If You've Got Real Talent, BET Is Looking for You!

If You've Got Real Talent, BET Is Looking for You!

BET Hits the Road on its First-Ever Nationwide Search for Fresh Faces and Exciting Talent With Stops in New York, Atlanta, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles

Aspiring Stars Ages 18 - 28 Looking to Quit Their Usual Routines Could Get Their Shot on BET

NEW YORK, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- So do you really think you've got what it takes to be a television show host on BET? Here's your chance to prove it. For the first time in its history, BET will tour major cities throughout the nation in search of not one, or two, but a slew of new faces and fresh talent. The search kicks off with open auditions in New York City on October 3; high- tails it down to Atlanta on October 5; stirs up some dust in Houston on October 7; breezes through the "Windy City" of Chicago on October 10; and shakes things up in Los Angeles on October 12. The mission is a simple one -- discover new talent to support the many new programs being added to the network.

Final audition locations will be announced in each city at a later date, with additional information being posted at http://www.bet.com/. Auditions will be open to all male and female non-professionals ages 18 - 28. BET will also televise highlights from this national talent search as part of its new Fall '05 season.

"If you think you've got it, then here's your chance to bring it -- literally," said Reginald Hudlin, President of Entertainment at BET. "We want the network to reflect what America looks like. We're looking to add some of the freshest, undiscovered faces to the outstanding hosts already on board. When it comes to infusing new energy into television programming, there's no better way than by adding hot new talent to your arsenal."

ABOUT BET

BET, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA; VIA.B), is the nation's leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET Network reaches more than 80 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, specializing in a full range of event production services, including event management, venue selection, talent recruitment, sound, lighting and stage production; and BET Books, the nation's leading publisher of African-American themed romance novels under the Arabesque imprint which also publishes compelling fiction under the Sepia imprint and inspirational fiction and nonfiction under the New Spirit imprint.

For additional information, log on to http://www.bet.com/

Source: BET (Black Entertainment Television)

CONTACT: Marcy Polanco, +1-212-975-4048, Marcy.Polanco@BET.net, or Tricia N. Newell, +1-212-975-8230, Tricia.Newell@BET.net, both of BET

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

------- Profile: Ent