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July 3, 2009

TV ONE IS THE EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST NETWORK OF THE 2009 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL

-- Network for African American adults will produce and air two blockbuster specials: musical performance highlights celebration hosted by Cynthia Garrett featuring some of the biggest names in entertainment from the main stage; and star-studded tribute to Bishop T.D. Jakes hosted by gospel superstar duo Mary Mary --

New Orleans -- TV One (www.tvoneonline.com) will be the exclusive broadcast network of the 2009 Essence Music Festival, which features the biggest names in entertainment and the nation's most influential speakers, artists, authors and leaders and is the nation's largest annual gathering celebrating African-American music and culture. TV One will offer viewers a glimpse into the Festival experience through performance highlights featuring today's greatest African-American artists and a behind-the-scenes look at the three-day cultural extravaganza.

This marks only the second time in its 15-year-history that ESSENCE has made its Festival performances available for television broadcast - and the first time on cable. The network's programming will include two world premiere specials:

TV One Night Only: Live from Essence Music Festival. This two- hour highlights celebration, scheduled to premiere Sunday, August 30 at 8 PM ET, will capture exhilarating performances from some of the biggest names in entertainment that occur over three nights on the main stage. Performing artists are expected to include Beyonce, Maxwell, Anita Baker, Robin Thicke, John Legend, Ne-Yo, Teena Marie, En Vogue, Charlie Wilson, Salt N Pepa, and Jazmine Sullivan. TV One Night Only will be hosted by actress, writer and TV host Cynthia Garrett. 

All-Star Tribute to Bishop T.D. Jakes. TV One is also joining with Essence to present a one-hour special from what is surely to be the spiritual event of the year, the Essence Music Festival's All-Star Tribute to Bishop T.D. Jakes featuring Steve Harvey, Bishop Noel Jones, and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. This incredible event will include musical performances by CeCe Winans, Ledisi, Marvin Sapp, Smokie Norful, and Tyronne Foster & the Arc Singers. The tribute to Bishop Jakes will be hosted on TV One by the gospel superstar duo Mary Mary and is expected to air on the network in October 2009.

TV One and ESSENCE made the announcement at the Essence Music Festival's opening press conference.

"ESSENCE is pleased to partner with TV One for what promises to be two very exciting and original television events pegged to the 15^th Anniversary of the Essence Music Festival," said ESSENCE President Michelle Ebanks.  "These two specials -- TV One Night Only: Live from Essence Music Festival and All-Star Tribute to Bishop T.D. Jakes - are both entertaining and inspiring; taking the Festival experience straight from New Orleans right into the living rooms of fans all over the country."

"TV One is proud to be the exclusive broadcast network of the 2009 Essence Music Festival," said TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers. "Michelle Ebanks, Angela Burt-Murray and their Essence team have created an amazing cultural event, and we are excited to bring our viewers a taste of the experience, with a front-row seat to the most incredible music concert they could ever imagine and an unforgettable tribute to Bishop Jakes."

In addition to the two world premiere specials, TV One has three full days of activities planned for the festival, including meet and greet sessions at TV One's booth (#902) with network talent, such as TV One political editor Roland Martin; Mario Van Peebles of TV One's upcoming series, Mario's Greenhouse; LisaRaye of All of Us;  G. Garvin of Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin; Lav Luv, season three winner of Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes?; and Eva Marcille, Al Reynolds and Omarosa, who each will be profiled in TV One's new fall series, Life After. At the booth, TV One will also host an open casting call for potential new series. On the Experience Stage, TV One will host a Relationship Seminar with Big Boom and Dr. Michelle; a comedy routine with stand up comedian Lav Luv; and an Unsung karaoke contest.

About TV One

Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvoneonline.com) serves more than 47.5 million households (Nielsen June 2009 estimate), offering a broad range of entertainment, reality and lifestyle -oriented original programming, classic series, movies, and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers.  TV One's investors include Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK; www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners;  Comcast Corporation [NASDAQ: CMCSA and CMCSK; www.comcast.com], the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.

About Essence Communications Inc.

Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the leading media and communications company dedicated to African-American women.  With a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online, the Essence brand is "Where Black Women Come First".  The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit, Window on Our Women (WOW I, II & III) and Smart Beauty I, II & III consumer insights, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 39 years, ESSENCE magazine, which has a readership of 8.1 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives.