Billion Dollar Bet Brett Pulley

¶ … Billion Dollar BET

Brett Pulley is a Senior Editor at Forbes magazine and has written the book titled The Billion Dollar BET: Robert Johnson and the Inside Story of Black Entertainment Television. The Billion Dollar BET is an unauthorized biography of the founder of Black Entertainment Television, Robert Louis Johnson. The author traces the blazing path of Robert Johnson through social and economic barriers with his charm and intelligence to firmly ensconce himself into the politics of Washington and the media business. This rag to riches story should have been inspiring, but then the author has painted the methods employed by Robert Johnson as anything but noble. The sale of Black Entertainment Television to Viacom in 1999 made Robert Johnson a billionaire and many consider him the first black billionaire. (Editorial Review: The Billion Dollar BET: Robert Johnson and the Inside Story of Black Entertainment Television)

Becoming a billionaire was what Robert Johnson set his eyes on. Brett Pulley portrays his biography of Robert Johnson and the Black Entertainment story on the basis of the research he conducted and the interviews he had with most of Robert Johnson's colleagues at Black Entertainment Television. The portrayal is quite pointed in the dubious methods used by Robert Johnson both in the terms of the growth of Black Entertainment Television and his own rise. From the refusal to acknowledge and compensate the man who gave him the business plan and the many who helped him in his rise as well as the growth of Black Entertainment Television, to his shedding of associates, friends and even family members, who were no longer useful, this book paints Robert Johnson in a new light and that too in quite a cynical way. (Editorial Review: The Billion Dollar BET: Robert Johnson and the Inside Story of Black Entertainment Television)

The book has raised controversies as there are many people who have strong feelings towards Robert Johnson and Black Entertainment Television. In addition is the fact that the book was written without the cooperation of Robert Johnson and based on his research and interviews. This reason along with the strong passions for Robert Johnson, black America's most successful media mogul, among many of his followers and well wishers has caused a lot skepticism and controversy about the book. (Writing About BETs Bob Johnson)

In the book Brett Pulley tells us that it was during his work with the National Urban League and press secretary for Congressman Walter Fauntroy in the early 1970s that the idea of cable station to provide for black leaders to educate the people, by the use of satellite, countrywide was formed. In 1976 Johnson became the vice president of the National Cable Television Association and made his presence felt in the lobbying for pay television. The transformation from a socially minded young man to capitalist with the goal of making money took place now. Johnson realized that there was a huge neglected black audience market that was not being tapped by the growing cable business and with a borrowed business plan and the support of mentors like John Malone head of Telecommunications Inc., Johnson started his business. (Biography tells story of BET's founder)

In early August 1979, Johnson made public the creation of Black Entertainment Television, which was created by taking a loan of fifteen thousand dollars, incorporating the company and the issue of a hundred shares with a face value of ten dollars each. Johnson was to face several hurdles in the creation of a successful Black Entertainment Television and his fortune. Assurance of quality to white cable operators, investors and advertisers was the first of these hurdles and would continue to accompany Black Entertainment Television throughout its operation and especially with music videos enlarging its use of airtime. The next hurdle lay in the establishment of Black Entertainment Television as a separate round the clock operation, as initially the facilities, cable transponder and a block of time on the U.S.A. Network was used by Black Entertainment Television and the block of time given was a four hour block late on Friday evenings. (Biography tells story of BET's founder)

This limited exposure made many viewers wonder if Black Entertainment Television was an actual network or just simply a weekly television show. It needed to have a greater exposure and this would entail additional finances. To this end Johnson sold interests and equity stakes of Black Entertainment Television to Taft Broadcasting Co. And Home Box Office and on October 1, 1984 Black Entertainment Television became a round the clock operation. To fill in the extra time on the program, Johnson turned to music videos, infomercials, old movies and comedy. This made Black Entertainment Television very successful as record companies provided videos free of cost and the existing music channel, MTV hardly supported black music videos.