BET
has been acquired by Viacom, the company the owns UPN, and MTV
among other holdings. The deal is worth an estimated $3 Billion
dollars, gives Viacom a monopoly over the music distribution in
the United States, including VH1, The Box, M2, MTV, and now BET.
Executive at BET claim that their programming will not change.
BET was founded in
1980 by Robert Johnson. Opportunities for up and coming artists
are now being threatened by the purchasing habits of the major
corporations.