KVI employee suspected of rigging radio contest

posted 10:32 PM PDT on Tuesday, April 15, 2008

By JIM FORMAN / KING 5 News

                                                              

  SEATTLE – As we've all been getting our tax returns ready, businesses have been clearing their books too. That's how a local radio station uncovered a stunning scandal – its own free money contest had been rigged.

It was new fuel for skeptics of radio contests. Seattle's KVI - 570 on the AM dial - told Seattle Police that one of its contests was rigged.

Accountants at KVI were wrapping up taxes and contacting contest winners when they were tipped off that one of the station's promotions workers may have cheated the station and its listeners out of thousands of dollars.

It was a typical listen-and-win contest: enter your name and if you hear it announced on the radio, call in and collect $1,000.

The problem occurred from February through March of last year. KVI management has told Seattle Police a now-former employee rigged the contest.

KVI staffers told police the scam worked like this: Using her inside information, the suspect recruited friends to register their names and told them when to listen, and when the friends won, she would take a cut of the $1,000.

It's not clear how many times the alleged scheme worked.

In a brief statement, KVI said it is working with police and any further comment could hinder the ongoing investigation.

Radio contests are covered by strict federal rules and the police report indicates Fisher Communications has contacted the Federal Communications Commission.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone

Does this mean even when I was the 106th caller... somebody else got the t-shirt and the can of paint?

So here's a question I want to pose....

Do you believe that radio stations "fix" contests in the sence they want people in the demographic they aim for to win?  

Just pondering....

In the years I spent in the business, I never heard of rigging a contest so someone specific would win. I do know however of instances where the names of regular 'contest pigs' that always won, not only on our station but on several, were taken out of final draws. I had no problem with this by the way. I hate professional prize pigs. These allegations are appalling although I agree this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

Quoted from Bunwich

In the years I spent in the business, I never heard of rigging a contest so someone specific would win. I do know however of instances where the names of regular 'contest pigs' that always won, not only on our station but on several, were taken out of final draws. I had no problem with this by the way. I hate professional prize pigs. These allegations are appalling although I agree this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

I think anyone who works in radio has rigged a contest once or twice. There is no worse feeling than getting your caller 7 after you've been pumping up this huge prize all day and it is this boring monotone guy or girl talking in a whisper....I usually answer the *winning* call by saying "hey, who's this" if they sound like they would be boring on-air...they're not the correct caller. When I was in promotions, we would try to give away the small-medium draw or internet contests to those in our demographic. Bigger prizes (trips, cars, cash) were done fair for all.