THE FACTS
Radio station CISS-FM (KiSS FM, Ottawa) held a contest entitled “Big Bag of Cash” from February 29 to April 22, 2016. Three times a day Monday to Thursday, listeners had to listen for a “cue to text”. Once they heard the cue, listeners were to send a text message containing the word “cash” to the station’s contest number. A potential finalist for each round was then supposedly selected randomly from all of the eligible text entries.
Station staff telephoned the potential finalist who then participated in the contest on air. The contestant had to choose a virtual bag and it would be revealed how much money was in it. The contestant could then choose to keep the cash from that bag or choose to open the next bag, knowing that the next bag contained either a larger amount of money or nothing, the latter being indicated by a buzzer sound.
On March 21, 2016, sometime between 5:00 and 5:20 pm, there was a cue to text. A few minutes later, a contestant named Carly played the game with host Amy Volume. The beginning of their conversation went as follows:
Volume: Umm, okay, so I really liked when you texted in just now to the show ʼcause you put a bunch of emoticons on it [Carly laughs]. And, uh, you know, while we are searching the thousands of entries, yours just caught my eye and I was, like, “okay, I’m going to go for it”.
Carly: Well, that’s what I was hoping. That’s what I was hoping.
Volume: [laughs] Now, I’m not saying that that works for every DJ every time we play, [Carly laughs] but I was just, like, “yeah, okay, all right, let’s go”.
Carly then proceeded to play the game as described above. On the seventh “bag”, the buzzer sounded, indicating that Carly would not win any money. (A complete transcript of the contest segment is in Appendix A.)
A listener complained to the CBSC on April 4. He stated that he believed KiSS FM had violated Clause 12 of the CAB Code of Ethics because, according to the contest rules posted on the station’s website, contestants were supposed to be selected randomly. In this case, Amy Volume stated on air that she had chosen Carly’s text because Volume liked the emoticons in it.
The station wrote back to him on May 5. It stated that it had investigated and explained that the contestant had indeed been selected randomly from among all eligible text messages as per the posted contest rules. Volume had only made the comments on air for “entertainment value” and “to quickly create a rapport with the contestant”. According to KiSS FM, “It was never her intention to mislead listeners or create the impression that the contest was not conducted fairly and legitimately or that the station had not followed its official rules for the contest.” The station insisted that Volume had only been able to see the emoticons in the text after the selection was made. The station acknowledged that Volume’s comments may have left the impression that the rules were not followed and reviewed the incident with radio staff “to ensure that contest rules are always followed in fact and appearance.”
The complainant filed his Ruling Request on May 18. He appreciated that KiSS FM had admitted their mistake and that on-air talent had been reminded of contest procedures. He continued to express concern, however, that the station had not presented any proof that contestant Carly had truly been selected randomly since Volume’s comments suggested otherwise. He raised issues about other KiSS FM contests and suggested ways that the station could demonstrate their random selection. (The full text of all correspondence, including contest rules from KiSS FM’s website, are in Appendix B.)
THE DECISION
The English-Language Panel examined the complaint under Clause 12 (Contests and Promotions) of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics which reads as follows:
All on-air contests and promotions shall be conceived and conducted fairly and legitimately and particular care shall be taken to ensure that they are not misleading, potentially dangerous or likely to give rise to a public inconvenience or disturbance and that any prizes offered or promises made are what they are represented to be.
The Panel Adjudicators read all of the correspondence and listened to a recording of the challenged segment. The Panel concludes that CISS-FM violated Clause 12.
Contest Procedures and On-Air Presentation
The Panel Adjudicators agreed that, from a back-office perspective, given the explanations supplied by the broadcaster in its response to the complainant, it seems improbable that the contest in question was “tweaked” in favour of a particular contestant because of the presence of emoticons in that contestant’s text message to the station. The station affirmed that the emoticons were only visible to the on-air announcer after the text message was randomly selected from a numbered list prepared by station’s staff. The delay between the opening of the on-air cue to send text messages and the announcement of the selected candidate on air (less than 7 minutes) suggests that the DJ was unable to read all of the text messages received and select the one with the emoticons. Ultimately, though, the CBSC has no way of verifying what took place at the station when selecting the contestant; its assessment is limited to the on-air component of the contest.
The Panel Adjudicators are, however, of the view that Clause 12 of the CAB Code of Ethics requires not only that contests should be conducted fairly and legitimately, but that they should not be misleading.[1] In this instance, the host did say, on air, that the emoticons caught her eye and prompted her to pick that particular text message. In so doing, she created a misleading impression for some listeners that the rules of the contest had not been followed on this occasion.
The Panel Adjudicators are therefore of the view that the unwarranted comments of the host rendered the contest misleading because they led people to believe that one could game the system by adding such things as emoticons to catch the eye of station staff and that the message was not randomly selected. They concluded that the broadcaster was in breach of Clause 12 because of those comments on air.
Broadcaster Responsiveness
In all CBSC decisions, the Panels assess the broadcaster’s response to the complainant. The broadcaster need not agree with the complainant’s position, but it must respond in a courteous, thoughtful and thorough manner. In this case, KiSS FM provided a lengthy reply to the complainant, explaining its contest procedures and its investigation into this incident. This did not satisfy the complainant because he wanted more concrete proof of what had transpired on March 21, but it does satisfy the CBSC’s requirement to respond to complainants. The broadcaster fulfilled its obligations of responsiveness and, subject to the announcement of this decision, nothing further is required in this regard in this instance.
Announcement of the Decision
CISS-FM is required to: 1) announce the decision, in the following terms, once during peak listening hours within three days following the release of this decision and once more within seven days following the release of this decision during the time period in which this Big Bag of Cash contest segment was broadcast, but not on the same day as the first mandated announcement; 2) within the fourteen days following the broadcasts of the announcements, to provide written confirmation of the airing of the statement to the complainant who filed the Ruling Request; and 3) at that time, to provide the CBSC with a copy of that written confirmation and with air check copies of the broadcasts of the two announcements which must be made by CISS-FM.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has found that KiSS FM violated the Contest clause of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Code of Ethics on March 21, 2016. A DJ gave the impression that a contestant had not been randomly selected. This made the contest misleading contrary to Clause 12 of the Code of Ethics.
This decision is a public document upon its release by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
[1] CFOX-FM re Larry & Willy Show (Bryan Adams Contest) (CBSC Decision 97/98-0534, May 20, 1998); CKIX-FM re the Missing 9 Contest (CBSC Decision 08/09-0227 & -0229, January 12, 2009)
Appendix A
Radio station CISS-FM (KiSS FM, Ottawa) held a contest entitled “Big Bag of Cash” from February 29 to April 22, 2016. Three times a day Monday to Thursday, listeners had to listen for a “cue to text”. Once they heard the cue, listeners were to send a text message containing the word “cash” to the station’s contest number. A potential finalist for each round was then supposedly selected randomly from all of the eligible text entries.
Station staff then telephoned the potential finalist who then participated in the contest on air. The contestant had to choose a virtual bag and it would be revealed how much money was in it. The contestant could then choose to keep the cash from that bag or choose to open the next bag, knowing that the next bag contained either a larger amount of money or nothing, the latter being indicated by a buzzer indicating sound.
On March 21, 2016, sometime between 5:00 and 5:20 pm, there was a cue to text.
female voice: The KiSS Big Bag of Cash. [song clip]
male voice: You can win up to ten thousand dollars.
female voice: Text the word “cash” to 31053 for your chance to play from KiSS 105.3.
A few minutes later, a contestant named Carly played the game. The following is the conversation that occurred between Carly and host Amy Volume:
male voice: It’s time to play the KiSS Big Bag of Cash contest, brought to you by MyCar.ca.
female voice: It’s your chance to win up to ten thousand dollars in free cash.
Amy Volume: Did you hear that, Carly? It’s your chance to win up to ten thousand dollars.
Carly: I know, Amy.
Volume: Umm, okay, so I really liked when you texted in just now to the show ʼcause you put a bunch of emoticons on it [Carly laughs]. And, uh, you know, while we are searching the thousands of entries, yours just caught my eye and I was, like, “okay, I’m going to go for it”.
Carly: Well, that’s what I was hoping. That’s what I was hoping.
Volume: [laughs] Now, I’m not saying that that works for every DJ every time we play, [Carly laughs] but I was just, like, “yeah, okay, all right, let’s go”.
Carly: Right on.
Volume: So, um, do you know how the game is played, Carly?
Carly: I do.
Volume: What do you, what do th-, do you have, like, a magic number that you might –
Carly: Well –
Volume: – be satisfied with?
Carly: I, I would’ve probably went, kept going and kept going, but this morning’s ten thousand is throwing me off.
Volume: Right? Yes.
Carly: Yeah.
Volume: So for those of you who might not know what Carly or I are talking about, this morning with the Carter & Sandra show, they had, um, a player and I think she quit at, like, seven-fifty or something.
Carly: Yeah.
Volume: Which is a decent chunk o’ coin for playing a game on the radio. Like, to be honest.
Carly: Oh yeah. For sure, for sure. But then it goes up to ten thousand and you’re, like, oh no!
Volume: Yep. Exactly! That’s exactly what happened.
Carly: So now I’m not sure. I’m just gonna have to see what the bags say. [Carly & Volume laugh]
Volume: Uh, do you want to get going with KiSS Bag number one?
Carly: Sure.
Volume: Okay, let’s do it. KiSS Bag number one.
sound effect + robotic female voice: One hundred and twenty-nine dollars.
Carly: Okay, so we’re going to go to Bag number two.
Volume: Okay, yeah, I figured as much. Listen.
sound effect + robotic female voice: Two hundred and fifty-five dollars.
Carly: That’s not bad.
Volume: Two fifty-five. Not a bad little jump there, Carly.
Carly: Not bad. I think we’re going to go to Bag number three, though.
