Have you ever won a radio station contest?

Question

I have been trying for years to win various radio station contests...be the 10th caller and say the phrase that pays and you will win $5,000..be the 103rd caller when you hear the sounder and win a trip to the VIrgin Islands and so on and so on.

I have tried again and again to win by having the numbers on speed dial, or calling over and over but the line is always busy or I just never get a live voice.

My question to people that have won radio station contests...Is there a secret to getting through the line? What did you do to get through? Or is it all a hoax just to get you to listen to their station? Or have they already pre-selected the winner? I would like to get to the bottom of this becasue I am a frustrated listener...LOL

If you are a radio DJ, yourself tell me what the real deal is please!

Answer 1

I won a radio contest once when I was 17 ... When I went to the station to claim my prize, they gave me gift coupons from various CD & Videogame stores around town. My dad spent 2 hours driving me around to claim them. I went into the first store and I showed them the coupon, so they gave me a wrapped CD and said we only have this one left (left of what..?) .. i took it and went into the car. I opened it and it was a crappy dance single from the 80's with some 5 or 6 remixes (It's called "Dance Til You Can't Dance No More", I think.) The same thing happened in the videogame store (which was on the other side of the city) .. they gave me a crappy racing game (also wrapped) which wouldn't even install on my PC ... When I complained to the Radio station they said they have no control on the gift offered, just the coupon. They said it's a CD and a videogame and that's what you got ...
I gave up radio contests after that ..

My brother also won a TV contest (his name was drawn from a bowl) and the gift card was for $1000 which we only got after about 3 months of calling them daily (the woman in charge was always either traveling, or in a meeting, or on a sick leave, etc) .. and when we finally got it and went to the store .. they offered us a used and worn-out rag (called it a Persian carpet) and some ceramic vases (claimed it's fancy China) .. my dad almost broke them on the manager's head. We pursued the TV station and threatened with a law suit so they gave us some cash in the end (i think $350) ...

Answer 2

I have won a number of minor prizes (concert tickets, etc.) on our local stations. No big secret that I know of; it's just that there are so many people trying to call.

The big ticket prizes you mention (cash, trips) are harder to win because as someone said there are many more people calling, and because they might be national contests where you're competing with people listening to other stations (like the x caller when you hear the sounder). I won a trip about two years ago (again, no secret; I just called in and was told that I won) but that was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence and I don't expect that it will ever happen again.

It's not a hoax (look at the people here who have won) and as far as I know they don't preselect the winners (I had to sign a document saying I was not preselected).

I have been told that the radio people don't necessarily take the 10th caller (they'll tell the 3rd caller they're the 10th caller for instance just to get it over with) but I don't believe that; I think they really do it on the level.

Answer 3

Piece of cake! Last year I was listening to radio a lot and I would win at least once a week! I won concert tickets, movie passes, CDs, and several other things...Try to notice the hours when people will be most likely busy ...Supper time, when ppl come back from work,or very late at nite when most people sleep, that helps...

Next, try different phones cause some of them can make you save 2 seconds when you redial the #.I even won without using the redial!!!But I dial the # in 2 seconds and a half though!Practice...I position my fingers to save the most time possible...Every quarter of a second counts!Make sure you remain positive at all times because that is my real trick here! I visualise myself winning before I even get the line!Whenever I believed it I always won!

Never waste your time dialing if you are not CONVINCED you will be the winner!Feel it in your heart. Life's like dat man!Start with contests that involve smaller prizes because less people call then.Huge prizes like you mentionned are harder to win because the lines get way too busy and even jam sometimes!!! Trust me it works! But you gotta believe from the first dial down to the last! Remain positive at all times...You'll see---You will win soon enough!

Answer 4

Sort of, but it was for hockey Nickels a restaurant chain in Quebec that's like Denny's .. 2 tickets to a Canadiens - Islanders game, about 50 dollars Canadian for food and drinks, took part in a contest sponsored by a local radio station, CKOI 96.9 - after winning the contest, I also got 96 dollars Cdn, a winter jacket + a game-used / signed stick from Sebastian Bordeleau (who later played for the Predators)

Answer 5

I used to win albums a lot when I was younger (in fact, I'd say about an eighth of my album collection was won on the radio. Just dial, get through and viola. That was before speed dial though.

Oh, yeah, I also won a 'dating game' call in contest. The winners all got to meet up at a bar in downtown Dallas. That's how I met my college boyfriend.

Answer 6

You know.. the hardest is to win a Rock station contest and the easiest is a Christian station. I have never won where I live, because it is such a HUGE area... but where I use to live my friends won all of the time.

Answer 7

Yes,I won tickets to a Tom Petty concert by being the correct caller once. I guess it just takes persistence and luck.

Answer 8

I won an album of my choice back in about 1974. Took BTO Greatest hits. Also won Mellencamp concert tickets about 6 years ago.

Answer 9

Twice

Answer 10

I won the one where they annouce a random birthday and you call and win $500 if it's yours.
Lucky me, it was February 29th. Lets say the lines were not clogged with that one.