When It Comes to Both Parties, BET Has Got It Covered!

When It Comes to Both Parties, BET Has Got It Covered!

BET Networks Offers Live Coverage Each Night of the Democratic National Convention Beginning August 25 at 10:00 P.M.*, Including Four BET News Specials

Coverage of the DNC and Republican National Convention to Include Extended News Briefs, Special Editions of THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON, and More

NEW YORK, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks today announced it will offer live coverage every night of the Democratic National Convention from August 25-28, along with four BET News specials that delve into key issues of the presidential election. BET Networks has taken an unprecedented multiplatform approach to cover the 2008 presidential election through hours of on-air programming on BET and BET J, live coverage, daily news specials, public service announcements, and extended news briefs, in addition to extensive coverage online and on BET On Blast, BET's broadband channel.

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

The schedule for the coverage of the Democratic National Convention on BET and BET J is as follows:

Monday, August 25
- BET and BET J will air Michelle Obama's speech live at 10:00 p.m.**

- Following the speech, there will be a half-hour of analysis with BET News correspondents, political analysts and special guests from the Pepsi Center.

Tuesday, August 26
9:00 PM*
WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Top 10 Issues Affecting Black America

This BET News special will reveal the top 10 issues that affect the survival of Black people, and delve into how the policies supported by both presidential candidates can, for better or worse, affect those issues and bring change to the lives of Black Americans. The dynamic collection of entertainers and political experts weighing in on these topics include Rev. Al Sharpton, Nas, Chuck D, David Banner, Crystal McCrary Anthony, John McWhorter, Boyce Watkins, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Keli Goff, Clay Cane, Rob Stapleton, Donnell Rawlings, Ardie Fuqua, Godfrey, Jina Johnson, Samson, Sharon Carpenter, Staceyann Chin and Keith Boykin.

- Also on Tuesday, August 26, the networks will feature Senator Hillary Clinton's speech live at 10:00 p.m.**

- Following the speech, there will be a half-hour of analysis with BET News correspondents, political analysts and special guests from the Pepsi Center.

Wednesday, August 27
10:00 PM**
Live airing of the Vice President candidate's speech.

- Following the speech, there will be a half-hour of analysis with BET News correspondents, political analysts and special guests from the Pepsi Center.

Thursday, August 28
8:30 PM*
THE DREAM: 45 YEARS LATER

This special will take an inside look at Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic speech of August 28, 1963 and "his" dream exactly 45 years later as it relates to the 2008's presidential race and this defining moment in history as Barack Obama accepts the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States of America. In many ways Senator Obama's nomination as president is a fulfillment of a dream - a dream long deferred - envisioning a country where "people would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." BET News takes an inside look at "The Dream."

9:00 PM*
OBAMA'S JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE,

This special, which first premiered after Obama became the presumptive nominee in June, counts down the top 10 moments of Obama's rise to the Democratic nomination for President.

9:30 PM*
THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON

BET's new weekly talk show will provide special coverage before and after Obama's live speech on Thursday, August 28. Jeff Johnson and a team of political strategists, special guests and BET News correspondents will provide context and analysis of the speech and the latest developments of the Democratic Convention.

10:00 PM**
DNC Nomination Speech

BET and BET J will air Barack Obama's nomination speech live from Invesco Field in its entirety.

Friday, August 29
11:00 PM* (only on BET)
THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON

- BET'S new weekly talk show will provide post-speech analysis of Obama's speeches with BET News correspondents, political analysts and special guests from the Pepsi Center.

11:30 PM*
LOCKED OUT: EX-CONS AND THE VOTE (only on BET)

This BET News special takes an in-depth look at voter disenfranchisement. In what is undoubtedly another historic election year, as the nation continues its ongoing discussion about the power of the Black vote, BET News correspondent Samson Styles investigates how these laws continue to affect African American votes at the polls. As one of the 5.3 million people in America who has lost the right to vote due to a criminal conviction, Styles sets out on a journey to regain his own voting rights, explore the state-to- state differences of disenfranchisement laws, and investigate the national effects of such legislature.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF THE DNC AND RNC

In addition to the coverage listed above, BET Networks will follow the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention through the efforts below:

ON BET
- Special editions of THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON

- YOU(th) VOTE! Sound-Offs - BET will be gathering YOU(th) VOTE! Sound- Offs that will air on BET throughout the conventions.

- Extended News Briefs - BET News correspondents will file reports all day that include interviews with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, political analysts, and celebrities attending the conventions. These reports will put the historic nature of this election in context and examine the issues coming out of the conventions as they relate to the Black community. Live and packaged reports will be integrated into 106 & PARK, RAP CITY and THE BLACK CARPET.

- Public Service Announcements - Throughout the election cycle, BET is airing "BE HEARD," a series of special public service announcements encouraging viewers to make a difference and vote.

ON BET.COM

- Decision '08 - BET.com's comprehensive Decision '08 site provides up- to-the-minute coverage from the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, including breaking news, photo flipbooks, articles, polls and quizzes.

- YOU(th) VOTE! Blog - A YOU(th) VOTE! blogger will be on site at the conventions with frequent updates on the perspectives and opinions coming from young people attending the convention.

- "Pamela On Politics" Blog - Pamela Gentry, BET's Senior Political Producer, will be live from the conventions. Her blog will include the latest news from the conventions and exclusive interviews and analysis from Black lawmakers, pundits and political watchers.

- Jeff Johnson's The Truth Blog - This will also be live from the conventions with commentary on the issues coming out of the conventions.

- "BE HEARD" Upload Feature - This feature will allow convention attendees and the public to upload photos and/or video of their personal takes on the conventions.

For more on BET Networks' presidential election coverage, please visit BET's DECISION '08 site: www.bet.com/news/decision08. BET will be adjusting our schedule as both conventions make new announcements about their plans, so please visit www.bet.com/pr for the latest coverage schedule.

*All times for taped broadcasts are ET/PT.

**Please note that all live speech times are subject to the DNC; schedule of events may be updated. Speeches by Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the Vice Presidential nominee will air live on the East Coast only. Barack Obama's speech will air live on BET nationwide.

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.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: Jeanine Liburd, +1-212-205-3011, jeanine.liburd@bet.net, or
Tricia N. Newell, +1-212-975-8230, tricia.newell@bet.net, or Bernadette
Simpao, +1-212-205-3154, bernadette.simpao@bet.net

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

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