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July 31, 2009

MARIO VAN PEEBLES AND HIS FAMILY EMBRACE GREEN LIVING IN NEW ECO-REALITY SERIES, MARIO’S GREEN HOUSE, PREMIERING ON TV ONE SEPTEMBER 27 AT 6 PM ET

Pasadena, CA - This fall, TV One's black focus turns green with the premiere of all-new half-hour reality series, Mario's Green House, where actor, director, producer and writer Mario Van Peebles and his family undergo a major home eco-renovation and embrace green living.  Scheduled to premiere Sunday, Sept. 27 at 6 PM ET with back-to-back episodes, Mario's Green House is an environmental "how to" and family comedy, which also offers an entertaining and accessible take on how to make one's everyday life support a sustainable future.

Along with his wife, Chitra, and his five high-energy kids, Mario embarks on a massive eco-sensitive renovation of his house as part of a newfound commitment to green living. He hopes that the renovation will be a creative and meaningful project for his entire family.  Balancing a busy Hollywood career along with the job of husband and father to a family of five, however, Mario soon learns that major construction is just the tip of the iceberg when he tries to manage a family lifestyle makeover.

While Mario juggles the complexities of going green, he also receives opinions and advice from others, including his mother, Maria, his father, the iconic filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, and an array of celebrity friends, including Ed Begley, who make cameos in various episodes.  In addition, Mario deals with concerns from his Baldwin Hills neighbors as they question the concept of green living.

Throughout the series, Mario is equipped with his own HD camera, which he uses as a personal video diary to shoot intimate footage of his home life.  Viewers will experience the crazy everyday life in the Van Peebles household, while learning about how to live green.

"We are delighted to bring Mario's Green House to TV One," said TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers.  "Conservation and sustainable living are obviously important issues for all of us, but this is the first African American-focused series we've seen that tackles green living.  Fortunately, Mario and his family have approached it in a light-hearted and entertaining way."

Mario's Green House was produced in association with Equator HD by Hour One LLC. A new episode of the eight-episode series will premiere each Sunday at 6 PM ET, followed at 6:30 by the preceding week's episode.

Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvoneonline.com) serves more than 47.5 million households (Nielsen June 2009 estimate), offering a broad range of entertainment, reality and lifestyle -oriented original programming, classic series, movies, and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers.  TV One's investors include Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK; www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners;  Comcast Corporation [NASDAQ: CMCSA and CMCSK; www.comcast.com], the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.