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THE WORLD'S TOP MUSIC, FILM AND TELEVISION STARS WILL APPEAR IN TWO NEW SPECIALS -- "LISTEN LIVE" AND "WHY LISTEN" -- TO BENEFIT THE PLANET'S MOST DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN, ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK IN JULY
CBS will broadcast two new primetime specials -- LISTEN LIVE and WHY LISTEN -- to benefit the world's most disadvantaged children, it was announced today by Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events. The specials will raise money for the Listen Charity Campaign 2007, a worldwide campaign that is expected to fund numerous charity projects worldwide, and will be broadcast on two consecutive nights in July.
LISTEN LIVE, a two-hour special, will be an artistically unique event that will bring together leading artists from film, music, television, literature and the visual arts who will join forces to focus attention on the needs and rights of children affected by war, disease, exploitation, poverty and AIDS.
WHY LISTEN, a one-hour special, will feature six entertainment stars as they travel to remote locations, including China, India, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, to meet with a child in crisis and a group that is working to solve the problem in each area.
"These specials will be entertaining, informative and will raise awareness for a variety of important issues affecting children worldwide," Sussman said. "We're proud to use the reach, influence and power of network television for such a special event and worthy cause."
Tony Hollingsworth, executive producer of the LISTEN Campaign and CEO of the London-based Tribute Third Millennium Limited, said "LISTEN is the first annual global awareness and fundraising campaign highlighting the rights and needs of children and has been developed to work across television, radio, web, print and mobile. The campaign and the LISTEN Charity have been structured in a unique way to meet the changing criteria of the donation-giving public and we are delighted that CBS is leading the way in giving its support."
Tony Hollingsworth has produced nine of the world's largest global broadcast events including "Nelson Mandela: 70th Birthday Tribute," "The Wall: Live in Berlin," "Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa," "The Simple Truth:
A Concert for Kurdish Refugees" and "The Greatest Music Party in the World." The "Nelson Mandela: 70th Birthday Tribute" was seen by 600 million people in 67 countries. He has produced events in locations as diverse and challenging as Moscow's Red Square, The Berlin Wall and an 8th Century Buddhist temple in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, and worked with musical artists including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan, Sting, Rod Stewart, Seal, Jon Bon Jovi, k.d. lang, Mary J. Blige, David Bowie and Diana Ross.
The LISTEN Campaign 2007 is an annual global media campaign which is set to launch this year and is expected to reach 500 million people around the world. It asks its audience to listen to the needs of the world's most disadvantaged children, take responsibility and help.
LISTEN LIVE will be executive produced by Tony Hollingsworth. WHY LISTEN will be executive produced by Susan Zirinsky ("48 Hours").
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Press Contacts:
Susan J. Marks 323-575-2118 susan.marks@tvc.cbs.com
Johanna Fuentes 212-975-4757 jfuentes@cbs.com
CBS Press Website: http://www.cbspressexpress.com/
