We at KidNews are impossibly bummed. We were so excited before our recent Cindy Crawford call-in contest, because we love giving you the chance to win something cool (the prize was a gift certificate for a shopping spree). But the contest seemed to make more people unhappy than happy (especially parents). That totally defeats the purpose, which is to have fun! So, unless you readers tell us differently, that was our last call-in contest; we’ll stick with write-ins.
Here’s how we at KidNews look at call-in contests. Most of us here have tried our share of radio call-in contests, and we understand that half the battle is simply getting through. With tons of people calling in, it’s not surprising that you get a busy signal or a voice message. At KidNews, we have three phone lines, tops, that we use in a contest. Because so many other calls come into the newspaper, we can’t tie up more phone lines than that. We answer the calls as fast as we can to reach as many readers as possible.
Finally, here are two things we’re itching to say:
1. Our section is for kids – and so are our contests. We simply don’t take contest entries from adults. (There are plenty of contests out there in which the contestants must be 18 or older, so we think this is perfectly fair.) Also, that means we want you kids to do the work yourselves; if a contest is a call-in, please don’t have your parents stay on the line and hand you the phone once they get through. (We actually have had parents hang on the line, then yell at their kid to come to the phone, then whisper the answer into the kid’s ear. What is that all about?!) If the contest is a write-in, we want you kids to write and then mail your entries. Because these are random drawings, having an adult hand-deliver your entry won’t give you an advantage. (And when we get an entry that’s written in cursive, then signed by a 3-year-old, we get a little suspicious that someone much older is behind it.)
2. Finally, this is a biggie, so we repeat: Contests are supposed to be fun! If winning is the only thing that makes them fun, if it’s not enough simply to be able to try (and most entrants don’t win contests, right?), then we shouldn’t have them.
So fill in the coupon at right and let us know where your head’s at on all this. (Simply check the answers that apply to you, then fill out the blanks at the bottom.) We’ll run the results in a few weeks and take it from there. Thanks!
My kind of contest is:
a call-in.
a write-in.
based mostly on luck.
based mostly on brains and skill.
the kind with a few way-wonderful prizes that are also way tough to win.
the kind with more prizes, which aren’t as wonderful but are easier to win.
If I don’t win, I am:
totally wrecked, because that’s what contests are all about.
a little disappointed – but I had fun and can always try again next time.
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