NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks celebrates the legacy of two history-making African Americans starting Saturday, January 19 with dedicated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. special programming starting at 1:30 PM ET/PT. The celebration continues on BET and CENTRIC, Monday, January 21 at 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT, when BET News airs "From King to President: America Celebrates" the 57^th Presidential Inauguration of President Barack Obama.

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BET News will provide extensive on-air and online coverage of the momentous Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, and chronicle the significance of this day of celebration, reflection and inspiration for its audience. Award-winning journalists Ed Gordon and Cynne Simpson will anchor coverage of the Presidential Inauguration and celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with renowned civil rights activists, political pundits and pop culture experts from the Roof of the Newseum in Washington DC. BET News will also have contributors reporting from the US Capitol and along the Inauguration parade route including Duarte Geraldino, Melissa Knowles, Keli Goff and Dorian Warren. Additionally interviews from the inauguration will include Civil Rights Activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, National African American Vote Director for Obama for America Stefanie Brown James, Commander in Chic author Mikki Taylor, USA Today Columnist & Professor of Journalism & Chair at Morgan State University DeWayne Wickham and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter Elder Bernice A. King. "FROM KING TO PRESIDENT: AMERICA CELEBRATES" premieres LIVE Monday, January 21 at 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT on BET and CENTRIC and will continue LIVE coverage with the Inauguration Parade starting at 3 PM ET/ 12 PM PT.

BET Networks will also host an Inaugural Ball on Monday, January 21 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Special Dedicated Programming Includes:

• ROSA PARKS STORY airs Saturday, January 19 at 1:30 PM on BET and Monday, January 21 at 9 AM ET/PT on CENTRIC.
• Alex's Haley's "QUEEN" airs Saturday, January 19 from 3:30-11PM ET/PT on BET.
• "BET NEWS: MICHELLE OBAMA ON A MISSION" airs Sunday, January 20 at 10:30 AM ET/PT on BET.
• "KING" mini-series airs Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 11 AM ET/PT on BET.
• "SEPARATE BUT EQUAL" airs Monday, January 21, 2013 at 4:30 PM on CENTRIC.
• "ROOTS" will air beginning Sunday, January 20 at 5 PM and continue on Monday, January 21 before, between and after Inauguration programming on BET.

During and following the LIVE on-air BET News special, "From King to President: America Celebrates," http://www.bet.com/inauguration will continue the conversation with a small group of invited guests who will provide perspectives on the speech beyond political observations. Also, viewers can join the conversation about the special on Twitter by using hashtags: #BETObamaMLK and #Obama4more.

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.

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SOURCE BET Networks