BET Premieres New Original Weekly Talk Show 'THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON,' Friday, August 15 at 11:00 P.M.*

BET Premieres New Original Weekly Talk Show 'THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON,' Friday, August 15 at 11:00 P.M.*

Through 'THE TRUTH,' BET Host and Political Correspondent Jeff Johnson Tackles Today's Top Stories and Delivers a Keen and Powerful Analysis of the Issues Facing the Black Community

NEW YORK, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In the weeks leading up to the Democratic Convention in August, when the first African American will accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America, BET News will unveil a new and timely weekly talk show, THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON, premiering on Friday, August 15 at 11:00 P.M.* Hosted by political correspondent Jeff Johnson, the half-hour show will take a frank look at news, trends, pop culture, current events and politics from an unapologetically Black point of view.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

This provocative half-hour program will use a mix of investigative reporting and one-on-one interviews with leading experts to review the week's events and examine exactly what the top headlines mean for the Black community. Known for his in-depth analysis of political, social, and economic problems affecting African Americans, host Jeff Johnson will leave no issue unaddressed. From unique coverage of the 2008 elections to the increase of heart failure in the Black population, THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON will go behind the issues and deliver the African American side of the news.

During a special 2008 election report, THE TRUTH will travel to Denver for the 45th Democratic National Convention. Broadcasting live from inside the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field, Johnson will provide context and analysis of all of the latest developments of the Democratic National Convention. Leading media figures such as political strategist and BET J host Keith Boykin and political pundits Jamal Simmons, Keli Goff and Angela McGlowan will act as onsite correspondents at the Convention for a two-hour special featuring Senator Barack Obama's speech on Thursday, August 28.

"With the launch of 'The Truth With Jeff Johnson,' along with all of our other in-depth political coverage, we are providing a unique and necessary perspective on the issues important to the Black community," said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. "BET News is committed to informing our audience with the news they can't get anywhere else, with a diversity of voices and opinions that our audience demands."

After the Democratic Convention, THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON will resume its regular weekly schedule through the 2008 presidential election and will review key events from the campaign trail and beyond.

For more on THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON, please visit http://www.bet.com/. All of BET Networks' presidential election coverage can be found on BET's DECISION '08 site: http://www.bet.com/news/decision08.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which offers ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

*All times are ET/PT.

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Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO
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Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: Tricia N. Newell of BET Networks, +1-212-975-8230,
tricia.newell@bet.net

Web site: http://www.bet.com/
http://www.bet.com/news/decision08

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