Byron Allen’s HBCU GO Streaming Platform Launches New Summer Programming
LOS ANGELES – Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) free-streaming digital platform, HBCU GO – the leading media provider for the nation’s 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – is launching a pair of exhilarating shows that appeal to the hearts and minds of their audience. Beginning Thursday, June 23, fans are invited to tune in to THE COLOR OF STEM – a docu-series that explores the latest discoveries, NFTs, and people making a difference in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), and SPADE A SPADE – a half-hour roundtable talk show that features teams of well-known entertainers, athletes, and influencers as they discuss topical news and views over a game of spades. Both shows are proudly sponsored by Procter & Gamble and are available to audiences across the country at HBCUGO.TV and by downloading the HBCU GO app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.
THE COLOR OF STEM – debuts on Thursday, June 23 at 11:00 am ET. This docuseries explores how access to STEM programs has impacted the lives of Black students across the country by creating opportunities for students to secure jobs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and to compete in the global marketplace. Each episode will introduce HBCU graduates and highlight their road to success as a way to empower viewers, shatter stereotypes and share “how-tos.” The series celebrates and amplifies the unique journey of Black students who have skillfully navigated STEM-related career paths. Additionally, the program explores how attending an HBCU impacted their lives and their careers. THE COLOR OF STEM episode airing June 23rd will feature Music Notes, an educational music company founded by Jimmy Pascascio and LaMar Queen, two middle school math teachers in South Central Los Angeles. Mr. Q-U-E and Mr. D combine their love of hip hop with their passion for teaching to create STEM songs that are sure to have viewers nodding their heads and rapping along. The episode also highlights Lisette Titre-Montgomery of Gameheads, whose passion is being a diversity advocate for the game industry. She speaks publicly about how game-based curriculums are the key to engaging today’s youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM), and careers. Gameheads is a Game Development Accelerator program for Oakland youth, establishing art curriculums and recruiting industry professionals to mentor students of color to become the next generation of developers.
SPADE A SPADE – debuts on Thursday, June 23 at 3:30 pm ET. The first episode of SPADE A SPADE, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, which gave equal access to sports for women, will feature Olympic sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross, the first female African-American position coach in NFL history, Jennifer King, and Shakira Austin of WNBA’s Washington Mystics – 2022’s third overall draft pick in the WNBA. SPADE A SPADE is a 30-minute round-table talk show hosted by notable influencer King Flexxa. SPADE A SPADE features teams of students, entertainers, athletes, and their select partners in a classic neighborhood game of trash talk and real conversation about key issues of the day. Each week, three guests will play for a winner-takes-all game and bragging rights. For those who know and love the game, SPADE A SPADE offers fans a chance to get in the heart of the action and play for fun while rooting for their favorite team’s charity. Additional celebrity guests for the season include David Banner, Robert Covington, Quinn Cook, K. Michelle, Yandy Smith, Jess Hilarious, and John Wall, among others. The first season will include a five-episode run featuring such kitchen table topics as mental health, the state of HBCUs, and other riveting cultural conversations.
These new shows are executive produced by HBCU GO’s Curt Simmons and Karrington Symonds. With more than 40 years of collective television and film experience, the HBCU GO team has garnered five Emmys, six Telly Awards, a Peabody Award, and three NAACP Image Award nominations for their documentaries, unscripted series, and live shows.
THE COLOR OF STEM and SPADE A SPADE are being supported by Procter & Gamble, which through its Widen the Screen initiative is fueling more expansive portrayals of the Black experience in film, television, and media through partnerships and programming with Black creators and Black-owned and Black-operated media companies. Procter & Gamble brands (including My Black is Beautiful, Olay, Old Spice, Pantene, and Secret) will provide advertising support as part of Procter & Gamble’s collective efforts to serve the HBCU community.
“HBCUs are the heart and soul of Black America. The free-streaming service HBCU GO is simply here to amplify the excellence of these extraordinary institutions of higher learning,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Allen Media Group is 100-percent committed to bringing original and inspirational content to this platform, and we genuinely appreciate Procter & Gamble for their continued sponsorship and commitment in working with us to achieve this very important goal.”
“HBCU GO is pleased to amplify the voice of Black excellence to students, alumni, and our community during the summer and throughout the whole year,” said HBCU GO President Curtis Symonds. “From documentaries, movies, sports, talk, and lifestyle programming, we’re opening new doors for content creators to share their stories and to shine a light on our unique cultural experience. HBCU GO is the ultimate destination for free, quality content.”
For more information about HBCU GO visit HBCUGO.TV or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram.
About HBCU GO
HBCU GO is a cultural lifestyle destination and leading sports media provider that embraces and represents the voice of Black Excellence every day of the year through an all-new platform that captures the rich history, diversity, perspectives, and cultural experiences at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). The network also provides a platform for emerging creatives in media production, branding, and broadcasting. We offer our viewers the best in live sports, original series, documentaries, films, comedy, and edutainment programming produced by African American leading producers, directors, and students from select HBCUs.
Launched in 2012, the free-streaming service HBCU GO was purchased by Byron Allen in 2021 and is part of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG). AMG is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Charleston, SC. AMG owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and twelve 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 220 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPAÑOL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV, THEGRIO.TV, THIS TV, and PATTRN. AMG also owns the streaming platforms HBCU GO, THE GRIO STREAMING APP, SPORTS.TV, THE WEATHER CHANNEL STREAMING APP, and LOCAL NOW–the free-streaming AVOD service powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. For more information, visit www.entertainmentstudios.com
