From the early 1970s to the late 1990s, Robert Herring Sr, with sons Charles and Robert Jr, created highly successful and profitable circuit board companies. They sold one such business in 1988 for about $52 million and another two in 2000 for $122 million. The Herring broadcast operations are being funded from proceeds of the $100 million sale in 2000 of the family's Herco Technologies, a maker of printed circuit boards that led to work in cable boxes and satellite TV connections. Robert S. Herring Sr., who made his money from printed circuit boards and has backed conservative causes, announced a partnership with the Washington Times newspaper to produce a 24-hour cable news channel aimed at an audience of 30 million viewers. Herring Broadcasting President Charles Herring, son of the company CEO, said the new network will fill a niche left by other conservative news outlets, such as Fox News, known for "a lot of opinions, screaming, but no substance, no facts."