· Robert L. Johnson is the founder and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET), a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) and the nation's first and leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience.

· Johnson also made history in 2002 by becoming the first African-American majority owner of a major sports franchise - the expansion NBA Charlotte Bobcats, returning professional basketball to the Queen City during the 2004-05 season. Johnson is also the owner of the WNBA Charlotte Sting.

· The BET Network reaches more than 79 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

· BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African-Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip-Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes.

· Johnson was recently ranked #1 on Sports Illustrated magazine's listing of the “100 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.” Other major awards and recognitions received by Johnson include his 2004 induction in the Cable Television Hall of Fame; a 1997 Broadcasting & Cable Magazine's Hall of Fame Award; Cablevision Magazine's 20/20 Vision Award which lists him as one of the 20 Most Influential People in the cable industry; an NAACP Image Award; and the National Women's Political Caucus' “Good Guys” Award.

By: Durvena Sarju, John Rahiman and Natasha  Motielal

Robert Lewis Johnson