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CABLE POSITIVE TO HONOR BET'S BOB JOHNSON AND DEBRA LEE WITH 2003 JOEL A. BERGER MEMORIAL AWARD FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS Under Johnson and Lee's leadership, BET polled its viewers to see what social issues were most important to them. AIDS and gun violence came back as the top two issues of most concern. Based on their findings, BET launched Rap-It-Up, a nationwide HIV/AIDS awareness campaign for the African American community. The campaign is committed to educating urban populations about the epidemic. Since its launch in November 2000, BET's Rap-It-Up campaign has received numerous honors including two Cable Positive 2002 POP Awards for programming, the Cable Television Public Affairs Association's (CTPAA) Joel Berger Award for Outstanding HIV/AIDS Initiative, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Series Special, and many others. The campaign has provided important lifesaving information to millions of viewers across the country. Mel Karmazin, President and COO of Viacom, said: "Bob, Debra and the entire BET team are to be congratulated for taking on such a critical issue as HIV/AIDS and its impact on African Americans through the Rap-It-Up initiative. And Cable Positive should be commended for recognizing the value of this effort." Johnson and Lee will join a list of distinguished industry leaders that include: Reed Business Information's Bill McGorry (2002), Cablevision's James L. Dolan (2001), Marc B. Nathanson (2000), ABC Cable Networks' Anne Sweeney (1999), Leo Hindery, Jr. (1998), Dick Aurelio (1997), Winston H. "Tony' Cox (1996 - posthumously) and Jeffrey Bewkes and Michael Fuchs (1995). "Bob Johnson and Debra Lee have earned this honor and Cable Positive is proud to be a partner with BET and Viacom in this effort," said Steve Villano, President & CEO, Cable Positive. The award is named for Joel A. Berger, a Cable Positive Honorary Chair and the group publisher of Multichannel News and Cablevision Magazine, who died of complications due to AIDS in 1995. Tables and other sponsorships are now available by contacting Melissa Hinnen at 212.459.1606 or via email at melissa@cablepositive.org. ABOUT ROBERT L. JOHNSON From 1976 to 1979, Johnson served as vice president of Government Relations for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), a trade association representing more than 1,500 cable television companies. Prior to joining the NCTA, Johnson was press secretary for the Honorable Walter E. Fauntroy, Congressional Delegate from the District of Columbia. Johnson previously held positions at the Washington Urban League and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Johnson serves on the following boards: US Airways; Hilton Hotels Corporation; General Mills; United Negro College Fund; National Cable Television Association; and the American Film Institute. Johnson is also a member of the Board of Governors for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH; and the Brookings Institute. Major awards received by Johnson include: 1997 Broadcasting & Cable Magazine's Hall of Fame Award; CTAM's Grand Tam Award; Cablevision Magazine's 20/20 Vision Award which lists him as one of the twenty most influential people in the cable industry; an NAACP Image Award; National Women's Political Caucus' Good Guys Award; a Distinguished Alumni Award from Princeton University; and the President's Award from the NCTA. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Illinois and holds a masters in International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. ABOUT DEBRA LEE At a time when most cable and broadcast networks are seeing virtually zero growth, Lee has the BET network on track for its highest-rated season ever - with current season's ratings up 35% versus last season. She has led the network's evolution into original movies, documentaries, concert specials, news, late night talk shows and public policy coverage. Without question, BET represents the total network package for its audience and now reaches more than 74 million homes. Lee first joined BET as vice president and general counsel in 1986 after serving over five years as an attorney with Washington, DC-based Steptoe & Johnson, a corporate law firm. From August 1980 through September 1981, Lee served as a law clerk to the late Honorable Barrington Parker of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lee serves on the corporate board of directors of Eastman Kodak Company, Washington Gas & Light Company and Genuity, Inc. Affiliated with a number of professional and civic organizations, Lee is also a member of the national board of directors for the NCTA; Alvin Ailey Dance Theater; Girls, Inc.; the National Symphony Orchestra; the Telecommunications Development Fund; the Center for Communication; the Kennedy Center's Community & Friends Board; and the Executive Campaign Cabinet for the American Red Cross. Lee is also a Trustee Emeritus for Brown University and is an honorary chair of Cable Positive. Lee is a recipient of the 2001 Woman of the Year Award from Women in Cable and Telecommunications, the Wonder Woman Award from Cablevision Magazine and one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, DC by Washingtonian Magazine. She was also granted the year 2000 Tower of Power Trumpet Award from Turner Broadcasting System, considered in many circles to be among the most prestigious awards bestowed on African-American leaders. She has also received the Silver Star Award from American Women in Radio and Television and was named to the cable television industry's Hundred Heavy Hitters list by Cable Fax Magazine. Lee earned her jurist doctorate at Harvard Law School, while simultaneously earning a masters degree in public policy from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1980. She graduated from Brown University in 1976 with a bachelors degree in political science with an emphasis in Asian politics. Lee resides in Washington, DC with her two children. ABOUT BET ABOUT CABLE POSITIVE
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