Monique Chenault With REVOLT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio brought to you by onpay Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now here’s your host

Lee Kantor: [00:00:24] Lee Kantor here another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a fun one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor on pay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories today on the Atlanta Business Radio. We have Monique Chenault with Revolt Black News Studios. Welcome to New York.

Monique Chenault: [00:00:44] Well, thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:46] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about revolt. How are you serving, folks?

Monique Chenault: [00:00:51] We’re really excited to be here in Atlanta. We just are erecting is under construction, but we’ve already started started production on our first new studios for the network media company. So we’re here in Atlanta, where we’re building our production hub and out of this production hub that we built right on Peachtree in the heart of Midtown will be where we produce all of our news programing, alternative programing and all of our documentaries to sort of like a think tank creative center for that. So we just finished our first show two weeks ago. Another one went out yesterday know straight from that location to the world and our whole team is based there. Everybody’s back in the offices, so it’s really exciting what we’re doing. See what we do as sort of a public service announcement. Honestly, even though it is news to our commute to black communities and anybody else who’s interested in the culture throughout throughout the country because. We really do work to highlight and put the focus on many stories that are untold or not told through a authentic black lens.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:20] Can you give us an idea of some of the content that you expect to be kind of being rolled out in the maybe next three to six months?

Monique Chenault: [00:02:29] I would say that we are pretty laser focused on a lot of social justice issues and keeping everyone honest. But you know, our content varies from depending on what is pressing from, you know, sociopolitical to socioeconomic to community based things. We also highlight a lot of people who are doing great things in the community. But we see ourselves as a voice for, you know, the unheard. I mean, like, you know, this week, we when we covered the Ukrainian Russian conflict or the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the Ukraine, we really focused on, you know, on the black immigrants who were not being allowed to to leave the country. And so that may have made may be something that wasn’t focused on and other outlets. But we wanted to sort of shed a light on that in this particular episode. We also looked at black gun ownership and the responsibility of it because it has skyrocketed, particularly over the last couple of years since the COVID pandemic. We paid tribute to Trayvon Martin and his family, you know, 10 years after that very tragic murder. So, you know, sort of there is. And then we did something that is affecting us in a social way, which are dating scams because so many people have chosen to date online and through apps since, you know, since since the pandemic as well. We covered the, you know, the Black Walk of Fame, which is here in Atlanta last week. So it really does. We do try to encompass and meet everybody where they’re at in all different aspects of the news.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:31] Now what was kind of the strategy behind having the studios here in Atlanta, obviously, they could have been placed anywhere in the country.

Monique Chenault: [00:04:42] Well, you know, we we really did see Mr. Combs has been in Atlanta for many, many years. He was one of the first people sort of from Hollywood, New York, who came down and did a lot of first meet music here. But we really did identify and I think obviously many people do Atlanta as not only the black business capital, but also the black culture capital. We think it is the perfect place in reflection of, you know, real black people throughout the country. You know, when you deal with sort of like L.A. and New York, and I am a, you know, a fourth generation Angelino. But they can they can sort of become thought bubbles, right? But Atlanta, I think, really hits people in a very, very real place, which is why I think a lot of black culture sort of stems from here. So not only that, we are so far off as a as the black business capital, right? And then Atlanta has a such a wonderful tradition in, you know, historically black colleges and universities. So when you look at all of those things, I think that it is, you know, honestly the perfect destination for a black owned and operated news center.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:04] Now is the content going to be like, what’s the ratio in terms of hard news? And, you know, like kind of that breaking news like you were able to get on top of the Ukraine issue as it was probably happening as opposed to maybe more. Like you said, this is a hub for entertainment and music and things like that. Is it? Do you have an idea of the balance of those different areas of content?

