Black Entertainment Television

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Black Entertainment Television (BET)
TypeCable network
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaUnited States and parts of Canada
HeadquartersNew York City, New York[1]
Ownership
OwnerViacomCBS
Key peopleRobert L. Johnson - Founder and former Chairman
Debra Lee CEO/Chairman of BET
Reginald Hudlin Programming President
Sister channels
History
LaunchedJanuary 25, 1980
FounderRobert L. Johnson
Sheila Johnson
Links
WebsiteBET.COM
Availability

Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American cable television network. It is based in Washington, D.C.. The network is targeted toward African-American audiences in the United States. Most of it used to show hip hop and R&B music videos. Now it shows religious shows, movies, award shows and original television series for African-Americans.

History[change | change source]

BET was founded by Robert L. Johnson on January 25, 1980. The network started out as a two-hour Friday night show on the USA Network each week. It was on from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. (EST). They mostly showed older movies and music videos. In May of that year, BET started showing Black collegiate sporting events. In November 1980, BET added two half-hour shows, Black Showcase and The Bobby Jones Gospel Show. On June 26, 1983, BET started showing Video Soul, a music video series. On October 1 of the same year, BET started broadcasting 24 hours daily with help from Home Box Office. In the later years, BET has moved from having a variety of Black entertainment to mostly showing music videos around the clock.

Television[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. Hipes, Patrick (May 10, 2017). "BET Networks Shutting Down DC Headquarters, Moving To NYC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 25, 2021.

Other websites[change | change source]