A Whole New Way To Cover Politics On Cable

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BET News has partnered with the Brick City TV producers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin, (producers of the Peabody Award-winning and twice Emmy nominated series "Brick City") and Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard ("Slavery By Another Name" and "Four Little Girls") to produce a two-part news documentary, "SECOND COMING?: WILL BLACK AMERICA DECIDE THE 2012 ELECTION." The documentary follows a diverse constellation of agents of political change and activism through the 2012 election cycle.  Obama surrogate Kerry Washington, Usher, Samuel L. Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend. Jesse Jackson, Eve, Ice Cube, Yolanda Adams, pollster Cornell Belcher, Common, Snoop Dogg, 2 Chainz, A$AP Rocky, The RZA, Salt N Pepa, DMX, Redman, Cam'ron, Bun B, Joyful Drake, Warren G and Brandon & Lorielle Broussard, the young activists behind "Barack The Vote." Narrated by S. Epatha Merkerson the series will also focus on grassroots activists in battleground states Tarsha Williams, Charles Perry, Pastor Jamal Bryant and others who will take viewers behind the scenes of their effort to mobilize the black community to vote in another historic Presidential election.

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"Horse-race coverage of this election is now ubiquitous, almost to the point of distraction for many viewers.  We sought a new way to bring the biggest story of the year – the fate of the first African-American incumbent President – to our audience in an engaging, highly journalistic way," said Loretha Jones, President of Original Programming and News, BET Networks. "We are excited to be working with Sam Pollard and Brick City TV who have helped us reinvent political coverage for our audience."

"Brick City wanted to do a series that fuses the personal and the political and that engages the BET audience," said Marc Levin, Executive Producer, Brick City. "We want the series to leave the audience wanting to be players not just spectators in this historic election," added Mark Benjamin, Executive Producer, Brick City.

"This groundbreaking series is a must see for the BET audience," said Executive Producer Sam Pollard. "The series digs deep and hits hard and is a must see for viewers in understanding how they can't just be bystanders but fully engaged in this historic election."

Premiering Friday October 19 & Friday October 26 at 9 PM ET/PT, the character-driven series, rich with political insight and actuality, will marry journalism and reality television in a seminal effort to capture the African-American perspective on the 2012 elections in all its complexity. The producers capture both consensus and division among black organizers, celebrities and operatives as they wrestle with the process of making change and mobilizing voters to impact the Presidential race. The docu-series will follow behind-the-scenes efforts to mobilize the black vote against the backdrop of urban youth violence, the debate over gay marriage, and the economic crisis.

"SECOND COMING?: Will Black America Decide the 2012 Election" is Executive Produced by Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin for Brick City TV and Sam Pollard.

BET.com continues to be the source for up-to-the minute news on the 2012 election. BET.com's dedicated election and politics site, BET.com/Vote2012, provides all of the news surrounding the elections as they happen, and maintains an advocacy platform in support of voting rights and other issues that affect African-Americans. Join the 2012 presidential election conversation on social media by logging on to BET's multiple social media platforms:

• On Twitter by using hashtag: #BETObamaDoc; and following us @BETNews and @BETVote 
• On Facebook by liking the fan page at facebook.com/BETNews
• On Google plus at http://bet.us/gplusVOTE

Video Link: http://www.bet.com/video/news/politics/2012/new-bet-obama-documentary-second-coming-s1.html

Video Caption: Sneak Peek: "SECOND COMING?: Will Black America Decide the 2012 Election" Premieres Friday, October 19 and October 26 at 9 PM ET/PT on BET

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.

SOURCE BET Networks