The
Billion Dollar Bet: Robert Johnson and the inside Story of Black Entertainment
Television
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by Brett Pulley
ISBN: 0471423637
Format: Hardcover, 240pp
Pub. Date: April 2004
Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
The American dream is still alive, and if you don�t believe it just take a close look at Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and a man who has traveled the classic American journey from humble origins to unimaginable wealth. Born to a poor family in Mississippi, Johnson, the son of factory workers and the only one among his ten siblings to attend college, parlayed a $15,000 loan in 1979 into Black Entertainment Television, one of the cable industry's richest franchises.
Written by award-winning journalist Brett Pulley, The Billion Dollar BET is the first-ever in-depth look at one of the most enigmatic and important entrepreneurs of our time. This revealing book offers a colorful portrait of a brilliant and relentlessly focused businessman, whose life is a window into race, culture, and capitalism. From Johnson's rural Mississippi roots and early years in blue-collar Illinois, to his graduate life at Princeton University and career as a cable industry lobbyist on Capitol Hill, The Billion Dollar BET traces his inspired climb to the top and his often controversial tenure at the helm of one of the most influential media outlets in the country. You�ll discover how Johnson won the support of media titans John Malone and Sumner Redstone, and watch as BET begins to take on far greater social significance than even Johnson could ever have imagined. You�ll also learn how Johnson handled pivotal events in the company's history, such as the public attacks on BET's program content and the decision to sell the firm to media giant Viacom.
Much more than a corporate analysis of profits and losses, The Billion Dollar BET is a story about savvy, vision, timing, determination, failure, scandal, love, and sex--all the things that occur behind the scenes as a company and its leader grow up. It reveals an ambition and fiery determination that burned so hot that friendships were shattered, family relationships destroyed, and hearts broken.
Filled with revealing anecdotes and never-reported details of Johnson's life and business acumen, The Billion Dollar BET is a classic American business tale. This is the story of the greatest $15,000 bet ever made. It is the story of Robert Louis Johnson and the billion-dollar empire that he built.
About the Author: Brett Pulley is a senior editor at Forbes magazine, where he writes primarily about the media and entertainment industries. He has authored several cover stories including the 2001 Forbes 400 on Robert Johnson. Prior to joining Forbes in September 1999, he spent five years at the New York Times, where he covered economic development, politics, and was a national correspondent. He also spent several years as a correspondent at the Wall Street Journal, writing extensively on business and race. His front-page feature for the Wall Street Journal on the black-owned company, Johnson Products, won a first-place award from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). He received a second NABJ award for a feature written for Savoy magazine, where he served as a contributor. He has also written for several other publications, including USA Today and Emerge magazine. He is a frequent guest on many television programs, providing commentary and insight on media and entertainment news and issues. Pulley currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two young daughters.
Black
Power Inc.: The New Voice of Success
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by Cora Daniels
ISBN: 0471470902
Format: Hardcover, 240pp
Pub. Date: April 2004
Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Fortune writer Cora Daniels begins a new conversation on the present and future
of race in corporate America. She identifies the "new black elite"--post-civil
rights babies now in their thirties, finding success in the corporate world--who
are increasingly aware of a "separate but equal" racial reality in the
workplace. There is a great disparity between the current top-ranking black
executives--like Stan O'Neal, Dick Parsons and Ken Chenault--and the generation
after them. Rather than seeking to deny race in order to be seen as equal, the
new black elite feels that race is undeniable and critical to their future
success. In lieu of assimilating and downplaying the role of race, they are
using their frustrations with the failures of "the diversity dictum" as an
inspiration to create their own unique opportunities and legacies. These are the
freshest voices and the latest perspectives in America's ongoing racial
conversation, and they are eager to be heard.