Carrie Bickmore’s radio bosses hold crisis meeting after she promised $30K listener prize
Carrie Bickmore’s radio bosses hold a crisis meeting after she promised a $30K listener prize without management’s permission, before offering to drop the cash herself
Carrie Bickmore got a slap on the wrist from her radio bosses for promising a massive cash prize to an unauthorized listener.
The 42-year-old former Project host was hosting an on-air competition with co-host Tommy Little on Wednesday when she decided to go off script and bump up the $10,000 cash prize to a whopping $30,000.
To win the money, the listener had to guess the exact moment when a timer reached five seconds.
Tommy, 38, was surprised when Carrie spontaneously announced, “Because our show starts at three.” [in the afternoon]I’m multiplying it by three.
‘Thirty thousand dollars up for grabs today… I think that’s what the people want!’
Tommy jokingly asked if Carrie had been “hitting the bottle” that day, before noting that her boss was “shaking her head” outside the studio.
Carrie assured Tommy that she had spoken with the producers and agreed to cover the cost of the prize money if the Hit Network could not afford to give away the full amount.
Surprisingly, the listener managed to win the game, stopping the clock at five seconds.
In a panic, Carrie gasped, ‘I didn’t tell the bosses anything! I went crooked and said $30,000 and now I have… oh my god! Oh Lord.’
Carrie Bickmore (right, with co-host Tommy Little) got a slap on the wrist from her radio bosses for promising a huge cash prize to a walk-in listener.
Carrie admitted that she was “terrified” at the prospect of having to shell out the prize money herself.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to foot the bill, as a Hit Network spokesperson confirmed that the radio station covered the full amount.
Follow reports that Southern Cross Austereo’s profits are on the decline.
Carrie was hosting an on-air competition with co-host Tommy Little on Wednesday when she decided to go off script and increase the prize money from $10,000 to a whopping $30,000.
The radio company, which includes the Hit Network and Triple M brands as well as regional television stations, earned $260.1 million in revenue during the half.
It was a slight increase from last year, which came in at $259.8 million; however, EBITDA earnings fell from $48.2 million to $43.1 million.
EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation, among other deductions.
However, at the network’s height in 2012, EBITDA earnings were $123 million, showing a drop of one-third over the past decade.
According the Unmade media newsletterwhich marks the “worst start to a financial year” for the network.
The listener managed to win the game, stopping the clock at five seconds. In a panic, Carrie admitted that she was terrified at the prospect of having to shell out the prize money herself.