CISS-FM concernant The Sandra and Chris Show (KiSS Ottawa Goodbye contest)
LES FAITS
The Sandra and Chris Show est une émission diffusée tous les matins de la semaine sur CISS-FM (KiSS 105,3, Ottawa) entre 5 h 30 et 9 h. L’émission est animée par Sandra Plagakis et Chris Love. Entre le 7 et le 17 janvier 2019, la station proposait un concours pour gagner un séjour dans un centre de villégiature de la Jamaïque. Au cours de cette période, Sandra et Chris se trouvaient sur place et l’émission était diffusée en direct de la Jamaïque.
Pour s’inscrire au concours, les auditeurs devaient envoyer un message texte au numéro de la station. Les animateurs lançaient une question ou un sujet et invitaient les auditeurs à formuler leurs commentaires par texto. Le premier de deux voyages offerts en prix a été décerné le 11 janvier au cours du Sandra and Chris Show. Le second devait l’être le 18 janvier.
Le CCNR a reçu une plainte datée du 6 février d’un auditeur qui se disait contrarié par certaines déclarations en ondes des animateurs à propos du concours du 11 janvier. Le premier aspect de la plainte était que l’animateur Chris avait déclaré qu’il tirerait le nom du gagnant pour ce premier voyage aux alentours de 7 h 45. Or, comme l’expliquait le plaignant, le règlement du concours précisait que le tirage serait effectué à 6 heures le même matin par un autre employé de la station d’Ottawa.
À 5 h 28, les animateurs Sandra and Chris ont tenu la conversation suivante :
[traduction]
Sandra : Tout à l’heure, à 7 h 45, nous allons décerner notre premier, mais non notre dernier, séjour aux Sandals de Jamaïque!
Chris : Oui. Le premier voyage est prêt à partir. Autour de 7 h 45 […] Et c’est très excitant. J’ai terriblement hâte de tirer le nom tout à l’heure et de découvrir qui va partir pour la Jamaïque.
[...]
Sandra : Nous avons bien de la chance d’être ici. Et nous espérons qu’il va vous arriver la même chose ce matin à 7 h 45. Nous diffusons en direct depuis l’hôtel Sandals South Coast en Jamaïque.
Et à 5 h 48 :
Chris : Et vous aurez la chance de le voir [un groupe de paons sur les terrains de l’hôtel] si vous êtes le gagnant du voyage à 7 h 45. […] Mais vous pourrez faire toutes ces choses [les diverses activités offertes par l’hôtel] vous, de la famille de KiSS, si vous gagnez à 7 h 45.
Le second aspect de la plainte était que [traduction] « jusqu’à environ 7 h 30, les DJ de la station de la radio ont prétendu continuer à recevoir des participations pour le premier voyage […]. Toutefois, si on vérifiait le règlement du concours, il était dit que le tirage se ferait à 6 heures le matin à Ottawa (Ontario), au Canada, par un représentant de la station. Donc, si c’était vrai, moi-même et beaucoup d’autres participants potentiels perdaient leur temps à envoyer des textos à la station entre 5 h 30 et 7 h 30, puisque le tirage avait déjà eu lieu. »
En effet, les animateurs ont fait des commentaires en ce sens, le premier à 6 h 43 :
[traduction]
Chris: Ouais, et n’oubliez pas, chaque fois que vous nous envoyez un message texte, euh, vous êtes automatiquement inscrit au tirage du premier voyage, que nous décernerons dans une heure environ.
À 7 h 13 :
[traduction]
Chris: C’est bon, n’oubliez pas que le premier voyage que nous allons décerner, le premier de plusieurs, sera décerné dans une trentaine de minutes. Si vous, euh, gagnez, vous pouvez choisir n’importe lequel des hôtels Sandals ici, en Jamaïque. Alors, un voyage incroyable qui s’offre à vous. Dans trente minutes. Si vous voulez participer, euh, à la conversation au 31053, cela vous permettra de participer au tirage du premier voyage.
Le nom du gagnant a été annoncé à 8 h 12. Aux alentours de 8 h 21, Sandra a dit :
Sandra: Bravo, famille KiSS. Nous sommes tous contents les uns pour les autres et, si vous ne gagnez pas, vous avez d’autres chances de gagner parce qu’exactement, exactement maintenant, nous recommençons.
Chris: Ouais.
Sandra: Nous recommençons tout le procédé. Alors, continuez de nous envoyer vos textos, à nous, à Amy, à Robbin et Ryan, et à Cruise y compris la fin de semaine. Et chaque fois que vous nous textez, cela vous vaut une participation. Et dans une semaine d’aujourd’hui, nous allons décerner le prochain voyage aux Sandals de Jamaïque.
(Une transcription plus complète des commentaires faits par les animateurs de l’émission à propos du concours se trouve à l’annexe A, disponible en anglais seulement).
Le règlement officiel du concours affiché sur le site web de la station déclarait ce qui suit :
[traduction]
3. QUAND LE TIRAGE COMMENCE-T-IL/FINIT-IL?
Vous pouvez vous inscrire au concours entre 6 heures du matin le 7 janvier 2019 et 23 h 59 le 17 janvier 2019 (la « Période d’inscription »). Les heures citées dans ce Règlement officiel sont celles du fuseau horaire de l’Est.
4. COMMENT PUIS-JE M’INSCRIRE AU CONCOURS?
Aucun achat n’est requis pour participer au concours.
Pour vous inscrire au concours, envoyez un message texte au numéro 31053 durant la Période d’inscription. Ce message peut être envoyé par un téléphone cellulaire permettant la communication bidirectionnelle. Les frais de votre fournisseur pour message texte standard ou pour message avec numéro abrégé et données pourront s’appliquer.
[...]
