The Billion Dollar Brains Behind BET: Robert Johnson is Born
The Billion Dollar Brains Behind BET: Robert Johnson is Born
From his humble beginnings in Mississippi to becoming the first self-made black billionaire in the world, Johnson has made a name for himself by focusing on an untapped market. With no prior business experience, he was able to turn $15,000 into a media empire. Today, BET, the world’s first black-oriented cable channel that Johnson founded in 1980, can be seen in almost 80 percent of American homes.
Johnson was born on April 18, 1946 in Hickory, Mississippi. He was the ninth of ten children to Edna and Archie Johnson, who worked at a local battery factory. “We weren't a welfare family, but we knew that if I wanted a bicycle it meant that somebody else wasn't going to get something else,” recalls Johnson. “Or if you wanted to go to college, you knew your parents couldn't pay your way to college.”
When Johnson was still young, his family moved to Freeport, Illinois so his father could find better work opportunities. It was in Freeport where Johnson, too, found a better job – his first job, in fact. Johnson began delivering the Rockford Morning Star when he was ten years old. It was, however, not the right job for him. “I failed miserably,” he recalls. “I couldn’t get up in the morning. Still can’t.”
He might not have learned anything from the job, but living in a large family still taught Johnson important lessons, he says. “I knew that if we had a box of cookies in the house, you made sure you got yours fast,” he jokes. “It made you make decisions quick…If you talk to anyone from a large family, the tendency is you want to chart your own course, because otherwise how would you get recognized?”
After graduating from Freeport High School in 1964, Johnson became the first member of his family to go to college when he enrolled in the University of Illinois. He graduated four years later with a bachelor’s degree in social studies. He followed that up with a master’s degree in International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1972.
With his degrees in hand, Johnson moved to Washington, D.C. He had planned to start a government career, and got this first job working as a press secretary for Walter Fauntroy, the Congressional Delegate for the District of Columbia. Those plans changed, however, when the National Cable and Telecommunications Association hired Johnson as a lobbyist for the nascent cable industry.
From 1976 to 1979, Johnson worked as the vice president of government relations for the NCTA. It was during that stint that Johnson met a businessman who had a plan to start a channel geared solely towards the elderly. That was a wake up call for Johnson. He began to think about his own opportunity to create a channel just for African-Americans.
The Billion Dollar Brains Behind BET Robert Johnson is Born
Like this article? Share it with your friends
“We sort of lived paycheck to paycheck, like a lot of African-American families do,” says Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson, “still do.”
From his humble beginnings in Mississippi to becoming the first self-made black billionaire in the world, Johnson has made a name for himself by focusing on an untapped market. With no prior business experience, he was able to turn $15,000 into a media empire. Today, BET, the world’s first black-oriented cable channel that Johnson founded in 1980, can be seen in almost 80 percent of American homes.
Johnson was born on April 18, 1946 in Hickory, Mississippi. He was the ninth of ten children to Edna and Archie Johnson, who worked at a local battery factory. “We weren't a welfare family, but we knew that if I wanted a bicycle it meant that somebody else wasn't going to get something else,” recalls Johnson. “Or if you wanted to go to college, you knew your parents couldn't pay your way to college.”
When Johnson was still young, his family moved to Freeport, Illinois so his father could find better work opportunities. It was in Freeport where Johnson, too, found a better job – his first job, in fact. Johnson began delivering the Rockford Morning Star when he was ten years old. It was, however, not the right job for him. “I failed miserably,” he recalls. “I couldn’t get up in the morning. Still can’t.”
He might not have learned anything from the job, but living in a large family still taught Johnson important lessons, he says. “I knew that if we had a box of cookies in the house, you made sure you got yours fast,” he jokes. “It made you make decisions quick…If you talk to anyone from a large family, the tendency is you want to chart your own course, because otherwise how would you get recognized?”
After graduating from Freeport High School in 1964, Johnson became the first member of his family to go to college when he enrolled in the University of Illinois. He graduated four years later with a bachelor’s degree in social studies. He followed that up with a master’s degree in International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1972.
With his degrees in hand, Johnson moved to Washington, D.C. He had planned to start a government career, and got this first job working as a press secretary for Walter Fauntroy, the Congressional Delegate for the District of Columbia. Those plans changed, however, when the National Cable and Telecommunications Association hired Johnson as a lobbyist for the nascent cable industry.
From 1976 to 1979, Johnson worked as the vice president of government relations for the NCTA. It was during that stint that Johnson met a businessman who had a plan to start a channel geared solely towards the elderly. That was a wake up call for Johnson. He began to think about his own opportunity to create a channel just for African-Americans.
The Billion Dollar Brains Behind BET Robert Johnson is Born
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 | ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Quick Start Guide ACES Research Report 11 Ways to Build Business Recession Proof Business Success By Design |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||