Debra Lee, who reshaped BET Networks by bringing in more original programming and emphasizing family entertainment, is stepping down as chairman and chief executive effective May 28, the company announced Thursday.

She began her three-decade career at BET as its first VP and General Counsel in 1986, was promoted to President and COO in 1996 and she became Chairman and CEO in 2005.

via Deadline:

Scripted series launched on Lee’s watch include Being Mary Jane, The Real Husbands of Hollywood, and In Contempt. She also oversaw the creation of “The BET Awards,” as well as the launch of the first festival weekend under the Viacom umbrella, The BET Experience. Some of BET’s biggest success stories with Lee at the helm include 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. With her in charge, BET Networks has remained the #1 network among African-American viewers for the past 17 years.

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