Monique Chenault: [00:06:30] Yeah, I would say that depending on with the news cycle, you know, the things that are sometimes I would, you know, right now the first thing that we have launched is Revolt Black News Weekly, which is our flagship new series. And so I would say that that showed the first three of in our show, and I would say the first three blocks or so are probably a little bit more harder news. And then there’s always an entertainment and pop culture segments, which I would say probably the last two segments. But, you know, we reserve the right to sort of mix that around depending on, you know, sort of what’s in the news cycle that week. Right. We hope to get to a place where we’re doing daily news as we continue to round out the team. And we are really looking for a lot of local talent producing editing graphics talent here. So hopefully we get to that place where we’re doing something that is really immediate, but we do use all of our social platforms to and we’re building out our being digital and social. So it’s even separate from revolt proper. So we are delivering news in a more immediate way through those channels as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:52] And then primarily is online. Is it going to go to, you know, cable streaming? Like, how is it going to be distributed?

Monique Chenault: [00:08:03] Yes. The show premieres on Thursday nights at nine o’clock. And then we also put several of the segments up on YouTube, our own YouTube channel, Revolt YouTube and also Revolt Black News YouTube, and then the full show you can find on the Revolt app. So if you just go in and download the app, all of the programing is there as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:29] So is that going to be the primary kind of distribution point is through the app, so it’s controlled by your team?

Monique Chenault: [00:08:37] Yeah, I would say linear first, because we serve all of our our, you know, all of our cable carriages and then we also have those the other aforementioned channels.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:48] So it’s on cable as well as online.

Monique Chenault: [00:08:52] Absolutely. Thursday nights at 9:00 is when it premieres on the cable network.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:59] And then so that so you’re going to try to get on more cable networks like more satellite, more, you know, every place that can possibly be.

Monique Chenault: [00:09:09] Oh yes, yes, yes. Our our team works on that nonstop. We are on, you know, a lot of the, you know, on Comcast, on charter, you know, we’re in a great percentage of American homes and we just continue to expand that.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:27] And then is it also like, could you get it on a Roku or some of the streaming services?

Monique Chenault: [00:09:34] We’re working on those a lot of those partnerships now. You know, we’re doing some work with with. I don’t want to speak out of

Lee Kantor: [00:09:44] Turn, right, but you’re working on expanding in that area as well.

Monique Chenault: [00:09:48] We are expanding in that area. Absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:51] So now what has been the most rewarding part for you in your kind of career and journey and get involved in this type of initiative?

Monique Chenault: [00:10:01] Oh, wow. I mean, it is sort of, you know, I’ve been a journalist slash executive producer for, you know, a journey that, as has spanned it over 25 years. And I would say, you know. Hands down, this is probably one of the most exciting parts of the journeys that that that I have embarked upon the opportunity to do something that is apologetic, that is disruptive, that’s confrontational, that keeps everybody honest and then also serves, you know, underserved communities, you know, like pinching myself. It’s unbelievable to be able to have this opportunity. So and then to work for a creative visionary like Sean Combs. You know, it’s just, you know, honestly stuff that dreams are made of. And under the direction of, you know, I mean, just a really young, I call him a young genius Detective Samuels, who’s our CEO. The team here has just been really amazing.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:11] Now, has there been a story, maybe even from your past that came to encapsulate this giving a voice to folks that aren’t typically heard? Is there something that you would like? You know where at the end of the day that when that story is told, you’ll be like, This is exactly the stories I want to be telling, and this is the impact that I would like to be making.

Monique Chenault: [00:11:35] You mean like something that we’re working

Lee Kantor: [00:11:37] On or just something from your past that said that this is a story that’s so important that I just wish more people knew about this type of issue or this type of a person. And it’ll kind of encapsulate what the vision of the network is.

Monique Chenault: [00:11:55] You know, what I would say was this is probably the best example. Over 10 years ago, back when I was at NBC News, there was a young woman who went missing, who was from South L.A., a community called Watch L.A., which is probably probably one of the poorest communities in L.A. County. And she went missing after driving all the way to Malibu, which is, you know, fabled Malibu by the beach. And during this time, I had previously covered, you know, sort of like the Natalee Holloway tragedy. Chandra Levy, Jennifer Wilburn, who was the sort of the Runaway Bride and also was just a stream of women that were going missing during that time that the the media chose to shine some light on. And it led me to look at sort of that narrative that usually when women who went missing were were covered by the media, they were usually rather affluent, almost always white and attractive and sort of filled a certain bill. And I started working on this Mitrice Richardson that was the name of the young woman. And this was long before it became sort of more popular as it is like the last year where people started actually thinking about, Hey, you know, there’s all different kinds of people who go missing, and there’s a very small critical period for the press and quite frankly, for for law enforcement to get involved, for there to be any action or any possibility of them being found or possibly rescued.

