NEW YORK—August 26, 2014—BET Networks announces the return of the popular BET COLLEGE TOUR, making 14-stops at historically black colleges and universities across the nation this Fall. BET COLLEGE TOUR, the largest and only tour of its kind, will bring campuses a fun-filled day of entertainment, games, concerts, product samples and consumer information. The free event kicks off Friday, Sept. 5, at The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania and is open to current students enrolled at each campus stop. This year marks the arrival of first-time sponsors Denny’s and Hyundai.

GRAMMY® nominated R&B crooner Luke James, rap veteran Big Gipp of Goodie Mob, as well as hitmakers Tiara Thomas, Justine Skye and Chris Bivins are scheduled to appear at select stops. DJ Herkules returns for a fourth run as host while Sixth Sense returns as the tour’s official DJ.

DATE

SCHOOL

LOCATION

Friday, September 5

The Lincoln University of PA

Lincoln, PA

Wednesday, September 10

Maryland/Eastern Shore

Princess Anne, MD

Friday, September 12

Norfolk State

Norfolk, VA

Thursday, September 18

Clark Atlanta

Atlanta, GA

Wednesday, September 24

Tennessee State

Nashville, TN

Friday, September 26

Virginia State

Petersburg, VA

Wednesday, October 1

Southern

Baton Rouge, LA

Friday, October 3

Alabama A&M

Huntsville, AL

Wednesday, October 8

Langston

Langston, OK

Friday, October 10

Prairie View A&M

Prairie View, TX

Friday, October 17

Grambling State

Grambling, LA

Wednesday, October 22

Tuskegee

Tuskegee, AL

Wednesday, October 29

Mississippi Valley

Itta Bena, MS

Friday, October 31

Jackson State

Jackson, MS

“We’re excited to bring back the BET COLLEGE TOUR this year. For over a decade we have been fortunate to partner with innovative brands that continuously support our vision,” said Michelle Garner, vice president of Brand Solutions for BET Networks. “BET Networks remains committed to emphasizing the importance of education and inspiring academic excellence. We are thrilled for the tour to return and reach a new crop of students on campuses around the country.”

Sponsored activities include the Denny’s 2-on-2 basketball competition and Hyundai’s freestyle rap battle. BET’s award-winning Rap It Up initiative will be on hand with local health officials to offer free HIV/AIDS testing to students.

“Hyundai is thrilled to join this year’s BET COLLEGE TOUR and introduce the Hyundai brand to more than 60,000 HBCU college students,” said Zafar Brooks, director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity Inclusion for Hyundai Motor America. “The HBCU tour provides us with a great opportunity to connect with a significant audience of amazing college students across the county both in person and through social media.”

“Denny’s is proud to be a long-term advertising partner of BET and first-time sponsor of the 2014 BET COLLEGE TOUR,” said April Kelly-Drummond, Denny’s director of Corporate Diversity. “Both Denny’s and the tour share a mutual goal of providing relevant, engaging and meaningful outreach to students; Denny’s Hungry for Education scholarship program — in partnership with eight leading nonprofit minority advocacy organizations — has awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships to deserving elementary through college students in 2014 alone. We look forward to bringing the importance of education to life and being inspired by all those we meet as we recruit incredible talent at select stops along the BET COLLEGE TOUR route!”

This year’s BET COLLEGE TOUR will include various contests, basketball competitions, games, music performances, product sampling and health information. For tour updates, exclusive footage and photos from each campus, please visit BET COLLEGE TOUR. Join the BET COLLEGE TOUR conversation on social media by logging on to BET’s multiple social media platforms:

• On Twitter and Instagram by using hashtag #BETCollegeTour; and following us on @BETCollegeTour.
• On Google plus at bet.us/gplusBET

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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