10. COMMENT SE FERA LA SÉLECTION DU/DES GAGNANT(S) POTENTIEL(S)?
Le 11 janvier et le 18 janvier 2019, aux environs de 6 heures du matin à Ottawa (Ontario), au 2001 Thurston Drive, Rogers effectuera un tirage au sort parmi toutes les inscriptions admissibles qui auront été reçues. Pour chaque prix accordé à chacune de ces dates en vertu du Règlement officiel, un participant sera choisi au hasard comme gagnant potentiel et en sera informé par le biais de l’information fournie au moment de l’inscription. […]
(Seules les portions pertinentes du règlement sont citées ci-dessus. Le règlement complet se trouve à l’annexe C, disponible en anglais seulement.)
Le radiodiffuseur a répondu au plaignant le 7 mars. Il a révélé que CISS-FM avait suivi le règlement officiel du concours et que le gagnant avait été choisi au hasard à 6 heures du matin à Ottawa. Les animateurs en direct ont fait croire que le tirage au sort avait lieu en Jamaïque uniquement pour [traduction] « créer de l’excitation » et prêter un « effet dramatique ». Le radiodiffuseur a également expliqué que « les inscriptions à ce tirage étaient considérées comme des inscriptions ‘en continu’, ce qui signifiait que les textos admissibles envoyés après le tirage du 11 janvier 2019 continuaient d’être valables pour le tirage du 18 janvier 2019. Voilà pourquoi les animateurs en direct encourageaient les auditeurs à continuer de s’inscrire après le premier tirage, puisqu’ils avaient encore une chance de gagner au prochain ». La station ne voyait pas en quoi l’un ou l’autre de ces éléments pouvait être trompeur puisque les commentaires des animateurs ne changeaient rien aux règles et lignes directrices du concours.
Le plaignant a déposé sa demande de décision le 20 mars. Il a fait remarquer que le règlement ne mentionnait à aucun moment la nature « en continu » de l’inscription au concours. Il a insisté pour dire que, de toute façon, il était inexact de la part des animateurs d’encourager les gens à continuer de texter en vue du premier tirage puisque ce tirage était déjà terminé. Il a reconnu que les commentaires ne changeaient en rien le résultat du tirage, mais il estimait que la [traduction] « valeur de divertissement » invoquée par la station était « une excuse inacceptable ». Le plaignant a envoyé un autre message le 3 juin pour décrire ses réticences à propos de concours antérieurs organisés par CISS-FM et sur la façon dont la station menait ses concours en général.
CISS-FM a fourni des informations additionnelles au CCNR le 10 juin. La station a réitéré son opinion selon laquelle l’incitation en ondes à s’inscrire au concours après le déroulement du premier tirage n’était pas trompeuse au point de constituer une infraction au code. La station a indiqué à nouveau que [traduction] « toute personne ayant texté avant ou après le tirage du 11 janvier, si elle n’avait pas gagné, devenait automatiquement admissible au tirage du 18 janvier. Ainsi, selon nous, l’incitation en ondes à participer au concours entre le 11 et le 17 janvier était entièrement conforme au règlement du concours et n’avait nullemenet nui aux chances qu’avait le plaignant ou tout autre participant de participer au concours ou de gagner l’un des deux voyages offerts en prix, puisque le concours ne se terminait pas avant la fin de la période d’inscription, le 17 janvier 2019. » Le radiodiffuseur a aussi noté que les paroles prononcées par Sandra faisaient clairement comprendre que le concours ne se terminait pas le 11 janvier.
(Le texte complet de toute la correspondance se trouve à l’annexe B, disponible en anglais seulement.)
LA DÉCISION
Le comité décideur anglophone a étudié la plainte à la lumière de l’article 12 (Concours et promotions) du Code de déontologie de l’Association canadienne des radiodiffuseurs (ACR) qui se lit comme suit :
La conception et l’exécution de tous les concours et promotions qui passent à l’antenne d’une station doivent se faire de façon équitable et légitime. Il faut plus particulièrement prendre soin qu’ils ne soient pas trompeurs et qu’ils ne risquent pas d’être dangereux ou de déranger ou perturber le public. Les prix offerts ou les promesses faites doivent être tels qu’ils sont représentés.
Les membres du comité décideur ont lu toute la correspondance afférente et ont écouté un enregistrement de l’émission en cause. Le comité conclut que CISS-FM a enfreint l’article 12 pour avoir présenté une information trompeuse concernant le concours en déclarant faussement en ondes que les inscriptions faites après 6 heures le 11 janvier continuaient de donner droit au premier tirage du concours.
Les questions auxquelles avait à répondre le comité décideur étaient :
Est-ce que le radiodiffuseur a violé l’article 12 du Code de déontologie de l’ACR (Concours et promotions) pour ce qui est de l’endroit et du moment où devait avoir lieu le tirage du concours?
Est-ce que le radiodiffuseur a violé l’article 12 du Code de déontologie de l’ACR (Concours et promotions) en prétendant que les inscriptions faites après 6 h le 11 janvier continuaient d’être admissibles pour le premier tirage du concours?
Le comité estime que les déclarations faites par le personnel en ondes concernant le moment et le lieu du tirage n’ont pas eu d’incidence concrète sur le résultat du concours et, par conséquent, n’ont pas violé l’article 12 du Code de déontologie de l’ACR (Concours et promotions).
Les commentaires en ondes ne précisent pas que le tirage aura lieu à 7 h 45, mais plutôt que le premier voyage « sera décerné » « autour de 7 h 45 ». Le comité estime que ceci pouvait être l’heure à laquelle le radiodiffuseur rejoindrait le gagnant ou peut-être l’heure à laquelle le nom du gagnant serait annoncé en ondes. Le fait est que ces deux événements, en plus du tirage lui-même, ne sont pas forcés de se produire en même temps. En outre, il n’y a aucun problème à ce que l’annonce du gagnant se soit faite autour de 8 h puisqu’il était clair que 7 h 45 constituait un délai approximatif.
