COMEDY CENTRAL® Returns to New York City to Host the Second Annual "The Comedy Awards" Taping on Saturday, April 28, 2012

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- COMEDY CENTRAL, a division of Viacom Media Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today that the second annual "The Comedy Awards" will return to New York City.  The multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy, will be taped at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, April 28, 2012 and will premiere on COMEDY CENTRAL on Sunday, May 6, 2012.  Don Mischer Productions has signed on again to produce the show with COMEDY CENTRAL and Casey Patterson, EVP, event production, Viacom Entertainment Group.  Last year's inaugural event was attended by the biggest names in comedy including David Letterman, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Will Ferrell, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Louis CK, Kristen Wiig, Ty Burrell, among many other comedy elite.

"As much as I'd like to brag that we rig this in favor of our friends, the truth is probably more gratifying to the winners – they are chosen by a massive voting body of their comedy peers," said Kent Alterman, head of original programming and production, COMEDY CENTRAL.

"With the combination of the comedic talent, the city of New York and how successfully the show came together earlier this year, we couldn't be more excited about producing 'The Comedy Awards' again in 2012," said Don Mischer.

"The Comedy Awards" nominations are selected by an esteemed Board of Directors.  Last year's Board included James Burrows, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Jay Roach, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal and Jon Stewart, among others.  The winners are chosen by an invitation-only voting body comprised of 1500 working members from the comedy community -- including writers, producers, performers and directors.  The event will also feature several special awards that will include the voice of the fans through online voting at the event site thecomedyawards.com.  Nominations for the second annual event are to be announced in early 2012.

This year, "The Comedy Awards" has once again joined forces with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) to endow The American Comedy Fund.  Without a union or other protection, many comedians face unique challenges to succeed and survive.  The fund provides much-needed financial assistance, health benefits and other resources for comedians across the country during times of need, crisis or transition.  The American Comedy Fund is administered by EIF in collaboration with the Motion Picture & Television Fund and The Actors Fund.

"The Comedy Awards" pay homage to the genre and honor the year's best comedy actors, films, television series and digital content.  The event celebrates the talented writers, directors and performers who have literally changed the laugh track of our lives: the pioneering legends who pushed boundaries; the TV shows that we rushed home to watch; the movies that are indelibly etched into our collective pop culture memory and the stand-up comedians that make us think while we laugh.

Don Mischer Productions' Don Mischer and Charlie Haykel, alongside Casey Patterson, EVP, event production, Viacom Entertainment Group, are the executive producers.  Juliane Hare is Producer.  Beth McCarthy Miller, the Peabody Award-Winning and Emmy^®-nominated director, will once again serve as director of "The Comedy Awards."

About COMEDY CENTRAL

Available in 99 million homes nationwide, COMEDY CENTRAL (www.comedycentral.com), the only all-comedy network, is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B).  For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit COMEDY CENTRAL's press web site at www.comedycentral.com/press and follow us on Twitter @ComedyCentralPR for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About Don Mischer Productions

Don Mischer is an internationally acclaimed producer and director of television and live events.  He has been honored with 15 Emmy^® Awards, a record 10 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, 2 NAACP Image Awards, a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting and Europe's prestigious Golden Rose of Montreux.  Mischer will also be honored by the Producers Guild of America this January and is receiving the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television.

Mischer has consistently chosen to produce programs that share the best of human experience, whether it be through the work of our most acclaimed artists or the celebration of our greatest monuments and national events.  As a producer-director, his credits range from Super Bowl Halftime Shows (with Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney); Opening Ceremonies of both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games; and The Kennedy Center Honors; to Obama's Lincoln Memorial Inaugural Concert; Hong Kong's Handover to China 1997; and specials with Taylor Swift, Sting, Bono, Beyonce, Baryshnikov, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Barbra Streisand among others.

Mischer's long and illustrious body of work ranks among the best and most-watched in the world of entertainment.

SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications