Viacom Channels to Simulcast Education Special

LOS ANGELES: All of Viacom’s U.S. networks are set to simultaneously air Get Schooled: You Have the Right, a 30-minute special that highlights education challenges and breakthroughs.

Premiering September 8 at 8 p.m., Get Schooled features pop singer Kelly Clarkson and professional basketball player LeBron James, documenting the experiences of young adults who work behind-the-scenes to support these famous figures. The program will chronicle the critical role of education played in shaping their paths. Flashbacks will be used to depict key educational moments that influenced their lives and prepared them for their careers.

The show will air simultaneously on BET, BET J, CMT, CMT Pure Country, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV Jams, MTV Hits, MTV Tr3s, MTV2, mtvU, Nick @ Nite, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons Network, Palladia, Spike TV, The N/Teen Nick, TV Land, VH1, VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul. Get Schooled: You Have the Right formally kicks off Get Schooled, a five-year national initiative co-developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom that creates a platform for corporate and community stakeholders to address the challenges facing America’s public schools.

"We believe that improving our educational performance is a national priority," said Philippe Dauman, the president and CEO of Viacom. "The Get Schooled partnership is committed to elevating the national consciousness about this issue and helping to bring about positive change in our schools. Working together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we’ve developed a television event that represents a truly unprecedented programming commitment by Viacom, and an important step in an effort that demands our attention." 

"Today, in America, far too many young people enter adulthood unprepared for college, career and life," added Allan Golston, the president of the U.S. program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Changing this reality requires the full engagement of the corporate and nonprofit communities, working harder to support students, families and schools to create an expectation in every community that a college education is possible for all young people. Through the creativity of Viacom’s team and the strong connections its networks cultivate with their audiences, we have a unique ability to reach young people and their families on this critical issue."