Bien qu’un des animateurs ait déclaré en ondes qu’il avait « terriblement hâte de tirer un nom tout à l’heure », il est clair, d’après la réponse du radiodiffuseur, que « le gagnant avait été choisi au hasard à 6 heures du matin à Ottawa » par un coordonnateur des promotions de la station, conformément au règlement du concours affiché sur le site web de la station. Le comité estime que, peu importe si le nom du gagnant a été choisi par un annonceur en ondes ou par un autre employé de la station par quelque méthode que ce soit, la sélection a bien été faite au hasard et, qu’elle ait été faite en Jamaïque ou à Ottawa, le résultat du concours n’en a pas été matériellement compromis. En fin de compte, le gagnant a été choisi légitimement au hasard, conformément au règlement du concours, et une inexactitude technique ne rend pas le concours lui-même trompeur au point de constituer une infraction.
Le comité comprend aussi que les radiodiffuseurs, en particulier quand vient le moment d’annoncer le gagnant d’un concours, tiennent à faire languir leurs auditeurs pour générer le plus d’excitation possible. Les concours se tiennent souvent pendant les périodes d’évaluation des cotes d’écoute et le personnel en ondes est incité à mobiliser le plus possible l’auditoire de la station. Une mobilisation de ce genre est tout à fait licite, dans la mesure où elle respecte le règlement du concours. Dans le cas présent, le règlement exigeait que la sélection du gagnant soit faite au hasard, et c’est bien ce qui s’est produit.
Quant à la seconde question à savoir si les participants au concours seraient admissible à gagner le premier voyage s’ils continuaient à texter leur inscription entre 7 h et 8 h 12 (heure à laquelle le premier gagnant a été annoncé), le comité conclut que les déclarations faites en ondes par le personnel de la station étaient effectivement trompeuses et contraires à l’article 12 du Code de déontologie de l’ACR.
Le règlement était clair quant au fait que le nom du gagnant du premier voyage serait tiré à 6 h le 11 janvier. D’après la lettre du radiodiffuseur, c’est bien ce qui s’est produit. Le personnel en ondes, désireux de créer de l’enthousiasme pour le concours et l’annonce du premier gagnant, a indiqué à deux différentes reprises, la première fois à 6 h 43 et la seconde à 7 h 13, que si les auditeurs continuaient à envoyer des textos, ils seraient admissibles à gagner le « premier voyage ». Ces deux déclarations étaient fausses dans les faits, puisque le tirage du premier voyage avait déjà eu lieu. En outre, ils donnaient la fausse impression que les auditeurs qui se hâtaient de s’inscrire auraient deux chances de gagner le concours quand en réalité il ne leur en restait plus qu’une.
Le comité croit comprendre que le radiodiffuseur ne considère pas ces déclarations de la part du personnel en ondes comme trompeuses, parce que « les inscriptions à ce tirage étaient considérées comme des inscriptions ‘en continu’ ». Le comité note que le règlement affiché sur le site web de la station ne donne aucune information sur la nature « en continu » des inscriptions au concours. Il se contente de citer la période de temps pendant laquelle quelqu’un aura le loisir de s’inscrire. Bien qu’il soit vrai, comme l’a affirmé le radiodiffuseur dans ses commentaires additionnels, que le personnel en ondes n’a pas causé de préjudice aux auditeurs qui continuaient d’avoir une chance de gagner parce que toutes les inscriptions à partir de 6 h le 11 janvier rendaient les participants admissibles au tirage du 18 janvier, les déclarations en ondes ont donné la fausse impression, comme noté ci-dessus, qu’il y avait encore deux chances de gagner quand en réalité la chance de gagner avait été réduite de 50 p. 100 après 6 h.
Il est vrai et il était clair, à la fois dans le règlement et dans les déclarations faites en ondes, que toute nouvelle inscription faite après 6 h donnait aux auditeurs une chance de gagner et, par conséquent, que les inscriptions faites après cette heure n’étaient pas une perte de temps. Toutefois, le comité croit qu’en définitive, il faut se demander s’il restait une chance ou deux chances de gagner le concours pour les inscriptions faites après 6 h sur la foi des déclarations du personnel en ondes entre 6 h et 8 h le 11 janvier.
Le comité ne croit pas que la station, ou son personnel en ondes, ait eu la moindre intention de tromper l’auditoire en ce sens. Comme noté plus haut, il est normal que les radiodiffuseurs s’efforcent d’encourager et de créer le plus d’engagement possible dans l’auditoire de la station lorsqu’ils organisent des concours. Néanmoins, le règlement du concours constitue le baromètre officiel pour évaluer l’équité et la légitimité d’un concours. Dans le cas présent, les règles ne pouvaient pas être modifiées en ondes pour donner l’impression qu’il restait deux chances de gagner. Cela étant, il serait utile que les radiodiffuseurs rappellent les règles du concours à leur personnel en ondes pour être sûrs que toutes les incitations en ondes soient conformes au règlement affiché sur le site web de la station.
Réceptivité du radiodiffuseur
Dans toutes les décisions rendues par le CCNR, ses comités évaluent dans quelle mesure le radiodiffuseur s’est montré réceptif envers le plaignant. Bien que le radiodiffuseur ne soit certes pas obligé de partager l’opinion du plaignant, sa réponse doit être courtoise, réfléchie et complète. Dans la présente affaire, CISS-FM a fourni au plaignant une réponse bien étoffée en donnant son point de vue sur l’émission. Ce radiodiffuseur ayant rempli son obligation de se montrer réceptif, il n’y a pas lieu d’en exiger davantage de sa part, sauf pour l’annonce de cette décision.
ANNONCE DE LA DÉCISION
CISS-FM est tenu : 1) de faire connaître la présente décision selon les conditions suivantes : une fois pendant les heures de grande écoute, dans un délai de trois jours suivant sa publication, et une autre fois dans un délai de sept jours suivant sa publication, dans le même créneau horaire que The Sandra and Chris Show, mais pas le même jour que la première annonce; 2) de faire parvenir au plaignant qui a présenté la demande de décision, dans les quatorze jours suivant la diffusion des deux annonces, une confirmation écrite de son exécution; et 3) au même moment, de faire parvenir au CCNR copie de cette confirmation accompagnée du fichier-témoin attestant la diffusion des deux annonces, qui seront formulées comme suit :
Le Conseil canadien des normes de la radiotélévision a jugé que KiSS FM Ottawa avait enfreint le Code de déontologie de l’Association canadienne des radiodiffuseurs pendant The Sandra and Chris Show le 11 janvier 2019. Une information trompeuse a été donnée à propos d’un concours, ce qui contrevient à l’article 12 du Code.
