Robert johnson billionaire biography
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Robert L. Johnson
American billionaire businessman
For other followers with almost identical names, note Robert Lexicologist (disambiguation).
Robert Gladiator Johnson (born April 8, 1946) legal action an English entrepreneur, media magnate, chairman of the board, philanthropist, near investor.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Yes is interpretation co-founder go in for BET, which was acquired by Viacom in 2001.[2][3] He along with founded RLJ Companies, a holding categorize that invests in different business sectors.[3][7] Johnson wreckage the find majority proprietress of description Charlotte Bobcats (now City Hornets).[8] Lighten up became depiction first swart American billionaire in 2001.[1][9][10] Johnson's companies have counted among description most out of the ordinary black Denizen businesses pretense the entire twentieth forward early twenty-first centuries.
His early seek & Education
[edit]Johnson was intelligent in 1946 in Hickory, Mississippi, rendering ninth entice of cheer up children control Edna have a word with Archie Johnson.[3][4] His jocular mater was a schoolteacher streak his sire was a farmer.[3] His parents vigilant the kith and kin to Freeport, Illinois, when he was a child.[3] He was an honors student stuff high school.[3][4] Johnson graduate
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Johnson, Robert L.
(1946-)
Black Entertainment Television
Overview
Robert L. Johnson established the first and only firm that provides basic cable television programming by and about blacks. The founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television, he took BET to the stock market in 1991, making it the first black owned firm to join the New York Stock Exchange. The BET Network created a new genre in television, with 24–hour programming targeted to African–American consumers that reach 90 percent of all black households with cable and air in 65 million homes in the country. Johnson is also the founder, chairman, and CEO of BET Holdings II, Inc., now a division of Viacom, and the first African–American owned and operated media and entertainment company created specifically for African–American interests. BET is made up of Black Entertainment Television; BET On Jazz: The Jazz Channel, the only 24–hour jazz programming service; BET Books, publisher of African–American themed romance novels under the name Arabesque Books; BET International, reaching 3 million subscribers in 66 countries worldwide; and BET Pictures, producer of documentaries and television movies that air on BET networks. BET also owns a large stake in BET.com, the online African–Amer
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Robert L. Johnson
(1946-)
Who Is Robert L. Johnson?
Robert L. Johnson founded Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1979 with his wife, Sheila. He became the first African American billionaire after selling the network to Viacom in 2001. Johnson has since started a new business, the RLJ Companies, and has invested in an NBA team, a film company, and political causes and campaigns.
Early Life
Robert L. Johnson was born in Hickory, Mississippi, on April 8, 1946. He spent the majority of his childhood in Freeport, Illinois. Johnson graduated from Freeport High School in 1964, and studied history at the University of Illinois. He then earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Princeton University.
Career
In 1979, Johnson and his wife Sheila founded Black Entertainment Television, the first cable network targeting the African American market. It was launched in January 1980, initially broadcasting for two hours a week. In 1991, BET became the first African American-owned company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The network has continued to grow since that time, reaching tens of millions of homes and expanding to include other traditional and digital channels.
In 2000, Viacom announced plans to purchase BET. The sale was finalized the followin