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It's been done before, but never in a market the size of Peterborough. CJMB-FM, aka Freq 90.5, has started a contest offering couples who are having trouble conceiving a child the chance to win $10,000 for fertility treatments at a local clinic.
As you can see by the graphic below, they're approaching the serious subject with some humour. I like the "not as shown" tag line.
Win A Baby Contest
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Speaking of odd prizes, I always wondered what people who won "zonks" on Let's Make A Deal did with those offerings and whether anyone actually took a zebra home with them. After all, rules are rules and if you win (or lose) a booby prize, I'm quite certain you're legally entitled to claim it in lieu of an alternate offer.
And then I found this article in a 1977 TV Guide that answered that question once and for all. Some people did want the most ridiculous things. And the show was obliged to give it to them, one way or another.
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HOT 89.9 in Ottawa was the first in Canada to do this, if I recall. PD was Rob Mise. He's now GM of Freq.
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It's been done in the U.S., as well. The publicity value of "Giving Away A Baby," is what makes it work. It's a bit sleazy but it gets attention, which in the end is likely all that counts. And the strangest part is that if the fertility treatments don't actually work, it could be argued that they really haven't given away the advertised prize at all! (Although I'm sure legal would say it was the 10-grand that was the real value, not the kid.)
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RadioAaron wrote:
HOT 89.9 in Ottawa was the first in Canada to do this, if I recall. PD was Rob Mise. He's now GM of Freq.
That's the beauty of moving around. Old ideas new home. (New market)