Competitions ruin radio

[BellesAndGraces]

I am old at heart so love listening to Heart radio, particularly in the mornings with Jamie and Amanda. But you can’t listen for more than 10 mins without them banging on about some competition or another and I find it sooo bloody annoying. I’m sure it’s now worse than it used to be? The only radio competition I’ve ever enjoyed was the Capital sound of London one maybe 20 years ago where you had to guess what the sound was from a 3 second clip and I think that was because it wasn’t just about winning money.

AIBU to think radio would be so much better without loads of competitions?

Oh yes, I totally agree. I don’t listen to Heart Radio for that very reason. Smooth isn’t as bad but every time they do advertise a competition I turn to another channel. I doubt it, but I really hope they have an algorithm or something that tells when people turn over and they get the hint!

Oh god, the Cash Call one that’s been running on all the Global stations since December is doing my head in. Every 15 mins or so the bloody DJs have to big it up. I didn’t mind so much the run up to Christmas as I assumed that would be the end of it but it’s still going!

YANBU. The incessant 'competitions' on Global Radio stations are a PITA and they're the main reason I listen to a combination of Radio 2 and 6 Music (the latter whenever Jeremy Vine's on, obviously).

These things aren't just a bit of fun like the phone-ins on BBC stations: they're basically lotteries, with a £2 charge for entering. Presumably that's why you have to be 18 years old to enter.

The Make Me a Winner one on Magic, Absolute, Kiss and a load of other radio stations. It's promoted constantly and they encourage people to buy a batch of entries costing £10 or other sums.

There must be millions of entries and only one winner from all of the radio stations. The odds of winning it must be miniscule. I don't get how people can't see that.

IRL I’m a really upbeat person but I’m going to sound like a right misery guts…

If I listen to a music station like Heart, Hits, Radio 1,2,3 whatever, I wish they’d all just shut up and play the music. It’s bad enough we have to put up with adverts on some of them let alone the inane wittering between songs. Just play the goddam songs!

I’m glad I’ve found my people. Maybe we need to do an open letter.

Yes indeed, they must make a fortune from it. I bet for every minute they spend pushing these competitions they'd have to spend several minutes playing ads to generate the same income.

Ditto about thinking at least it would finish at Christmas.

There's no mention of charity, so what's the point of it?

Where is the prize money coming from? Is the idea that the cost of the entries will cover/more than cover the prize? Taking the number of listeners across all Global stations that's certainly possible.

Is it for audience building? Do they hope people will hear about the competition, tune in to find out how to enter and then keep listening?

Not only do the prsenters have to keep pushing it, there are pre-recorded adverts for it too. I just find it totally crass and infuriating and I am absolutely sick of hearing about it.

I detest 'phone-ins' except this one...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MDzVnkh_-EY

They must make a fortune!
Yes its PIA as are all the adverts.
I listen to Spotify now and not radio. Pause the ads on TV as they just as bad

Plus all the Heart local DJs lost their jobs and were replaced by Holden and the other guy. The local DJs living taken away by 2 egomaniac rich guys. Stopped listening to Heart because of this

Did you know that it goes straight into your bank account, as soon as the call has finished ? They should mention it a bit more.

What they should really (be made to) mention, is how many tickets are sold, for that one winner.

I only really listen to Dave Berry, and Bush & Richie, and they bang on about the competition… I also hate “sound of the decade” on Drive Time.

My favourite hosts were Adam and Joe on BBC 6 music. The only competitions they ran were their own made up ones and ones were the audience had to vote on which of the two hosts wrote a better song 😂😂 I really miss it actually.

I listen to Accuradio, you can choose the genre of music you like ie 80's, jazz, motown there are 100's to choose from. No over excited djs and inane boring chatter, no weather / news and very few adverts.
Give it a go it's totally brilliant.

My friend works as a producer on a Global show, she is fed up with the competition. They have to constantly remind their presenters to mention it but ultimately it fills air time and brings in many £££.

It essentially a lottery, as someone else said. So what they are basically doing is relentlessly pushing gambling. I used to love listening to Heart, but I’ve switched it off completely now because when you are on the bones of your arse and struggling to make ends meet it’s actually beyond depressing to have to constantly listen to them pushing these lotteries to win huge sums of money (which even a few thousand would be MASSIVE for us) and then also having to listen to other people winning it (and saying what they are going to spend it on) and eventually you think well maybe I should just enter once, just this time, even when you KNOW that the odds of you winning are beyond tiny. I find it immoral.

We have Greatest Hits on at work, mainly for Popmaster and Ken Bruce, but even he is unlistenable at times when he's banging on about how £125,000 must be won, but you have to enter by 5pm, and there will be a guaranteed winner. Yeah, but the day after that somehow nobody has won and the prize has doubled. How does it even work? It's very annoying 😫

Yes, I hate competitions plugged by any radio station and instantly switch off.

I wish they'd just introduce the music, then play it. I hate all the 'banter' too, so banal most of the time. If I want chat, I'll listen to Radio 4 or Times Radio. Smooth Chill and Classic FM are good and chat-free, very few adverts too.

Radio has gone to shit in the last few years. I had a few favs all taken over by Bauer. Since there it’s been nothing but the same music, make me a winner and nothing else. The family always try to guess what singer is going to come on next, it’s not hard lol

In Scotland STV Radio has just dropped on DAB, and if they carry on the way they have this week, it’s my new favourite. Minimal ads, and a proper range of music so far.

The constant competitions suck. Your chances of winning are so low. Yes it's great some people do win occasionally but I don't need to hear all about on my way to work. More music please!

Ive listened a few times where they've rung people then they've answered with "Hello" so no win for them and so it goes on even longer!

The whose on heart from years and years and years ago was even worse! That went on for months and think they gave up making the prize amount bigger in the end because no one was getting it right.

The incessant chatter (and adverts) puts me off radio, not just competitions.
I just want music, punctuated on the hour with news headlines.

Just listen to a station with no adverts/competitions - BBC Radio 1 (3 different digital channels), Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, Radio 4extra, Radio 5 (3 different digital channels), Radio 6. I never listen to commercial channels.

OMG I thought it was just me as I was thinking this in the car earlier today I listen to a different global station as I’m not tired of life enough to listen to heart but it’s just the same. It was fine in the run down to Christmas but it just goes on and on

I can’t understand how any can listen to commercial radio rather than Spotify or Apple Music or something.