McDonald’s USA today announced its role in helping to establish BIN: Black Information Network, the first 24/7 national and local news radio service dedicated to reporting news from the Black voice.
As the exclusive quick-service restaurant partner, McDonald’s and its franchisees’ support will help iHeartMedia, through BIN: Black Information Network, further its mission to provide an information source and access to the Black perspective in order to help foster communication, accountability and a deeper understanding of the community.
BIN was created to meet the needs of Black listeners looking for news focused on the Black community. The content on BIN will be 100 percent news driven by the headlines and important stories of the day. Daily segments will focus on top stories, traffic & weather, national and local headlines, ‘feature’ and money news. By leveraging the resources, assets and financial support of iHeartMedia, BIN will be able to reach 93 percent of Black Americans.
“McDonald’s and our franchisees are proud to be a founding partner of the Black Information Network as another step in our journey to support our customers and communities,” said Joe Erlinger, president, McDonald’s USA. “We are honored to contribute to the mission of BIN and help amplify information and diverse perspectives to establish new opportunities for meaningful dialogue in communities across the country.”
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Through McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden movement, this is the company’s most recent action to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to uplifting the Black community through empowerment, education and entrepreneurship. Recently, the company launched a $500,000 Black & Positively Golden Scholarship Fund to help students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities return to school this fall amidst the COVID-19 crisis. McDonald’s has also recently made contributions to support the important work of the NAACP and National Urban League to eradicate racism and social injustice. And just this past weekend, the company gave away most of its previously-purchased BET Awards ad space to amplify Black voices by providing a national stage for 13 members of the Black community to share messages of education, activism, art, entertainment, and more. During the 20th anniversary BET Awards broadcast, McDonald’s also announced a donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help inspire the next generation of dreamers.
“Having access to quality and authentic information is especially important during these times,” said Vicki Chancellor, Atlanta-based McDonald’s owner/operator and chair of the McDonald’s national franchisee brand committee. “Our support of the ground-breaking Black Information Network will provide the communities we live in and serve additional resources and content that will be helpful in creating stronger connections among all people.”
BIN will launch in markets including Atlanta, Augusta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, GA, Dallas, Detroit, Greenville, Macon, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Riverside, San Francisco and Seattle. Additional markets will be added over the next 60 days. BIN will serve up news to iHeartMedia’s 91 Hip Hop, R&B and Gospel stations across the country. It will also be distributed nationally through the iHeartRadio app and accessible via mobile, smart speakers, smart TVs and other connected platforms, and on dedicated and wholly owned all-news local broadcast AM/FM radio stations.
For more information on BIN, visit BINNews.com. For more information on McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden movement, follow @wearegolden on Instagram.
