BET Networks to Commemorate and Air Live Coverage of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington with "50: THE MARCH & THE MOVEMENT" Airing Live Saturday, August 24 at 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT

NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks celebrates the 50^th anniversary of the history-making March on Washington with LIVE coverage starting Saturday, August 24 at 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT.  The two-hour anniversary special, "50: THE MARCH & THE MOVEMENT," will honor the trailblazers who orchestrated one of the largest and most productive rallies for human rights in United States history.  The BET News special will cover every angle with contributors reporting along the March route and complement the momentous occasion with exclusive interviews from political figures and renowned civil rights activists.  "50: THE MARCH & THE MOVEMENT" airs LIVE Saturday, August 24 at 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT on BET and CENTRIC.

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Award-winning journalist Ed Gordon will anchor coverage of the anniversary march from the Newseum in Washington D.C., along with George Currie, Marc Lamont Hill, Keith Boykin and other special guests who will offer analysis and commentary on the day's events.  This discussion will be fueled with questions posted by our online audience on BET.com. Additionally, Gordon will bring together four civil rights icons and new generation leaders  including Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), the last remaining speaker from the original march in 1963, Andrew Young, close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), who attended the march as a volunteer and Elder Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.  Each of these guests will offer their reflections on the movement, examine the heaviest burdens saddling African American communities today and give their thoughts on how to re-energize younger generations.  The BET News special will also chronicle the march in a vivid retrospective exploring its historical significance and the behind-the-scenes story of how the event was organized.   Reported by BET correspondent Andre Showell, this segment will feature social activist Alexis McGill Johnson, Executive Director of American Values Institute and Julian Bond, a noted civil rights activist/historian.

Viewers can follow every angle of the March with up-to-the-minute updates and commentary on BET.com/News and join the conversation about the special on Twitter by using hashtag: #MarchDC50.

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.

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SOURCE BET Networks