You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
It's a big media group in this instance - Absolute, Kiss, Planet Rock and many more
I can't bear commercial radio with the same inane adverts every 5 minutes, but I pay for Planet Rock Premium, so it's ad free
However, for the past couple of years, all they bang on about is their competition to win money. It's the usual format - text in for a couple of quid and get entered into a draw. Obviously a big money spinner for the media group.
Usually for this one, you have to answer the phone within 5 rings and answer with 'make me a winner'. Fail on either count and you lose out.
Quite often people answer and say 'hello', to be told they've just lost £10k, 20k, 50k, even over £100k.
Fair enough, if you text a radio station and are keen to win some money, you'd likely be paying attention at 4pm (although it's a pre-record, so will be maybe 15 mins before you'd expect it). If no-one wins though, your entry rolls over which can be a good few days/over a weekend and you'd maybe forget or just not be thinking about it when the call came.
The point being, is you can hear the dejection in the voices (sometimes they just cut them off). It would be bad enough in any case, but imagine being in a really tough financial situation and then get told if you'd paid attention you'd have had £100k, but as it is, you haven't, bye! This must have pretty serious mental health repercussions in some cases. Do you think the group offer counselling in these cases, or is it just tough luck?
I think we know the answer to this already.
And any counselling would cut into a commercial organisation's profit...
Listening to Planet Rock would have mental health repercussions for me
Totally agree with you OP - and I think it is shocking that you pay for a premium service and still get bombarded with those awful promotions. I really can't imagine what it would feel like to be told 'sorry, you didn't answer your phone correctly so tough, no £100k for you. In the past it's been over £200k as well - you'd hate yourself forever and you'd probably not even dare to tell loved ones for fear of their responses.
Doesn't there have to be an element of skill, thereby making it a competition rather than a lottery?
Being able to say a specific phrase obviously passes the lawyer-test
Doesn’t there have to be an element of skill, thereby making it a competition rather than a lottery?
No, occassionally they remove that pre-requisite (the phrase). Unless answering your phone in 5 rings counts
Unless answering your phone in 5 rings counts
My phone plays Plug in Baby when it rings, so I don't know how many rings have passed. I do keep meaning to enter that competition though.
I do keep meaning to enter that competition though.
What, really?
Crumbs
It's a media group. Controversy, upset pain all make a good story. Nothing else matters.
In don’t know if it’s a morality issue, but it sounds really annoying.
The problem isn’t the not saying the phrase. It’s wasting money on a competition when you’re skint.
Maybe a streaming service would be better value.
What, really?
Crumbs
You can enter for free on their website...?
You'd have to be pretty thick to enter a competition that had defined rules then forget those (seemingly simple) rules!
I listen to one of the sister stations on the commute sometimes.
A while ago after someone answered with a "hello" and they played the requisite loser sound effect and told them they hadn't won, there was a comment that someone would call them shortly to check they were OK.... Now, this could have been a producer or admin person from the radio station, rather than a trained mental health professional, but it did strike me there was a smidgin of concience in there somewhere.
It would be bad enough in any case, but imagine being in a really tough financial situation and then get told if you’d paid attention you’d have had £100k, but as it is, you haven’t, bye!
It's a competition they have entered voluntarily, knowing the rules.
Now if it was a contest for everyone - like everyone who paid for premium, just because they wanted ad free radio, not because they wanted to enter the draw - then to dangle money infront of someone and take it away for entertainment value I would be far less accepting.
Remember when Channel 4 pitted kids against each other to win high value stuff (cars, holidays etc) for their families on TFI Friday?
It’s a competition, don’t enter it if you don’t want to play.
Most everyone who enters doesn't win.
A tiny proportion get told that they haven't won.
🤷♂️
If I were you STR I'd swap your Planet Rock subscription for a Spotify sub.
A tiny proportion get told that they haven’t won.
Strange way of looking at it. If they actually call you, you've beaten the however many of 100,000's/1 odds. The failure then lies with you
If I were you STR I’d swap your Planet Rock subscription for a Spotify sub.
Why, when I 'mostly' enjoy listening to Planet Rock? Mostly background noise though. Flit between Radio 2, 6 Music and PR.
I have Spotify and Qobuz. Radio Paradise Rock mix for when I want some evening radio
It’s a competition, don’t enter it if you don’t want to play.
