Robert L. Johnson, founder of black entertainment television
L. Johnson is the founder and executive officer of Black Entertainment Television ‘ (BET), a subsidiary of Viacom3, Inc. and the nation’s first and leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience.
Johnson is a graduate of the University 6f Illinois and holds a master’s degree in international affairs from the Wood-row Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.4
Winston made history once again in 2002 by becoming the first African-American majority owner of a major sports franchise – the expansion Charlotte Bob-felts of the NBA, scheduled to return the professional basketball to the Queen City in 2004-05. Mr. Johnson is also the owner of the Charlotte Sting of the runback.
Under Johnson’s leadership, BET has enjoyed extraordinary financial and strategic success since its inception5 in 1980. The BET Network reaches more Kan 78 million households according to Nielsen media research6, and can be Ben in the Tag Heuer Replica Watches United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
oT is a dominant7 consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse pup of branded businesses: BET. com, the Number 1 Internet portal for Afri-bW-Americans; BET Digital Networks – BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip pop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event ‘reductions, specializing in a full range of event production services, including event management, venue selection, talent recruitment8, sound, lighting and stage production; and BET Books, the nation’s leading publisher of African-American themed romance novels under the arabesque9 Books label.
42000, Johnson sold BET to Viacom for approximately $3 billion and signed multi-year contract to continue to serve as chief executive officer. This all stock transaction made Johnson the second largest individual shareholder in Viacom to its chairman, Sumner Redstone. “
Following the sale of BET, Johnson formed The RLJ Companies. Under The RLJ Companies umbrella , Johnson owns or holds interests in companies operating in the professional sports, hospitality/restaurant, real estate, gaming, recording industries; plus sole ownership of one of the nation’s largest and oldest collections of African American art – the Barnett-Aden Collection.
From 1976 to 1979, Johnson served as vice president of government relations for the National Cable Telecommunications Association ( NCTA) , a trade association representing the cable television industry. Prior to joining the NC-TA, Johnson was press secretary13 for the Honorable Walter E. Faun troy , Congressional Delegate from the District of Columbia.
Johnson was recently ranked #1 on Sports Illustrated14 Magazine’s listing of the “100 Most Influential Minorities in Sports. ” Other major awards and recognitions received by Johnson include; 1997 Broadcasting Cable Magazine’s Hall of Fame Award; Cablevision Magazine’s 20/20 Vision Award which lists him as one of the 20 Most Influential People in the cable industry; an NAACP Image Award; and the National Women’s Political Caucus’ “Good Guys” A-ward.
Johnson serves on the following boards Replica Watches of directors; US Airways, Hilton Hotels, General Mills, United Negro College Fund, Jazz at Lincoln Center, American Film Institute, Strayed Education, Inc. , and Johns Hopkins University. Johnson is also a member of the Board of Governors for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; and The Grammy Foundation.