[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO ROBERT L. JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF BET

                                 ______


                           HON. KWEISI MFUME

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 1996

  Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Robert L. 
Johnson, the president and CEO of BET Holdings, the only publicly 
traded media company that primarily targets African-Americans. At the 
heart of BET Holdings is Black Entertainment Television, which operates 
the Nation's first and only advertiser-supported, basic cable 
television programming service that serves as both a cultural center 
and an information source for BET's target audience.
  Some of us know Bob from his days here on Capitol Hill, where he 
served as press secretary to our distinguished colleague, Walter 
Fauntroy, the delegate from the District of Columbia. Others may have 
become acquainted with Bob during his tenure as vice president for 
government relations for the National Cable Television Association 
[NCTA]. In any event, Bob's current work with BET has allowed many of 
us in the African-American community to become familiar with him and 
the tremendous services he provides to African-Americans throughout the 
Nation.
  Bob began BET with $15,000 of his own money and $500,000 from the 
cable industry's biggest company. Tele-Communications, Inc. In 1991, 
Bob made history when he took BET's parent company, BET Holdings, Inc., 
public. BET Holdings became the first company controlled by an African-
American to be traded on the New York City Stock Exchange.
  Today BET is available in more than 39 million homes, 24 hours a day, 
from Los Angeles to New York to Baltimore to smaller, markets, such as 
Rapid City, SD. BET's current programming consists of a mix of black 
music videos, black collegiate sports, news, and original programming, 
such as late night talk shows public affairs series, one-act plays, and 
teen magazine shows.
  Most recently, Bob Johnson and BET have teamed up with the computer 
company Microsoft in a venture aimed at making on-line services more 
accessible and more desirable to African-Americans. Specifically, BET 
and Microsoft will develop a new company which will produce interactive 
information for and about African-Americans. While most of the material 
will be made available on the Microsoft Network, the new company also 
hopes to produce information for the internet and for CD-ROM's. The 
goal is to create, Bob says, ``* * * an independent and interactive 
voice for African Americans.''
  As exciting and invigorating as this new venture may be, many of us 
would have expected no less from Bob. He saw an area in which African-
Americans were under represented and he sought to fill the void: 
African-Americans use home computing technology at a far lower rate 
than white American households. According to a 1994 survey by the U.S. 
Census Bureau, 28.6 percent of white households had computers, compared 
with 11.1 percent of black households. By trying to get more blacks 
interested in and comfortable with computers and the Internet, Bob is 
attempting to ensure that African-Americans are not left out of the 
information revolution.
  A review of the many awards, Bob has received throughout his 
distinguished career is a testimony to his drive and his dedication. In 
1995 he received the Cablevision Magazine 20/20 Vision Award; in 1993 
the Turner Broadcasting Trumpet Award; in 1992 Bob won the Executive 
Leadership Council Award; in 1985 the D.C. Chamber of Commerce Business 
of the Year Award; in 1984 the Capital Press Club's Pioneer Award; and 
in 1982 he won both the NAACP's Image Award as well as the NCTC's 
President's award.
  Bob Johnson exemplifies all that is possible in America; he has used 
his skills and his know-how to become a successful businessman. He also 
represents all that is good about this country, as he his consistently 
chosen to use his talents and his resources to give something back to 
his community and to help others.