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Radio Contests Not As Easy As They Used To Be
There was a day when just getting through to a station was the challenge. Answer an easy question and you won. I remember winning two 45s from CHUM during "The Battle of the New Sounds." Still have them, too, all these years later. All I had to do was be the right number caller.
But now with the Internet having all the answers, you can't just ask a simple skill-testing question anymore. Devising contests is a lot harder than it used to be.
The prizes are different, too. No more giving away a single or an album. These days, the big prizes are expensive concert tickets (comped to the station, so it costs them nothing) or a big enough amount of cash to make it worth your while.
The article below is from Washington State, but it echoes the same experience - winning and having your name mentioned (or even getting on the radio to give your guess) is still a thrill for listeners. And in a generation where "experiences" have huge currency, sometimes that's worth more than the prize itself.
"I’ve unscrambled song lyrics played backwards, identified celebrities as dead or alive and once even belted out “Juke Box Hero” for a pair of Foreigner tickets. For others, the shock of busting past those busy signals results in a paralyzing, tongue-tied situation.
“For the most part, they can’t believe that they made it, that they got through … they have it (the answer) in their head and they can’t say it,” said KPND morning show host Paul Meyers, who works hard to keep that contest playing field equal. “You can’t just ask questions, because of the internet. Everybody has a computer in their back pocket."
”Dialed in to win: Area DJs says it’s quite the job to win call-in radio contests
- mace
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Re: Radio Contests Not As Easy As They Used To Be
Back in the 1970's, WGR ran one of the simplist, widely popular contests ever. It was called Hi-LO and was played hourly each day. You simply had to guess the amount of cash in the 550 Jackpot. After your guess, you were informed whether if it was too high or too low. It kept people listening every hour as the incorrect guesses would narrow the gap, We're talking hundreds, not thousands of dollars here. But Cash is still King and no matter the amount, everyone will find a use for it. On a personal note, I won a Sony Walkman by correctly identifying the Morning Mystery Oldie on CHUM FM. It was You Haven't Done Nothin' by Stevie Wonder. From Q107, I won Tickets to the Sammy Hagar led Van Halen INCLUDING Back Stage Passes. Before the concert we were all divided into groups according to which radio station had awarded the tickets. When our turn came, very large security person #1 shouted "Gentlemen, this way please" We got all of 10 seconds to shake hands with the band. Then the photographer says "Turn Around and Smile" FLASH! Very large security person #2 shouts "Gentlemen Exit this way please. Next group, please come forward.
- Forward Power
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Re: Radio Contests Not As Easy As They Used To Be
Many stations in southern Ontario continue to do "Hi-Lo" in one form or another... an example would be the "myFM ATM" that MBC's myFM stations often run once or twice a year.
On a related note, Stingray's Hot 89.9 in Ottawa posted on Facebook this morning that their contests etc. are now open to all Canadians, including Quebec residents. Very often those residents are excluded from various contests and promotions originating elsewhere in Canada, due to provincial laws/regulations involving contests, promotions, games of chance and so on. Guessing that Stingray finally went through all the necessary stuff with the regulatory agency (the RACJ) to allow QCers, esp. those in Gatineau and other places in the 89.9 OTA coverage area, to participate in their stations' contests.