A Pivotal Shift at BET

New CEO Sees the Need for Wider Range of Programming

When Debra L. Lee was named chief executive of Black Entertainment Television last week, there was no ceremony, no speeches. Just a company-wide e-mail. After all, Lee had been in charge of the company's day-to-day operations for the past nine years.

But while Lee's duties didn't change much, BET may never be the same.

Lee, 50, takes over BET at a pivotal time for the District-based network, which reaches 80.6 million cable subscribers. Not only is she the first chief executive to follow the company's departing founder, Robert L. Johnson, but the company she inherits is vastly different from the one he created 25 years ago with a $15,000 loan. Instead of an upstart taking its place among a dozen or so cable channels, BET boasts that it is now recognized in 100 percent of African American households. Yet it must fight for viewers in an ever-expanding universe of channels.

BET, which is now a division of the media company Viacom Inc., has established itself with its target audience of young adult African Americans through a heavy rotation of music videos and reruns of old dramas and sitcoms. But that won't be enough to sustain BET's brand indefinitely, according to industry analysts and the company's own leaders.

The reason is the dizzying number of basic and digital cable networks vying for people's attention, including two direct competitors: TV One, based in Silver Spring and backed by urban radio broadcaster Radio One and cable operator Comcast; and the Black Family Channel of Raleigh, N.C., bankrolled by investors led by millionaire trial lawyer Willie Gary.

TV One and the Black Family Channel aren't in enough households yet to be a factor, Lee said. TV One reaches 18 million subscribers and the Black Family Channel reaches 30 million. That still leaves everyone else.

"What keeps me up at night is MTV, UPN . . . ABC and Fox's 'American Idol.' Those are the ones that take viewership away," said Lee, a Harvard Law School graduate who started her career as a telecommunications lawyer. Her clients included BET, and she was recruited to join the company 19 years ago as its general counsel.

To remain on top in today's hypercompetitive environment, some say BET under Lee must come up with more compelling content.

The key, said Deborah Gray-Young, vice president and director of media services of E. Morris Communications, a Chicago marketing firm, is finding shows that appeal to those consumers and advertisers who have not always felt comfortable with BET's sometimes racy fare.

Founder Johnson readily agreed. "BET has to be considered more than a black business success story," he said. "It has to be considered a black programming success story."

Lee is well aware of the task she faces. She has already tinkered with BET's lineup, adding reruns of "Soul Food" and "Girlfriends" to the schedule. And she has hired a director of development to get original programs in the pipeline.

Lee also has designs on expanding BET's reach internationally through its BET Jazz network. BET had an international presence once before but abandoned it, she said.