Comedy Central Promotes Hitmaker Lauren Corrao to President, Original Programming and Development

- Comedy Guru Responsible For Overseeing Development On Cable Hits "The Sarah Silverman Program," "RENO 911!," "Mind of Mencia," "Drawn Together," "Lil' Bush" And "Chappelle's Show"

- Development Topper Credited With Reinvigorating Emmy®-Nominated "Roast" Franchise And Spearheading COMEDY's Industry-Leading Foray Into Digital Platforms

NEW YORK, November 13, 2007 -- Veteran programmer Lauren Corrao has been named president, original programming and development, COMEDY CENTRAL, it was announced by Doug Herzog, president, MTV Networks Entertainment Group. Corrao will continue to report to Herzog and is based in the network's offices in Los Angeles. She was formerly executive vice president, original programming and development.

Corrao will continue to be responsible for the development and supervision of all original programming on COMEDY CENTRAL, known for some of the most successful series on television and for its industry-leading development of original content created specifically for digital platforms, overseeing the development teams in both Los Angeles and New York. She will also manage the network's talent and events staff, who are responsible for identifying and developing the next generation of comedy stars and producing the channel's special event programming such as the Emmy®-nominated "COMEDY CENTRAL Roast" franchise, the star-studded "Night of Too Many Stars" autism benefit and the network's one-hour stand-up specials. Additionally, Corrao will supervise the network's Grammy® Award-winning record label, COMEDY CENTRAL Records.

"Lauren's track record at COMEDY CENTRAL speaks for itself," said Herzog. "We are currently pacing toward a record-breaking year in prime and on track for our 3rd straight year of ratings growth. With ratings-winners and attention-getters like 'The Sarah Silverman Program,' 'RENO 911!,' 'Mind of Mencia,' 'Lil' Bush' and 'Chappelle's Show,' Lauren has been the architect of some of our most successful series and has been instrumental in COMEDY CENTRAL's phenomenal growth."

During her tenure, Corrao has attracted A-list talent to the network, providing a platform for them to expand and grow and offering them creative freedom, highly valued in the community. Most recently, deals have been signed with top names such as Sarah Silverman, Lewis Black and Demetri Martin, among others.

Corrao joined COMEDY CENTRAL in 2002 as senior vice president, original programming and head of development and was promoted to executive vice president, original programming and development in 2005. She was previously with Touchstone Television where she served as executive producer on several projects, including the critically-acclaimed series "The Job" starring Denis Leary. Corrao also spent four years at Fox Television where she was vice president of comedy development and vice president of alternative and late night development, where she developed such hits as "That 70's Show," "MADtv" and "King of the Hill."

Previously, Corrao spent 10 years at MTV where she oversaw the development and production of "The Real World," "The State," "The Ben Stiller Show" and "The Jon Stewart Show."

Corrao holds a B.A. in Semiotics from Brown University. She lives in Pasadena, CA, with her husband and two children.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 91 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of VIACOM Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 140 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC,MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Source: Comedy Central