Key Hires Strengthen BET's Executive Ranks

NEW YORK, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks, the leading provider of media and entertainment for African Americans and consumers of Black culture, will add three new executives to its senior management team to better meet the needs of its original programming and digital expansion strategy, it was announced today by Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of the company.

Janet Rolle will join BET Networks on April 16 as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, she joins from AOL; Jeanine Liburd who most recently served in corporate communications at Viacom will join as Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs on April 9 and Alvin Bowles will also join the company on April 9 as Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing, he also joins BET Networks from AOL. All three executives will report directly to Ms. Lee.

The new hires coincide with the restructuring of BET Networks' marketing and communications departments which will provide the company a greater strategic approach to meeting the growing needs of its current audiences and advertisers. The restructuring is also designed to support a much deeper expansion into digital platforms and new business initiatives while expanding its audiences across all platforms.

The most significant change is the creation of the integrated marketing department which is primarily charged with developing high-impact and innovative cross-platform marketing solutions for sales clients and leading the successful integration of clients' brands into BET Networks programming across all platforms.

"Over the last 18 months, BET Networks has experienced significant growth in its development of original programming and entry into digital entertainment platforms as the media and entertainment landscape has been evolving. Our company's success over its first 26 years was based on our ability to swiftly adjust to a rapidly changing business environment and our future success will be based on the same. I am confident that the new leadership and vision of Janet, Jeanine and Alvin will allow us to serve our audiences and our advertisers in a way that is meaningful and forward thinking," stated Debra Lee.

Janet Rolle joins BET Networks from AOL where she most recently served as Vice President and General Manager of AOL Black Voices and Women's and Lifestyle Programming. In this position, she oversaw content and editorial programming for AOL's highly successful Black Voices site and other strategic sites in the women's and lifestyle arena. Before AOL, she held Vice Presidency positions at MTV Networks in the areas of business development and programming enterprises for VH1 and CMT. Before MTV Networks, Janet held key director and manager positions at HBO in the areas of marketing, new media and sales promotions. Ms. Rolle is a graduate of the State University of New York -- Purchase and has an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Ms. Rolle will oversee all of BET Networks' domestic marketing activities for each of its cable television networks, the newly formed Digital Media Group which includes BET.com, BET Mobile, and BET OnDemand among others, and current new business initiatives which include BET Home Entertainment and BET Pictures among others.

"I am thrilled to be joining Debra's team of stellar executives at this exciting time in the company's history. I look forward to building on the strengths of the BET brand as we develop new ways to connect with and serve our audience in all forms of media." said Rolle.

Jeanine Liburd joins BET Networks after seven years with various divisions under the corporate Viacom banner. Most recently, she was the Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for Viacom where she was responsible for overseeing media relations initiatives and corporate messages for the company. Prior to the Viacom post, she was Vice President of Corporate Communications at MTV Networks. Her public relations career began at the strategic communications firm, Robinson Lerer Montgomery where she helped launch the Oxygen Network, and served clients such as CNBC, AOL and WebMD. She is a graduate of Vassar College and holds an M.S. in Urban Policy from The New School University. She will be responsible for managing communications, public relations, public affairs and special events for BET Networks.

"Under Debra's leadership, BET Networks has completely re-set its course and I am looking forward to being a part of it. From its slate of original programming, to its digital efforts, to the new ways the company is working with its marketing partners -- the company has a great story to tell and I can't wait to get started," said Liburd.

Alvin Bowles, also a Time Warner and AOL veteran will join BET Networks on April 9. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Harvard Business School, Mr. Bowles most recently held the position of Publisher, AOL Black Voices overseeing multicultural sales across AOL Media Networks. Prior to AOL, he held senior positions with the Time Warner Corporate Global Marketing Group where he structured and executed a number of innovative cross-divisional advertising and marketing programs. Prior to Time Warner, Bowles spent time at Sony Music and JP Morgan.

About his new position, Bowles stated, "I am tremendously excited about the opportunity to join the first class management team at BET Networks. I could not have asked for a greater personal or professional challenge than to join this company at this very auspicious time of growth and creative output. In this fragmented market, brands are seeking innovative solutions to connect with consumers and BET Networks is in a unique position to capture a lot of that value."

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. , is the leading provider of media and entertainment for African Americans and consumers of Black culture on a global basis. The primary BET cable network reaches more than 84 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET Digital Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel, and BET Hip-Hop -- are brands that combine to serve a broader and more diverse audience than the core network. BET.com is the number one internet destination for the target audiences. BET Mobile delivers music, gaming, and video content to the target audiences on wireless devices across virtually all service providers. BET Event Productions is a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe. BET International delivers BET content to the consumers of Black culture around the world. BET Networks inspires its audiences to make a difference in their lives and communities with a series of impactful pro-social initiatives under the Touch BET umbrella.