Philadelphia Hosts the 2nd Annual Citywide Competition of GSN's 'National Vocabulary Championship' Thursday, January 17th

Philadelphia Hosts the 2nd Annual Citywide Competition of GSN's 'National Vocabulary Championship' Thursday, January 17th

Area Students Brush-Up on Vocabulary Skills for a Chance to Compete for a $5,000 Prize and a Spot in the National Finals

Event to be Held in Partnership with Comcast Cable

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Students from 48 high schools in the Philadelphia metropolitan area are preparing to best their peers in a war of words. The National Vocabulary Championship (NVC) returns to Philadelphia for its second consecutive year with a citywide competition in which the top 100 vocabulary students in the region will compete for money toward college and an opportunity to advance to the NVC Finals. In partnership with Comcast Cable, the live event takes place at Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts on Thursday, January 17, 2008 from 5:30PM-8:30PM.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071220/LATH075LOGO)

The National Vocabulary Championship is an educational initiative conceived by GSN (Game Show Network) and its NVC educational partner, The Princeton Review. The nationwide academic competition, which is open to eligible students in grades 9-12 and between the ages of 13-19, goes beyond traditional 'spelling bees' by testing word definitions and comprehension.

Of the nearly 6,000 students throughout the Philadelphia area who took the in-school qualifying exam, 100 of the top scorers will qualify to compete in the live, game show-style event. The winner of the Citywide Championship will receive $5,000 toward college tuition and earn a guaranteed spot in the NVC Finals to be held in Los Angeles, CA on March 10, 2008. There, he or she will contend with 49 other top "word-smiths" from the more than 100,000 who participated in this year's competitions. The teen who best demonstrates his or her vocabulary mastery will be crowned the '2008 National Vocabulary Champion' and win an additional $40,000 toward college tuition.

"With help from our friends at Comcast, we're delighted to once again bring this program to Philadelphia," commented Dennis Gillespie, senior vice president of distribution, GSN. "We've made a real effort to reach teachers and students at the local level, and the response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Our goal of promoting the value of a powerful vocabulary to high schoolers has only gained momentum in its second year."

"Comcast cares about the communities where we work and live," said Kathleen Sullivan, Comcast regional vice president of government and community affairs. "We're committed to advancing education and literacy in the region and demonstrate this commitment through our local volunteer efforts, grant programs and other initiatives."

Hannah Zickgraf from Central High School was crowned Philadelphia's first NVC Citywide Champion during last year's event and subsequently competed in the inaugural NVC finals.

To learn more about the NVC, visit http://www.winwithwords.com/.

About the "National Vocabulary Championship"

GSN's National Vocabulary Championship (NVC) is a nationwide academic competition that offers high school students the opportunity to win money toward college tuition through local and national events. Created by GSN, along with educational partner The Princeton Review, the NVC is open to eligible high school students in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The NVC is the cornerstone of GSN's award-winning "Win With Words" public service campaign dedicated to improving language arts skills in high schools by promoting the value of an enhanced vocabulary, providing free Princeton Review study materials and engaging students in wordplay. For free vocabulary study materials, or for more information on GSN's National Vocabulary Championship, please visit http://www.winwithwords.com/.

About Comcast Corporation

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division of Comcast Corporation (http://www.comcast.com/), the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 12.9 million high-speed Internet customers and 4.1 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's Eastern Division serves almost 5.4 million customers along the New York to DC corridor, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and North Carolina. The Eastern Division also founded and manages CN8, The Comcast Network, one of the nation's largest and most honored regional 24-hour diversified television networks, seen by more than nine million homes on the East Coast. The Eastern Division employs approximately 18,000 people and is based in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

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Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071220/LATH075LOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: GSN

CONTACT: Cindy Ronzoni of GSN, +1-310-255-6933, cronzoni@gsn.com

Web site:

http://www.gsn.com/
http://www.winwithwords.com/
http://www.comcast.com/

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