La présente décision devient un document public dès sa publication par le Conseil canadien des normes de la radiotélévision.
APPENDIX A
The Sandra and Chris Show is CISS-FM’s (KiSS 105.3, Ottawa) morning show that airs weekdays from 5:30 to 9:00 am. The show is hosted by Sandra Plagakis and Chris Love. In between songs, the hosts banter about a variety of topics. From January 7 to January 17, 2019, the station was running a contest to win a trip to a resort in Jamaica. During this time period, Sandra and Chris were on location in Jamaica and broadcast their show live from there.
To enter the contest, listeners had to send a text message to the station’s number. Program hosts would present a question or topic and invite listeners to text their thoughts on the subject. The first of two trip prizes was awarded on January 11 during The Sandra and Chris Show. The second was to be awarded on January 18.
The following is a transcript of the relevant moments from the January 11 show.
5:18 am
promo for contest:
male narrator: KiSS family, it’s your chance to kiss Ottawa goodbye.
female voice: Bye.
female voice: Bye.
[airplane sound]
male narrator: And say hello to Sandals.
multiple voices (male & female): Hello.
female narrator: You could win a week-long luxury included vacation to Sandals South Coast. A chance for you to escape winter to paradise.
male narrator: Exchange that shovel, winter coat and boots for flip-flops, sandy beaches, gourmet meals and fancy drinks by the pool.
female narrator: All you have to do is shoot us a text at 31053.
male narrator: Join the conversation this week by text and you are in.
female narrator: Full details at kissottawa.com. Standard rates may apply. Please don’t text and drive.
male narrator: Kiss Ottawa goodbye with Sandals resorts and KiSS 105.3.
5:28 amfemale narrator: The Sandra and Chris Show.
male narrator: Live from Sandals South Coast Jamaica. KiSS 105.3.
Sandra: Good morning KiSS family. This is the day. This could be the best day of your life. This could be the first day of the rest of your life. Coming up at 7:45 this morning we’re giving away our first, but not last, trip to Sandals Jamaica!
Chris: Yes. The first one is ready to go. 7:45ish. Uh, and what a day to win it too. Inside a deep freeze. [Sandra gasps] Inside a deep freeze. If there’s a day to win a trip to go and bury yourself in the sand, today is the day to do it. [Sandra laughs] And I’m excited. I can’t wait to pull the name later and find out who’s goin’ to Jamaica.
Sandra: Yeah, and then you guys won’t hate us so much if you win a trip. Because we were getting texts yesterday from people saying [affects whiny voice] “Oh, we can hear the birds chirping in the background. We can hear the ambient noise of people laughing at the pool bar and having the ...” You know what? That’s not what this week has been about. This week has been about, um, you know, scoping this place out for you. Um, I actually did save a little spot underneath a coconut or underneath a palm tree for the winner of this trip. So just know that we’re givers.
Chris: I wondered why I got kicked out of that seat.
Sandra: That’s why. I’m saving it.
Chris: I wondered why.
Sandra: I’m saving it for the winner of this trip. And we’re going to find out later on this morning. So don’t forget, keep joining the conversation. Keep texting. It doesn’t stop today. With Amy. With Robbin and Ryan. With Cruise. Just keep it going. And, uh, every time you send us a text at 31053 you’re entered. Simple.
Chris: Yeah. Easy peasy. It does not get easier than that. So yesterday we had a really, really nice day. [talks about visiting a school related to Sandals’s charity work]
Sandra: We are very lucky to be here. And we hope the same for you this morning at 7:45. We’re broadcasting live from Sandals South Coast Jamaica.
promo:
male narrator: The Sandra and Chris Show.
female narrator: Text 31053. Join the conversation.
male: KiSS 105.3.
[songs]
5:48 amChris: [talking about the peacocks wandering around resort] And you’ll be able to see it if you win the trip at 7:45. [talk about other things they have done during their stay at resort] But you can do all of these yourselves, KiSS family, if you win at 7:45. Right?
Sandra: Absolutely, KiSS family. Good luck in the draw two hours from now. We’re broadcasting live from Sandals South Coast Jamaica.
promo:
male voice: The Sandra and Chris Show.
female voice: Text 31053. Join the conversation.
6:16 amSandra: All right, KiSS family, we’re down here broadcasting live at Sandals South Coast Jamaica and we’re going to be giving our first trip away in just under two hours' time. But let’s talk about the reality of five-star luxurious vacations. In fact, any time you travel, chances are, when you’re out of your element sometimes you get a little discombobulated and sometimes you, like, I’m not, wherever I go, for example, I always bring Band-Aids with me. Because I know there’s a ninety-nine point seven percent chance I will fall and skin my knee, which is exactly what happened here at, at Sandals South Coast Jamaica. [talk about minor accidents/injuries that they’ve endured on this vacation] And we know it’s happened to you too, KiSS family, so let’s start a conversation and don’t forget, every time you text, you’re still entered to, uh, win this trip to Sandals Jamaica. Tell us about your vacation mishap.
male voice: The Sandra and Chris Show.
female: Text 31053. Join the conversation.
male: KiSS 105.3.
6:43 amSandra: So KiSS family, we’re talking about your vacation mishaps.
Chris: Yeah, and don’t forget, every time you send a text, uh, you are automatically entered for our first trip, which we’ll give away in about one hour.
Sandra: One hour.
Chris: The first trip being given away in about one hour.
6:49 ammale narrator: KiSS family, it’s your chance to kiss Ottawa goodbye.
female voice: Bye.
female voice: Bye.