Volume: Okay. Let it be known that the bags will always have more money in them, but there is a chance that there might be a buzzer. If there’s a buzzer, the game is over.
Carly: Exactly.
Volume: But you still want to do KiSS Bag number three?
Carly: Sure do.
Volume: Okay.
sound effect + robotic female voice: Three hundred dollars.
Carly: Okay. Okay. [Volume chuckles] I’m, uh, I’m so, I’m going to open Bag number four.
Volume: Okay, KiSS Bag number four.
sound effect + robotic female voice: Five hundred dollars.
Carly: Five hundred dollars [laughs].
Volume: Not bad for playing a radio game.
Carly: Not bad. Yeah, not bad for what, like, two minutes?
Volume: Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, you could walk away.
Carly: Yeah.
Volume: Or we could, you know, keep goin’. Bag number five is there. It’s lookin’ pretty good. But, uh, –
Carly: Bag number five for more than five hundred maybe [laughs; voices heard in background].
Volume: Who are you playing with?
Carly: My husband, [my niece? Mischa?] and my son are here.
Volume: Oh. Hi, guys! Hi! [Carly laughs] Now, earlier I had a player, uh, this afternoon and, um, they were being coaxed into, like, opening more and more and more. And eventually, you know, unfortunately, she did open a buzzer.
Carly: Yes.
Volume: And she was just like “Argh!” to her co-workers who were encouraging her, you know? [Carly laughs]
Carly: I think I’d like to open one more.
Volume: Okay, let’s do KiSS Bag number five. I feel pretty good about this one too. Let’s do it.
sound effect + robotic female voice: Six hundred and fifty dollars.
Carly: Okay. Six hundred and fifty dollars. [Carly laughs]
Volume: That’s a really good –
Carly: My husband’s like “just go all the way” [laughs].
Volume: That’s a good jump. A hundred and fifty in one go. That’s a good jump.
Carly: [still laughing] I’m going to go to the next one.
Volume: You want to to Ki —
Carly: Even though I’m kind of squirming about it. [Volume laughs] Yeah, but go ahead.
Volume: Me too, me too. Okay, let’s do it. KiSS Bag number six.
sound effect + robotic female voice: Seven hundred dollars.
Carly: Okay, seven hundred. Okay, now we’re just going to take a pause. [Mischa?], I’m at seven hundred dollars.
[voices in background]
Volume: Ah, I like what’s happening here. I like the encouragement in the background there. What, what are you thinking? KiSS Bag number seven?
Carly: Yeah, we’ll open one more. One more. Oh my gosh.
Volume: Okay. Let’s do it, let’s do it, let’s do it!
sound effect + buzzer noise + robotic female voice: We’re sorry.
Volume: Oh nooo!
Carly: No!
Volume: Aw, what? [Carly laughs] Aw. Husband! Let’s blame him.
Carly: Oh well, that’s okay. [Carly & Volume laugh]
Volume: Okay, so, how, how old’s your son?
Carly: He’s six.
Volume: Is he a, like, is he a messy guy to travel around with? Like, you are –
Carly: He [voice in background].
Volume: [laughs] He’s saying, I can hear you in the background. I’m not saying, but I am saying, you know, to soften the blow, you are going to receive a, uh, --
Carly: Great.
Volume: – full car detailing from My Car. So that might help you out a little bit.
Carly: Awesome. It needs it, for sure.
Volume: And you know what, Carly? We had fun playing, uh, Big Bag of Cash, so just stay on the line. We’re gonna get some more details from you.
Carly: Okay.
Volume: For everybody else, just keep listening, keep hoping.
Carly: All right. Thank you.
male voice: The KiSS Big Bag of Cash contest plays again tomorrow morning at 8:10 with Carter and Sandra.
female voice: You’ll have another chance to win up to ten thousand dollars. Today’s best music, KiSS 105.3.
Appendix B
The Complaint
The CBSC received the following complaint on April 4, 2016:
Station Name: 105.3 KISS FM (Ottawa)
Program Name: BIG BAG of CASH
Date: 2016/03/21
Time: 5:00-5:20 pm
Specific Concern: I believe that Clause 12 was violated on the above date during the above contest at approximately 5:10 pm.
According to the station's rules a random draw takes place to determine who gets to play the "BIG BAG of CASH" on the radio. However, on March 21, 2016 the DJ Amy Volume admitted on the air that she handpicked a texted entry because she liked the [E]-Mojie that was added to the text. By doing so and saying so on the air, she violated the station's own rules by making the draw non-random. The rules state to text 1053 and the word "Cash". Also, unfortunately, this radio station does not do live draws out of a ballot box. They call the winner on the phone, with no mention of reaching into a ballot box and picking a random winner. They apparently feel that they do not need to have 2 persons present for a draw and expect the listening audience to accept their method of how a winner is picked to be fair and legitimate. In my opinion they are leaving themselves open for their integrity to be put into question.
Hopefully by listening to the tape within the 28 day limit you will see that the DJ violated the station's own rules, which are listed on their website. Thank you for taking the time to view this. Hopefully [unfinished sentence].
