New York Hosts the First-Ever 'National Vocabulary Championship' Giving Students the Opportunity to Test Their Vocabulary Knowledge

New York Hosts the First-Ever 'National Vocabulary Championship' Giving Students the Opportunity to Test Their Vocabulary Knowledge

Local High School Students Compete for $5,000 Prize and a Chance to Qualify for Final Competition in New York City and $40,000 '529' Higher Education Savings Plan

Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Sponsor an Educational Event at The Brooklyn Museum on December 13th

NEW YORK and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Vocabulary Championship (NVC) rolls into New York with an opportunity for local high school students to win money toward their college savings accounts and their schools. The Brooklyn Museum will open its doors to 100 local students on December 13th as they compete to be the last one standing in a competition that tests vocabulary skills through fun and interactive game play.

The National Vocabulary Championship is a nationwide educational initiative conceived by television network GSN that aims to promote the importance of vocabulary skills in school, at work and at play. The Princeton Review, a leading provider of college preparation and educational services, provides study materials for students, including sample tests, words of the day, NVC-related podcasts of study words and other preparation materials. These materials are available free online at www.winwithwords.com.

The New York winner will receive $5,000 and a guaranteed spot in the final competition in March. There, the winner will go head-to-head with 49 other students from around the country as they compete to win $40,000 to be invested in a 529 Higher Education Savings Plan and the title of "National Vocabulary Champion."

"GSN is taking the NVC across the country to raise awareness of the importance of language arts in the classroom," said Dena Kaplan, Senior Vice President of Marketing, GSN. "We're investing in America's future by providing money for college to winning students as well as making learning words fun and relevant in the game of life."

Time Warner Cable and Cablevision's Power to Learn have lent support to the program by airing "Win with Words" public service announcements since August. Celebrities Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Probst, Tom Bergeron and others joined the network in filming these PSAs that encourage high school students to expand their vocabulary and, in turn, their opportunities in life.

"Education is the foundation of our local philanthropy. Helping to develop young minds is key to creating brighter futures for local students," stated Harriet Novet, Vice President, Public Affairs, Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey. "For over 30 years, Time Warner Cable has been dedicated to helping to build a platform for children to reach their full potential. Participating in this competition is a perfect opportunity to encourage students to creatively expand their vocabulary and challenge themselves," she added.

"Power to Learn is pleased to support a great event like the National Vocabulary Championship on the local level because it underscores our commitment to the education and development of students in the tri-state area," said Trent Anderson, Vice President, Education, Cablevision. "Proficiency in the language arts is an invaluable tool that these students will carry with them far beyond this event, and we applaud GSN's efforts to promote learning in a lively and engaging environment."

Students at over thirty area high schools prepared for an in-school NVC qualifying exam under the tutelage of vocabulary coaches. A total of 100 students, representing top-scoring students from each participating high school, will be invited to participate in the December 13th live competition. The event is open to the public and the media is encouraged to attend.

New York students who do not attend a participating high school were able to participate in the National Vocabulary Championship by taking an online exam to qualify for the finals in March. The National Vocabulary Championship finale will be televised on GSN April 10, 2007. Log on to www.winwithwords.com for more information.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR PARTICIPATE IN THE NVC. Open only to high school students who are legal residents of the U.S., between the ages of 13 and 19 as of the date of each applicable NVC exam and/or event. Minors in their state of residency must provide written consent from their parent or legal guardian to be eligible to advance to an NVC citywide championship or regional exam. Void where prohibited. Please visit www.winwithwords.com for complete details, including dates of NVC qualifying examinations and events, additional eligibility restrictions and prize descriptions/restrictions.

About "National Vocabulary Championship(TM)"

The National Vocabulary Championship (NVC) is a GSN initiative that uses competition and wordplay to engage and reward high school students, educators and parents, teaching them the value of a strong vocabulary. Created with educational partner The Princeton Review, the NVC is open to eligible high school students across the country and will be promoted in schools and through a national "Win With Words" PSA campaign. In addition, a robust, interactive website (www.winwithwords.com) will offer a variety of free vocabulary- enhancing tools, word games and study materials.

About "Win With Words(TM)"

GSN's Win With Words public service campaign is designed to promote the importance of vocabulary skills in one's life no matter the age. Words play an important part in education, careers, communication and even being a contestant on a game show. The Win With Words campaign includes study materials, words of the day, and other elements that improve language arts year-long. These educational features can be found on the website www.winwithwords.com. Celebrities who appeared in the Win With Words public service announcements include Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Bergeron, Jeff Probst, Chuck Woolery and Shandi Finnessey.

About GSN

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 and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 133 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 60 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 The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a pioneer in the world of education. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in New York City, the Company offers private tutoring and classroom and online test preparation to help students improve their scores in college and graduate school admissions tests. The Company's free website, www.PrincetonReview.com, helps over half of university-bound students research, apply to, prepare for, and learn how to pay for their higher education, and helps hundreds of colleges and universities streamline their admissions and recruiting activities. In addition, The Princeton Review works with school districts around the U.S. to measurably strengthen students' academic skills by connecting ongoing assessment with professional development and instruction and by providing districts with college and career resources for both students and guidance counselors. The Company also authors more than 200 print and software titles on test preparation, college and graduate school selection and admissions, and related topics

About Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey

Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey serves over 1.4 million customers in four NYC boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and western Brooklyn), Mt. Vernon, Hudson Valley (Orange, Sullivan, Ulster Counties and parts of Dutchess, Greene and Delaware Counties) and Bergen and Hudson Counties, New Jersey.

Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey has led the telecommunications industry in bringing exciting, innovative services to customers including digital phone, high speed internet access through four ISPs, digital video recorders and Video On Demand. Visit timewarnercable.com/nynj

Our parent company, Time Warner Cable owns and manages cable systems serving 14.4 million subscribers in 33 states. Passing approximately 28 million homes, Time Warner Cable includes some of the most technologically advanced and best-clustered cable systems in the country, with nearly 85 percent of the Company's customers located in five geographic regions: New York, Texas, Ohio, the Carolinas and southern California. Leveraging its leadership in innovation and quality customer care, Time Warner Cable delivers advanced products and services such as video on demand, high definition television, digital video recorders, high-speed data and Digital Phone. Time Warner Cable is a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.

About Cablevision's Power to Learn

Power to Learn, Cablevision's nationally recognized education initiative, empowers K-12 learning in the tri-state area by making technology in the classroom useful and by facilitating the home-school connection. Today, more than 2,100 schools and libraries throughout Cablevision's New York metropolitan service area receive high-speed Internet access and more than 85 percent of schools in Cablevision's service area receive free cable television service as a result of this initiative. In addition, teachers, students and parents benefit from innovative educational content and tools available on www.powertolearn.com, a broadband Web resource dedicated to facilitating K-12 learning and the home-school connection.

Source: GSN

CONTACT: Deborah McBride of GSN, +1-310-255-6938, dmcbride@gsn.com

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

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