[airplane sound]
male narrator: And say hello to Sandals.
multiple voices (male & female): Hello.
female narrator: You could win a week-long luxury included vacation to Sandals South Coast. A chance for you to escape winter to paradise.
male narrator: Exchange that shovel, winter coat and boots for flip-flops, sandy beaches, gourmet meals and fancy drinks by the pool.
female narrator: All you have to do is shoot us a text at 31053.
male narrator: Join the conversation this week by text and you are in.
female narrator: Full details at kissottawa.com. Standard rates may apply. Please don’t text and drive.
male narrator: Kiss Ottawa goodbye with Sandals resorts and KiSS 105.3.
7:10 ammale voice: The Sandra and Chris Show.
female: Text 31053. Join the conversation.
male: KiSS 105.3.
7:13 amChris: All right, don’t forget the first trip that we are giving away, the first of many, will be given away in about 30 minutes' time. If you, uh, win, you get your choice of Sandals resorts anywhere here in Jamaica. So an incredible trip up for grabs. Thirty minutes away. If you want to participate, uh, in the conversation at 31053, that will get you entered for the first trip. [talk about Sandra’s elaborate drink orders & Chris ordering 2 entrées] And you’re allowed to do that, KiSS family. If you win the first trip, you can come down here and you can order as much as you like. And, uh, you can order, you know, fancy drinks like Sandra does at the bar. [“conversation” is to share your “high maintenance move”, i.e. something in your life that you insist be done a particular way or you get upset] Uh, 31053 on the text. We’re broadcasting live from Sandals South Coast Jamaica.
male voice: The Sandra and Chris Show.
female: Text 31053. Join the conversation.
male: KiSS 105.3.
8:00 am- they try to call listener Maggie, but have technical difficulties; they get producer to put her on hold & tell her to listen to the radio
Chris: So Maggie’s now on hold.
Sandra: Okay, so Ma-
Chris: I heard her whisper in the ear.
Sandra: Okay, so we know that Maggie is on hold. And Maggie, we know that you can hear us right now even though we can’t hear you. And we did call you because, uh, we wanted to ask you what the weather was like in Ottawa, but that was a cheap ruse, wasn’t it?
Chris: It was.
Sandra: We had it all planned. It was pretty elaborate in our brains.
Chris: We had this in this glorious way of giving some good news this Friday morning, but, yeah, it kinda, it kinda fell apart on us, didn’t it?
Sandra: It kind of fell apart on us. On our end. But on your end things are looking pretty good, Maggie, because we have something very exciting to tell you. You are going to Sandals Jamaica!
Chris: Whooo!
Sandra: Five-star, luxury –
Chris: Yes!
Sandra: -- included, uh, love is in the air. It’s a couples resort. It is magical. There is nothing like a Sandals resort. And we know you are a proud member of the KiSS family and you entered this week by joining the conversation. And we want to reward you for that and you are going to paradise.
Chris: Oh, absolutely glorious. Man, I wish we could hear her reaction. I really do!
Sandra: Can I pretend to be Maggie?
[they enact scenario of telling contestant she won, with Sandra pretending to be Maggie]
Sandra: Maggie, that was for you girl. You’re going to Jamaica.
Chris: KiSS family, good, good news. That was just the first of many, many trips. So all you have to do to win the next one, starting right now, join the conversation at 31053. You can do it with us, with Amy, with Robbin or Ryan, with Cruise even on the weekends. Uh, it’s a trip all up for grabs. Trip number two will be given away next Friday. But Maggie, oh Maggie, Maggie, you okay? You calming down now, Maggie?
[Sandra still pretending to be Maggie]
8:21 amChris: All right, so, uh, moments ago, we gave away our first of many trips, uh, to Sandals in Jamaica. Congratulations, Maggie. What warms my heart is all over our texting board, so many people are on Maggie’s side and saying ‘congratulations’, ‘have a great time’, uh, so, it’s just so nice.
Sandra: Yeah, you guys –
Chris: The KiSS family saying you know what, I didn’t win, but congratulations, Maggie.
Sandra: Yeah.
Chris: Says a lot about the KiSS family. Way to go.
Sandra: Good job, KiSS family. We’re all happy for each other, even if you don’t win, you have more chances to win because right, as of right now, we are re-setting.
Chris: Yep.
Sandra: Re-setting this whole thing. So continue to text with us, with Amy, with Robbin and Ryan, and with Cruise right into the weekend. And every time you text, that’s good for one entry. And week from today, we’re going to be giving away our next trip to Sandals Jamaica.
Chris: Yeah, we’re not slowing down. Forget about it. We are not slowing down. We got so many of these trips to give away. So chances look pretty good. So just, like Sandra said, continue to join the conversation.
8:28 amChris: The other piece of good news is that everybody that just sent a text, you’re automatically qualified now. You’re in the draw for trip number two, which is next Friday.
Sandra: Beautiful.
Chris: It’s the easiest way to win a trip.
Sandra: You’re having a great Friday.
Chris: Sandals.
Sandra: Look at you.
Chris: Yeah.
8:34 amChris: Well, once again, congratulations going out to KiSS family member Maggie who picked up the first trip to go to Sandals in Jamaica. Her choice of Sandals resorts too. Which, I really hope that you get to pick Sandals South Coast ʼcause this place, absolutely gorgeous. That’s not the end, though, ʼcause, family, don’t forget, uh, we have another trip on Friday. Then another one after that, then another one after that, then another one after that.
Sandra: Oh!
Chris: So lots of chances. We were just lucky enough to be the first ones to come down. Now it’s going to be Maggie coming down and then who knows. It could be you coming down next. But a lot of chances. And to win, all you have to do is join the conversation all day long, any time you want at 31053. And you’re automatically entered for a beautiful trip, a beautiful getaway to, I like the way they say, the sexy South Coast of Jamaica.
Sandra: The sexy South Coast.
Chris: Yeah.
Sandra: And we really have a lot people to thank for putting this incredible week together. Of course we’re broadcasting live and with that comes a lot of technical challenges and a lot of people behind the scenes that you don’t even hear about, KiSS family. [thanks tech support people, etc.]
