BET turns 25 this month and sparks its silver anniversary celebration with a renewed commitment to original programming, led by the return of COLLEGE HILL, BET's ground-breaking Black reality series; THE COUSIN JEFF CHRONICLES, a four-part series featuring Rap City's own "Cousin Jeff" Johnson, urban America's newest voice of social and political consciousness; and RIP THE RUNWAY, a red-hot catwalk collision uniting the worlds of hip-hop music and high-fashion. A new made-for- television movie, BOOK OF LOVE -- The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs, pokes fun at male/female relationship drama and combines with BET's signature CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL special to anchor the network's Black History Month offerings. High-velocity mega-specials BET AWARDS '05, BET COMEDY AWARDS, SPRING BLING and BET's 25th ANNIVERSARY are poised to set the year's hottest personalities and performers from music, sports and entertainment strolling down the red carpet and blazing across the stage. Debra L. Lee, BET President and Chief Operating Officer, unveiled the new programming plans today at the Television Critics Association winter media tour.

"BET's commitment to fresh, original programming is as strong as it has ever been, and the first quarter of 2005 will really showcase some exciting shows," said Lee. "This strategy will continue throughout the year as we build momentum toward our milestone celebration of BET's 25th year as a network in the fall."

COLLEGE HILL launches its 13-week run on BET in the "Wild Wild West" of the Oklahoma plains at Langston University with a special one-hour series premiere on Thursday, January 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. It's a new cast of eight, but with the same saucy, volatile mix of eclectic personalities and on- and off-campus hi jinx that marked its break-out debut last season. From classroom to chaos, the network's cameras are there 24/7 to catch all of the action.

This time around, BET and Edmonds Entertainment flipped the script with an off-campus housing arrangement -- the cast mates share a luxurious Western- themed ranch in the middle of nowhere, and whenever they get together sparks fly. From "baby mama drama" and streaking through the house naked, to off- the-hook Jacuzzi exploits and late-night rendezvous, COLLEGE HILL is a no- holds barred, uncensored look at the experiences, triumphs and growing pains of eight college co-eds.

THE COUSIN JEFF CHRONICLES, a new, in-depth quarterly forum and talk show featuring BET's own "Cousin Jeff" Johnson, bows on BET in February 2005. Quickly earning a reputation as urban America's newest voice of social and political consciousness, Cousin Jeff will host this four-part series addressing issues which affect the Black and Latino communities. Through compelling and frank discussions with experts and specialists as well as man- on-the-stre

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