KEY POINTS:
You're driving to work, listening to the radio, the DJ comes on and begins talking about the rugby. You're not interested, so you change station.
Three minutes later, another DJ comes on, jabbering about interest rates. Boring. You flick the dial again.
Ads. Flick. Rubbish song. Flick. Free
stuff. Pause . . . Chance to win a holiday, cash, prizes. You stay put, you listen.
Welcome to the fickle world of morning radio. Where ratings count and stations will stop at nothing to grab your attention. Prizes, stunts and outlandish behaviour are par for the course in this industry.
And with the latest round of radio surveys just around the corner, they're at it again.
The Edge (94.2FM) radio station takes the prize for the most shameless publicity stunt - marrying two complete strangers in a public ceremony.
If you think it sounds familiar, you're right. This will be the third arranged marriage by the radio station, the first taking place in 1999, another in 2003.
But you can't blame them for sticking with a tried-and-true formula. The stunt won the team a Radio Award for best radio promotion in 2000.
And it seems to have worked out all right for the couples involved. Both are still married, with several small children between them.
This year, there is an added twist as a second groom is thrown into the mix, forcing the bride to choose her hubby at the altar, leaving one man rejected and dejected.
Lower down the spectrum, The Rock (90.2FM) caters to its predominantly male audience, giving away four trips for two to the Rugby World Cup - each worth $20,000.
Called the 7.20 Sin Bin, the slot requires listeners to catch the Morning Rumble every morning, at 7.20, and note the name of the sin-binned All Black.
At the end of the week, there is a cue to call and correctly name all five players, the winners score a trip to Paris to see the third and fourth play-offs, plus the Rugby World Cup final.
Opting for a more conservative approach, More FM (91.8) is giving away $5000 each morning, with their Celebrity Cash Call promotion, while Classic Hits (97.4FM) is giving away $20,000 to celebrate Lotto's 20th birthday, as well as the chance to win a new Mini One.
Meanwhile, ZM (91FM) will bring back their Live Rent-Free competition, where listeners can register to win free rent for either a week, a month or a year.
The station will also be giving away various international trips as part of the ZM World Tour promotion, which has been running throughout the year.
With the official survey period not beginning until September 1, it's safe to say this is just the beginning.
Expect more pranks, prizes and hijinks in the coming weeks before the official results are announced on October 26.
