cowan@uunet.uu.net> (05/20/91)
Our Esteemed Moderator writes: > I'll tell you who else is finding the use of 900 > numbers quite lucrative: Our own Public Television station, WTTW > Channel 11 has had an annual fund raising campaign for many years. > A few months ago they started using a 900 number year 'round: dial it > and after a recorded message thanking you for your support of public > television, $10 is automatically billed to you by Illinois Bell. WNET/13, the public TV station in New York, has been doing this for about two years now. However, the traditional pledge drive still seems to be the best money-getting device they have. WNET uses it not just positively but negatively: a few weeks before the start of the pledge drive, they begin running brief ads to the effect that "If enough of you send money now, we'll cancel the first day of the pledge drive!" And so on. Up to about 2.5 days have been cancelled in this way. In addition, WNET has several different 900 numbers available, for paying different amounts, in addition to an 800 number for making credit-card donations. cowan@snark.thyrsus.com ...!uunet!cbmvax!snark!cowan e'osai ko sarji la lojban