The Billion Dollar BET Robert Johnson And The Inside Story Of Black Entertainment Television – Bret Pulley

Description du produit

Revue de presse

"Still at BET Helm, Johnson Turns to Sports and Hotels" ( Washington Post, May 17, 2004)

Those interested in business are not the only ones who will welcome The Billion Dollar BET (Wiley; 24.95). Robert Johnson s rise from humble beginnings in Hickory, Miss and Freeport, Ill to bone a fide American billionaire is packed with all the elements of great stories. In addition to a healthy dose of drive and determination, there is a large helping of alleged backstabbing, extramarital affairs, corporate meltdowns and showdowns.

Regardless of how some folks feel about BET, author Brett Pulley couches Johnson s accomplishments in the historical context of both black American history and the cable industry. Like it or not, Johnson is a trailblazer. He is also proof positive of just how far hard work and tremendous opportunity can take you.

Most surprising to some maybe Johnson s own grandiose ideas of what BET might have become. Like many of his critics, Johnson himself envisioned a channel with original and educational programming. Economic realities, however, led him to make music videos.

Yes, this type book is a far cry from the girlfriend fare that dominates black book shel ves, but, if given a chance, it can be just as titillating. ––Ronda Racha Price (Upscale, April 2004)

The rags–to–riches rise of the nation′s first black billionaire is a great story no matter how you tell it. And The Billion Dollar BET (John Wiley & Sons, $24.95), by Forbes senior editor Brett Pulley, is filled with enough sex, villains, and betrayal to make it a guilty pleasure.

At the center of the drama is Bob Johnson, who built a $15,000 bank loan into a media empire. Johnson refused to cooperate for the book, but Pulley had extensive access before deciding to write. Plenty of other key players (even Johnson′s former wife of 32 years) were willing to dish on everything from 4 a.m. phone calls from the boss to his extramarital affairs.

What makes Johnson′s life more than fodder for an E! True Hollywood Story, however, is the intersection of race and business. Johnson constantly reminds detractors that "the ′E′ in BET does not stand for enlightenment or education but entertainment." Many hoped that Johnson, the first African American with such control over TV, would take a higher road. Pulley does address the issue, but one wishes he had spent even more time on the tensions black executives face balancing financial concerns and responsibility to the race. (Fortune, March 22, 2004)

"Still at BET Helm, Johnson Turns to Sports and Hotels" ( Washington Post, May 17, 2004)

"…regardless of how some folks feel about BET, author Brett Pulley couches Johnson′s accomplishments in the historical context of both black American history and the cable industry." (Upscale, April 2004)

"[this book] is filled with enough sex, villians, and betrayal to make it a guilty pleasure." (Fortune, March 22, 2004)

Quatrième de couverture

Praise for The Billion Dollar BET

"This book provides insight into one of the great trailblazers of American business. Bob Johnson has been and continues to be an inspiration to me personally. He is a man who has persevered, overcome obstacles personally and professionally and has succeeded in spite of the challenges and adversity along his journey. Bob has created a successful game plan for other entrepreneurs to follow, and has accomplished the unthinkable. Read and learn about one of the most inspiring men of our time."

Isiah Thomas

NBA Hall of Famer and President, New York Knicks

"In a gripping narrative that is both inspirational and cautionary, Brett Pulley tells us how Robert Johnson built Black Entertainment Television into a billion dollar media empire. In a remarkable feat of reporting, without Johnson’s cooperation, Pulley shows what it really takes to get ahead in America today, and in doing so provides as valuable a cultural as business history."

James B. Stewart

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of the bestsellers, Den of Thieves and Heart of a Soldier

"Like or dislike? Agree or disagree? Bob Johnson’s richly varied and fascinating life presses you against the window that Brett Pulley opens widely."

Bernard Shaw

retired CNN anchor

"Through his BET network, Bob Johnson reached the pinnacle of capitalism, the billionaire boys club, in the spirit of legions of driven, American moguls…Veteran business journalist Brett Pulley peels back the layers of this fascinating and complex entrepreneur."

Teri Agins

senior special writer, The Wall Street Journal and author of The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever

Biographie de l'auteur

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.

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