AS someone who has questioned the validity of premium rate phone-ins, I could be forgiven for feeling smug over recent revelations about some very dodgy dealings.
I have long harboured serious misgivings about phone voting, being convinced that the winners of high-profile televised competitions, especially talent shows, are decided by the organisers, not the public.
However, my principal objection to phone-ins is based on the belief that they are a means of persuading gullible viewers to part with cash. Exploitation on a grand scale. In that respect they have been a phenomenal success, generating millions for those responsible.
I cannot be the only person to wonder why so many ITV and BBC programmers feature questions which wouldn't tax the brain power of Boris, my Miniature Schnauzer puppy, yet which urge viewers to answer using a premium rate number at £1 a time, in the expectation of winning a holiday, car or cash. People fall for it in their thousands. Clearly they would finish second to Boris in a one-on-one IQ test, as he wouldn't pick up the phone to answer, even if I gave permission, being far too smart to fall for that one, thank you very much.
Here is an example from the quiz book for the mentally challenged, which asked: Complete the title of the following children's fairytale: Snow White And The Seven (a) Dwarfs (b) Ducks (c) Sandwiches. Winners enjoy the glory, or suffer the indignity, take your pick, of having their names revealed, though on the Channel 5 show Brainteaser, when no-one got the answer, they made up names of the winners. The makers of that programme? Cheetah. Rather appropriate wouldn't you say?
That was no isolated case. This week the BBC's children's show Blue Peter became the latest to admit a breach of the rules. The dam burst after a Sunday newspaper revealed that viewers of The Richard and Judy Show were encouraged to continue calling, even though the winner of the competition You Say, We Pay, had been selected. The X Factor, one of television's biggest hits, is being investigated after claims that human error resulted in red-button voters being overcharged to the tune of £200,000. Also under investigation are Soapstar Superstar, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take-Away and I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.
Following doubts about the integrity of these interactive services, and their subsequent suspension, ITV is losing millions of pounds in revenue. The Dancing On Ice Saturday evening money spinner, which features "celebrities" partnered by skating professionals, is underpinned by £1 a throw phone-ins and ITV bosses were mightily relieved when auditors Deloitte gave it a late all-clear.
The people behind other cash cows, particularly The X Factor, must be suffering panic attacks similar to those experienced by the Dancing On Ice team, as the vocal talent contest generates a fortune from phone-ins. That must be the reason why the show's host constantly reminds viewers how vital are their votes. Vital for whom? Simon Cowell and his associates, perhaps. I wonder if the quest for new talent would be as enthusiastic if premium rate phone-ins were suspended, or the public decided enough is enough and chose not to part with their pounds. Somehow I doubt it.
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