Haiti telethon to air on 11 U.S. networks

NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- MTV Networks says its telethon "Hope for Haiti" will air in the United States on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT.

The two-hour special is to be broadcast commercial-free from Los Angeles, New York and Haiti Jan. 22. The program will also be made available to MTV Networks International, CNN International and National Geographic channels worldwide.

Donations are to directly benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF and Yele Haiti Foundation -- organizations helping victims of this week's devastating earthquake, MTV said Friday.

"Leading the charge for 'Hope for Haiti' will be George Clooney in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean in New York City and CNN's Anderson Cooper from Haiti," MTV said.

The telethon will feature musical performances and celebrity appearances to be announced before the event, as well as live news reports from CNN. "Hope for Haiti" will be produced by Joel Gallen and Tenth Planet Productions, in collaboration with MTV Networks and Clooney.

Facebook and MySpace have also signed on as official social media partners to help drive donations, MTV said.