BET Premieres The Brand New Series 'BROTHERS TO BRUTHA' on Tuesday, November 18 at 10:30 P.M.* and a New Episode of 'AMERICAN GANGSTER' Profiling J. Edgar Hoover on Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 P.M.*

BET Premieres The Brand New Series 'BROTHERS TO BRUTHA' on Tuesday, November 18 at 10:30 P.M.* and a New Episode of 'AMERICAN GANGSTER' Profiling J. Edgar Hoover on Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 P.M.*

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- BET welcomes the debut of BROTHERS TO BRUTHA, BET's latest unscripted family drama that follows the music career of five brothers from South Central Los Angeles as well as a brand new episode of AMERICAN GANGSTER profiling J. Edgar Hoover, the most notorious government agent in U.S. history. All of the action unfolds starting Tuesday, November 18 at 10:30 p.m.* with the premiere of BROTHERS TO BRUTHA and it continues on Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 p.m.* with a daring episode of AMERICAN GANGSTER.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/NEM140 )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

BROTHERS TO BRUTHA

From the moment they could walk and talk down the streets of South Central Los Angeles, the Harrell boys were singing, dancing and determined to make it to the top. Jacob, Poppa, Jared, Anthony and Grady come from a long line of artists and musicians who never broke through to the "big time." Now that their R&B group Brutha is signed to the Island Def Jam Music Group, the chance to truly put the family name in the spotlight has finally arrived.

The emotional new series BROTHERS TO BRUTHA follows the lives of the Harrell brothers as they attempt to find the balance between family and fame. Under the management of their uncle, music veteran Donny "Drano" Harrell, and under the tutelage of the late Shakir Stewart, Executive Vice President of Island Def Jam, Brutha hopes to realize the entire Harrell clan's lifelong dream of success. Under pressure to be perfect at every turn, the lines between blood and business become blurred and the brothers are put to the test. Will this industry wound the family even more, or will it keep them brother to brother? Brutha's debut self-titled album is set for release on December 23, 2008. (BROTHERS TO BRUTHA is dedicated to the memory of Shakir Stewart).

AMERICAN GANGSTER

The first and most famous director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover consolidated his power through a combination of brilliant public relations moves and compromising personal files he kept on politicians who held his fate in their hands. Positioned as an avowed and implacable enemy of Communism, Hoover was often at odds with left-leaning Black leaders throughout his reign, including Marcus Garvey and Paul Robeson. During the tumultuous '60s decade, Hoover went even further, undertaking a virtual counter-revolution against the civil rights movement - with particular venom directed at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - and ultimately enabling the Bureau to create COINTELPRO. More than a decade later, U.S. congressional investigations would detail the scope of COINTELPRO's actions, which implicated the Bureau in the framing and even murder of several prominent activists.

Viewers can visit www.bet.com/OnTV/BETShows for more about BROTHERS TO BRUTHA and AMERICAN GANGSTER, including biographies, upcoming episodes and exclusive interviews.

*All times ET/PT

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 business 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 provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/NEM140
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: Michelle Clark, for BROTHERS TO BRUTHA, BET Networks-NY,
+1-212-205-3158, michelle.clark@bet.net, or Zabrina Horton, for BROTHERS TO
BRUTHA and AMERICAN GANGSTER, BET Networks-LA, +1-310-481-3737,
zabrina.horton@bet.net, or Marcy Polanco for AMERICAN GANGSTER,
+1-212-975-4048, marcy.polanco@bet.net

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

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