PRESS
RELEASE from BET Networks
BET Networks
Continues its Extensive Election Year Political Coverage With
Comprehensive Plans for the Democratic and Republican Conventions
BET News Also
Reveals New Talk Show 'THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON' Premieres Friday,
August 15 at 11:00 P.M.*
Through 'THE
TRUTH,' Long-Time BET Host and Political Correspondent Jeff Johnson
Tackles Today's Top Stories and Delivers a Keen Analysis of the Issues
Facing the Black Community
WASHINGTON, July 16 /PRNewswire/
-- BET Networks today unveiled more details of its extensive election
year political coverage, including the network's plans for this fall's
Democratic and Republican National Conventions, as well as the premiere
date of the BET News show THE TRUTH WITH JEFF JOHNSON. The company
shared this news, along with its other upcoming programming
announcements and overviews of its digital strategy, research efforts
and pro-social initiatives, with members of Congress, leaders of major
national organizations, and local elected officials in an
election-themed presentation at the National Cable &
Telecommunications Association Cable Multimedia Center.
"As the leading African American
targeted media company in the world, we have a comprehensive plan in
place to reach our influential community of voters both on air and
online," said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET
Networks. "We're so proud to give our audience a wealth of information
and analysis throughout every step of this historic presidential
election, all the while encouraging them to vote and make their voices
heard."
"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," saidReginald Hudlin,
President of Entertainment, BET. "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."
BET Networks will be taking an
unprecedented multiplatform approach to cover the 2008 presidential
election, including the Democratic and Republican National Conventions,
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.
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.*
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 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 extensive event coverage, including
Senator Barack Obama's speech on Thursday, August 28. He will be joined
with other leading media figures such as political strategist and BET J
host Keith Boykin; San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris; and
political pundits Jamal Simmons, Keli Goff, Angela McGlowan. THE TRUTH
WITH JEFF JOHNSON will take a frank look at news, trends, pop culture,
current events and politics from an unapologetically Black point of
view.
In addition to this new weekly
program, BET News will also air a number of news specials, extended
news briefs, special reports in entertainment and music programming
throughout the week, and more. BET Networks' political coverage will
include:
ON BET
-- Special editions of THE TRUTH
WITH JEFF JOHNSON -- 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.
-- DNC Nomination Speech -- BET
will air Barack Obama's nomination speech live from Invesco Field and
in its entirety.
-- Convention Specials -- Each
night of the Democratic Convention in primetime, a BET News special
will delve into issues of the election. Each
special will have a tailored introduction from the convention floor.
The specials include:
-- Locked Out: Ex-cons and the Vote, an
in-depth look at voter disenfranchisement;
-- What's At Stake: The Top 10 Issues Affecting Black America, which
delves into how the policies supported by both presidential candidates
can, for better or worse, affect the lives of Black Americans;
-- Obama's Journey to the White House, which counts down the top 10
moments of Obama's rise to the Democratic nomination for President;
and
-- The Dream: 45 Years Later, which takes a critical look at Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech and examines if
Obama is the manifestation of Dr. King's vision.
-- 106 & PARK -- Terrence,
co-host of 106 & PARK, will be in Denver providing updates and news
to the show.
-- 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 will be 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.
All of BET Networks' presidential
election coverage can be found on BET's DECISION '08 site: http://www.bet.com/news/decision08.
For more on THE TRUTH WITH JEFF
JOHNSON, please visit http://www.BET.com.
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of
Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, 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.