Allen, Byron
1961-present · Contribution: 1993-present
Built Allen Media Group from a single bartered celebrity-interview show into a multibillion-dollar media empire spanning broadcast television stations, cable networks, The Weather Channel, and a controlling stake in BuzzFeed, making him one of the wealthiest Black media owners in American history
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- Business & Misc.
Impact on the world
Allen built one of the largest Black-owned media companies in American history, a rare fully-owned empire in an industry defined by conglomerate gatekeepers, and turned his legal fights into landmark tests of how civil-rights law applies to advertising and media ownership.
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