Less than a month after filing for bankruptcy and initiating legal action against a distribution partner, Dr. Phil McGraw has launched a new media venture, Envoy Media. The new company was announced two weeks after McGraw’s previous venture, Merit Street Media, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and sued Trinity Broadcasting Network. Merit Street alleged Trinity breached its distribution contract, which McGraw’s company claimed was essential for the channel’s national viability.
Envoy Media will focus on a mix of live news, entertainment programming and interactive viewer engagement, according to a company announcement. In addition to content produced by McGraw and collaborator Steve Harvey, the platform will feature user-generated content under a model the company described as “citizen journalism.” According to the announcement, the company’s app will allow users to contribute stories from their communities, which will be curated and integrated at a national level. The company said it would launch a linear television component later in July and plans to announce talent and distribution partnerships in the coming weeks.
Envoy Media is based in a 50,000-square-foot facility in the Dallas area, the same studio space previously used by Merit Street. McGraw said in a statement that the new venture aims to offer “real people, facing real challenges, seeking real solutions,” with a focus on factual reporting and critical thinking. Merit Street struggled to find an audience during its brief operation. Its linear TV channel averaged fewer than 50,000 primetime viewers and now broadcasts reruns of McGraw’s previous programs. New content production has ceased amid the ongoing bankruptcy and legal proceedings. In its lawsuit, Merit Street claimed Trinity failed to fulfill agreed-upon national distribution and other commitments. “The suit is part of a restructuring proceeding also initiated by MSM,” a company spokesperson said at the time.