LGBT News Returning to TV in Deal Between The Advocate And NBC

LGBT news magazine The Advocate announced today that it was beginning an “online and on air” daily news program through a deal with NBC News Channel, which will provide network and affiliate content. The deal with NBC means that Here Media’s namesake–premium television channel the here! Network— will start having a daily or weekly news show in 2010 or 2011,  Stephen F. Macias, Here Network’s general manager and executive vice president told Mediaite.

In addition, NBC will be able to call on Advocate reporters, including White House reporter Kerry Eleveld who was recently interviewed by Tommy Christopher for Mediaite, when reporting on gay and lesbian issues.

“We are building-out an Advocate block of programming on the here! networks, using pieces that have run online at Advocate.com and content provided by NBC,” Macias said.  The Advocate debuted a monthly newsmagazine in February, which is already running on here!.

Macias said that once staff was trained to use NBC content, stories from the network, affiliates, and international partners would be placed online at Advocate.

com and then repackaged for here! networks.  He said there would also be additional reporting and analysis by Here Media staff.

The ultimate goal, Macias said, was to use NBC content online but also to bolster a daily or weekly news broadcast for television subscribers, with some stories also available on the Advocate’s website.

The Advocate has long been considered the news magazine of record for LGBT issues, but the brand has suffered over the last decade after it grappled for an identity. In October 2009, the magazine was thrown into chaos when staff were laid off and Here Media announced the magazine would no longer be a stand-alone magazine but instead only be available in print to subscribers of its more sexy brother, Out. The magazines have recently become fodder for Gawker gossip after allegedly failing to timely pay freelancers.

Under the control of editorial director Jon Barrett–who oversees online, print, and video efforts at the Advocate–the magazine launched a monthly video newsmagazine in February, hosted by former CNN anchor Thomas Roberts. When Here Media announced it

was shuttering much of the print version of the Advocate, Here Media CEO Paul Colichman said “professionally created video news content” was the future and the reason four Advocate staff members were let go.

There is currently no nationwide daily television newscast geared towards the LGBT community.  CBS News on Logo, the failed attempt on LGBT channel LOGO, ended in 2008 and 365 Gay News powered by CBS News died a year later.

In a statement, NBC News Channel president Bob Horner said “[w]e respect the commitment Here Media has to its community and we look forward to assisting The Advocate in its coverage of the issues important to the LGBT community.