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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Julian Teixeira
(202) 776-1812
jteixeira@nclr.org
Telecast co-hosted by Eva Longoria and George Lopez, with PepsiCo as the Premier Sponsor, to pay tribute to Latino performers promoting positive images of Hispanics
Universal City, Calif.—In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Comcast and NBC are pleased to announce that NBC will broadcast the 2011 NCLR (National Council of La Raza) ALMA Awards on Friday, September 16 from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. EDT 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, the NCLR 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 create greater opportunities for Latino families in the U.S. As a national primetime television entertainment special with a cause, the NCLR ALMA Awards demonstrates how diversity strengthens our country and inclusion strengthens the entertainment industry.
The announcement was made by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios, and Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR.
“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 long-time partners, and our new partners Comcast and NBCUniversal. We look forward to having the biggest and best NCLR ALMA Awards yet,” Murguía said. “We can think of no better time to put a spotlight on the many contributions that Latinos are making in the entertainment industry. I am especially grateful that all of our partners are making unprecedented commitments to ensure the continued success of this most valuable program. ”
The executive producers of the ALMA Awards will be Bob Bain, Eva Longoria, and Janet Murguía. NBCUniversal 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 NCLR 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 of their 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 website 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 and star arrivals and showcasing some of the biggest music videos of the year. The 18 & Over pre-awards show special will air Friday, September 16 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. EDT 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. For embeddable clips and full episodes from NBC shows, please visit NBC.com’s official show site: http://www.nbc.com/shows.
MEDIA CONTACTS
For NBC:
Sharon Pannozzo, NBC Entertainment Publicity, (212) 664-5152
For the NCLR ALMA Awards:
Jennifer Price-Keith, The Lippin Group, (323) 965-1990, jprice@lippingroup.com
Julian Teixeira, Director of Communications, NCLR, (202) 776-1812, jteixeira@nclr.org