An ambitious new social media venture hoping there’s money to be made by enhancing public access to news and information about and to supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is set for launch Monday.
The Washington-based HBCUX Network, backed principally by two former veteran executives of Black Entertainment Network (BET), the cable television channel, say they hope their social media venture will be able to distinguish itself enough to be considered a valued complement to the growing cast of social media sites courting HBCU audiences.
HBCUX, which plans to be accessible via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with six to eight hours of programming a day starting Monday, plans to make its debut from the campus of Norfolk State University in the Tidewater area of Virginia.
“We’re not trying to compete,” said Curtis Symonds, president and chief executive officer of HBCUX. “We’re just trying to become another voice.”
Symonds is very familiar with the landscape, having worked as a BET marketing executive for more than a decade.
“We want some fresh stuff, original programming,” said Symonds, acknowledging the real-time, live nature of social media interaction. “There is so much history that has not been told,” he said.
