theGrio

Type of site	TV channel and website
Available in	English
Owner	Entertainment Studios
Created by	Mark Burnett, Roma Downey
URL	thegrio.com
Commercial	Yes

TheGrio, styled as theGrio, is an American digital TV channel and website with news, opinion, entertainment and video content geared toward African Americans.^[1] Originally launched in June 2009 as a division of NBC News,^[2][3] it became a division of MSNBC in 2013. It was founded by the team who created the documentary film Meeting David Wilson. In 2014, it was sold to its founders.^[4] In June 2016, Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios acquired the site.^[5] The TV channel was founded as Light TV in 2016 and was relaunched as TheGrio TV on January 2021.

History as web site

TheGrio's editorial mandate is to "focus on news and events that have a unique interest and/or pronounced impact within the national African Americans audience,"^[6] offering what co-founder, and Executive Editor David Wilson feels "are underrepresented in existing national news outlets".

The website's name is derived from the word griot, the term for a West African oral historian and storyteller.^[7]

Personnel

Founders

• David A. Wilson* (Co-founder, Executive Editor)^[8]
• Daniel Woolsey (Co-founder, VP of Operations)^[8]
• Barion L. Grant* (Co-founder, Former Director of Sales)^[8]

(*) No longer with company

Leadership

• Todd Johnson (Chief Content Officer)^[8][9]
• Natasha S. Alford (VP, Content Creation)^[8][9]
• Gerren Keith Gaynor (Managing Editor)^[8]
• Shana Pinnock (Social Media Director)^[8][9]
• Mariel Turner (Senior Editor)^[8][9]

History as Light TV

The then-new over-the-top (OTT) faith-based channel was under development as early as September 2014 when MGM purchased 55% of One Three Media and LightWorkers Media, owned by Hearst Entertainment, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, and consolidated them into United Artists Media Group.^[10] With MGM purchasing Hearst and Burnett and Downey's shares in UAMG, the channel was still a planned streaming service. However, Hearst and Burnett and Downey retained their stakes in the channel.^[11]

MGM announced the formation of Light TV on November 16, 2016, with a launch planned for December on thirteen major market stations owned by Fox Television Stations.^[12] The network launched on December 22, 2016^[13] with two stations, and the rest of the group's stations launching the subchannel throughout early 2017.^[14]

Light TV was sold by MGM TV in October 2020 to the Allen Media Group division of Entertainment Studios, along with its movie-oriented sister channel This TV.^[15] On December 3, 2020, it was announced that the network would be relaunched as TheGrio.TV on January 15, 2021, carrying lifestyle and entertainment programming of interest to the African American community. It was an extension of the Entertainment Studios-owned website TheGrio.^[16]

On or after that date, Entertainment Studios stopped feeding Light TV programming to some of the network's affiliates (mainly those associated with Fox Television Stations), leaving a test pattern card promoting TheGrio.TV's upcoming launch, though MGM continues to feature a live stream of Light TV on its website, suggesting only the satellite transponder for Light TV was sold to Entertainment Studios; some affiliates have thus taken the subchannel dark due to a current lack of programming on that satellite space. FTS confirmed on December 9 that it would indeed carry TheGrio.TV on its stations when it launches on January 15, 2021.^[17]

Programming

Light TV featured several series and movies meant to fit the network's family-oriented approach, including content from the MGM film and TV library or acquired through outside sources.^[18][19] Infomercials were added to the Light TV lineup in 2019, occupying all of the overnight hours and into the early morning.

Current programming

Below is a current list of programming broadcast on The Grio:^[20]

• Animal Rescue
• The First Family (January 15, 2021)^[21]
• Mr. Box Office (January 15, 2021)^[21]
• Wild Times at the San Diego Zoo

Former programming

• The Adventures of Paddington Bear (2016-2019) (aired in rotation with Franny's Feet)
• All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (December 22, 2016 – September 29, 2019)
• Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?^[12] (2016–2019, 2020-January 14, 2021)
• The Busy World of Richard Scarry (December 22, 2016 - October 2, 2020)
• The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures (December 22, 2016 - October 2, 2020)
• Flipper
• Flipper – The New Adventures
• Franny's Feet (2017–September 30, 2019) (aired in rotation with The Adventures of Paddington Bear)
• Green Acres (2016-2018; October 1, 2019 - January 14, 2021)
• Heartland
• Heathcliff (October 6, 2018 – September 30, 2019)
• Highway to Heaven^[12] (December 22, 2016 – January 14, 2021)
• Inspector Gadget (December 22, 2016 – October 5, 2018; October 1, 2019 - April 2020)
• It's About Time (October 5, 2019 – January 14, 2021)
• Madeline (December 22, 2016 – September 30, 2019)
• Mister Ed
• My Mother the Car (October 5, 2019 - January 14, 2021)
• Naturally Sadie (October 1, 2019 - April 2020)
• The Patty Duke Show (September 3, 2018 – January 14, 2021)
• The Pink Panther Show (December 24, 2016 – September 29, 2019)
• Sea Hunt
• Wimzie's House (December 22, 2016 – September 30, 2019)

Affiliates

Light TV initially launched on subchannels of fourteen Fox and MyNetworkTV stations owned by Fox Television Stations, with most of the initial affiliates being owned-and-operated stations of the Fox Broadcasting Company.^[22] MGM then offered the network to stations outside the initial markets.^[23]

Former affiliates