BET Kicks Off Search for America’s Next Big Gospel Star

Auditions Seek Undiscovered Singers for the Second Season of
Hit Gospel Competition Show “SUNDAY BEST”

LOS ANGELES – January 5, 2009 -- BET Networks will conduct a nationwide talent search for undiscovered singers to compete for a chance to appear on SUNDAY BEST and earn the honor of being America’s next great gospel singer. The open auditions begin in Atlanta and move on to Chicago and Washington, D.C. Hopefuls planning to audition should arrive early. Dates and locations are as follows:

JANUARY 10, 2009 – ATLANTA, GA – 9:00 a.m.
Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Drive, Atlanta, GA 30313

JANUARY 25, 2009 – CHICAGO – 9:00 a.m.
McCormick Place
2233 S. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago, IL 60616

JANUARY 31, 2009 – WASHINGTON, DC – 9:00 a.m.
BET Campus
2000 M. St., NW, Washington, DC, 20036

SUNDAY BEST welcomes back as its host gospel great Kirk Franklin and judges multi-award winning siblings Erica and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary and Grammy Award-winning BeBe Winans. The highly-anticipated second season premieres Sunday, March 8 at 9:00 p.m.* and rounds out BET’s full line-up of gospel programming including 106 & PARK PRESENTS: GENERATION GOSPEL, CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL and BOBBY JONES GOSPEL.

The current season of SUNDAY BEST is executive produced by D’Angela Proctor Steed, Nia T. Hill and Brian Gadinsky. 106 & PARK PRESENTS: GENERATION GOSPEL, CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL and BOBBY JONES GOSPEL are produced by Stephen Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks, Lynne Harris Taylor, Vice President of Specials, BET Networks and Marilyn Gill.

For more information on open auditions, visit www.bet.com/sundaybest

*All times ET/PT