APPENDIX B
The Complaint
The CBSC received the following complaint via its webform on February 6, 2019:
Television or Radio Station: 105.3 KISS FM (CISS)
Program Name: Sandra and Chris Show
Date of Program: 2019/01/11
Time of Program: 05:00
Specific Concern: At around 5:30 AM, Chris Love stated "I will be making a draw later on this morning for our first trip to Sandals".
Later on he mentioned that he thought that it would take place around 7:45 AM.
In previous communication with the radio station, they stated that the DJs do not make the draws for a contest winner. They are simply handed a name from the individual doing the draw.
The way to qualify for a trip to Sandals was to "join the conversation", by texting a message to the radio station. Up until about 7:30 AM, the radio station DJs claimed that they were still taking qualifiers for the first trip to Sandals. They were broadcasting live from Jamaica on January 11, 2019.
However, looking at the rules of the contest, it stated that the draw was to occur at 6:00 AM in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, by a station representative. Therefore, if true, myself [sic] and many other potential qualifiers, were in fact wasting their time, sending in texts to the station between 5:30-7:30 AM, as the draw would have already taken place.
[B. R.], the promotions director for 1053 KISS FM was on site at the Sandals resort in Jamaica and likely heard Chris Love's comment about who would do the draw and when, and never at any time was Chris Love's comment corrected. Nor was it corrected by the "boss" of Kiss FM, [A. D.], who likely did the draw and was also likely listening to the broadcast in Ottawa, Ontario.
I believe that the station violated clause 12 in the code of conduct, because it was misleading.
I have already complained about this to [S. W.], the ombudsman for Rogers, and expressed my concern.
Also what is disturbing is that the radio station refuses to show the name of the first four Sandals winners on their website of contest winners, despite that they have also done so in recent years.
Something else that I would like to include under additional correspondence is an event that occurred during last year's Sandals contest.
A contestant with the initials MM won a trip to Sandals through a Meme contest (commenting on photo by making your own bubble comic strip). There were hundreds of entries over four days and you could post as many as you wanted for each meme. MM only posted two, while some others posted five per day. The draw was supposed to be random. MM received a direct message to her Facebook account around 5:25 in the morning telling her to check her direct messages. She then went on social media and mentioned that she won a trip to Sandals for a Meme she posted the night before, even though she had posted two Memes. Someone asked her on social media twice as to how she knew which Meme had won, but she refused to respond to the question. MM had the same first name who was "chummy" to Sandra Plagakis and Carter Brown (DJs at Kiss FM at the time) and would call in many times as she did charity work and finding home for dogs and cats. She was following Kiss on Twitter and they and Sandra Plagakis were following her.
On her Twitter page MM states "they called me to talk about my Meme, but then they said, ‘we don't want to discuss your Meme, we just wanted to give you a trip’!” That alone could be an indication that it wasn't a random draw.
Of bigger concern, however, is that when I logged into the 1053 KISS FM Facebook page after the draw was done, I found my wife [K. G.] and MM as the last two entries for the Meme contest on the Thursday night before the Friday draw. When they clicked onto their Facebook page early Friday morning, they would have seen MM's name, and would have recognized it because she used to call into the show and Sandra Plagakis was following her on Twitter.
Unfortunately it does give the appearance to myself, based on previous flaws with this station’s methods of conducting contests, that the draw for MM may not have been random, but as KISS said to MM "we just wanted to give you a trip".
Finally, I have all the paperwork to back the MM winning the trip and have verbally given all this information to [S. W.], the Ombudsman for Rogers. She told me that she would be corresponding to 1053 KISS FM this and I still have not had a response from her or the station on this. I find it very disturbing that over the last 4 years, their Sandals contests have appeared to be misleading and may not have the appearance of being run fairly and legitimately.
Broadcaster Response
The broadcaster responded to the complainant on March 7:
We have received your complaint concerning the announcement of a contest winner that was made on The Sandra and Chris Show on KiSS 105.3 Ottawa (CISS-FM) on January 11, 2019 at approximately 7:45 AM ET.
In your complaint, you state that on January 11, 2019, Chris Love stated that he would be making a draw later in the morning for the trip to Sandals. You further state that the official contest rules state that the draw was to take place at 6:00 AM in Ottawa, but the draw actually took place at 7:45 AM in Jamaica, which you believe was misleading to the contestants who were still submitting their text messages to qualify for the contest.
As you may be aware, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) is an independent organization that administers codes and standards proposed by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), and approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). CISS-FM is owned and operated by Rogers Media Inc. (Rogers) and is an associate in good standing with the CBSC.
The codes and standards administered by the CBSC include the CAB Code of Ethics (the “Code”). Based on your complaint, we agree that the following clause is applicable to the challenged 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 for the broadcast in question, and can confirm that at 5:30 AM ET, Mr. Love stated that he would be drawing a winning name “later on” and the announcement would be made at approximately 7:45 AM ET.
We have spoken with CISS-FM’s Program Director, as well as the Promotions Director to confirm the details of this contest. Between January 7 and January 17, 2019, two Sandals trips were given away on January 11 and January 18, 2019. The entries for this contest were considered “rolling” entries, which meant that any qualifying text messages that were sent in after the draw on January 11, 2019 were rolled into the draw on January 18, 2019. This is why the on-air hosts encouraged listeners to continue to enter after the first draw took place, as there was still a chance to win for the next draw.
In regards to your concerns regarding the actual selection of the winner, we can confirm that on January 11, 2019, the draw was made in Ottawa at 6:00 AM ET by a station promotions coordinator, and the name was provided to the on-air hosts for the announcement which took place at 8:10 AM ET. Although the on-air hosts attempted to build excitement by stating they would be conducting the draw of the winner from Jamaica as a dramatic effect, we do not believe that this was misleading. The person who draws the name does not change any of the fundamental rules and guidelines of the contest, which stated that the winner would be selected at approximately 6:00 AM ET. Furthermore, given the “rolling” entry method described above, listeners who continued to text after the first draw took place would have qualified for the second draw on January 18, 2019.