Broadcaster Response
The broadcaster responded on May 5:
We have received your complaint regarding a daily announcement related to the Big Bag of Cash contest which was broadcast on KiSS 105.3 (“CISS-FM”) on March 21, 2016 at approximately 5:10 pm ET.
In your complaint, you state that it appears DJ Amy Volume violated Clause 12 of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (“CAB”) Code of Ethics (“the Code”) during this particular broadcast as she did not draw a contestant at random on air. You further state that DJ Amy Volume admitted that she chose the contestant based on the “emojis” in their text message. As well, you state that the station does not appear to draw from a live ballot box; rather, it uses a text messaging system which you do not believe is appropriate.
As you may be aware, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (“CBSC”) is an independent organization that administers codes and standards proposed by the CAB, and approved by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (“CRTC”). CISS-FM is owned and operated by Rogers Media (“Rogers”) and is an associate in good standing with the CBSC.
The codes and standards administered by the CBSC include the Code. Based on your complaint, we are in agreement that the following clause is applicable to the impugned broadcast, and will be relevant for determining whether a breach of the Code occurred:
Clause 12 – Contests and Promotions
All on-air contests and promotions shall be conceived and conducted fairly and legitimately and particular care shall be taken to ensure that they are not misleading, potentially dangerous or likely to give rise to a public inconvenience or disturbance and that any prizes offered or promises made are what they are represented to be.
We have reviewed the logger and can confirm that DJ Amy Volume indeed stated that the emojis in the contestant’s text message caught her eye and were the reason she chose the particular contestant. Upon receiving your complaint, we investigated this issue and spoke with the Program Director of the station to review the process by which the contestant was chosen and whether the station followed the official contest rules for the Big Bag of Cash Contest. (The complete rules may be found on the station’s website at: www://www.kissottawa.com/kiss-big-bag-of-cash-full-contest-rules/.)
Following our investigation, we can confirm that the rules of the contest were followed and that the contestant was chosen randomly. On March 21, 2016, listeners sent in text messages during the appropriate time period and then a list of all the eligible messages was generated. The on-air host (DJ Amy Volume) then randomly selected a number which correlated to an eligible message/contestant who was then called. This is our standard procedure for radio contests. While the official rules were followed, the on-air host explained during this investigation that she stated that she chose the contestant based on the emojis within their text message only for entertainment value and in order to quickly create rapport with the contestant on air. It was never her intention to mislead listeners or create the impression that the contest was not conducted fairly and legitimately or that the station had not followed its official rules for the contest. Furthermore, DJ Amy Volume was only able to see the emojis in the text message after the selection was made.
Based on the above reasons, it is our position that there has been no breach of clause 12 of the Code as the selection of the contestant was conducted in accordance with the official rules of the contest and the on-air host simply made an honest mistake. Even so, we acknowledge that DJ Volume’s comments may have given the impression that the official rules were not followed which was not the case. In order to avoid such confusion in the future, we have reviewed this incident with all of our radio staff responsible for contests to ensure the contest rules are always followed in fact and appearance.
Thank you for taking the time to bring this issue to our attention and to express your concerns about our station and integrity of our contests. We trust our response addresses your concerns and assures you that contest rules were indeed followed in this instance. We value the opinion of our listeners and greatly appreciate the opportunity to respond to your complaint directly.
Additional Correspondence
The complainant submitted his Ruling Request on May 18:
I appreciate the fact that [the Vice-President, Regulatory, Media] is finally admitting that a DJ at the station made a mistake and DJ[s] at the station have apparently had [a] talking-to regarding how contests should operate in appearance.
However, she is asking me to accept all of her response as factual, when she has not shown proof that the emoji was seen after the text number was selected. Also, the contestant should have been disqualified by adding more than the word "cash", which is stated in the rules. The contestant was clearly trying to get an edge to be picked and, fortunately for them, it worked with Amy Volume.
If one listens to the logger file you will hear Amy say "while putting an emoji in may work with me, it may not work with the other DJs at the station" Oops, this contradicts the statement that [the Vice-President, Regulatory, Media] claims that the emoji was only noticed after the number on the text was picked. Therefore it was not "an honest mistake".
Another concerning issue involving Amy Volume occurred on January 15, 2016, when a contestant named [T. V.] won a trip to Jamaica. [T.] qualified by being one of the first 5 callers, when she heard the sound of a jet. When she got through, she had a great story about how she won a trip right after her mother died in 2015. She told Amy Volume that she just put her father in the hospital and wouldn't it be neat if she won another trip. Amy Volume was very touched by her story and claimed on the air that [T.] really deserved to win and had her fingers crossed for her.
On Friday, January 15, 2016, someone associated with 105.3 KISS FM did a "random" draw. There would have been about 140 contestants in the draw, as there were multiple times to qualify each day for 4 days and the morning of January 15. [T. V.] received a phone call telling her that she had won the trip. KISS FM even did a live feed from Jamaica. This would have been absolutely fantastic and even I would have been happy for [T.]; however, the video started with Carter and Sandra making a phone call to [T.] to tell her she had won. Had the video started with a staff member from KISS FM reaching into a container and pulling out a name, I would not even be bringing this up. KISS FM chose to start the live feed by calling [T.], instead of actually showing her name being pulled from a random draw. By doing this, because of the "great story" about [T.] and the DJ Amy Volume pulling for [T.], it leaves the feel that something fishy could have happened to allow [T.] to win because it would make for great entertainment value.
If KISS FM wants to run legitimate contests in the future, I believe that they need to run them in a way where nobody can question them when something fishy happens.
They are the only station I know in Ottawa that waits to hear the contestant’s name or voice on the phone until they will tell the contestant that they are the right caller. Other stations in Ottawa do not do this.
Unfortunately, my voice is recognizable to some of the DJs on the station and many times over the years after I have gotten through on the phone, I am told I am not the right caller after they hear my voice.
If KISS FM would only announce what caller the contestant is before hearing their voice, then they could never be questioned about their integrity. Unfortunately KISS FM or their DJs are choosing to answer their phones during contests differently than other stations in Ottawa. Only they can answer why. Perhaps it is to "level the playing field". However, their rules state as long as a contestant waits the appropriate waiting period after they win a contest, then they are eligible to win again.
I demand that 105.3 KISS FM start operating their contests the same way as the other stations in Ottawa do so.
That way their integrity would not come into question.
Hopefully all of this will be a learning experience for Amy Volume and [the Vice-President, Regulatory, Media] and everything related to contests and draws in the future will be run in a fair, equitable and legitimate manner, so nobody will have to question 105.3 KISS FM's integrity in the future.
Sorry for the long letter. It is my hope and prayer that it is well received and 105.3 KISS FM will understand that they are capable of running contests in a much better and believable manner.
KiSS Big Bag of Cash Full Contest Rules
CONTEST RULES
(the “Official Rules”)
The105.3 KiSS FM Big Bag of Cash™ Contest presented by MyCar.ca
(the “Contest”)
(a) The Contest is brought to you by the following entities (collectively or individually, the “Contest Sponsors”): Rogers Media Inc. (“Rogers”), operator of radio station 105.3 KiSS FM (CISS-FM) (the “Station”), and Rideau Valley Motors (“MyCar.ca”).
(b) The Contest entry period (the “Entry Period”) starts at 8:10 am on February 29, 2016 and continues until 5:10 pm on April 22, 2016. All times are Eastern.
(a) No purchase is necessary to enter this Contest. Entry is subject to these Official Rules, including without limitation the conditions of entry set forth below. There are two ways in which to participate in this Contest: (1) by responding to a cue to text; or (2) via the Station’s loyalty club.
(1) Responding to a cue to text (Mondays through Thursdays during the Entry Period)
(A) Listen to the Station at approximately 8:10AM, 1:10PM or 5:10PM on Mondays through Thursdays during the Entry Period (excluding March 25, 2016) for a cue to text. Within two (2) minutes of any such cue to text (the “Entry Window”), send a message containing the keyword CASH to 31053. Such message may be sent via a cellular telephone that is capable of two-way messaging. Your carrier’s standard text message or short code message and data rates may apply. By sending a message in accordance with the foregoing, you are immediately deemed to be a Contest entrant, and you consent to the Station putting you on-air in connection with this Contest. Where a message entry has been submitted via a cellular telephone, the entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the Authorized Mobile Account Holder of such cellular telephone. “Authorized Mobile Account Holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to a cellular telephone number by a wireless carrier that is responsible for assigning cellular telephone numbers.
(B) Following the close of each Entry Window, a Station representative will conduct a random draw at the Station offices in Ottawa, Ontario from among all eligible messages received during such Entry Window (the “Eligible Messages”). One (1) Eligible Message will be selected at random at each such draw and the individual associated with each such selected Eligible Message will be deemed a potential Contest finalist (a “Potential Finalist”). Except as otherwise set forth herein, messages that are not selected in respect of a particular draw will not carry forward to any other draw or for any other purpose. Messages that are not received by the Station will be deemed ineligible.
(C) A representative of the Station will contact a Potential Finalist determined in accordance with paragraph 2(a)(1)(B), above, shortly after the applicable draw using the information provided in the message that the Potential Finalist sent. In the event the Station representative is unable to contact a Potential Finalist for any reason (including, without limitation, in the event the telephone line is dead when called by a Station representative, or no audible response is heard, or no one responds to the Station representative’s telephone call, or the telephone call goes to voicemail, or the Station representative receives a busy signal, or the Potential Finalist is not otherwise available as determined in the absolute discretion of the Station representative), then such Potential Finalist will be deemed to be disqualified; and, in Rogers’ sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate Potential Finalist may be randomly selected in accordance with paragraph 2(a)(1)(B), above, and so on and so forth, until a Potential Finalist is successfully contacted by a Station representative.
(2) Via the Station’s loyalty club
(A) Log into your Station loyalty club account during the Entry Period and follow instructions to redeem 1000 points for an opportunity to be selected as a Potential Finalist (each such eligible redemption, a “Loyalty Club Entry”). Each Friday during the Entry Period, at approximately 8 am, at approximately 12 pm, and at approximately 5 pm, a representative of the Contest Sponsors will conduct a random draw at the Station offices in Ottawa, Ontario from among all Loyalty Club Entries received up to such draw date and time. One (1) Loyalty Club Entry will be selected at random at each such draw, and the individual associated with each such selected Loyalty Club Entry will be deemed a Potential Finalist. Non-selected Loyalty Club Entries will carry forward to other Friday draws for this Contest.
(B) A representative of the Station will contact a Potential Finalist determined in accordance with paragraph 2(a)(2)(A), above, shortly after the applicable draw by telephone, using the information associated with the Potential Finalist’s Station loyalty club account. In the event the Station representative is unable to contact a Potential Finalist for any reason (including, without limitation, in the event the telephone line is dead when called by a Station representative, or no audible response is heard, or no one responds to the Station representative’s telephone call, or the telephone call goes to voicemail, or the Station representative receives a busy signal, or the Potential Finalist is not otherwise available as determined in the absolute discretion of the Station representative), then such Potential Finalist will be deemed to be disqualified; and, in Rogers’ sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate Potential Finalist may be randomly selected in accordance with paragraph 2(a)(2)(A), above, and so on and so forth, until a Potential Finalist is successfully contacted by a Station representative.
(b) Upon securing contact with a Potential Finalist in accordance with paragraph 2(a)(1)(C) or paragraph 2(a)(2)(B), a Potential Finalist will be deemed a finalist (“Finalist”) and invited to play the Game (defined below). The Game may only be played on-air and failure to participate on-air will cause a Finalist to be immediately disqualified; and, in Rogers’ sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate Potential Finalist may be randomly selected in accordance with paragraph 2(a)(1) or paragraph 2(a)(2),as the case may be, and so on and so forth until a Finalist is confirmed. In the event a Finalist is not confirmed, no Game play shall occur in respect of the applicable cue to text or Friday draw.
(c) Each Finalist will have the opportunity to play the on-air Big Bag of Cash game (the “Game”) as follows. The Station will invite the Finalist to open a virtual bag. The first virtual bag to be opened will contain either: (1) a monetary sum; or (2) no monetary sum, and the sound of a buzzer will be heard. Once the virtual bag has been opened, provided the virtual bag has not revealed the sound of a buzzer, the Finalist will be offered a choice: (i) to stop playing the Game and be eligible to win the “contents” of the opened virtual bag; or (ii) to forfeit the “contents” of the opened bag and to open another virtual bag, which other virtual bag will contain either: (1) a monetary sum; or (2) no monetary sum, and the sound of a buzzer will be heard. The Game will continue in the foregoing fashion until the Finalist elects to stop playing, or until the Finalist hears the sound of the buzzer. The sound of the buzzer will mean that the Finalist has lost the Game, and the Finalist shall immediately forfeit any claim that he or she has or might have had to any virtual bag “contents” (i.e. monetary sums) previously accumulated during the Game. The number of virtual bags and the “contents” of each virtual bag will be pre-determined by Station management and will be kept secret from all participants, including without limitation the Finalist. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at least once throughout the Entry Period, one (1) eligible Finalist will have the opportunity to open a virtual Game bag containing ten thousand dollars (CDN $10,000); provided, however, that such Finalist does not choose to stop playing the Game prior to such occurrence. If there is a dispute as to whether a Finalist opened a bag or is entitled to any given prize, the decision, which will be final and not subject to appeal, will be made by Rogers in its sole discretion.
(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs 2(a)(1)(A) through 2(a)(1)(C), above, in the unlikely event of any technical issues relating to the Station’s messaging platform (as determined by Rogers in its absolute discretion), a cue to text may be altered to a cue to call, such that the Station would prompt its listeners to call the Station, and the fifteenth (15th) eligible caller to reach the Station following any such cue to call prompt would be deemed a Finalist and invited to play the Game. In the event of any such cue to call, the following additional terms and conditions apply:
If the telephone line is dead when answered by a Station representative, or no audible response is heard, or no one responds after five seconds, the Station will answer the next call in sequence and the next call in sequence will replace that call, deeming such next caller to be the selected eligible caller, and so on and so forth. In the event a call is cut off before all personal data is collected, the Station will use reasonable efforts to make contact with the cut-off caller, provided enough personal information was gathered in order to correctly identify the cut-off caller. In the event two or more calls come through on the same line, all such callers will be advised to hang up and try again and the next call in sequence will replace that call. Collect telephone calls are accepted.
(e) The Station’s online stream may be a delayed stream of the Station’s radio signal and may vary depending on your computer’s memory capacity and the speed of your Internet connection. For that reason, it is recommended that listeners listen to the Station in “real time” by turning on an actual radio. The Releasees (defined below) assume no responsibility for entrants not sending timely messages or making timely telephone calls (as applicable) to the Station as a result of any delays in the Internet stream.
(f) There is a limit of one Game play per person.
(g) Any attempt or suspected attempt to enter this Contest in a fashion not authorized by these Official Rules shall be deemed to be tampering and will void all of your entries. Entries that contain false information and/or are late, lost, stolen, falsified, illegible, damaged, misdirected, mutilated, garbled or incomplete, altered or otherwise irregular or entries that have been submitted using robotic, automated, programmed, or through illicit means, or that do not conform with or satisfy any or all of these Official Rules, as determined in the Contest Sponsors’ absolute discretion, will be judged null and void and disqualified. Only entries received by Rogers will be considered. Proof of entry transmission shall not constitute proof of receipt. Rogers reserves the right to refuse any entry in its absolute discretion.
(h) Although this Contest may be communicated, promoted, or administered by means of any third party social media or social networking service or site (each, a “Third Party Service”), entrants acknowledge that: (i) this Contest is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, any Third Party Service; (ii) if entry into this Contest is by means of a Third Party Service, entrants must have a valid account with the applicable Third Party Service (and may be required to have a public (i.e. non-private) account in order to participate) and must comply with the applicable Third Party Service’s terms and policies; and (iii) any questions, comments or complaints regarding this Contest should be directed to the Contest Sponsors and not to any Third Party Service. By participating in this Contest, you completely release any Third Party Service of all liability in relation to any injury, damage or loss that may occur, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from your participation.
By entering this Contest, you:
(a) agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including without limitation the eligibility requirements set forth below;
(b) agree to be bound by the decisions of the Contest Sponsors and their representatives, or the Contest judges (if any), which decisions are final, binding and conclusive (without appeal) on all matters relating to the Contest;
(c) represent and warrant that your entry, including any material comprising your entry (e.g. name, user name, profile picture, etc., as applicable) and any material submitted with your entry (e.g. photograph, video, written submission, or other form of submission, etc., as applicable) (collectively, the “Entry Material”) (i) is original to you, and that you have all necessary rights in and to your Entry Material to enter the Contest, including, without limitation, the consent of any third parties whose personal information is included in your Entry Material, and (ii) does not contain, depict, include or involve content that is, or could reasonably be considered to be, inappropriate, unsuitable or offensive, as determined by Rogers in its sole discretion;
(d) understand and agree that: (i) your entry (including any Entry Material) may not be returned to you upon submission to the Contest and may be refused as entry to this Contest, as determined by Rogers in its sole discretion; and (ii) Rogers may, in its absolute discretion, moderate and/or remove and/or edit any Entry Material, including to blur out any trademarks or to remove any copyrighted content or otherwise unsuitable content (as determined by Rogers);
(e) grant to Rogers a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive, sub-licensable and unlimited licence to use your entry, including the Entry Material, in any media and for any purpose related to the Contest (or any substantially similar contest), including without limitation the right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, alter, or create derivative works from, the entry and/or Entry Material, without notification, compensation or additional consideration to you; and
(f) waive all claims of moral rights in your entry and/or Entry Material and in any use thereof in accordance with these Official Rules.
(a) This Contest is open to Canadian residents who are 18 years of age or older as of the date of entry and who reside within the listening range of the Station. For greater certainty, “within the listening range of the Station” means that you must be able to access the Station’s terrestrial broadcast without recourse to satellite radio, the Internet (including, without limitation, simulcasting), cable television, an application (including, without limitation, a web, digital or telephone application), or any other non-traditional listening device or tool. Whether or not an individual resides within the listening range of the Station will be determined by Rogers in its sole discretion.”
(b) The following individuals are not eligible to enter the Contest:
(i) employees, officers, directors, agents, and representatives of: (1) the Contest Sponsors and their parent and affiliated companies, (2) the Contest prize supplier(s), (3) the Contest judges, if applicable, and (4) any and all other companies associated with the Contest;
(ii) a household member of any of the individuals listed in (i), above, whether or not related;
(iii) members of the immediate family (spouse, parent, child, sibling) of the individuals listed in (i), above, regardless of where they reside.
(c) The Contest Sponsors shall have the right at any time to require proof of identity and/or eligibility to enter the Contest. Failure to provide such proof may result in disqualification. All personal and other information requested by and supplied for the purpose of the Contest must be truthful, complete, accurate and in no way misleading. The Contest Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant should such an entrant at any stage supply untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate or misleading personal details and/or information.
While playing the Game, each Finalist is eligible to win:
Monetary prizes will be awarded by cheque in the name of the winner. It may take up to six (6) weeks for cheques to be issued.
Odds of a Finalist winning a monetary prize depend on the choices of the Finalist when he/she plays the Game. Odds of a Finalist winning ten thousand dollars (CDN $10,000) will depend on Station management’s advance determination as to the occurrence during the Entry Period of the ten thousand dollar (CDN $10,000) virtual bag and on the choices of the applicable Finalist when he/she plays the Game. All Finalists will be eligible to win a Secondary Prize.
The terms and conditions contained in this Section apply to any and all Contest prize(s) awarded pursuant to these Official Rules:
(a) Prize must be accepted as awarded, without substitution, transfer, exchange or assignment, unless otherwise determined in the absolute discretion of the Contest Sponsors and/or prize supplier(s). Prize may not be exactly as advertised. Except as expressly warranted herein, prize is provided “as is” without further warranty of any kind.
(b) Any unused portion of the prize, once awarded, will be deemed forfeited by the applicable winner, and no financial compensation will be made or required in respect of such unused portion. Prize will not be replaced if lost, destroyed, mutilated or stolen.
(c) The Contest Sponsors and/or the prize supplier(s) reserve the right, in their absolute discretion, to substitute a prize or a component of a prize with a prize or a component of a prize (as applicable) of equal or greater value, including, without limitation, a monetary award, if the prize or prize component cannot be awarded by the Contest Sponsors and/or the prize supplier(s) for any reason.
(d) Once awarded, prize may not be resold or commercially traded in any manner, directly or indirectly, and Rogers reserves the right to ban or disqualify any entrant from any contest, including future contests, should it reasonably believe such entrant to have acted or attempted to act in contravention of the foregoing restriction.
(a) Within one (1) week of having played the Game, an eligible winner will be contacted by a Station representative, by means of the information provided by the Finalist at the time of playing the Game, to confirm such eligible winner’s personal information for prize redemption purposes. Such eligible winner will be disqualified and required to forfeit any claim to the Contest prize if: (i) he or she cannot be reached within three (3) business days following the first attempt of contact; or (ii) he or she cannot confirm complete personal information with the Station representative, as required by the Station for prize redemption purposes, within five (5) business days of having been reached by such Station representative; except, in each case, as may otherwise be determined by the Station in its absolute discretion.
(b) To be declared a winner of either a Secondary Prize or a monetary prize, an eligible winner must: (i) play the Game as noted above; (ii) correctly answer without assistance of any kind, whether mechanical or otherwise, a time-limited, mathematical skill-testing question; (iii) be in full compliance with these Official Rules; and (iv) in the discretion of the Contest Sponsors, sign and return a release of liability and consent to publicity form (the “Release Form”) within the time period specified in the Release Form, and any other documentation as may reasonably be required by the Contest Sponsors in their absolute discretion
(c) An eligible winner may be required to provide proof of identification to the Contest Sponsors and/or prize supplier(s), as applicable, when claiming a prize or otherwise in connection with this Contest to facilitate the accurate identification of a Contest winner. Once confirmation of a Contest winner is complete in accordance with the terms of these Official Rules, the Contest Sponsors and/or any prize suppliers will promptly coordinate prize distribution. Except as otherwise determined in the absolute discretion of the Contest Sponsors and/or prize supplier(s), as applicable, upon notification, a winner must personally take delivery of his/her prize from the office or location of the Contest Sponsors and/or prize supplier(s) (as selected by the Contest Sponsors in their reasonable discretion) within thirty (30) days of being notified that such prize is available or within such other time period as may reasonably be advised by the Contest Sponsors. If a winner fails to comply with the requirements set forth in these Official Rules, he/she will be deemed to have forfeited his/her prize.
(d) In the event any eligible winner declines a prize for any reason, and/or does not meet the requirements set forth in these Official Rules, as determined by the Contest Sponsors in their absolute discretion, he/she will be disqualified, the prize will be forfeited and, in the Contest Sponsors’ discretion and time permitting, the Contest Sponsors may select another individual to be deemed a Finalist or may elect to cancel the Contest prize.
By entering this Contest, you: (a) agree to remise, release and forever discharge the Contest Sponsors, their respective parent and affiliated companies, any and all other companies associated with the Contest (including prize suppliers and suppliers of materials or services related to the Contest), and all of their respective employees, directors, officers, shareholders, agents, representatives, successors and assigns (collectively, the “Releasees”) from any and all actions, causes of action, suits, debts, dues, accounts, claims, damages or liability for any loss, harm, damages, costs or expenses, including, without limitation, costs or losses related to personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction of property, and rights of publicity, personality, privacy and/or intellectual property (each, a “Claim”) arising out of, or in any way related to, your participation in the Contest and/or the awarding, receipt, possession, use and/or misuse of any Contest prize (or any portion thereof), or any travel or activity that is related to the receipt or use of any Contest prize; and (b) agree to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Releasees from and against any and all Claims arising from (i) your breach of these Official Rules, including the breach of any representations or warranties contained herein, (ii) your participation in the Contest, (iii) your acceptance, possession, use and/or misuse of any Contest prize (or any portion thereof), if applicable, or (iv) the use of any Entry Material in accordance with the rights granted in these Official Rules.
By accepting a Contest prize, if applicable, you authorize the Contest Sponsors and each of their respective licensees, successors, assigns, agents, representatives and employees the right, licence and permission to record, photograph and/or otherwise capture or document you and/or your likeness, including without limitation your voice and any statements you may make regarding the Contest prize, by any a