The new bet: with a new creative leader, 16 original shows and maybe a 'mess' or two, the maturing of the largest black cable network has not come without its issues

Ebony, Oct, 2007 by Eric Deggans

In interviews with more than a half dozen BET executives, no one would say exactly how much all this new programming is costing the company and its corporate parent, Viacom. A recent New York Times story cited an analyst's estimate of $103 million spent in 2006 and $119 million spent in 2007.

Add the cost of BET's sleek new West Coast offices--a 35,000-squarefoot space near Beverly Hills outfitted with modern furniture, expansive flat screen TVs and a patio that appears to have been imported straight from Hudlin's hip, buppie film classic, Boomerang--and you have the makings of a serious commitment to upping the channel's profile.

But the huge outlay of resources seems a long way from the mantra espoused by founder and former president Robert Johnson, who ran BET for 20 years. He insisted that programs be produced as cheaply as possible to maximize profits before the company was sold to Viacom for $3.5 billion in 2001.

"The business community, has always acknowledged that Bob created an extraordinary business in BET ... a shockingly successful business," says Scott Mills, a 10-year veteran of the channel who recently was promoted to president and chief operating officer, and who noted that BET remains the most profitable division within Viacom.

"But advertisers place a higher premium on original hits," Mills says. "So the overall strategy says if we improve our signature brand of programming, we can drive growth in our advertising base."

Indeed, at a time when every cable channel is developing signature hits to define itself--and shows such as VHI's Flavor of Love and I Love New York are ' nipping at pieces of the urban audience--BET needs distinctive shows more than ever.

Small wonder then, that Hudlin's ambition also extends to scripted shows, with plans to present four new fictional programs on the channel in 2008. One, a half-hour comedy called Somebodies, is based on a film from the Sundance Film Festival on the lives of young guys in Athens, Ga.

Another, Wifey, is an hourlong drama developed with corporate sister VH1 about a woman who must take charge when her husband, a music mogul with hidden problems, suddenly dies. Both Cowan and Hudlin are jazzed about Hannibal, an animated series featuring Vin Diesel that mirrors a feature film the star has been developing for years on the ancient African commander who nearly defeated the Roman empire.

"Black shows in the past have been so heavy-handed and so serious that watching them was like doing a homework assignment," says Brett King, BET's newly hired senior vice president in charge of scripted programming. "But Reggie has very effectively translated Black culture into compelling, fun programming. BET has the opportunity to be somewhere between the Motown and Def Jam of the culture ... Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?"

THE DREAM TEAM

When Lee first offered him the job of reshaping BET, Hudlin called his older brother Warrington, the most important advisor among his "kitchen cabinet" of accomplished friends and supporters.