The Oxygen Network Airs First-Ever Bunco World Championship Presented by Prilosec OTC

The Oxygen Network Airs First-Ever Bunco World Championship Presented by Prilosec OTC

Trendy Little Dice Game Premieres at Primetime on Friday, March 10th With Special Guest Marg Helgenberger of CSI

CINCINNATI, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Move over Poker, it's Bunco's turn to shine. The hot dice game played by over 21 million women nationwide now has its own show, premiering Friday, March 10th at 8:00pm ET/PT on Oxygen. Now the rest of the nation will get a first-hand look at what players are willing to do to be crowned the Bunco World Champion during the hour-long special which was filmed on location at the first ever Bunco World Championship, sponsored by Prilosec OTC in Las Vegas.

Highlights of the show will include a series of vignettes featuring women from across the nation as they make their run for the Championship as well as a special appearance by CSI's Marg Helgenberger who was on hand at the Championship to encourage participants to keep the dice rolling. More than one thousand Bunco enthusiasts from across the United States came together to compete for a $50,000 cash prize in Las Vegas.

Bunco may not be a household name, but it is rapidly becoming a household game. This dice game favored by women as an alternative to "poker night" has been steadily gaining popularity. Like most dice games, Bunco is based primarily on luck. However, for the women who play, it is not merely a game, but a reason to get together with female friends for delicious food, good gossip and just plain fun.

"Bunco has become a wildly popular game with women and we know our viewers will love to see it on Oxygen for the first time," said Cynthia Ashworth, SVP Marketing, Oxygen Media. "We are thrilled to be working with Prilosec OTC to bring the first-ever Bunco World Championship to our viewers across the nation."

Bunco To Beat Breast Cancer

Traditionally, women have also used these gatherings as an opportunity to talk with friends about health concerns like breast cancer as well as to raise money for breast cancer research. In the last five years, local Bunco clubs have raised more than $350,000 for breast cancer research and education. To help maintain the tradition, Prilosec OTC is using the Bunco World Championship to raise money for this worthy cause.

With the goal of raising up to $1 million for breast cancer research and awareness, Prilosec OTC is donating 10 cents for each box of the product sold between February 12 and March 12, 2006 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). In addition, Prilosec OTC is selling one-of-a-kind Bunco kits, which are available online at PrilosecOTC.com. A portion of the sales from these kits will be donated from February 12 - March 31.

At the Prilosec OTC Bunco World Championship, Prilosec OTC will make a donation to the NBCF for each "Bunco" (three of a kind that matches with the current round) rolled during the Championship event. The event will also feature a "dueling pianos" booth, where people can donate money to hear their favorite song or to stop a song from being played.

For more information on fundraising efforts and the World Bunco Championship log on to http://www.buncocentral.com/

About PRILOSEC OTC

PRILOSEC OTC is the #1 Doctor-* and Pharmacist-** recommended OTC acid reducer, the first of a class of OTC heartburn medicines that works differently from every other over-the-counter heartburn medication. Prilosec OTC is the only OTC that can work for 24 hours with one pill a day by directly shutting down many acid pumps in your stomach when used as directed for 14 days for treating frequent heartburn. In the two years since PRILOSEC OTC was launched, it has become the #1 selling OTC heartburn medicine*** on the market. For more information about PRILOSEC OTC, visit http://www.prilosecotc.com/. PRILOSEC OTC is available over-the-counter through an alliance between P&G and AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca continues to market and sell prescription PRILOSEC.

About Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG)

Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Bounty(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Actonel(R), Olay(R) and Clairol Nice 'n Easy(R). The P&G community consists of nearly 98,000 employees working in almost 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF)

The National Breast Cancer Foundation's focus is to save lives now through early breast cancer detection. Mammograms are one of the best methods to catch the disease before its too late. In fact, if the disease is caught early enough, the five-year survival rate is 97 percent. Visit http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org to learn more about mammograms and self- breast exams.

About Oxygen

Oxygen, the only cable network owned and operated by women, is currently available in 66 million homes. The network was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape -- creating a network targeted to younger women. Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women's television, with the most original programming of all the women's networks including Campus Ladies, Mo'Nique's Fat Chance and Talk Sex with Sue Johanson. Geraldine Laybourne, the network's founder, Chairman and CEO, has led the company to be a strong advocate for women. Through programs like The Mentor's Walk, Oxygen's national program for bringing along the next generation, and "Who Cares About Girls," Oxygen's new documentary series -- Oxygen is creating The New Girls Network.

* NDCHealth, NDC Physician Recommendation Audit (April 2004 - September
2004, Acid Reducer Category). Data on file.

** Based on share of recommendations: Pharmacy Today 2004 OTC Survey,
Acid Reducers.

*** Based on dollar sales. AC Nielson FD+ dollar share of heartburn
(12/28/03 - 4/23/05).

Source: Procter & Gamble

CONTACT: Crystal W. Harrell, Ph.D, Prilosec OTC External Relations
Manager of P&G Health Sciences Institute, +1-513-622-2880; or Robyn Finker,
Senior Account Executive of Manning Selvage & Lee, +1-212-468-3879, for
Procter & Gamble

Web site: http://www.pg.com/
http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
http://www.buncocentral.com/
http://www.prilosecotc.com/

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