BET founder Bob Johnson is shopping his Charlotte Bobcats, and word is, His Highness, Michael Jordan, is looking to buy. The Charlotte Observer reported Friday that Johnson wants to unload the franchise, of which Jordan has a minority interest and oversees basketball operations. It’s no secret that Jordan would like to be a majority owner. Jordan, the Observer reports, has both the interest and the capital. The question is what Johnson will list as the selling price. If the Observer report is accurate, Johnson will seek at least $325 million. But, it’s also no secret that the Bobcats are finding it tough to turn a profit in this floundering economy. By some estimates, the Bobcats are losing tens of millions. As recently as five months ago, Forbes magazine listed the Bobcats value at $284 million, 29th among 30 NBA teams. “If Michael picked up the phone and said, ‘I’m ready to be the Bobcats’ owner,’ I’d be more than happy to talk to him about it,” Johnson told the Observer last month.

BET founder Bob Johnson is shopping his Charlotte Bobcats, and word is, His Highness, Michael Jordan, is looking to buy. The Charlotte Observer reported Friday that Johnson wants to unload the franchise, of which Jordan has a minority interest and oversees basketball operations. It’s no secret that Jordan would like to be a majority owner. Jordan, the Observer reports, has both the interest and the capital. The question is what Johnson will list as the selling price. If the Observer report is accurate, Johnson will seek at least $325 million. But, it’s also no secret that the Bobcats are finding it tough to turn a profit in this floundering economy. By some estimates, the Bobcats are losing tens of millions. As recently as five months ago, Forbes magazine listed the Bobcats value at $284 million, 29th among 30 NBA teams. “If Michael picked up the phone and said, ‘I’m ready to be the Bobcats’ owner,’ I’d be more than happy to talk to him about it,” Johnson told the Observer last month.

Calling it a self-serving move, BET founder and media executive Bob Johnson attacked a cable network boss’ decision to file a government complaint. Alfred Liggins, head of Interactive One, which owns the TV One channel, reportedly petitioned the Federal Communications Commission against Johnson’s effort to launch the Urban Television lifestyle network. Angered, Johnson wrote Liggins a letter that reads in part: “I can recall vividly when you launched TV One, you made a strenuous argument that TV One should get mandatory carriage on any cable system that served urban markets. I further recall when you said BET was not enough. You felt then that BET should not be the only voice. Now, in an amazing turn-about of self-interest or motivated by Comcast, the largest cable company which owns a significant stake in TV One, you argue that TV One should be the only (minority-owned) voice…I would, at any time that you suggest, be willing to debate with you whether or not Urban Television deserves mandatory, digital must-carriage in front of any public interest group or government hearing. I would like to hear your argument as to why the FCC should not grant digital must-carry that would promote diversity and better serve the viewing interests of African Americans.” BET is owned by the media corporation Viacom.

Bid BET founder Bob Johnson is getting props from an unlikely source as he seeks approval from the Federal Communications Commission for a new urban TV network, reports Richard Prince in his Journal-isms online column. The National Association of Black Journalists, which has been highly critical of Johnson in the past, says that African-American ownership is important. “We’re trying to expand the footprint of African American ownership,” NABJ President Barbara Ciara told Journal-isms. “Clearly, it’s an opportunity to negotiate with him to broaden the news landscape. I would like to think people will learn from their past.” BET, under Johnson’s leadership, was roundly criticized by NABJ on more than one occasion, as Prince notes. For example, seven years ago, “BET canceled just about the only black-oriented news shows on national television: ‘BET Tonight with Ed Gordon’; ‘Teen Summit,’ a public affairs program; and ‘Lead Story,’ a Sunday journalist roundtable that originated from Washington.” But, as BET President Debra Lee said at the time, “The decision to cancel them was made by Bob and myself. These shows were losing money” — to the tune of $3 million to $4 million a year — “and we could not find advertisers to support them. There came a day of reckoning.” In addition, Prince writes, “Johnson in 2000 pulled the plug on BET’s magazines, BET Weekend, a 1.3 million-circulation Sunday feature magazine, and the serious-minded Emerge, which claimed 170,000 subscribers. That left the network with a reputation for being interested only in showing jiggling music videos.”  Speaking on Johnson’s plans last Friday, NABJ’s Executive Director Karen Wynn Freeman said, “This is not BET. It’s the ownership piece that we feel strongly about.” Johnson will call his new enterprise Urban Television, LLC. He would like the FCC to give him permission “to share time on 42 stations owned by Ion Media Networks Inc., a successor to Pax TV, a family-oriented broadcast network that operated on several UHF channels,” according to journalisms. “Ion Media owns 49 percent of the venture; Johnson’s RLJ Companies, 51 percent.”

Jamie Foxx says he’d like James Bond role. Having played one of the greatest musicians of contemporary times in the film Ray, Jamie Foxx says he wants to try portraying the greatest spy. The Oscar winner tells “Access Hollywood” that he’d love to be the first Black James Bond. “Of course! I’d put a little swing in it,” Foxx says. “A little hip-hop, you know. Maybe not drinking martinis, but drinking some Hennessey maybe. Bond would drink dark liquor.

Bob Johnson applies for new FCC license. The founder of Black Entertainment Television, who became a billionaire when he sold the network, wants to come back to television. Bob Johnson has applied for a Federal Communications Commission license to create an urban network, which a spokesperson says has no plan of competing with BET or TV One. The new network’s focus will be health, lifestyles and education, possibly including news programming. The FCC is expected determine whether to grant Johnson’s application by next year.