BET Networks to Participate in First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign to Tackle Childhood Obesity

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks Chairman & CEO Debra Lee announced today that BET Networks will join the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, in her nationwide Let's Move (www.LetsMove.gov) campaign to address the problem of childhood obesity. BET Networks, and The BET Foundation will offer its combined resources to this initiative.  

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"BET Networks is honored to work with the First Lady and to be a part of the Let's Move campaign addressing the issue of childhood obesity across the nation," said Lee.  "The mission of the Let's Move campaign fits squarely within our corporate responsibility priorities and augments the work we have been doing for many years through the BET Foundation around the issue of health education and promoting healthy lifestyles."

Since its inception, the BET Foundation has promoted healthy lifestyles among African-Americans, focusing primarily on the issues of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other associated health conditions. The BET Foundation hosts comprehensive one-day health symposiums nationwide designed to educate women about the importance of fitness and nutrition. In addition, the Foundation hosts the annual Summer Camp for Girls, a residential camp program for girls ages 10-12 designed to address childhood obesity and to promote healthier lifestyles through health literacy, nutrition, fitness and self esteem exercises. The BET Foundation's H.E.A.L. (Health Education and Active Learning) Academy also uses an innovative approach to promoting health and wellness. The H.E.A.L. Academy is a multi-level after-school education program that teaches girls to analyze, evaluate and make healthy lifestyle choices and empowers them with the knowledge, skills and opportunities to become active health advocates for policy changes in their schools, families and communities.

In addition to the work of the Foundation, BET Networks is committed to producing on-air programming focused on this issue. THE MO'NIQUE SHOW continues to dedicate countless shows to the topic and Mo'Nique also created a PSA for the Let's Move campaign. Additionally, BET News will continue with special programming and reports that address the issue such – HEART OF THE CITY: DYING TO EAT IN JACKSON and special 106 & PARK episodes focused on fitness, health and wellness.  BET's involvement in Let's Move is an ideal opportunity to further support the campaign's goal to increase healthy schools and kid's physical activity, improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods, and empower consumers to make healthier choices in their lives.

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; 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