

Magic Johnson Launches New TV Network, ASPiRE

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

It just does not stop for Magic Johnson. The Hall of Fame basketball player-turned-mega-entrepreneur launches perhaps to biggest of a litany of bold ventures today: Atlanta-based cable network ASPiRE.

The channel will go live tonight at 8 p.m. EST and joins other channels targeting African-American viewers such as TV One and BET.

Johnson, who partnered with Comcast Corp., says ASPiRE is focused on uplifting the image of African-Americans and celebrating the success of those in the Black community. The network will include a mix of short films, music, comedy, documentaries, and other inspirational programs. ASPiRE will also partner with GMC, a regional cable channel that also offers positive programs.

ASPiRE is focused on uplifting the image of African-Americans and celebrating the success of those in the Black community. The network will include a mix of short films, music, comedy, documentaries, and other inspirational programs. ASPiRE will also partner with GMC, a regional cable channel that also offers positive programs.

The launch party is tonight at Cipriani in New York. Stars like Sean “Diddy” Combs, Vivica Fox, Wycleaf Jean, Ruby Dee, Russell Simmons, Angie Martinez, Andre Harrell, Star Jones, Al Rocker, Natalie Cole, JR. Smith, Rev. Al Sharpton, New Edition, Doug E. Fresh, Funkmaster Flex, and many more prominent figures are set to attend.

“This is so exciting for me. I’m pinching myself,” Johnson said in a phone interview with Black Enterprise. “This is big for myself and for the African American community.”

ASPiRE will launch with charter brand partners including Chrysler Group, L’Oreal USA, Nationwide Insurance, Coca-Cola, and Wal-Mart

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top