DeDe Lea Named Senior Vice President, Government Relations, of New Viacom

DeDe Lea Named Senior Vice President, Government Relations, of New Viacom

Ms. Lea To Head Government Relations Office For New Viacom Following Spin-off

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DeDe Lea has been appointed Senior Vice President, Government Relations of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B), it was announced today by Tom Freston, Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Viacom. Ms. Lea, who will begin her new position on September 19, will be responsible for directing domestic and international public policy issues of new Viacom, which will be created upon the split of Viacom into two independent companies. In the transition period, she will join Viacom's current Government Relations team.

"DeDe is a key addition to our senior management team, and we are delighted to have her rejoin the Viacom family," Mr. Freston said. "Her excellent government affairs credentials and strong legislative background, not to mention her vast knowledge of Viacom and all of our domestic and international operations, make her extremely well-suited to lead our government relations function."

Following the completion of the spin-off of new Viacom, expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2006, Ms. Lea will be responsible for the government relations activities of MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV and TV Land, and many other networks around the world), BET, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment and Famous Music. She will report to Mr. Freston, and will be based in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Lea returns to the Company after having served as Vice President of Government Affairs for Viacom from 1997 to 2004. During her time away from Viacom, she was Vice President of Government Affairs at Belo Corp. Prior to that, she held a variety of positions with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), beginning as a legal intern in 1991 and ultimately serving as Senior Vice President of Government Relations from 1996 to 1997. Prior to joining the NAB, Ms. Lea held sales and account executive positions with television and radio stations in Washington, D.C., including WTTG-TV, WDJY and WRQX radio.

Ms. Lea received a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University in 1993, and she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast management from Howard University in 1985.

Viacom is a leading global media company, with preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising, and online. With programming that appeals to audiences in every demographic category across virtually all media, the company is a leader in the creation, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, music, and comedy. Viacom's well- known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, King World, Spike TV, Showtime, Paramount Parks, and Simon & Schuster. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.

Source: Viacom Inc.

CONTACT: Carl Folta, +1-212-258-6352, carl.folta@viacom.com, or Kristi Gorman, +1-212-846-6261, kristi.gorman@viacom.com

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

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