BET Networks Urges the Nation to Vote and Announces Its Presidential Election Night Coverage

On Tuesday, November 6 Election Coverage Begins With 106 & Park At 6 PM ET, A Special Edition Of Don't Sleep! Hosted By T. J. Holmes At 10 PM ET/ 7 PM PT And The Premiere Of BET News' "BATTLEGROUND 2012: Vote Night," Anchored By Ed Gordon at 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT

For Round-the-clock Coverage On The Election Log On to BET.com's Politics-dedicated Page, BET.COM/VOTE2012

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2012 -- Today BET Networks announced its coverage for Election night and continues to encourage its audience to make a difference in this election and "Vote Like Your Life Depends On It." On Tuesday, November 6 Election coverage begins with 106 & Park at 6 PM ET, followed by a special edition of Don't Sleep! Hosted by T. J. Holmes at 10 PM ET/ 7 PM PT and the premiere of BET News' "BATTLEGROUND 2012: Vote Night," hosted by Ed Gordon at 10:30 PM ET/ 7: 30 PM PT which will air simultaneously on BET and Centric.

Anchored by veteran journalist, Ed Gordon, "BATTLEGROUND 2012: Vote Night," will present the election story from an African-American perspective reviewing the high stakes of this historic race, the first involving a black incumbent. The BET News election special will broadcast from NYC with live remotes in Chicago, Boston and key battleground states. The coverage will also look back on the more memorable moments of the first African-American presidency while reporting in real time on unfolding election result. It will also include reports and updates from attorneys and activists monitoring the "voter suppression" issue which has particular significance to African-American voters.

BET News' contributors and guests will represent a broad diversity of voices and perspectives in contemporary America, including Columbia University's Dorian Warren, Entertainer and Obama surrogate LaLa Vasquez, Republican pundit Lenny McAllister, Pastor Jamal Bryant, Ebony Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Amy Barnett, Pollster Cornell Belcher and many others.

BET.com's politics dedicated site, BET.com/Vote2012 continues to be the source for up-to-the minute news on the 2012 Election and will include on-the-ground coverage from Chicago, as well as voting rights information and voting rights guides for battleground states, along with exclusive interviews, analysis by expert commentators and political strategists.

Join the 2012 presidential election conversation on social media by logging on to BET's multiple social media platforms:

On Twitter by using hashtag: #BETVote; and following us @BETVote, @BETNews and @CentricTV.

On Facebook by liking the fan page at facebook.com/BETVote

On Google plus at http://bet.us/gplusVOTE

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), 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 90 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.