When Robert L. Johnson announced the start of BET cable television network on August 8, 1980, he scarcely had $15,000 of his own money to fuel the network with. Prior to starting BET, Johnson worked as a lobbyist for National Cable & Telecommunications Association. The majority of the money he used to start the television network came from a loan. The network aired for the first time on January 25, 1980 in 350 markets.
Black Entertainment Television’s Early Years
During its early years BET aired hours of rap music videos. The limited programming kept expenses down which, in turn, kept BET on the air. Viewers were pleased. Viewers were not pleased. Yet, except for Atlanta, Georgia’s Black Family Channel and later Cathy Hughes’ TV One, there were no other television networks geared toward black Americans.
Robert Johnson wisely stayed the course. Five years after the first BET program aired, the network yielded a profit. BET had broken the often heard “most new businesses fail within the first five years,” syndrome.
A decade after he founded BET, Johnson took the network public and traded its holdings on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The Museum of Broadcast Communications reports that by 1993 BET was a $61 million dollar media enterprise. This at a time when the company was held to some of the lowest subscriber fees in the industry.
Programming on BET
Classic movies featuring black Americans began to be included in the network’s programming lineup. “Frank’s Place,” Teen Summit,” “Conversations With Ed Gordon,” “For The Record,” “Personal Diary,” “Rap City”, “Comic View,” “On Stage” and “Our Voices” were other popular programs that started to air. Soon BET’s 24-hour programming reached more than 40 millions households in over 2500 markets.
In 1998 Robert Johnson took the network off the NYSE and made it a privately owned company again. It was only the beginning of major change. On November 3, 2000 the deal for Viacom to acquire BET was sealed. It has been reported that the deal was worth $3 billion.
BET Acquired by Viacom
Johnson continued to serve at the network’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for five years then in June 2005 he stepped down and named Debra Lee as the company’s CEO. Lee had previously worked as the network’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and president.
Today Robert Johnson is the majority owner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Charlotte Bobcats. His RLJ companies include a hedge fund, hotels, a bank and potentially a movie studio.
Expanded Programming on the Cable Television Network
As of August 2009, Black Entertainment Television networks have expanded to include BET International, BET Home Entertainment, a radio network, digital media group and gospel. The company started a non-profit foundation in 2003.
Public Service Announcements (PSAs), health forums, lifestyle programming and a fitness challenge are key activities that the foundation regularly provides. “Speak Now,” “Summer Camp For Girls,” “Rap It Up” and “BET Black College Tour” are products of the network’s other community initiatives that fall under the umbrella of the company’s Touch BET program.
The network has an annual music awards show, a Walk of Fame that has inducted artists like Luther Vandross, Boyz II Men, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston. The first person to be inducted into the BET Walk of Fame was Michael Jackson. Jackson was inducted on September 22, 1995.
BET Today
Currently with a staff of 417 employees, BET is watched by viewers in over 87 million homes throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The network continues to be headquartered in Washington, D.C., the city from which it began nearly 30 years ago. “College Hill,” “Tiny and Toya,” “106 & Park,” “Access Granted,” “Rip the Runway” and “Baldwin Hills” are popular shows that presently air on the network.
BET Blockbuster movies airs classics and modern films like A Raisin in the Sun, Juice, The Color Purple, Waiting to Exhale and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Home of one of the world’s most historic entertainment moments, June 2003, James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, and Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, performed together for the first time on live television when Jackson presented Brown with the BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sources
Black Entertainment Television Official Website. 31 July 2009.
 |
