BET president talks of reaching goals

Black History Month is now four days underway.

But some people contend that Black history should be celebrated throughout the year, not just in February.

Debra L. Lee, president and chief operating officer of Black Entertainment Television Holdings Inc. is one of those people.

"BET's mission is to bring programming targeted at African-Americans every day of the year," Lee said last night in a speech at Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave.

About 100 people crowded into a partitioned ballroom to hear Lee deliver a presentation titled "My Life Story: How I Developed My Career to Become BET's President and COO."

Sponsored by the Smeal College of Business Administration and the College of Communications, the presentation included a videotape recounting BET's accomplishments and an interactive question and answer session, followed by a performance of the United Soul Ensemble, a gospel choir.

The University has a link with BET because a number of students receive internships with the company each year, said Joseph Selden, director of multicultural affairs for the College of Communications.

Audience member Louis Graham (junior-communications) said he attended the speech because of his major and he wanted to get a feel for Lee's life experiences in the field.

"I came to be informed what path she took and what help she had, and maybe I can pattern myself sort of the way she did," Graham said.

However, despite the biographical title of the presentation, Lee strayed from discussing her own life and focused on her experiences working with BET. She said the topic of minority ownership in mass-media was more relevant than the story of her life.

Jim Burnett (junior-recreation and park management) said he was surprised at the speech's subject matter.

"It was different than what I thought it would be," Burnett said. "I thought it would be more about her life, but it was a good speech nonetheless."

Lee talked about the need for more diverse and ethnic TV programming and better representation of minorities in the media. She also said the private sector should reach out to minority companies for joint ventures.

A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School, Lee said BET has come a long way since she started there in 1986, adding that the company's market value is estimated now at one billion dollars.

Bryan Moy (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) said Lee is inspiring to him because she has achieved such success.

"She's a minority and a woman, which makes it twice as hard," Moy said. "It's pretty clear that all forms of biases still exist in our country, but she's found a way to not let that hinder her progress to achieve the position she's at now."

Lee's story should be one of interest to everyone, Selden said.

"She's one of the few African-American women that has broken through the glass ceiling and succeeded in corporate America," Selden said. "She's a positive role-model."