SERIOUS QUESTION ABOUT PROMOTIONS

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

OK all, please put your mental acuity into the ring for this post. I hope you can help...

In the world of radio promotions, there are many reasons to C.Y.A., such as giving away a trip to Walt Disney World, and making sure the recipient is not a pedophile, or $10K to a former crack dealer. Can anyone get their hands on some of that language, even a waiver form that the "finalists" have to sign? Let's say a station is giving away a lump sum of cash, what protection does said station need or require to make sure everything is on the up-and-up?

I appreciate anyone that can shed light on this for lil' ol' me. ???

 

[little1]

Here's one I found on a quick google search...
It's from a rock station near the Nebraska/Kansas border...

Contest Rules
1. Only one winner per household per 30 days of winning.

2.Prize winners must be at least 18 years old unless otherwise specified.

3. Hometown Family Radio has the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Winners do not have any right to substitution of prizes.

4. Prizes must be claimed by winners, and are not transferable.

5. Winners are solely responsible for any taxes, duties, or other costs that may be associated with the winning of a prize.

6. Hometown Family Radio may require winners to sign a release form in order to receive the prize. In such a case, the winner will not be entitled to receive the prize without signing the release.

7. Employees, their families, and affiliated businesses of other radio stations and media outlets are not eligible to win contests.

8. Winners must claim their prizes within 30 days of notification that they have won.

9. No Purchase of any kind is necessary to win.

10. Employees of Hometown Family Radio and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in any contests or promotions sponsored by Hometown Family Radio.

11. Contests and promotions are subject to all federal, state and local laws.

12. The interpretation of these and all other rules relating to contests or promotions sponsored by Hometown Family Radio is reserved exclusively to Hometown Family Radio. It's decision shall be final.

 

[little1]

And in a couple of decades of seeing promotions carried out, I've never seen a station be worried about WHO is getting the prize. As long as they're not giving it away to an employee or the employee of a competitor, what skin is it off the stations nose if they send a pedophile to WDW or give 10K to the crack dealer?

Sure, it might be momentarily uncomfortable if it comes out that they sent a pedophile to WDW, but the station certainly isn't liable for that. If they say 'hey caller 11 gets a trip to WDW, and Phil McCracken is caller 11, Phil wins the trip, right?

Are you suggesting that radio stations should be under some obligation to investigate their winners, to make sure that they don't give away a Budweiser prizepack to an alcoholic, or the giant 5 pound hershey bar to the diabetic?

 

[Robert Bass]

Why would a crack dealer even risk the odds of getting caught, by participating in a promotional contest?

R

 

[theshadow]

Why would a crack dealer even risk the odds of getting caught, by participating in a promotional contest?

You'd be surprised Robert...

Just like some businesses that don't do employee
drug testing, and wonder why things are being stolen...

Why do drug dealers still steal cars when they have money
to afford them?

Why does a box of Pop Tarts actually have instructions
on how to cook them? (Thank you Brian Regan)...

;D

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Funny.

And little, thanks for the verbiage. BTW, it was hypothetical. I have a client with a conscience, ergo the WDW example. I've never been on that side of promotions, so I wasn't sure what to say.

Thank you sages of radio wisdom. 8)

 

[bassassassin]

VDV...BTW
If you look at the release of any of the maqjor corps, they always have an inclusion about the company not being responsible for ANYTHING that happens in the course of the winner's trip, driving their new car, etc. Most anyone who works for the bigs (sorry...I don't anymore, thank God) could get you a copy of their release as a guide.

 

[Robert Bass]

Why would a crack dealer even risk the odds of getting caught, by participating in a promotional contest?

You'd be surprised Robert...

Just like some businesses that don't do employee
drug testing, and wonder why things are being stolen...

Why do drug dealers still steal cars when they have money
to afford them?

Why does a box of Pop Tarts actually have instructions
on how to cook them? (Thank you Brian Regan)...

;D

Stealing cars? Sure...

But I've seen enough episodes of COPS to believe most drug dealers aren't stupid enough to participate in a public contest hosted by a station on public airwaves where the winner information likely gets filed in the public inspection file.

It's too much "public" for drug dealers, who usually keep a low profile.

Oh, and personally I like pop tarts at room temperature. ;D

R

 

[nuzguy]

Yes, indeed. The police listen to the radio, too, just like house burglars and thieves read the daily obits to see who is leaving property unattended and for the taking. Odd how it works that the cops hear names failiar Odd that the cops hear names of contest winners for whom there are warrants.

 

[little1]

Why would a crack dealer even risk the odds of getting caught, by participating in a promotional contest?

R

But how would calling in increase the odds of him being caught? If KVIL is doing a trip a day (or whatever) and you're caller 9 for a trip to Cancun, how does Joe Blow, Crack Dealer extrordinaire, increase his odds of being busted by calling in? Most stations are EXTREMELY careful not to broadcast last names of non public figures, if I hear a segment where Joe calls in, answers a trivia question to win, If I'm a cop, how do I know that Joe from Highland Park, well, okay bad example, Joe from Dallas is that guy I think is running the crack house on main street?

And I would think that a crack dealer would enjoy 4 days and 3 nights in Cancun as much as the next guy. Especially if he can get it for free. And as long as he doesn't have outstanding warrants, there's no risk in him driving to a stations studios to pick up a prize, a voucher, whatever...

And if you've really watched a lot of cops, surely you've seen those episodes where they send out prize notifcations to a bunch of people on the warrant list. And they get felon after felon who walks through the door to collect their free prize...

 

[jdean]

It's really odd how many times I've either personally had or heard about a police officer who recognized a voice heard on the air. The worst was a caller during the search for Amber Hagerman...but we didn't preserve airchecks during that time, and had no tape of the person's voice when it was requested. I've also had more that a few people recognize the voice of a classmate, former fling, spouse, or deadbeat ex-spouse on the air. Any time you leave cover, you raise your profile. For some people that's all it takes.

 

[Robert Bass]

But how would calling in increase the odds of him being caught?

Jody pretty much answered your question.

Never underestimate the power of law enforcement.

And no, I can't say I've seen episodes of COPS where the phoney prize winning letter is sent. But it wouldn't surprise me since officers do fake their ID online in an effort to catch child molesters.

R