Monique Chenault: [00:13:47] Sometimes it’s not possible. But it was a story that back then nobody sort of wanted to cover. And I had since stayed in touch with the family, in fact, I just saw the mom, tragically, she her her remains were found about a year later, but the story was heartbreaking for me. I related to the young woman. And that’s a story that today, if that happened on Revolt Black News, it would be our top story. You know, it would be a headline. So to be able to have a platform where. You don’t have to jump on the sort of media news bandwagon. You have the wherewithal to in the the bandwidth to think outside of the box and just do stories that you know are important. That is what makes this particular assignment. So. Um, special, you know, for for me

Lee Kantor: [00:14:53] And so important, I mean, because these are stories that aren’t being told and then when someone steps up and says, you know what, this is going to be the place where these stories are told. I think that’s important for everybody. I mean, everybody wins when these stories get told.

Monique Chenault: [00:15:10] Absolutely. Absolutely, and to be able to shine a light on this and hopefully, you know, pay it forward for the next time, it’ll make a difference. You know, news that makes a difference. That’s sort of our mantra now.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:25] Is there something that you’re looking at as a milestone or an objective that you’ll know that, hey, this is really working, we’re getting traction and this is something that you’ll be high fiving each other at the end of the week? Is there something that you’re looking at to kind of, you know, prove to yourself that this is working in the you are getting the traction you desire?

Monique Chenault: [00:15:47] Yeah, you know, I mean, every time. You know, we’re starting to hear back from the community a lot and saying, Oh, you know, this is a story that I’ve been I’ve been wanting to hear or I wanted more information about. This conversation is long overdue. Every time I hear that, I’m like, That’s it, you know, that’s that’s why we’re doing what we do. We had a conversation this week on its HIV AIDS Awareness Month. And, you know, a lot of people don’t understand that the contraction rate just among African-American people is continues to skyrocket while every other group, it is sort of declining. And so to have that conversation about why is not a conversation that’s going to be had any place else. So to be able to do that and have people respond and if it just touches, you know, anybody and lets them know, OK, you’ve got to take care of yourself, you know, that really is the greatest reward.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:58] Now, do you feel that this network is going to help educate some of the younger folks that maybe have not been paying attention to news and media of this kind because they’re not? It’s not, you know, really, they’re not being represented.

Monique Chenault: [00:17:16] I would I would tell you this. That is our mission. Exactly. I mean, like, you know, this is not your mother’s news network or your mother’s news program, right? And so we are doing everything that we can to communicate with Generation Z. And I would say that 80 percent of our staff is Gen Z. So it takes a lot more work because, you know, we’re bringing everyone allowed along and cultivating new talent. And it’s a place where people, a lot of young people are going to cut their teeth in journalism. You know, everybody here is not from J School, but but they have a passion for information. And so that is exactly our target demo is people’s revolts target demo. And it is definitely revolt black news. The target them over revolt. Black news. It is. It is Gen Z and young millennials who we are in touch with. I would say in a really special way.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:17] Well, if somebody wants to learn more about the network, maybe check out some of the programing or if they’re, you know, aspiring journalist or want to get involved in the media here in Atlanta. What is the website? What are the best coordinates to do that?

Monique Chenault: [00:18:31] Revolt. Tvguide.com: Hit us up. Download the app. You’ll be able to see all of our programing, from entertainment to news to things that are more community driven. And we’re on YouTube. You can hit us on Instagram, Twitter. We’re out there.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:53] Well, Monique, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work, and we appreciate you.

Monique Chenault: [00:18:58] Thank you so much for having me, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:00] All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Atlanta Business Radio.