We submit that we have complied with our contest rules and carried out the contest as it was promoted. The qualification and selection process of entries were done according to the contest rules and for this reason, it is our position that this contest was not misleading, and as such, did not breach Clause 12 of the Code.
Thank you for taking the time to bring this matter to our attention and to express your concerns about our station. We value the opinion of our listeners and appreciate the opportunity to respond to your complaint directly.
Additional Correspondence
The complainant submitted his Ruling Request on March 20:
I would like to request a ruling on this complaint.
[S. W.] is admitting that Chris Love didn't make the draw and the draw occurred earlier than he mention[ed] and the draw took place in Ottawa. I never said the draw would take place in Jamaica; Chris Love did so, by saying that he would do the draw and since he was in Jamaica, then it would have to take place there.
The "rolling" entries is a big joke because there was no mention of it in the contest rules and the station had to grasp at straws to come up with an explanation.
Also the on-air host specifically kept saying that when you "join the conversation" then you would be entered into the first draw, not the next one on January 18.
Furthermore, after I complained to [S. W.], she clearly communicated with the radio station, because for the next four consecutive draws starting January 18, 2019, the station no longer was accepting text messages until the winner's name was announced!
So if the station was doing nothing wrong or deceitful with their contest regulations, why did they change the way they did things for the next four draws?
The answer is clear: they realized that they had been misleading and deceitful.
Quite frankly, I am surprised after taking almost two weeks for [S. W.] to make her rebuttal that she came back with such a weak explanation.
In fact she is admitting that the station did not follow the contest rules that were set out.
While their method during the draw on January 11, 2019 may not have affected the outcome of the winner, their "entertainment value" is an unacceptable excuse and, in previous Sandals contests, it has caused much controversy and, in my opinion, has affected the integrity of the station!
The complainant sent an additional email on June 3 raising issues with respect to a previous CISS-FM contest and the station’s general administration of contests:Subject: Need your advice on my options for non-recorded questionable conduct from a radio station
I have deep concern about a radio station that has already had a ruling against them during 2016 (105.3 CISS FM the Big Bag of Cash).
During January 2018, the above-named radio station had a contest where you could win a trip to a Sandals resort worth approximately $6000. They had a different meme with a picture each day for 4 days. The contestants simply had to respond to the different picture each day through a meme on Facebook. There were hundreds of entries every day, including some contestants who entered as many as 5 different memes each day. The contestant that won had only entered a total of 2 memes in the total of four day[s]. The draw was supposed to be a random draw, according to the rules and not based on the most original or best meme.
The contestant was informed that she won by 5:28 on Friday Jan 12, 2018.
There are several reasons that I am suspicious that it was not a random draw, but rather a hand-picked winner. 1) When 1053 KISS/CISS FM would have logged into their Facebook page, the top 2 names showing on their Facebook page were [K. G.] (my wife) and a [M. M.]. [M. M.] is the contestant who won. 2) This woman has done much charitable work and was known to call in the station and was known to Sandra Plagakis, who also followed [M. M.] on Twitter on vice versa. 3) [M. M.] stated that KISS FM called her to talk about her meme that she posted on Thursday and then told her "we don't want to talk about your meme, we just wanted to give you a trip". She also posted a meme on Tuesday, so if KISS did a random draw how would they know which meme was the one picked randomly? The answer, they were likely "drawn" to her name, because Sandra would have recognized her name, since Sandra was following her on Twitter and [M. M.] calls into their morning show. 4) I did an anonymous reply on Twitter to [M. M.] and asked her how she knew that her Thursday meme won and not her Tuesday meme and asked her if the radio station had told her which meme had won. [M. M.] never replied, even after I re-sent the tweet! Remember, there were hundreds of memes sent over 4 days, including some who sent a total of 20 each. I find it questionable that the person that won would have had their name visible when a staff at KISS FM would have logged onto their Facebook page early on Friday morning!
The next four weeks they did a phone-in Sandals contest where the 15th caller had to complete the song lyrics to qualify for a trip to Sandals. I got through approximately 41 times during the four weeks and on every occasion except four times, I was told what caller I was before the dj heard me talk, which is the correct and fair way to administer a phone-in contest. However, on one occasion [R. L.] (who didn't recognize my voice) answered "Kiss FM" and, upon me asking what caller I was, named me caller 15. However, there were 3 times that [A. D.] (who all the staff at KISS call their boss) answered the phone with "Kiss FM" and upon hearing my voice told me that I was caller 13 or caller 14, when he should have told me that before he heard me talk. Also [A. D.] did answer the phone many times with me and did tell me that I was a caller from 1-13 before he heard me talk. I am under the conclusion that it would [have] indicated that I was caller 15 with [A. D.] 3 times, but he simply didn't want to give me a chance to win a big prize, as he does know my voice.
I complained to the promotions coordinator, [L. P.], as [A. D.] was not available to talk to me and she assured me that [A. D.] would get back to me. I made several follow-up calls and to this day [A. D.] refuses to contact me or explain why he did what he did.
I don't believe that I have won a prize worth over $100 on KISS FM since 2006 and I believe that the station is screening, discriminating against me and blocking me from having a chance to win some of their bigger prizes. My wife won a $10,000 shopping spree in 2005 and they even tried to block me from getting into the same contest during the following year, 2006.
There have been so many problems that I have had with this station for years and it has affected my health at times. I also believe that I have lost monetary value, when it appears that I was the right caller.
I also believe that a couple of the dj's that have been fired by the station were told to not let me win, because I used to win more than most people when the station started up and it would appear to be bad business to the station if the same person kept winning, as it would make it look like their listenership was small to their advertisers.
