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he Florida State University Seminoles and their new coach Bobby Bowden traveled to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the No. 4 ranked Sooners. A week earlier, FSU had been blanked, 47-0, by an unranked Miami team, and Oklahoma was expected to blow out the Seminoles in what, for the visitors, would be their third straight road game to open the 1976 season. But FSU refused to lie down. In the fourth quarter, despite four Seminole turnovers, Oklahoma led by just 17-9 and the visitors had the ball with a chance to tie the game. Oklahoma would win, 24-9, but spectator J.C. Watts had been mightily impressed by FSU, presciently so. Less than four years later, Watts, as the Oklahoma quarterback, would lead the underdog Sooners against FSU in the 1980 Orange Bowl. FSU entered the game undefeated at 11-0. These days, Watts likens what he calls the “upstart” Black News Channel to the 1976 Seminoles
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July–August 2020
TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM
J.C. Watts quarterbacks the Black News Channel by STEVE BORNHOFT
and himself to the Bobby Bowden of that time. Watts, who makes his home in Oklahoma City, is the co-founder and chairman of the Tallahassee-headquartered network, which launched in February. “This is my first rodeo in starting a network, and there have been some surprises and some missteps, but overall it’s been a good experience because we have a good team,” Watts said. “Our news director, Gary Wordlaw, has been in the industry for 50-plus years. Our engineering and operations director, Kenny Elcock, is solid. Our finance people, general manager Frank Watson and finance director Maureen Brown, they’re solid. Much of our staff is young, but our management team has ‘been there, done that.’” At this writing, the Black News Channel is accessible via ROKU devices, Comcast Xfinity and Charter Spectrum TV. The network is working to establish relationships with additional cable providers and streaming services. A mobile app is in development. The network is committed to photography by ALEX WORKMAN