Global Television Network to broadcast National Final of CanWest/CanSpell on April 22nd at 7pm

Global Television Network to broadcast National Final of CanWest/CanSpell on April 22nd at 7pm

TORONTO, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Highlights of the second annual CanWest CanSpell National Final Spelling Bee will air nationally on the Global Television Network and NTV (Newfoundland Television Network) on Saturday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. (check local listings). Saturn RELAY will present the one-hour special featuring 28 of the country's top spellers.

Christine Shipton, Vice President of Original Programming for the Global Television Network said, "We are very excited to offer viewers an inside look at the National Final of CanWest CanSpell. This is the kind of original programming that we like to bring to the Canadian audience: a program that rewards learning and captures the fun and excitement of Canadian youngsters competing at the top level."

The country's top spelling wizards represented 14 regions in Canada, from Victoria on the West Coast to St. John's on the Atlantic side. Their spelling journey took them through entry-level competitions at their local schools and through written and regional bee events, leading up to the National Final Spelling Bee in Ottawa on April 5. The championship competition stretched five hours long, culminating with the winning word: dghaisa.

Going word for word in the final dramatic moments, 14-year old Finola Hackett of Tofield, Alberta - champion of the 2005 event - repeated her winning form and triumphed over Jennifer Hurd of Ottawa, with the correct spelling of two consecutive words plucked at random from the dictionary. In an interview following the hard-fought win, Finola said, "I was really lucky because it (dghaisa) was one of the words I had seen in the dictionary and studied." Finola received a $10,000 education award and the right to keep the CanWest CanSpell cup on display in her hometown of Tofield, Alberta for one more year.

"From the beginning Saturn Canada and the Saturn retailers have always been community-focused," says Dave McCall, Director, Saturn Canada. "The CanSpell program attracts interest from hundreds of thousands of students from across the country and encourages them to excel to new heights in academic achievement. We were honoured to be involved with such a promising program."

Spellers and their immediate family members traveled to the Capital Region via sponsor airline Air Canada, and spent four days touring historic city sites, meeting national dignitaries and getting to know fellow competitors. Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed the spellers during a gala reception held in their honour at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Her Excellency The Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, National Patron of CanWest CanSpell, offered welcoming remarks to open the second annual national final spelling bee event.

The country's top spellers now move on to compete in the internationally- known Scripps Spelling Bee on May 31st and June 1st in Washington, D.C. Fans, friends and family members can follow their progress at Scripps through continuous updates at www.canspell.com.

CanWest Global Communications Corp. (NYSE: CWG; TSX: CGS.SV and CGS.NV, www.canwestglobal.com), an international media company, is Canada's largest media company. CanWest is Canada's largest publisher of daily newspapers, and also owns, operates and/or holds substantial interests in conventional television, out-of-home advertising, specialty television channels, web sites and radio stations and networks in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Turkey.

Source: CanWest Global Communications Corp.

CONTACT: Or to arrange an interview call: Bruce Leslie, CanWest Global
Communications Corp., (204) 229-5601

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