Sheila Johnson, BET Co-founder, is none too pleased with the path the network has taken since its sale to Viacom in 2001. She lamented at a Carmel Art and Film Festival panel in California last weekend about the negative turn BET has taken.
“I think we squandered a really important cable network, when it really could have been the voice of Black America. We’re losing our voice as a race as a result. I’m really worried about what our young people are watching. There are so many young people who are using the television as a babysitter. We have parents who are not being parents and not monitoring what their children are watching.”
She said her proudest achievement of the network was Teen Summit, which lasted for over 20 years. Johnson says she doesn't watch BET and recommends that others refuse to watch as well. Read more here.
