Viacom Named Title Sponsor of 'The Dream Concert' to Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and Support National Memorial in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation and Viacom, Inc. today announced that Viacom has been named title sponsor for The Dream Concert, a musical tribute to Dr. King, on September 18, 2007 at Radio City Music Hall. Viacom has pledged $1 million in cash and more than $500,000 in media value to support Dr. King's Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This brings the Memorial Foundation's total to $82 million of the $100 million needed.

"The Viacom family is proud to be the sponsor of the historic Dream Concert and a strong supporter of the Washington, DC. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial," said Philippe Dauman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom. "Now, more than ever, it is important to honor Dr. King's lifelong commitment to equality and non-violence, and ensure that his message continues to inspire and influence future generations. Viacom has been working with the Memorial Foundation for over a year to develop a project that would be perfectly paired with the assets and expertise of our company. We feel that The Dream Concert will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Dr. King's life and legacy in a way that is extraordinarily meaningful to our company and its audiences."

"Today we welcome Viacom into our broad family of supporters who are helping to build a lasting memorial to Dr. King," said Harry E. Johnson, President and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. "I am calling on all citizens, foundations and corporations to follow Viacom's lead by supporting The Dream Concert or making a donation of any amount to the Memorial Foundation by visiting http://www.thedreamconcert.com/ today."

"We are thrilled to have Viacom sign on as The Dream Concert's title sponsor for this historic New York event," said the concert's co-chairs, Tommy Hilfiger and Russell Simmons. "Viacom's strong influences and storied history in music will help the Foundation get closer to its goal, making for a truly memorable evening." Joining Hilfiger and Simmons as co-chairs are Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Joel Horowitz, Quincy Jones, and David Stern.

Viacom's more than $500,000 media value pledge includes a commitment to run public service announcements for the Memorial Foundation on BET Networks' and MTV Networks' multiplatform properties. Viacom's properties, including BET, MTV, MTV2, mtvU, VH1 and COMEDY CENTRAL have partnered with the Memorial Foundation since 2004 and will continue to work with them to bring awareness to the memorial.

Additionally, coverage from The Dream Concert including red carpet arrivals and behind the scenes footage will be available on BET on Blast, BET's broadband platform. The Dream Concert's talented line-up brings together musicians from across all genres, including Garth Brooks, Queen Latifah, Joss Stone, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santana, Robin Thicke, John Legend, Bebe Winans, Cece Winans, Jessye Norman, Ryan Shaw and Miri Ben-Ari. Tickets are priced at $150, $250, $500, $1000 are available through TicketMaster phones and outlets and at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and http://www.radiocity.com/, with $5,000 tickets available at http://www.thedreamconcert.com/.

To date, those individuals and organizations giving support to the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. include General Motors, Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, NBA/WNBA, The Walt Disney Company Foundation, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Coca- Cola Foundation, The Ford Motor Fund, Toyota, AARP, AFLAC, BP America, Inc., CIGNA, DuPont, ExxonMobil Foundation, Fannie Mae Corporation, FedEx Corporation, GE, Horowitz Family Foundation, Sheila C Johnson, Lehman Brothers, George Lucas, MacFarlane Partners, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, McDonald's Corporation, National Association of Realtors, National Education Association (NEA), PepsiCo Foundation, Prudential Financial, Inc., Shell Oil Company, State Farm Insurance, Verizon Foundation, Wal-Mart and Morehouse College, among others.

Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.

A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be built on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial honoring Dr. King to be built in Washington, DC. The Ceremonial Groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006 and the Memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2009. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company/ Gilford Corporation / Tompkins Builders, Inc. Joint Venture will serve as the Design-Build team. For more information about the Memorial Foundation, please visit http://www.buildthedream.org/.

About Viacom

Viacom, consisting of BET Networks, MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures Corporation, is the world's leading entertainment content company. It engages audiences on television, motion picture and digital platforms through many of the world's best known entertainment brands, including MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Noggin, Nick at Nite, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Gametrailers, BET, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks and Paramount Vantage. Viacom's global reach includes more than 130 channels and over 280 online properties in 160 countries and territories.

For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit http://www.viacom.com/.

Ticket Information

Tickets to all concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall are available beginning on the first day of sale through Ticketmaster Charge By Phone and all Ticketmaster Outlets, and beginning on the second day of sale at the Radio City Music Hall Box Office. All tickets purchased for Radio City Music Hall events contain a Facility Charge. TicketMaster purchases are also subject to its service charge. The telephone number for the Radio City Music Hall Disabled Services department is (212) 465-6115 for tickets and information. The TicketMaster information and Charge by Phone number is (212) 307-4111. Tickets are available online at http://www.radiocity.com/. Tickets are also available at the Madison Square Garden and Beacon Theatre box offices. Special VIP ticket packages are available at http://www.thedreamconcert.com/.