GSN Partners With Time Warner Communications in Akron to Conduct the First-Ever Contestant Search for LINGO Contestants

GSN Partners With Time Warner Communications in Akron to Conduct the First-Ever Contestant Search for LINGO Contestants

Co-Host Shandi Finnessey Travels to Summit Mall to Host the Event Saturday, May 6 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- GSN, the network for games, is partnering with Time Warner Communications in Akron to find contestants for the weeknight hit game show LINGO. Co-host Shandi Finnessey (Miss USA 2004) will be hosting the contestant search on Saturday, May 6 at Summit Mall Center Court from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Co-sponsored by Nestle Purina's Friskies brand cat food and Cedar Point Amusement Park, Finnessey will be looking for the two best five-letter word solvers in town.

As the host, Finnessey will interview participants in order to find the two best competitors who will each receive a trip to Los Angeles and an opportunity to become actual contestants on the series' sixth season. She will also sign autographs and take photos with the attendees.

"LINGO is a fun, addictive word game whether people are watching or playing at home. Now we want to give fans around the country an opportunity to test their smarts for a chance to compete on the next season of LINGO in the first local contestant search in Akron," said Dena Kaplan, Senior Vice President, Marketing, GSN.

"We are also very pleased to be working with our national presenting sponsor, Purina's Friskies and co-branding the event with Time Warner where we are seen on Channel 108," continued Kaplan.

The contestant search audition process includes taking a timed LINGO word test and answering specific questions for an on-camera interview.

At the event, GSN will distribute Friskies cat food samples and LINGO premium items such as LINGO stress balls, hats, T-shirts and other fun items. Time Warner representatives will also be on hand at the event to promote their latest cable offerings.

Through the GSN partnership with Time Warner, this event will also be promoted on WMJI-FM and WGAR-FM through on-air mentions and on their website.

For those residents who are unable to attend the event, but want to be a contestant, another opportunity is being presented nationwide to all eligible participants playing the online LINGO Grand Prize Tournament. Beginning April 3 through May 28, the top scoring player in each week's LINGO tournament will win a trip to Los Angeles and an opportunity to compete on the show during the next season. GSN will give away eight Los Angeles prize packages in total and will be promoting the tournament through on-air promos, emails to GSN members, banners on GSN.com and all websites that include GSN Cash Games.

"We are very excited to provide another opportunity for fans to be on the show through our national SkillJam online LINGO Grand Prize Tournament," commented Kaplan.

Finnessey, originally from St. Louis, has a degree in psychology and has written a children's book, "The Furrtails," as part of her goal to integrate developmentally-challenged children into regular classrooms. She is also currently at work on her second book, "Suzanna the Banana."

For further information concerning GSN's LINGO Contestant Search and Grand Prize Tournament, please log onto GSN.com/LINGO.

Legendary host Chuck Woolery is the host of LINGO, which returned for its fifth season Monday, April 3 and airs Monday through Friday 7:30-8:00 PM, ET/PT. New to this season is a progressive LINGO jackpot, which is won every time a winning team gets "LINGO" on the first ball. The jackpot starts at $10,000 and grows by $1,000 each time it's not won.

To coincide with the new season, the network has created new LINGO premium items that can be purchased through GSN.com/LINGO. Also, GSN's affinity program, GSN Rewards, is promoting the new season with special merchandise and prizes for those who are playing along with the network's interactive offerings.

Summit Mall is located at 3265 West Market Street Akron, OH (Mall Contact phone number (330)867-1555). The location for the search will be the Center Court area.

GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries, alternative sports programs and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 100 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via GSN.com. Reaching 58 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.

About Friskies

Friskies brand cat food offers a complete line of great-tasting and 100% complete and balanced nutritional foods that deliver more choices than any other cat food brand, including over 60 wet, dry and treat varieties. Friskies is manufactured by Nestle Purina PetCare Company, one of the leading global players in the pet care industry. Nestle Purina PetCare Company promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare Company is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Missouri. The company is part of Swiss-based Nestle S.A. -- the world's largest food company.

For more information about Friskies brand cat food, log onto www.friskies.com.

Must be legal resident of the U.S. 18 years of age or older to audition for LINGO. GSN will select up to two (2) people per event to appear on LINGO. Persons who have previously appeared on LINGO or who have appeared on any other game show, contest show or reality show within one year of 1/17/06 are ineligible to participate. Selection decisions will be made by GSN in its sole discretion and shall be final and binding and not subject to appeal. Appearance opportunity includes airfare to Los Angeles and hotel accommodations. If GSN elects not to produce any additional episodes of LINGO, selected participants will get something other than the trip. See Participation Agreement at GSN.com/LINGO for additional eligibility restrictions, travel descriptions/restrictions and complete details. Void where prohibited.

Source: GSN

CONTACT: Jessica Hasson of GSN, +1-310-255-6934, jhasson@gsn.com

Web site: http://corp.gsn.com/

Web site: http://www.friskies.com/

Web site: http://www.gsn.com/
http://gsn.com/LINGO

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