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Mass Lottery to end live TV drawings

Why is it that lottery commissions in other states can support live television drawings, yet Massachusetts cannot? What are they doing differently?
 
The local drawings for the Tri-State lottery (ME/NH/VT) aren't even televised. On the flip side, it's a pretty big deal for WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford for the in-state Connecticut Lottery drawings, including the Mid-Day drawings from Monday to Friday. Are the Rhode Island Lottery in-state drawings still aired by WPRI-TV (CBS) channel 12 of Providence? Lastly, I know the New Jersey Lottery drawings left NJN in New Jersey (too much to deal with there with NJN themselves). The Pennsylvania in-state evening drawings are still shown in the state's six TV markets, but their Mid-Day draws are done with an RNG generator and are only shown at their website.
 
You know, I have to say that in some ways, this is a good thing. I had a feeling this will happen eventually. IMO, the Mass lottery drawings went downhill YEARS ago when WCVB picked up the rights in 2004 and did away with Dawn Hayes, and the whole old format where they would show the entire drawing. Originally, they would still show the Numbers Game wheels spinning, and they would have different voiceover people, but the drawings were still done live, and they would show them drawing the numbers. In about 2008 or so, it was just a voiceover saying "Here is tonight's winning lottery number." So this really isn't much of a loss, and online, it will be more like the old days. But the question is: How good will the hosts be for the online version? I don't think Dawn Hayes will be coming back, since she is now a motorcycle driving instructor for a company in Woburn.
 
ssetta said:
You know, I have to say that in some ways, this is a good thing. I had a feeling this will happen eventually. IMO, the Mass lottery drawings went downhill YEARS ago when WCVB picked up the rights in 2004 and did away with Dawn Hayes, and the whole old format where they would show the entire drawing. Originally, they would still show the Numbers Game wheels spinning, and they would have different voiceover people, but the drawings were still done live, and they would show them drawing the numbers. In about 2008 or so, it was just a voiceover saying "Here is tonight's winning lottery number." So this really isn't much of a loss, and online, it will be more like the old days. But the question is: How good will the hosts be for the online version? I don't think Dawn Hayes will be coming back, since she is now a motorcycle driving instructor for a company in Woburn.
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I very much doubt there will be hosts. In fact, no audio necessary.
 
Last April, I tuned in to the WCVB-TV 11:00 pm news. Oops...instead of the news, there was Charlton Heston waving his arms in front of a swirling sea,. Yep, it was the annual showing of the "15 Commandments", I mean "Ten Commandments" (I always get the Cecil B. Demille movie mixed up with the Mel Brooks biblical movie). It's a hoot to watch that scene, which was at the forefront of movie technical wizardry, but is almost risible today). Anyway, a few minutes past eleven, WCVB displayed the daily and Megabucks number in a corner of the screen. Holy day or no Holy day, those numbers MUST be shown!
 
raccoonradio said:
http://bostonherald.com/news/region...ottery_drawings_on_tv/srvc=home&position=also

Remember they did a half hour show at one point. Big Money?
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I remember it well. "The Big Money Game" was started in September, 1975 on WCVB-TV (Channel 5) with an inaugural show live from Boston's Wilbur Theater with Allan Ludden ("Mr. Password" himself) doing the honors. It was also aired on WTEV/6 in New Bedford and WWLP/22 in Springfield. It was repeated the following day on WSMW-TV/27 in Worcester.
 
Laurence Glavin said:
Holy day or no Holy day, those numbers MUST be shown!
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Correct. The lottery drawings are a paid sponsorship/contract with the TV station. They are contractually obligated to air the lotteries when they do.

Lottery numbers don't get pre-empted on WCVB for anything, they must air when slated to do so.
 
I still remember the lottery music that ran for years and years on WCVB and WGGB... that funky 80's synth track. I've never been able to find it online anywhere.
 
If you're looking for some good lottery drawing music, look up "Time Trial" by Manfred Mann alum Mike Vickers on YouTube. It's been used as the "theme song" for the Pennsylvania live lottery drawings for years.

@Laurence, Necrat: Could you imagine if WCVB went to a split screen of "The Ten Commandments" and the live lottery drawing? Now that might be considered unholy! :eek:
 
qunewsguy said:
I still remember the lottery music that ran for years and years on WCVB and WGGB... that funky 80's synth track. I've never been able to find it online anywhere.
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Do you mean the music that was used on WCVB from 1994 to 1998 the first time they had the rights to Lottery Live? I've never been able to find that music either. However, I actually DO have the music that was used on WNEV/WHDH from 1987 to 1994. It was a variation of the Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour theme, and was written by Edd Kalehoff. Here it is:

http://www.tvmusicmuseum.com/documents/36.html

It's the one on the right.
 
Necrat said:
Lottery numbers don't get pre-empted on WCVB for anything, they must air when slated to do so.
Click to expand...

DToTheJ said:
Could you imagine if WCVB went to a split screen of "The Ten Commandments" and the live lottery drawing? Now that might be considered unholy! :eek:
Click to expand...

It could've been worse -- they could've just bumped the movie at that point to air the drawing, then rejoin the film in progress afterward. This was how WTVT in Tampa did the Florida Lottery draws in the early days (around 1989 through the early-1990s), when a film or program ran over 11PM on Saturday nights.
 
There's actually a video promoting the new online drawings on the official website:

http://www.masslottery.com/

And I saw this same promo on channel 5. Notice that it uses the same music that's currently used on the WCVB drawings. I wonder if this music will continue to be used. By the way, does anyone know what this piece of music is actually called, and where I can get a copy of it?
 
Here is an example of an online drawing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F046xMqUo40&feature=channel_video_title

I have to say I really like it. It really is a lot more like the old Lottery Live, and they actually do something they NEVER did before. They actually show the wheels starting up. It would be nice if there were music, and if they actually showed the host, but this is pretty good. From about 2004 to 2008 or so, they DID show the wheels spinning on WCVB for the Daily Numbers drawing, but for the multi-digit drawing they just showed the numbers on the screen. I have to say I think it's pretty good. What do you guys think?
 
I like the full disclosure part, but yet it all looks low-budget somehow. It looked even more basic tonight with the Monday drawings of Mass Cash and Cash Winfall.

In Connecticut, the in-state drawings have been on WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford since 1997. Here, the person turns each ball to face the camera and will say the number drawn: Two...two...four. Tonight's winning Play 3 night number is two-two-four. They draw Play 3 and then Play 4, go to one minute of commercials and then come back with Cash 5. WTIC-TV will usually do the weather, do one commercial and then air either Lucky 4 Life (Monday and Thursday) OR Classic Lotto (Tuesday and Friday). The person conducting the drawing will vary each night, usually among like 6 or 7 Connecticut Lottery staffers.
 
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