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Most of us remember the legendary "Don't Say Hello, Say I Listen To CHUM," contest that was hugely popular in the 70s. Now a version of that stalwart is back on a station CHUM used to own. City TV is running a new contest in which people who answer their phones "I Wake Up With BT" can win $1,000.
Unlike the old one, though, this one requires you to register, so they're not making the calls every morning at 8 AM at random. And unlike the CHUM version, if no one wins, another thousand is added to the prize the following day. Twenty prizes are "available" to be won and the contest is on until June 14th.
In an era when texting and cell phones are the norm, I never thought we'd see this idea again. Proving, if nothing else, that everything old is new again.
BT Contest
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RadioActive wrote:
In an era when texting and cell phones are the norm, I never thought we'd see this idea again. Proving, if nothing else, that everything old is new again.
Call display and all, but the better question is, if someone from BT calls using *67
(or #31# with some phone companies) will anyone answer a call from "unknown name private number"???
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If people are registering to play, and they're making the calls a set time every day (which they are) people will answer.
Guess this is the result of radio people running BT now.
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As RadioAaron notes, there's a bit of cheat going on here. Not only do you have to register for the contest (which eliminates random phone calls) but they also place the call at 8 AM. So, if you've put your name in and the phone rings around eight in the morning, I'm pretty sure you'll know who it is.
The CHUM contest involved calling people out of the phone book. I was always amazed that anyone would answer their phone with that phrase, given the odds of them actually being called.
(And then there was CFTR, which fought the promotion by having a contest of its own. If you answered your phone "hello," they'd give you 25 bucks.)
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Yeah, the random callouts would never work today for both the getting people to pick up the phone reasons RW pointed out, and the fact that no one media outlet or show has the reach to make it work.
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That CHUM contest had people everywhere answering their phones that way. When it ran, I was a teenager in a rural Niagara Peninsula community, hardly the core market. But whenever you called someone the same age, it was common to hear, "I listen to CHUM." However, I don't recall anyone in my burg winning anything.
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Radiowiz wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
In an era when texting and cell phones are the norm, I never thought we'd see this idea again. Proving, if nothing else, that everything old is new again.
Call display and all, but the better question is, if someone from BT calls using *67
(or #31# with some phone companies) will anyone answer a call from "unknown name private number"???
With mobile phones I don't answer if it's a number I don't recognize. Too many scammers spoofing local numbers have ruined it.
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A while ago, I put together a collection of some odd moments from the "I Listen To CHUM" contest. You can hear them at the links below.
Terry Steele
Jay Nelson
Roger Ashby