Entertainment Television.

Prior to his first visit to Bermuda in 1991, Robert L. Johnson did not have a very favourable impression of the Island. And the founder and president of cable network Black Entertainment Television believes too many other African-Americans also share his initial misconceptions. "My initial impression of the Island was that of a stuffy shirt, a place created for the king and queen, where all the Queen's subjects came and Bermudians simply stepped in line to their demands,'' Johnson explains. "However, when I arrived here, I discovered that the Island has a dynamic and vibrant culture that definitely should be marketed to upper and middle income African-Americans. I think you're missing a big bet. You probably have about 40 percent of the black population in the United States within a three hour flight of your Island and I think that should be developed as a major marketing objective, to get more black middle class vacationers and black businesses to come to Bermuda to hold their conventions. I think the Tourism department would be well advised to come up with a marketing strategy that appeals to the black American middle class. You all have a wonderful secret here that needs to be exposed to black America.'' If Johnson's comments give the impression that African-Americans are not as sought after and welcomed to the Island as their white American counterparts, then it's a notion that Premier Sir John Swan is quick to dispel. "There is no overt or covert intent to discourage African-Americans from coming to Bermuda, or why they should not find Bermuda to be a place in which they are welcomed, and where they will enjoy and find unusually warm hospitality,'' Sir John maintains.

If there is anyone who can spread the word about the unique qualities of a Bermuda vacation to upper income African-Americans, it is Robert Johnson, who was back in Bermuda last month to receive the International Award for his pioneering efforts in media and communications at the Black Achievement Awards, staged by Black Family Productions at the Spinning Wheel in Hamilton.

As president of BET - founded in January 1980 with a $15,000 bank loan and now reportedly worth more than $200 million - Johnson has built a reputable company that remains America's only cable network showcasing quality black programming with a subscriber base of close to 35 million households. Along the way, he has earned the admiration and respect of industry insiders for his remarkable vision, business acumen and marketing savvy. And it was a combination of these three attributes, fuelled by a dogged determination and gutsy entrepreneurial spirit, which led to BET's formation more than 13 years ago.

Working then as a lobbyist for the National Cable Television Association, Johnson realised that it would only be a matter of time before someone developed a cable network targeted specifically to African-Americans. If so, why not him? "My intention in creating BET was to establish a business that had occurred because regular television did not serve the viewing interests of black viewers,'' he asserts. "We therefore had an excellent business opportunity combined with a good social objective.'' In the beginning, things were tough. "We encountered the same types of challenges that any new black-, or minority-owned, business venture experiences,'' Johnson notes. "Besides trying to convince people that there was a need for our product, the other difficulty we experienced was with distribution. If you can't control your distribution, you can't deliver your product or message to your consumers. In this regard, we've had to aggressively work to push our distribution up and so far I'm quite pleased with how we've responded to the challenge.'' In the beginning the network offered only a two hour per week service. Since then, it has developed into a 24-hour, seven days a week operation, offering programming that includes music videos, sports, family sitcoms, concerts, talk shows, gospel, news and information. Additionally, of the almost 35 million subscribers, 25 percent are white households. Market research also indicates that BET subscribers are in upscale households earning more than $35,000 a year. Confidence in the network has grown steadily and is reflected in its growing acceptance by national advertisers such as General Foods, Kraft, Proctor and Gamble, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi-Cola and McDonalds, while Chevrolet, Pontiac and Toyota also continue to purchase air time.

Explaining the concept behind the Video Soul Cruise to Bermuda back in 1991, Johnson pointed out that he saw an excellent opportunity to create a marriage between two separate, though similar,entities. "The intent was to produce a programme that would be attractive to our viewers by capturing the emotions, fun and excitement of a cruise to Bermuda which are the kinds of things we want people to associate with Video Soul. Since we also have a cable affiliate here in Bermuda, it made perfect sense to come to a beautiful island where BET is well-liked and appreciated.'' Johnson admits being somewhat surprised by the response of local television viewers to BET, however, "We've been pleasantly surprised by the reception we've received, although we were aware that (veejay) Donnie Simpson was quite popular here on the Island. Another edge is the fact that our executive vice president of Affiliate marketing, Curtis Symonds, is a native of Bermuda.

Taking that all into consideration, I guess we couldn't miss.'' In order to solidify BET's position as black America's major source of information and entertainment on cable television, Johnson has engineered a number of innovative moves to broaden the network's appeal and increase its visibility in the market.

"We have entered into a partnership with actor roducer Tim Reid and formed United Image Entertainment, a production company that will create feature films for both cable television and movie theatres and we have also launched a teen magazine called YSB (Young Sisters & Brothers). In addition to these projects,'' Johnson points out, "we are also part owners of Emerge, a black monthly news magazine.'' YSB, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, has a circulation of more than 150,000 and is dedicated to building self-esteem in black teenagers.

On November 1, 1991, Johnson took another bold step forward by officially offering BET stock on the New York Stock Exchange, making the cable television network the first black-owned company in the Untied States to ever initiate a public offering of its privately held stock. While Tele-Communications, Inc (TCI) and Home Box Office (HBO) remain the network's two major corporate investors, Robert Johnson continues to retain majority interest.

Though encouraged by BET's steady growth and continued expansion into new markets, Johnson admits to having more grandiose plans for the cable television network in the decade ahead. "The long range objective of BET in the 90s is to become the pre-eminent black media company in the world and I believe we are positioned to do that. We intend to accomplish that by building synergy with our current business of being the primary distributor and producer of entertainment and information programming to black households on cable television, both in the United States and around the world.'' Bermudian freelancer Lorin Smith writes extensively on entertainment for local and international publications. He wrote about jazz master Ahmad Jamal for February's RG.

Robert Johnson: "BET...occurred because regular television did not serve the viewing interests of black viewers.'' Curtis Symonds, Bermudian vice president of marketing at BET. Pictures courtesy BET.