Viacom's BET Networks Presents 'SOS Saving OurSelves - Help for Haiti' Benefit Concert

Viacom's BET Networks Presents 'SOS Saving OurSelves - Help for Haiti' Benefit Concert

Queen Latifah, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Pharrell Bring Together Star-Studded Telecast to Continue Focus on Haiti and Support Relief Efforts Concert to Air Live Friday, February 5, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. ET from the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on BET, Centric, MTV and VH1 Procter & Gamble and Pepsi set to partner on fundraising event Wyclef will perform special tribute to Haiti Donations to Directly Benefit Yele Haiti, CARE, Project Medishare and Children's Safe Drinking Water Tickets available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com

NEW YORK, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks, a division of Viacom, (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , Queen Latifah, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Pharrell are set to host a nationally televised concert and celebrity telethon aimed at several organizations providing immediate relief in Haiti, including Yele Haiti, CARE, Project Medishare and Children's Safe Drinking Water. The two hour telecast concert entitled, "SOS Saving OurSelves - Help for Haiti," will be held at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida in partnership with Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) and Pepsi. The program will be aired on BET and Centric, as well as MTV Networks' MTV and VH1 on Friday, February 5, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. It will also be streamed live on www.bet.com for desktop and mobile viewers. Proceeds from the broadcast will go directly to each of the charitable organizations.

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"Words fail to describe the sadness we feel for our brothers and sisters in Haiti," said Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET Networks. "There is so much work to do, so we must keep the focus on Haiti and we must continue to give. This telethon will give everyone another opportunity to make a difference through the efforts of these amazing organizations that are working hard to rebuild Haiti."

"Words cannot express how I felt watching the catastrophic events unfold in Haiti. I believe it is our duty to come together and help our brothers and sisters in Haiti, especially now, in their greatest hour of need. I have joined forces with Queen Latifah, Pharrell, BET and several of the biggest names in music today to raise funds for the Haiti Relief efforts. Together we can make a difference," states Sean "Diddy" Combs, event host.

"The devastation that has occurred in Haiti has broken my heart. My hope is that we can raise enough money to sustain a few of the relief organizations for quite some time as there is a lot of work to be done over there," said Pharrell Williams. "The goal is not only to bring immediate relief to Haiti but to also rebuild the country and help the country move forward."

"P&G and our non-profit Children's Safe Drinking Water Program are proud to partner with Queen Latifah, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Pharrell, and BET to support Haiti," said Greg Allgood, Director of the P&G not-for-profit Children's Safe Drinking Water Program. "Having recently returned from Haiti, I can tell you that Haitians are working hard to recover and rebuild their country - they want and need our support to respond to this tragedy."

"We have all been profoundly affected by the suffering in Haiti, while being moved by the faith and optimism of the Haitian people," said Frank Cooper, Chief Consumer Engagement Officer, PepsiCo Americas Beverages. "Now is the time for action, for raising awareness and inspiring people to give to Haiti. We're honored to join Queen Latifah, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Pharrell, and BET in support of this special event."

In addition to musical performances, the fundraising event will feature some of the biggest names in music and entertainment to answer the phones during the telethon. The AmericanAirlines Arena was deemed the perfect spot for such an event as Miami has one of the largest Haitian populations in the United States.

In addition to supporting this telethon and the "HOPE FOR HAITI NOW" telethon last week, BET Networks has taken a coordinated multi-platform approach to inform viewers about what is happening in Haiti and provide information on how they can help. Go to www.bet.com for more information.

Tickets for the benefit concert are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com, the AmericanAirlines Arena ticket office (www.aaarena.com) or 1-800-745-3000 (toll free).

"SOS Saving Ourselves - Help for Haiti" is executive produced by Salli Frattini, in collaboration with Viacom's BET Networks, Queen Latifah, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Pharrell. Ray Chew is the music director for this event.

About Yele Haiti

Yele Haiti (http://www.yele.org/about-us/ ) is a grass roots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yele's community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief. Haitian born Grammy© Award winning musician, humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti Wyclef Jean founded Yele Haiti in 2005. Questions re: Yele Haiti can be directed to Ken Sunshine or Briele Douglass at Sunshine/Sachs - 212-691-2800.

About CARE

Founded in 1945, CARE (www.care.org) is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE is continuing to rush aid and emergency team members to Haiti. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Working in more than 70 countries, women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve education, health and economic opportunity.

About Project MediShare

Project MediShare (http://www.projectmedishare.org/) is a non-profit organization that has been working in Haiti since 1995. They have been at the helm of the massive earthquake medical relief effort. In an immediate response to the crisis, they mobilized multiple teams of medical personnel and disaster relief workers and will continue to provide the much needed medical care and aid to the country in the coming months.

About P&G's Children's Safe Drinking Water Program

Procter & Gamble's not-for-profit Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program is focused on reducing the sickness and death that result from water-borne illness caused by drinking contaminated water. Using some of the same ingredients as municipal water systems, PUR(TM) Purifier of Water removes pollutants and cysts, and kills bacteria and viruses in contaminated water. Since 2004, P&G has partnered with a diverse network of organizations to help distribute PUR(TM) Purifier of Water packets. To date, the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program has delivered over 1.9 billion liters of clean drinking water to people in over 50 developing countries including during critical emergency relief situations across the globe. To learn more about the CSDW program, please visit www.csdw.org.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. BET reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. 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; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

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Source: BET Networks

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Profile: International Entertainment