Robert L. Johnson
Robert L. Johnson
In full:
Robert Louis Johnson
Born:
April 8, 1946, Hickory, Mississippi, U.S. (age 77)
Founder:
Black Entertainment Television
On the Web:
Global Business Hall of Fame - Robert L. Johnson (Mar. 22, 2024)

Robert L. Johnson (born April 8, 1946, Hickory, Mississippi, U.S.) American businessman, founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), and the first African American majority owner of a major professional sports team in the United States. Johnson grew up in Freeport, Illinois, the 9th of 10 children. He majored in history at the University of Illinois (B.A., 1968) and, after studying public affairs at Princeton University (M.A., 1972), moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Urban League. He began cultivating valuable political and business connections that later helped him bankroll his vision ...(100 of 505 words)