Black News Channel
Architect: Conn & Associates
Size: 20,000 sf
Completion date: October 2019
Cost: $3,889,945
The Black News Channel is an innovative and life-changing network located in Tallahassee with a mission to provide intelligent programming that is informative, educational, entertaining, inspiring and empowering to its African American audience.
BNC Director of Engineering and Operations Kenny Elcock said his team wanted a quality job building their new, innovative Tallahassee headquarters and studios, with no shortcuts.
Riley Palmer Construction Company delivered.
“When you start up, you have a lot of challenges, and they were a no-nonsense team,” Elcock said. “They said what they would do and they did it.”
The studio on Killearn Center Boulevard is a state-of-the-art masterpiece with cutting edge production space and offices for the new network.
The team, lead by RPCC President Sutton Webb and Superintendent Matt Murphy, did a great job listening, Elcock said. And if there was a problem or issue, Riley Palmer Construction fixed it.
“There were no overruns, and if there were mistakes, they took ownership of them,” Elcock said.
Elcock said he is a “hired gun,” brought in to get television production facilities up and running. And he relied on Riley Palmer Construction to get this project done right and on time.
“I built projects in New York, D.C., Hawaii, but the biggest thing for us is that we’re doing it in Tallahassee,” Elcock said. Black News Channel is a big metro project in a small city. The upside to that? Budget.
“I probably would’ve spent twice as much anywhere else,” he said.
The RPCC team also rolled with the punches when the unexpected came up. Out of the entire renovation of the former warehouse, they kept only four columns and did a remarkable job on the soundproofing, Elcock said.
“I didn’t have time to worry,” Elcock said. “I trusted Sutton, and I trusted Matt. They got the job done. Simple.”
