BET Recognizes Alicia Keys, Tyra Banks, Dr. Cornel West, Richard Parsons, Maxine Waters and Janice Bryant Howroyd

'THE BET HONORS' Hosted by Cedric "The Entertainer," the Inaugural Event, Which Celebrates the Lives of Leading African American Luminaries, Will Premiere Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2007 -- BET Networks today announced THE BET HONORS, an evening dedicated to recognizing the achievements and contributions of distinguished African American leaders in their fields. Hosted by Cedric "The Entertainer," THE BET HONORS will celebrate and recognize Alicia Keys (Entertainment), Tyra Banks (Media), Dr. Cornel West (Inspirational/Education), Richard Parsons (Corporate), the Honorable Maxine Waters (Government) and CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd (Entrepreneur).

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The inaugural event will take place at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, January 12, and premiere on the network during Black History Month on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT. Additional presenters and performers will be announced shortly.

"We are thrilled to present the first-ever BET HONORS and pay tribute to the thinkers, trailblazers and trendsetters whose accomplishments serve as inspirations for current and future generations," said Debra Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. "Each of these remarkable individuals has made significant contributions to the Black community and American culture overall, and BET Networks is proud to recognize them through this very special, new tentpole event. We've done a number of significant shows in other cities, but what better place to honor these individuals than in our home city of Washington, D.C."

Stephen Hill, BET's EVP, Entertainment Programming, Music & Talent and Lynne Harris Taylor, VP of Specials are the show's executive producers, along with John Cossette of John Cossette Productions. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information including releases and photographs, visit BET's press-only Web site at www.bet.com/pr.

About the Honorees

TYRA BANKS - Tyra Banks is a supermodel, host and judge of the reality television show America's Next Top Model, and is currently hosting her own Daytime Emmy Award-nominated talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.

JANICE BRYANT HOWROYD - Janice Bryant Howroyd is the chairman, chief executive officer and founder of ACT*1, a personnel servicing company that provides staffing, human resources and management solutions to Fortune 500 companies in many industries.

ALICIA KEYS - Alicia Keys is a Grammy Award-winning R&B and soul singer, songwriter and pianist, who has sold more than 25 million records worldwide.

RICHARD PARSONS - Richard Parsons is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Inc., whose businesses include filmed entertainment, interactive services, television networks, cable systems and publishing. It was recently announced that he will be stepping down as CEO on December 31, 2007, but will remain as Chairman.

CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS - Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) was elected in November 2006 to her ninth term in the House of Representatives, serving the 35th District of California, which represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles, the communities of Westchester and Playa Del Ray, as well as the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale.

DR. CORNEL WEST - Dr. Cornel West is a professor of religion and African American studies at Princeton University, and is considered one of America's most gifted, provocative and important public intellectuals. He has won numerous awards, including the American Book Award, and has received more than 20 honorary degrees.

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 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, a service venture into the lucrative world of ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

SOURCE BET Networks