Branding This is Home First air date May 27, 2013 Parent SSN Media Group, LP Founder Edwin Avent Headquarters Little Rock | Country USA Availability Over the air Official website ssn.tv Founded 2011 | |
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Type of business regional broadcast network | ||
Soul of the South Television Network (SSN) is an African-American-focused regional broadcast network owned by SSN Media Group, LP. SSN will primarily broadcast in the Southern USA and secondarily in other high African-American populated cities in the north.
Contents
- Edwin avent chariman ceo soul of the south network
- History
- Soul of the South
- Gateway Media Technologies
- Southern Soul Broadcasting
- References
SSN uses the C.A.S.H. system, Central Automated Satellite Headend, and a computer server “cloud based system” originally constructed by the defunct Equity Broadcasting to send its feed to its affiliated stations. SNN sought affiliations from full power television stations, Class A low power TV stations, digital subchannels and cable outlets.
Edwin avent chariman ceo soul of the south network
History
Soul of the South Network was founded in 2011 by Edwin Avent, Carl McCaskill and Larry Morton. SSN purchased assets from the bankrupted Equity Media Holdings including the studio and production facilities of KKYK-TV and the C.A.S.H. system. SSN was planning to broadcast five hours of news per day with assistance from Independent News Network with four regional bureaus. SSN was also seeking to purchase TV stations. Expected original programming was a hip hop music show, family reunion featured program and Drum Majors, concerning music at mostly black colleges, and Radioface, an unscripted comedy and Southern Soul Stories, a documentary series about southern African-American icons and southern events.
By April 2012, Soul of the South was working to get additional affiliates to reach 50 markets for a two wave launch.
Originally planned to launch in the first quarter of 2012 and moved to fall 2012, SSN instead launched on May 27, 2013 with an announced 30 market launch. However, according to RabbitEars.info, SSN only has 11 broadcast affiliates covering 14% of the nation.
The network agreed to carry some games from the first season of the Fall Experimental Football League in October and November 2014.
In April 2015, the network began dropping affiliates due to financial distress and began winding down operations. The network's social media channels have been defunct since late June. The network mostly airs infomercials during the day.
Soul of the South
SSN Funding, LP, also known as SSM Media Group, SOS Media Holdings, and doing business as Soul of the South, is a limited partnership that owns SSN Networks, Southern Soul Broadcasting and Gateway Media Technologies. The institutional investors include Arkansas Development Finance Authority, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and Arkansas Capital Corporation.
SSN Funding purchased the former Equity Plaza building from One Bank & Trust in December 2013 for the Soul of the South businesses. In May 2014, the building ownership moved from SSN Funding to Rock City Media LLC. Rock City Media was "a funding vehicle to support Soul of the South’s tax-credit financial package". By April 2006, the FBI started looking into the flow of government money into the Soul of the South venture.
Gateway Media Technologies
Gateway Media Technologies is a TV outsourcing company owned by Matthew Davidge. The company provides TV control panel and news casts.
Jeffrey Lyle was chief technology officer for Soul of the South and co-owner of SSN Media Gateway, LLC with Dr. Sev Hrywnak of Chicago, an entrepreneurial podiatrist; Edwin Avent and two Little Rock businessman long-associated with the property, Larry Morton and Greg Fess. By June 2015, SSN Media Gateway, LLC had acquired Independent News Network. At that time INN had hired Anne Imanuel, the wife of Mike Preston, the new director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, as an anchor. The Commission had an past due loan from the Soul of the South company group.
With financial difficulties, SSN Funding partners' ownership interest in SSN Gateway Media Technologies was purchased by Matthew Davidge, owner of client station WRDE, as of February 6, 2016. He also purchased from Rock City Media the former Equity Plaza, where Gateway Media Technologies was based to continue operation there, while taking over the mortgage. Gateway had 12 television stations, three TV networks and a radio network as clients as of June 2016.
Youtoo America (formerly America One) is a network client of Gateway Media.
Southern Soul Broadcasting
Southern Soul Broadcasting is the station operating unit operating stations in Chicago, Philadelphia, Tallahassee, Montgomery, Jackson, MS, Raleigh, NC, and its Little Rock full power flagship station.
In February, 2015, KM LPTV, which operates stations in Chicago and Milwaukee, filed a lawsuit claiming breach of contract and not making required payments.