Robert Johnson became one of the most important members of the Baby Boom generation by being in the right place at the right time — and having a plan, writes David Lieberman at usatoday.com.
As a lobbyist for the cable television industry in 1979, he saw an opportunity to create the first cable channel that targeted African-American viewers: Black Entertainment Television.
Critics, including director Spike Lee, attacked BET's broadcasts of music videos that seemed to glamorize violence and degrade women. But with the cable industry booming, BET in 1991 became the first black-controlled company to go public on the New York Stock Exchange. When Viacom bought BET for $3 billion in 2003, Johnson became the first African-American billionaire.
Johnson went on to build The RLJ Companies, a financial services empire. He also invested in enterprises such as the Charlotte Bobcats basketball team, and became a supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton in her 2008 presidential campaign.
It's been an unusual ride for the Hickory, Miss., native who began his career in public relations after earning a master's from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
For his thoughts on his generation and career, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment