Celebrity psychologist Dr Phil McGraw is launching a new media network that will provide opportunities for “citizen journalists” to share their stories, less than two weeks after a similar venture went bankrupt.
Envoy Media Co. will include “live, balanced news, original entertainment programming, and immersive viewer experiences,” according to a press release shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
It comes after McGraw’s conservative-leaning cable network, Merit Street Media, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, barely a year after its launch, while also suing its distribution partner, Trinity Broadcasting, for breach of contract.
THC reported that Envoy Media will also include library programming and original shows from McGraw and his friend and fellow TV star Steve Harvey, who also collaborated on Merit Street.
The release included that the network’s app would also “provide an opportunity for citizen journalists to share news and stories from their communities while seamlessly integrating curated user-generated content on a national scale.”
In a statement following the announcement of the new network, McGraw said: “As always, my commitment and that of the Envoy network team is to focus on real people, facing real challenges, seeking real solutions.
“By talking about things that matter to people who care, presenting facts, encouraging people to think critically, they can make up their own minds. Our disruptive technology will engage Envoy viewers at an unprecedented level in real time.”
McGraw’s previous attempt at a multi-platform media company came in late 2023, following his successful two-decade run as a popular daytime talk show host. Merit Street Media featured a Dr. Phil primetime program as its flagship show.
“Merit Street Media will be a resource of information and strategies to fight for America and its families, which are under a cultural ‘woke’ assault as never before,” McGraw said in a statement at the time.
“I love this country and I believe family is the backbone of our society. Together we are going to stand strong and fight for the very soul and sanity of America and get things that matter back on track.”
However, roughly four months after its official launch in April 2024, Merit Street laid off roughly 40 employees – around one-third of its total staff.
In a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in the Northern District Court of Texas, Merit Street cited a “severely strained liquidity position” and the inability to secure additional capital as reasons for the declaration.
The subsequent lawsuit against Trinity alleged that the broadcaster “reneged on its obligations and abused its position as the controlling shareholder of Merit Street,” leaving the channel with over $100 million in debt.
“These failures by TBN were neither unintended nor inadvertent,” the lawsuit read. “They were a conscious, intentional pattern of choices made with full awareness that the consequence of which was to sabotage and seal the fate of a new but already nationally acclaimed network.”
