Media Alert: TVOne and the Inauguration

TV ONE DEVOTES 24 HOURS TO INAUGURATION PROGRAMMING JANUARY 20

-- Inauguration Day coverage culminates a special holiday weekend with programming honoring President-elect Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrating TV One’s fifth anniversary --

TV One will offer 24 hours of programming devoted to the Inauguration of America’s first African-American President, and the activities surrounding this historic occasion. Inauguration Day programming begins Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 7 AM (all times ET), with a special episode of The Gospel of Music with Jeff Majors that pays tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King and President-elect Obama, followed from 8-9 AM by In Conversation: The Michelle Obama Interview, the interview TV One Commentator Editor Roland Martin conducted for TV One with the incoming First Lady as a precursor to the Democratic National Convention in August. At 9 AM, TV One will air one of its two, original hour-long documentaries about the President-elect: Believe: The Barack Obama Story, hosted by Roland Martin.

Live coverage begins at 10 AM. The Inauguration of Barack Obama: Our History, Our Time will be anchored by the team that led TV One’s live coverage of the Democratic National Convention and election night in Chicago’s Grant Park: Art Fennell, host and managing editor of Art Fennell Reports on CN8, The Comcast Network; and Joe Madison, XM Satellite and WOL-AM radio talk show host. Joining the anchors throughout the day will be Tom Joyner, Rev. Al Sharpton, Roland Martin, Tom Joyner Morning Show news correspondent Jacque Reid, American Urban Radio Networks White House correspondent April Ryan, Our World with Black Enterprise host Ed Gordon, pollster Shawnta Wolcott, and Russ Parr Morning Show personality Alfredas.

TV One’s anchor position overlooks the West Front of the U.S. Capitol where the swearing-in and Inaugural Address will take place. In addition, Jacque Reid will be at the West Front for interviews and up-close- and- personal reporting.

In addition, TV One will have multi-camera live coverage of all the events of the day, from President and Mrs. Bush leaving the White House, to President-elect and Mrs. Obama en route to the Capitol, to the new President’s trip down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House to view the Parade. The swearing-in ceremony, the Inaugural Address and the Inaugural Parade will all be covered live, with the special insights and context from an African American perspective. Alfredas will be reporting with live reaction from the million+ people gathered on the National Mall to witness history.



From 6-10 PM, Roland Martin will host an evening devoted to the new President, including Martin’s personal insights and observations about the man and his historic presidency. The evening’s program lineup will feature Martin’s NAACP Image Award-winning interview, In Conversation: The Senator Barack Obama Interview, at 6 PM, followed at 7 PM by Believe: The Barack Obama Story. Then, at 8 PM, Martin will introduce In Conversation: The Michelle Obama Interview, his interview with the incoming First Lady, which was recently nominated for an NAACP Image Award; and at 9 PM, the original documentary Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey, a project of Ebony/Jet Entertainment Group, Codeblack Entertainment and Verdicus Films that explores the dynamics of change in America through an intimate look at the personal and political journey of President-elect Barack Obama. The film is hosted by actor and director Blair Underwood

TV One’s live evening coverage, TV One Live: The Presidential Galas, which airs from 10 PM – midnight, will be co-anchored by Jacque Reid and Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, with contributions from Ebony magazine Creative Director Harriette Cole, urban style and culture expert Michaela Angela Davis, TV One Turn Up the Heat host G. Garvin, and Jamal Munnerlyn of TV One Access, who will report from multiple balls and high-profile inaugural events around Washington. TV One’s evening coverage will focus on fashion and style, entertainment, politics and food.

TV One will offer a wrap up of the day’s events from midnight – 1 AM. Then, from 1 AM – 4 AM, TV One will re-air Roland Martin hosting In Conversation: The Senator Barack Obama Interview, Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey and In Conversation: The Michelle Obama Interview. The network will re-air its evening ball and party coverage from 4-6 AM, followed by the one-hour wrap-up of the previous day’s events from 6-7 AM.

TV One plans to incorporate into its Inauguration Day programming coverage of key social events that take place during the weekend leading up to Inauguration Day; a telling of the story of how President-elect Obama and the new first lady came to this historic day, including highlights of the Democratic National Convention and Election Night in Grant Park; taped highlights of the huge welcome celebration from Sunday, Jan. 18, as well as footage of the Obamas and Bidens participating in the national day of service on January 19th.

“TV One is proud to bring the opening chapter of the Obama presidency to our viewers, and it’s especially meaningful that this historic occasion is the day after we celebrate our own fifth anniversary on the Martin Luther King birthday holiday,” said TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers. “We plan to offer our viewers who can’t be in Washington – and maybe even some who are here – a ring-side seat for the most important political and social events, and to convey a sense of the excitement, the pride and the meaning of this event for African Americans and for all Americans.”

TV One’s Inauguration Day coverage culminates a special holiday weekend with programming honoring President-elect Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrating TV One’s fifth anniversary. The line-up includes:

Sunday, Jan. 18

In preparation for the inauguration of our 44th President, TV One premieres the all-new original documentary, Believe: The Barack Obama Story, from 8-9 PM which chronicles the life and political career of our upcoming Commander-in-Chief. The film, hosted by Roland Martin, is produced by On the Potomac Productions, a Washington, DC-based media company that has produced award-winning documentaries about the "Godfather of Soul" James Brown and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This special is followed from 9-10 PM by MLK: The Making of a Holiday, a documentary hosted by LeVar Burton that chronicles the life and accomplishments of Dr. King and the quest by many politicians and celebrities to honor his birthday as a national holiday.

Monday, January 19

On TV One’s fifth anniversary, the network will air King, the six-hour mini-series starring Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson, from noon – 6 PM. This Emmy Award-winning mini-series also aired on the Martin Luther King holiday 2004, TV One’s first day on the air.

At 8 PM, TV One premieres the second of its new, original documentaries: Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey.

At 9 PM, in celebration of the network’s anniversary, TV One will air a two-hour anniversary special at 9 PM of TV One on One, its long-running interview series hosted by Radio One Chairperson and acclaimed former radio talk show host Cathy Hughes. Ms. Hughes is joined by comedian and actor Sinbad in a look back at some of her most memorable interviews, including the first-ever episode of TV One on One, in which she interviewed Barack Obama, then a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois. TV One on One interviews have included Denzel Washington, Beyonce, Will Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, Ludacris, Keyshia Cole, Usher, Forrest Whitaker, Aretha Franklin, Tyler Perry, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, among many others. Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey will repeat at 11 PM, and the TV One on One anniversary special will repeat at midnight.