Some of the on-air complaints that I have made to the CBSC over the last 5 years are just the tip of the iceberg, towards the supporting documentation that I have, that would suggest that the station is not holding up their end towards the integrity of running their contests in a fair and legitimate manner and I believe they are violating their own codes of conduct. Even [D. K.], who I believe is the owner of the radio group on Thurston Drive stated once that "if anyone at the station was blocking you from winning, it would be a violations [sic] of our policies". Well, I believe that this has happened and also some of the winners of big contests are not always being selected at random.
To sum it up, I know that you may not be able to do anything about it, given your position, but perhaps you could steer me in the right direction? Should I be getting a tort lawyer? Do you have a contact person that I could reach out to? I believe that I should be entitled to some sort of compensation, as I have definitely suffered emotionally and my health has been compromised at times and I believe that I have also lost out on money and prizes at the station, because I believe that they have discriminated against me at times, over the years........
The CBSC responded that it cannot deal with off-air issues and that a Panel would be examining his complaint about the “KiSS Ottawa Goodbye” contest shortly.
CISS-FM/Rogers submitted additional information directly to the CBSC on June 10:
Rogers Media Inc. (Rogers) thanks the CBSC for the opportunity to provide the Council with additional information regarding the above-noted complaint which relates to a Sandals Jamaica contest on CISS-FM.
As we explained in our initial response, the Sandals Jamaica contest offered listeners an opportunity to enter and win a trip to Jamaica by texting the station. As stated in the contest rules (noted below) a total of two draws took place on January 11th and 18th, 2019 for this particular contest. As outlined in the contest’s official rules, and contrary to the listener’s complaint, any listener who texted in – throughout the entire contest period – was entered in the contest. In other words, anyone who texted before or after the January 11th draw and did not win was automatically made eligible for the January 18th draw. Accordingly, in our view, any on-air inducement to enter the contest between January 11th and 17th was entirely in keeping with the contest rules and in no way prejudiced the complainant or any other contestants’ ability to participate in and/or win one of the two trips being given away, as the contest did not close until the end of the entry period on January 17th, 2019.
It is our understanding that the complainant’s allegation is that the on-air inducement to enter the contest after the first draw took place was misleading to a degree that would constitute a breach of the Code. We respectfully disagree.
Clause 12 of the CAB Code of Ethics (the Code) dealing with contests and promotions provides that “[a]ll 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.” (emphasis added)
We have again carefully reviewed the logger files and while we acknowledge that one of the hosts, Chris Mott [sic, Love, although his real last name is Mott], continued to invite listeners to text in their entries after the first draw had already taken place on January 11th, his co-host Sandra Plagakis made it clear that the contest did not end that day. Accordingly, we respectfully submit that Mr. Mott’s comments were not misleading to the degree that would undermine the fair and legitimate conduct of the contest as anyone responding to his inducement was in fact entered into the contest and was eligible to win the contest as described in the official rules.
Relevant sections of the official rules of this contest state the following:
These Official Rules govern the Contest. By participating or attempting to participate in the Contest, you will be deemed to have received, understood, and agreed to these Official Rules.
3. WHEN DOES THE CONTEST START/END?
You may enter the Contest between 6am on January 7th, 2019 and 11:59pm on January 17th, 2019 (“Entry Period”). All times referenced in these Official Rules are Eastern.
4. HOW DO I ENTER THE CONTEST?
No purchase is necessary to enter the Contest.
To enter the Contest, send a text message during the Entry Period 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. (emphasis added)
10. HOW WILL THE POTENTIAL WINNER(S) BE SELECTED?
On January 11th and January 18th, 2019 at approximately 6am in Ottawa, Ontario at 2001 Thurston Drive Rogers will conduct a random draw from among all eligible entries received. For each prize to be awarded pursuant to these Official Rules, one entrant will be randomly selected as a potential winner on each date and notified using the information provided at the time of entry. In the event any potential winner does not respond to such notification within three (3) business days, declines a prize for any reason, or does not meet the requirements set forth in these Official Rules, as determined by the Sponsors, the potential winner will be disqualified and, time permitting, an alternate potential winner may be randomly selected from among remaining eligible entries, or the prize may be cancelled.
Rogers respectfully submits that it was made apparent to all listeners through both the contest rules and on-air statements that the entry period did not end on January 11, 2019. It was mentioned on-air multiple times that the chances of winning were still open. It was also made clear that day during the show by Mr. Mott’s co-host Sandra Plagakis that the contest did not end on January 11th. Specifically, co-host Sandra Plagakis made the following statement on January 11th on-air:
“We’re going to find out later on this morning. Don’t forget to keep joining the conversation! Keep texting. It doesn’t stop today! With Amy, with Robbin and Ryan, with Cruise, just keep it going and every time you send us a text at 31053 you’re entered!”
While Mr. Mott encouraged listeners to text in to enter the contest after the first draw had already taken place, we suggest it was clear to listeners, including the complainant, that the contest was open until January 17th based on both the contest rules and his co-host’s on-air statements. Anyone responding to Mr. Mott’s on-air inducements to enter the contest was automatically entered into the second draw for the next giveaway on January 18, 2019 as was set out in the contest rules. Accordingly, Mr. Mott’s inducement to enter the contest was legitimately made as contestants were still eligible to win and their texts were entered for the January 18th draw.
Moreover, it is clear from the listener’s complaint that he had read the official rules of the contest in detail which made it clear that “…[b]y participating or attempting to participate in the Contest, you will be deemed to have received, understood, and agreed to these Official Rules.”.
For these reasons, we do not believe that this broadcast was misleading, and disagree that contestants were “wasting their time sending in texts to the station” as stated by the complainant as all texts received were eligible for the trip to Jamaica.
We thank the Council for the opportunity to further clarify our position on this matter and wish to assure both the Council and the complainant that we strive to conduct all on-air contests in a fair and legitimate manner and take our responsibilities under the Code seriously.
Rogers also sent two screen captures of the station’s website relating to the contest:
Here is the portion of the contest that was posted on the website, which reflect the correct number to text (31053).
Here is a screen shot of the actual contest page which linked to the full contest rules. The correct number was also shown here as well:
APPENDIX C – OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES
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