TVC News, Channel set to launch this February.

Continental Broadcasting Services owners and operators of TVC Entertainment and Radio Continental are set to unveil TVC News, the continent’s first 24 hours pan-African news channel. In a statement last week, CBS said the TVC News channel would look at the world through African eyes.

The 24-hour pan-African news channel, according to the statement, will offer a fresh perspective on African and world events and will deliver to viewers the latest news 24 hours a day, telling the news as it is.

Chief Executive Officer, CBS, Mr. Nigel Parsons, who was formerly Al Jazeera English boss, said for so long, issues concerning Africa and Africans had been overwhelmingly reported by the foreign media, which often, misrepresented the continent.

“I believe that TVC News cutting-edge reporting and programming will fill an important void by serving as a voice for Africa and Africans on the street to be heard on the global scene, challenging stereotypes, correcting factual inaccuracies and re-shaping global perceptions about Africa,” Nigel added.

He stated further that TVC News would provide accurate and reliable access to information about Africa and the opportunities that abound in Africa through its state-of-the-art equipment and a network of bureaux across Africa (Nairobi, Johannesburg & Accra, etc), Europe and the United States.

Commenting on the readiness to begin live transmission in February, the Public Relations Manager, CBS, Mr. Celestine Umeibe, said over 350 staff had been under intensive training since September 2012, including hostile environment training.

Umeibe noted that TVC News had also engaged the services of top broadcasters in the local market and a number of expatriates, Nigerians and Africans from the Diaspora.

TVC News channel will feature a range of informative programming – on the arts and culture, the environment and weather reports, current affairs, business, sports, gender and health issues, and much more.

It reports that TVC News has secured agreements to air on British Sky Broadcasting Group plc (BSY) in the UK, DStv in Nigeria, Multi TV in Ghana. The channel is also in talks with TopTV and DStv in South Africa, DISH Network Corp. (DISH) in the US and Wananchi Group Ltd. in Kenya.