NBC, MTV and its sister networks and BET are working on televised specials to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“A Concert for Hurricane Relief,” the first of the specials, will air at 8 p.m. EDT Saturday on NBC and two of its sister cable channels, CNBC and MSNBC, the network announced Thursday. “Today” anchor Matt Lauer will host the hour-long telethon, which will air live on the East Coast and tape-delayed to viewers out West.

Money raised from the show will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Country music star Tim McGraw, along with New Orleans natives Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr., are among the artists scheduled to perform.

BET, meanwhile, has joined with the Red Cross, the National Urban League and others to organize a 2 1/2-hour telethon on Sept. 9. The Viacom-owned network will kick off the telethon with a special episode of its music show “106 & Park” at 6 p.m. EDT, with the telethon set for 7:30 p.m. The talent lineup for the BET show isn’t confirmed yet.

MTV, along with sister nets VH1 and CMT, will air a live special Sept. 10 as the cornerstone of what MTV calls an ongoing campaign for relief. The special will feature performances from Green Day, Gretchen Wilson, Ludacris, Rob Thomas and Alicia Keys, among others. The three channels will also launch an awareness campaign to tell viewers how they can donate or volunteer their time.

Additionally, the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light” will begin airing public-service announcements Friday, featuring cast members Robert Newman and Kim Zimmer about how viewers can help. Louisiana native Trent Dawson of “As the World Turns” will also tape PSAs.

After plowing across South Florida last week, Katrina regained steam and hit Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as a massive Category 4 storm on Monday. Much of the city of New Orleans is under water, and the majority of its residents have evacuated the city. Estimates of the death toll range from a few hundred to thousands, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history.