Robert Louis Johnson ( )
Robert Louis Johnson, founder, chairman, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Black Entertainment Television (BET), is also the majority owner of the Charlotte (North Carolina) Bobcats of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the first African American billionaire. He was born in Hickory, Mississippi, in as the ninth of 10 children. After his family relocated to Freeport, Illinois, Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of Illinois in He also received a Masters in Public Administration from Princeton University in New Jersey in
Johnson then moved to Washington, D.C. where he worked for both the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Urban League. In , Johnson became the vice president of governmental relations for the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), an organization comprised of various cable television companies.
Johnson’s work with NCTA inspired him to develop television programming that was dedicated to African American viewers who, at that time, were unrecognized as a target audience group. He initially borrowed $15, from the president of the NCTA, Tom Wheeler, to fund his plan of gainin
Robert L. Johnson started Black Entertainment Television (BET) in , with a US$15, loan. BET was the first television network to provide entertainment, music, news, sports, and public affairs programming specifically for an African-American audience.
Born (USA)
Graduates from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University with a master's degree in public affairs
Launches Black Entertainment Television (BET)
BET becomes the first Black-controlled company listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Founds the RLJ Companies
Inducted into the Global Business Hall of Fame
An honors student in high school, Robert earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, and then pursued a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University. After Princeton, Robert moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked in several career-defining positions in the s. His job as the public affairs director for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting served as his official introduction to the television industry. He later worked as the director of communications for the D.C. office of the National Urban League, a historic civil
Johnson, Robert L. (?)–
Media executive
Developed Cable Network for African Americans
Grew, Then Sold BET
Moved on to Other interests
Sources
We want a broad audience, but we never want to forget our mandate: to give black audiences a full range of black entertainment and information, Robert L. Johnson, the founder and president of Black Entertainment Television (BET), told Christopher C. Williams in the New York Times. Creator of the first cable network to provide solely black programming, Johnson built his nearly $3 billion company on a format that featured black music videos and comedy as its highlight. After selling the company to Viacom in , Johnson became the first African-American billionaire and set his sights on other ventures such as becoming an owner in the airline industry, authoring books, and owning professional sports teams.
Born on April 8, , in Hickory, Mississippi, Robert Louis Johnson was the ninth of ten children born to the relatively poor Johnson family. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Freeport, Illinois, where Johnson grew up and went to school, supported by his father&#x;s job at the battery factory and his mother&#x;s part
Robert L. Johnson
| Businessman, founder of the telecommunications company Black Entertainment Television. Date of Birth: Country: USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Foundation of Black Entertainment Television
- Sale of BET and Personal Life
- Continued Business Success
Early Life and Education
Robert Johnson, born on April 8, , is an American businessman and the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET). He grew up in Freeport, Illinois, where he graduated from Freeport High School in
Johnson went on to earn his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Illinois in , where he also served as chapter president of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. In , he completed a master's degree in international relations from Princeton University.
Foundation of Black Entertainment Television
In , Johnson established BET, the first cable television network targeted towards African American audiences. It launched in , initially broadcasting for only two hours a week. Within 11 years, BET became the first publicly traded company under the leadership of a Black president.
Sale of BET and Personal Life
In , Johnson sold 63% of BET to Viacom for $3 billion.
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