DEBRA LEE To Step Down As Chairman &
Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks
NEW YORK — After a trailblazing
career in television and entertainment spanning over 30 years at BET Networks,
a unit of Viacom Inc. Debra Lee is stepping down from her position as
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET Networks, effective Monday, May 28,
2018. Lee, who began her career with the company as its first VP and General
Counsel in 1986, was elevated to President and COO in 1996 and became Chairman
and CEO in 2005.
Lee’s determination to make a real
difference and give back greatly influenced BET Networks’ reinvigorated
approach to developing authentic programming that both entertains and inspires
the African-American community. She worked tirelessly to raise the
consciousness of viewers by respecting, reflecting and elevating the BET
Networks audiences in a meaningful way. During Lee’s time at the
helm, the network has enjoyed record-breaking success, including the 2014
series premiere of “The Game,” the most-watched sitcom premiere in
cable TV history with 7.68 million viewers, and the 2017 hit mini-series
“The New Edition Story,” which brought in 28.4 million viewers from
the initial run through subsequent encores, making it the highest-rated TV
biopic of all time. On Lee’s watch she oversaw the launch of the
Network’s website, BET.com, developed BET Her, the first network for
African-American women, and acquired television rights to “BLACK
GIRLS ROCK”!™ Lee also launched Leading Women Defined, an
annual conference where notable African American women, including Former First
Lady Michelle Obama, Venus Williams, Issa Rae and Erykah Badu, to name a few,
gathered each year for insightful debates and conversations on issues that
impact their community and families. Additionally, she championed BET’s
breast cancer campaign “BET Goes Pink,” the education platform
“BET Next Level,” award-winning voting campaign “BET Vote
Your Voice” and several telethons for Florida, Haiti and Katrina under
the “SOS: Saving OurSelves” initiative.
Lee’s focus on diverse,
high-quality scripted programming that positively highlights the
African-American experience has set BET Networks apart from other brands
desperate to reach the coveted black audience. Shows such as “Being Mary
Jane,” “The Real Husbands of Hollywood,” and “In
Contempt” have helped BET Networks remain the #1 network among
African-American viewers for the past 17 years. Lee’s commitment to
music and live entertainment led to the creation of one of the most popular
award shows on television, “The BET Awards,” as well as the launch
of the first festival weekend under the Viacom umbrella, The BET Experience.
Her impact on the music industry led her to become the first woman to date to receive
the Recording Academy’s prestigious Salute to
Industry Icons Award.
Following her departure from the company,
Lee, a well-respected industry executive, plans to stay involved in the media
industry and continue her role on corporate and non-profit boards. In addition,
Lee also plans to continue her commitment to diversity and inclusion by
advancing the rights of women and girls as well as people of color through her
work with Times Up and The Recording Academy Diversity & Inclusion Task
Force, to name a few. Lee’s annual gathering of prominent African
American women, Leading Women Defined, will also continue under her leadership.
Debra
Lee Statement:
“In
1986 I joined BET Networks to be its very first in-house counsel. As a young
corporate attorney I saw my role as the protector of the BET brand and its
employees and today, more than 32 years later, I still see myself as the
protector and defender of a brand that I have helped to grow as a top
destination for audiences across the globe. I have called BET Networks home for
over three decades and this team is part of my extended family.”