NBC BUILDS ON ESTEEMED CREATIVE TEAM FOR UPCOMING �9/11� MINISERIES

Graham Yost, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and David Nevins to Be Joined by Consultants Peter Lance and Steve Coll, and Writer Fred Golan; The New York Times Will Consultant on the Project

BURBANK, Calif. -� March 17, 2005 �- NBC has bolstered the creative team for its upcoming miniseries concerning the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, with the addition of consultants Peter Lance ("1,000 Years for Revenge: International Terrorism and the FBI � the Untold Story.") and Steve Coll ("Ghost Wars: the Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001"), and writer Fred Golan (NBC's "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," "Boomtown"). In addition, The New York Times will consult on the project.

They join Emmy Award-winning executive producer and writer Graham Yost ("From Earth to the Moon," "Boomtown") and executive producers Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and David Nevins, who were previously announced as the creative team producing for NBC Universal Television Studio, Imagine Television and Twentieth Television.

The programming event will define and explore the dramatic circumstances leading up to � and including � the tragic assault on America of September 11, 2001.

"We are excited to bring Peter Lance, Steve Coll and Fred Golan on board to further enhance this well-pedigreed series," said Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment. "Their experience will form a perfect blend of talent for the challenge of doing justice to this important subject matter which we anticipate will be a seminal event for the medium."

Angela Bromstad and David Kissinger, Co-Presidents of NBC Universal Television Studio, added: "The inclusion of these proven consultants and writers � as well as the poignant New York Times stories that chronicled the victims and their survivors � make for an excellent fit with such legendary talents as Graham Yost, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. We're thrilled to have attracted people of this caliber and passion."

In addition to its consulting role to the project, The New York Times will allow access to its once-daily "Portraits of Grief" series, which will be part of the miniseries.

"9/11 Project" (working title) will chronicle the swirl of secret activity that took place over the months and years preceding the planned attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, on the Pentagon just outside of Washington, D.C., and in the skies above rural Pennsylvania where United Flight 93's passengers overcame their hijackers. The miniseries will showcase the many heroes � living and dead, recognized and unrecognized � who thwarted early efforts and saved untold lives despite the chaos and horror that ensued. It will also examine the shortcomings in the system that helped set the stage for the actual attack.

The New York Times's memorable "Portraits of Grief" put a personal face on many of the individual victims who died in the World Trade Center -- and helped a wounded city recover from the enormity of the history-changing event that continues to resonate. The daily series ran through December 31, 2001. A hardcover book version of the portraits, along with obituaries and photos of the other victims, was later released and the profits were distributed through The New York Times 9/11 Neediest Fund to families struck by the World Trade Center tragedy.

A former correspondent for ABC News, Lance last year released his controversial and best-selling book, "1,000 Years for Revenge: International Terrorism and the FBI � the Untold Story." He is a five-time Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter who has uncovered hundreds of stories for "20/20," 'Nightline" and "World News Tonight." He also received the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Prize.

In Coll's bestseller, "Ghost Wars: the Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001," the author focuses on a crucial 22-year period of history in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan � and its remarkable repercussions on world events since then. Coll is managing editor of the Washington Post and covered Afghanistan as South Asia Bureau Chief from 1989-92. He weaves an intricate story of the skullduggery surrounding secret events in the tumultuous region.

Golan previously was a consulting producer on NBC's "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," and a writer-producer on "Boomtown" and "Roswell."

Yost, who created and served as an executive producer on NBC's critically acclaimed "Boomtown," also drew praise for his work on the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers." He also won an Emmy (Outstanding Miniseries) as a supervising producer of the miniseries "From Earth to the Moon."

The prolific Imagine Entertainment has produced many feature-film classics and television series such as the Emmy Award-winning "Arrested Development" and "24." Grazer also won an Oscar as producer of "A Beautiful Mind" and has been Oscar-nominated two other times. He also has been honored with four Golden Globe Awards. Among Grazer's many producing credits are "Friday Night Lights," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," "8 Mile," "Apollo 13," "Backdraft" and "Parenthood."

Howard won an Oscar as Best Director and another as a producer of the Oscar-winning film "A Beautiful Mind" and also directed "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Apollo 13," "Backdraft," "Parenthood," "Splash" and "Cocoon," among others.

NBC Universal Television Studio also produces the enormously successful "Law & Order"-branded drama series, the Emmy Award-winning "Will & Grace," and the critically acclaimed dramas "Monk" and "Battlestar Galactica," among others.