BET News Zeros in on the Ninth Ward in Network Exclusive: 'HEART OF THE CITY: KATRINA FIVE YEARS LATER'

Actress Jurnee Smollett Hosts Docu-Special That Follows Stories of Men, Women and Families Devastated By Hurricane Katrina and the BP Oil Spill

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 -- Five years after the United States' most devastating natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, BET News returns to New Orleans for an exclusive prime time special, HEART OF THE CITY: KATRINA FIVE YEARS LATER -- Sunday, August 22 at 10:00 p.m.* For the past year, BET News has followed stories of several men and women living in the Ninth Ward, the community in New Orleans most devastated by the hurricane and levee breach. With emotions running high, residents take viewers inside their lives by detailing their challenges and outlining their hopes for the future. This hour long special will also raise the question: will the BP oil spill make it harder for the people of the Ninth Ward to recover from Katrina? Or will the disaster put fresh attention on an area in distress? HEART OF THE CITY: KATRINA FIVE YEARS LATER is hosted by actress and activist, Jurnee Smollett.

ABOUT JURNEE SMOLLETT

Jurnee Smollett got her start on TV at the age of five, and she enjoyed recurring roles on such shows as Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Full House and On Our Own. Her film work includes title roles in the critically-acclaimed big screen movie, Eve's Bayou, and The Great Debaters, directed by Denzel Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey. Smollett's maternal family is from New Orleans and she has been vocal in raising awareness about the issues surrounding Katrina. Smollett is also a strong activist in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS.

HEART OF THE CITY: NEW ORLEANS FIVE YEARS AFTER KATRINA is a BET News Production. Barnard Jaffier serves as producer and director with Dan Klein as executive producer.

For more on HEART OF THE CITY: KATRINA FIVE YEARS LATER visit www.BET.com/news

*All Times ET/PT

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.