Tune In... BET AWARDS '09 - Featuring the Brightest Stars of Music, Sports and Entertainment - Premieres Sunday, June 28 at 8:00 P.M.*

NEW YORK, June 24 NY-BET-AWARDS-09
Hosted By Jamie Foxx, BET AWARDS '09 Features Performances by Kanye West, Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Soulja Boy, Keri Hilson, Mary Mary, Ne-Yo, Maxwell, Fabolous, T-Pain, Keyshia Cole, Monica, Young Jeezy, Trey Songz and Tyrese, With Appearances by The O'Jays, Alicia Keys, Wyclef Jean, Tyra Banks, Taraji P. Henderson, Idris Elba, Sherri Shepherd, Anthony Anderson, Paula Patton, Estelle, LeToya Luckett, Nichelle Nichols, Keke Palmer, Ray J, Snoop Dogg, Ving Rhames, Zoe Saldana and Marlon Wayans


NEW YORK, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Tune in to BET on Sunday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m.* for the BET AWARDS '09, hosted by triple-threat Jamie Foxx and featuring phenomenal performances by the host himself, Kanye West, Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Soulja Boy, Keri Hilson, T-Pain, Mary Mary, Ne-Yo, Maxwell, Fabolous, Keyshia Cole, Monica, Young Jeezy, Johnny Gill, King of Hearts, Three of a Kind, Three the Hard Way, Travis Barker, Trey Songz and Tyrese -- with the most anticipated performance of all coming from cultural icon Jay-Z. Also be sure to catch Tyra Banks, Taraji P. Henderson, Idris Elba, Sherri Shepherd, Anthony Anderson, Paula Patton, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Estelle, LeToya Luckett, Dr. Floyd Feelgood, Nichelle Nichols, Keke Palmer, Ray J, Snoop Dogg, Ving Rhames, Zoe Saldana and Marlon Wayans, who will all be making appearances. Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean will be recognized with the 2009 BET Humanitarian Award, and The O'Jays will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090623/NE36894 )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

BET has once again teamed with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of the GRAMMY Awards(R) and the eight record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of the telecast. Stephen Hill, President, Music Programming and Specials, BET Networks, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, Vice President of Specials, BET Networks, will executive produce the telecast.

Visit BET.com for BET On Blast video highlights, photos and continuous BET AWARDS '09 updates at www.bet.com/betawards.

*All times ET/PT

About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), 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 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; BET Digital Networks -- BET J, 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 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.

SOURCE BET Networks