COLUMBUS, Ohio – Beginning October 11, Ohioans will get a chance to test their knowledge against the state’s top high school students. ONN, in collaboration with Westfield Insurance, will debut a new quiz bowl-style show entitled, “Westfield Insurance Brain Game.”

“Westfield Insurance Brain Game” is a statewide academic quick competition hosted by ONN Anchor Mike Kallmeyer. Each half-hour episode will feature two high school teams competing to earn the highest score. Players will answer questions from a variety of categories, including history, science, arts, spelling, math and general knowledge. The program will air Thursdays at 7:30pm, with replays on Friday at 9:30am, Sunday at 5pm and Tuesday at 3:30pm.

"We are pleased to partner with Westfield Insurance to bring this fun and exciting show to Ohioans," said Tom Griesdorn, president and general manager of ONN. "Not only does it carry a high entertainment value, but it will provide an opportunity to showcase the academic excellence of Ohio’s schools and students."

Westfield Insurance sponsors similar television programs that recognize academic excellence in Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

"Support for academic excellence in schools is a rewarding way to make our brand known and at the same time make a meaningful difference in the communities where we live and work,” said Roger McManus, president, Westfield Insurance. “This sponsorship is a statement of our commitment to Ohio and our agency partners. We thank ONN for bringing us this opportunity."

60 Ohio high school teams in all will compete for the title of "The Brain Game Ohio State Champion." $32,000 in grants will be awarded by Westfield Insurance to the top 8 schools in contention. In addition, the top two scoring high schools will be shown in the championship match, which ONN will air on May 15, 2008.

ONN is Ohio’s Channel for news, weather, sports and lifestyles programming. ONN is a member of the Dispatch Broadcast Group, which includes WBNS-TV, WBNS-AM/FM, Ohio News Network and Radio Sound Network in Columbus, Ohio; WTHR-TV and SkyTrak Weather Network in Indianapolis, Indiana. ONN is available in 83 of Ohio’s 88 counties on these cable systems: Time Warner, Armstrong, Insight, WOW!, Suddenlink, GLW Broadband, Medina Cable Access, New Knoxville Cable, Bellaire TV Cable, and AT&T Broadband.

In business for nearly 160 years, Westfield Insurance, provides commercial and personal insurance and surety services to customers in 28 states. Westfield is one of the nation’s 50 largest property and casualty insurance groups, represented by a network of over 1,200 independent insurance agencies. Westfield Group provides banking through Westfield BankSM and agency support through Westfield Services, Inc.

Contacts:
Barb Geller
ONN Media/Affiliate Relations Mgr.
 614-280-6308
barb.geller@OhioNewsNow.com
 

Terri Grimm
Westfield Insurance Marketing Communications Manager
330-887-6055
TerriGrimm@westfieldgrp.com

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