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Apparently People DO Win Radio Contests
Posted by Simple Dude | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 30-08-2011
Yesterday I posted a little inside info about how radio station promotions and contests used to be a little shady. People certainly won prizes, but not every prize meant for listeners actually MADE IT to listeners. Some prizes made it to unsavory people… LIKE ME.
If you haven’t already, read yesterday’s post first.
And now we have some GOOD NEWS. Apparently these days things are a little more legit, as reported by one of our fellow Simpletons, Mo at Bella Baby Blahg. You see – she works in radio down in Houston and sees things from today’s perspective:
Hey Dude, as a fellow simpleton and a broadcaster you know I have to throw in my 2 cents on this one. Things have actually changed quite a bit – and you can thank everyone’s favorite ‘Ladies Man’ Elliot Spitzer! Shortly after you filled your trunk with all those Playstations and bailed on our glorious industry… Spitzer made a name for himself in NY by going after the record labels.
Don’t feel so bad for your shenanigans – the program directors and music directors were getting crisp 100 dollar bills inside CD sleeves. It is called “payola” and although it’s always been illegal, record labels found creative ways to get their songs played. Not any more.
Although I am mainly on the creative side of the biz, I have noticed many changes that are good for listeners and bad for underpaid radio folk who were used to getting perks. Here’s a rundown:
– No more free trips to conferences and concerts in other cities. Record labels used to use these trips to throw money at program directors. Nowadays, if the station ain’t payin, we ain’t goin. And you know how cheap radio companies are. We all have to stay in town and actually do our jobs. Bummer.– No more free lunches. Labels used to wine and dine the whole staff. Now the label rep can’t even buy the music director a cup of coffee. While the MD can probably afford his meal anyway, this was a nice bonus in the past for starving DJ who happened to be hanging around when the label rep strolled in.
– All prizes are accounted for, and every contest clearly identifies where the prize came from. Do we still get perks that are supposed to go to listeners? Absolutely! The only difference is we have to wait till 5pm on Friday and the staff picks up the scraps from listeners who don’t show up to claim their tickets/CDs/etc. by the deadline.As for who wins… since the advent of this new-fangled-texting-fad, many stations take “texter 99” so they have to play by the rules on that. What you describe about finding the “10th caller” *might* still go on in some places. Not here of course, I work for a highly respected major market broadcasting conglomerate. We would never do such a thing… but if by chance any of your readers do try to be the correct caller at a radio station from time to time… it never hurts to sound excited if and when the DJ answers.
Now if I could just get the bastards to play my Duran Duran requests.
SD
Funny, my mother won a perfume set from the radio last night.
Posted on: Aug/30/2011@2:54 pm
My sister-in-law-to-be won tickets to the BFD Live Concert via radio. I thought it was cool. I have never won anything through radio though. I'm just so impatient calling and be caller number ???. LOL
A Ladybug's Life
Sonnia
Posted on: Aug/30/2011@3:05 pm
I won tickets to a washed up country music singer's show once. He was performing at the hillbilly firehouse two towns over. I remember the DJ asking why I wasn't all excited and screaming, and I remember answering, "Because, it's Joe Diffie. At the firehouse. In Boonsboro. On a Saturday afternoon. How excited would YOU be?" Needless to say, I never got my tickets.
Posted on: Aug/30/2011@3:22 pm
Thanks Dude! Just remember… “Radio is the theater of the mind; television is the theater of the mindless”
Posted on: Aug/30/2011@4:35 pm
Payola. I had no idea. Thanks for that choice piece of information, dude!
Dean
http://leftcoastguy.com
Posted on: Aug/30/2011@9:06 pm
haha good point. Here, I'm all worried about sounding excited, when I never actually get through! I hate the busy signal!
Posted on: Aug/31/2011@2:54 am
I attended a University with a student run station and students living in the dorms had a huge advantage over everyone else: They only had to dial the 4 digit extension of the station. (As you can tell, phones weren't that advanced back then, and yes, I am old.)
Anyway, I became quite good at winning by virtue of being able to tie up one of the lines almost instantly and hope that it was the lucky one. And what absolutely AMAZED me was that there were people out there with so much time on their hands that they would hear my name get mentioned and call in to inform the station that I had won just 10 days ago. The rule was that you could only win once every 2 weeks.
After a while, I got to know some of the people there (having been in and out of there to pick up free CD's and whatnot). They told me that they never checked to see if you'd won recently because it was a pain in the ass. And they HATED when people called up and made them do so. So although when I got caught they wouldn't give me the CD I had won, they'd usually scrounge up something for me.
But by far my best radio win was when the DJ said he'd give a free CD to the first caller that could convince him that he deserved it.
DJ: Ok, so why should you win?
Me: Because I'm high as a kite right now.
DJ: Works for me
Posted on: Aug/31/2011@5:31 am
I dont think I have ever won anything on the radio. Just not quick enough to beat the engaged tone.
Always fun to listen to the over the top carry on of the people who do win though
Posted on: Aug/31/2011@12:14 pm
I have a friend I've had since elementary school and her parents ALWAYS win radio contests. They also ALWAYS have the radio on! To this day (many years past elementary school days) they are STILL winning radio contests! Amazing!
Posted on: Sep/1/2011@5:47 pm