I'm sure I heard them say today's is rolling over from the 6th Feb. You enter on the 6th and there's a good chance at 4pm today, you're going to answer the phone with a hello.
Either way, the issue being that it's going to be hugely traumatic to some people
<div>
<div>
<div>
Totally agree with you OP – and I think it is shocking that you pay for a premium service and still get bombarded with those awful promotions. I really can’t imagine what it would feel like to be told ‘sorry, you didn’t answer your phone correctly so tough, no £100k for you. In the past it’s been over £200k as well – you’d hate yourself forever and you’d probably not even dare to tell loved ones for fear of their responses.
</div>
Is it any different from going on a game show and picking the wrong answer and losing the money? The morality problem is effectively encouraging people to gamble (pay the entry fee) who can't afford to and have likely got no real understanding of the odds of winning, rather than that someone who entered doesn't get the second stage right and wins nothing. I'd not tell me loved ones as they'd take the piss for ever, rather than because of some angry backlash.
</div>
</div>
<div>
Doesn’t there have to be an element of skill, thereby making it a competition rather than a lottery?
Being able to say a specific phrase obviously passes the lawyer-test
Yes, the barrier seems very low on what constitutes skill, but in this case, since so many people fail to answer it correctly I think it would stand up well to the test.
</div>
The endless plugging of that competition on Planet Rock is one of the reasons why I don't listen anymore.
Every hour they'd give a detailed breakdown of how to enter, etc. And then they mention it in between every couple of songs. Arghhhhh 🤬
And not forgetting all the bloody ads.
I guess you don't rememeber the Yes/No Interlude on Double Your Money?
Years back on Triple J the morning jock phoned someone up and after all the usual banter asked him why he was up at that time...
The reply was priceless..." Because you woke me up you "see you next Tuesday"
I thought you were all for labelling people triggered woke snowflakes? This seems an odd situation to trigger your dormant empathy.
Im struggling to find any sympathy for the outcome of the OP if you were daft enough to pay the entry fee in the first place. Its like all these games and the stuff Omaze do. Its primary purpose is to make the organiser a shed load of money whilst giving away as little of it as they can to maximise revenue
I thought you were all for labelling people triggered woke snowflakes? This seems an odd situation to trigger your dormant empathy.
Guess who answered ‘Hello’?
Yes, I have some empathy for someone who might want to top themselves because they mistakenly let £100k slip. Whether I do or not for someone who ran off to join ISIS is not a conversation for this thread
Whereas some people seem to think tough luck, the stupid poor people shouldn't gamble, they deserve what they get.
And no, I've not answered 'hello' 😉
I enter the Bauer group competitions using as many free online entries as is allowed on the website - used to be the Cash Register, where you had to know what the daily amount was, now it's Make Me A Winner.
They're transparent about the fact that they make the winning call between 3pm and 4pm, so I have a daily alarm on my phone set to go off every 10mins during that time with the phrase you need to say as its reminder tag (used to have the daily amount). Hardly a difficult thing to do tbh, and it's not like I'm spending any money to enter, so if I have a shot at winning tens of thousands of pounds for minimal effort and no cost on my part, why would I not take that chance? You enter a competition, you know the rules, it's up to you to play by them if you want to win.
I suspect I'd have a different view if I got the call and lost out though!
Yes, I have some empathy for someone who might want to top themselves because they mistakenly let £100k slip.
Has this actually happened?
Yes, I have some empathy for someone who might want to top themselves because they mistakenly let £100k slip.
I think you are mistakenly assuming that the competition loser feels they've lost £100k. I think its more likely that you feel you very nearly won £100k which is very different. Would you be suicidal if you played the same lottery numbers every week, forgot to buy a ticket and then your numbers came up? Would you be suicidal if you went on whatever Ant & Decs show is and made a silly mistake on a £100k question and came away with nothing?
I think so long as at no point in the process did you actually believe you HAVE won the money then you are no worse off. Its a game, people enter the game and unless you've never listened to the show before will know that its not uncommon for people to screw up at that stage.
Now that's not to say that if someone was feeling suicidal already this might make them worse but I don't think you go from relatively happy but with a few money worries to suicidal because you didn't win a game of luck.