NBC to Broadcast 2011 NCLR ALMA Awards as Primetime Special 9/16

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Comcast and NBC are pleased to announce that NBC will broadcast the "2011 NCLR ALMA Awards" on Friday, September 16 (8-9 p.m. ET), in a ceremony celebrating the nation's Latino performers who promote accurate and positive images of Hispanics in entertainment. Eva Longoria and George Lopez will co-host the one-hour primetime special.

Since 1995, NCLR's (National Council of La Raza) American Latino Media Arts Awards, or ALMA Awards, has honored outstanding Latino artistic achievements in television, film and music. The show is an integral part of NCLR's mission to open doors and creates greater opportunities for Latino families in the U.S. As a national primetime television entertainment special with a cause, the NCLR ALMA awards demonstrate how diversity strengthens our country and how inclusion strengthens the entertainment industry.

The announcement was made by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios and Janet Murgu?a, NCLR's President and CEO.

"NBC is proud to join with the 'NCLR ALMA Awards' so that we can recognize the outstanding achievements of Hispanic artists with this national showcase," said Telegdy. "As a company, NBCUniversal encourages diversity at every level of the entertainment industry, and serving as the new home for this awards show will help further realize that goal."

"Thanks to Eva Longoria and PepsiCo, both among our longtime partners, and our new partners Comcast and NBCUniversal we look forward to having the biggest and best NCLR ALMA Awards yet," Murgu?a said. "We can think of no better time to put a spotlight on the many contributions Latinos are making in the entertainment community. I am especially grateful that all of our partners are making unprecedented commitments to ensuring the continued success of this most important program. "

The executive producers of the ALMA Awards will be Bob Bain, Eva Longoria, and Janet Murgu?a. NBC Universal and its parent company, Comcast Corporation, which has had a national partnership with NCLR since 2006, will contribute to the production costs of the awards show.

"Comcast's long-standing partnership with the National Council of La Raza has been an important connection to the Hispanic community," said David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President of Comcast Corporation. "We're proud to join them in bringing the ALMA Awards and the positive images they highlight to NBC."

Two other important NBCUniversal media assets -- Telemundo and mun2 -- will join NBC in celebrating the ALMA Awards across all its platforms. Telemundo News will feature highlights of the star-studded event and mun2 will re-broadcast the awards show at a later date. In addition, Telemundo.com will be the "Official" ALMA Awards site offering exclusive behind the scenes content from rehearsals and backstage, as well as extensive coverage from the red carpet. mun2 will also produce a two-hour special as part of its weekly music variety show "18 & Over" from the ALMA Awards red carpet, spotlighting the fashion, star arrivals and showcasing some of the biggest music videos of the year. The "18 & Over" pre-awards show special will air Friday Sept 16th from 6-8 p.m. and mun2.tv will preview the "18 & Over" ALMA Awards special online one week prior to its airdate.

For additional information, including announcements about the nominees and performers at this year's ceremony please visit www.almaawards.com or follow the show on Twitter at #almaawards.

Photo Credit: BWW-Staff

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