BET News Presents Two New Original Series - Conversations With Ed Gordon and Weekly With Ed Gordon

NEW YORK, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall award-winning broadcast journalist, Ed Gordon will make his return to BET Networks' news division with the re-installment of his popular interview series, CONVERSATIONS WITH ED GORDON and a brand new weekly topical news program, WEEKLY WITH ED GORDON. Premiering on Sunday, October 3 at 12:00 PM*, WEEKLY WITH ED GORDON will be a topical news show that dissects the top headlines from around the country from an African American point of view. On Sunday, September 26 at 10:00 PM*, Ed Gordon will conduct an emotional and in-depth interview with comedian Steve Harvey on the premiere episode of CONVERSATIONS WITH ED GORDON.

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Steve Harvey may just be the hardest working man in show business. His rise from stand-up comic, to a New York Times best-selling author, game show host, and radio personality is nothing short of ground-breaking. The interviews were taped at Harvey's Texas ranch and his home in Georgia. Host and executive producer, Ed Gordon among other things talks with Harvey about his best-selling relationship book, the success of his syndicated radio show and also sits with the comedian and his wife, Marjorie, who Harvey says literally "saved his life." This 30-minute profile will peel back the layers during this emotional interview to find out how Harvey almost quit show business, deals with internet "haters" and how he dealt with an unresolved feud with fellow comedian Bernie Mac after Mac's surprising death. During CONVERSATIONS WITH ED GORDON, Harvey is overcome with emotion as he talks about his tremendously successful year ("God's favor") he's experienced and what his wife's love means to him.  

Part news show, part one-on-one interviews and roundtable discussions, WEEKLY WITH ED GORDON will go beyond the front page of news headlines and dig deep into the issues and stories that matter most to African Americans. Ed Gordon, along with an ensemble of dynamic contributors and special guests, will examine trending topics ranging from the impact of public policies—to the latest in pop culture news. This 30-minute program will provide a platform for BET to engage the most prolific thinkers, news makers and lawmakers on a weekly basis and also serve as a forum to focus on local and national solutions to issues affecting African American communities. In addition to the weekly broadcast, WEEKLY WITH ED GORDON will strongly position itself in the digital media space that encourages the viewing audience to keep the conversation going through social media including BET.com, Twitter and Facebook.

ABOUT ED GORDON

Ed Gordon, a well seasoned anchor, reporter, interviewer, radio host and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster first joined BET in 1988 and helped distinguish the channel's place among top television news divisions. During his tenure with BET News, Gordon became a significant force in television news reporting and interviewed an impressive and diverse slate of people including important world figures such as Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, President Bill Clinton, Academy Award winners Jamie Foxx and Halle Berry, as well as Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, the late Michael Jackson and R&B artist R. Kelly.

Known for his stellar interaction with newsmakers from the worlds of politics, entertainment, and sports, his name is synonymous with the "big" interview. Ed Gordon's knack for landing exclusives and his no-nonsense style makes him one of television's most respected journalists. In addition to his work at BET Networks, Gordon has held impressive positions with major news organizations including contributing correspondent for the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes II and contributor for NBC's Today Show and Dateline. He also hosted News and Notes with Ed Gordon on National Public Radio and Our World with Black Enterprise, a weekly news program.  Gordon is also president of Ed Gordon Media, a multi-service production company. The Detroit native earned his bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Western Michigan University.

*All Times are ET/PT

For more information on CONVERSATIONS WITH ED GORDON and WEEKLY WITH ED GORDON, please visit www.BET.com/news.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary 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 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