GCap Media today announced that in a first for the industry, it had commissioned a new radio quiz show which will be entirely self-funded from premium rate phone calls.
The programme, entitled Cash Call, will be produced by Somethin? Else (producers of hit40uk) and Optimistic Media, the participation and entertainment TV production arm of Optimistic Entertainment plc. The programme is the first to be produced by both companies as part of a global joint partnership to create participation quiz shows for radio.
Cash Call will broadcast live every Sunday from 12.00-2.00am across most of GCap?s One Network stations and will be hosted by Capital Radio?s Chris Brooks. Listeners can take part by phone to win a minimum of ?1500 in cash prizes in each show. The broadcasts will feature segments such as Mystery Voice and Guess the Noise and the quizzes will be virtually uninterrupted with no commercial breaks and only three music tracks played during the show. The first programme is due to be broadcast in the next few weeks.
Dirk Anthony, Group Programming Manager at GCap Media, commented: ?Radio is at its best when it?s interactive and prize competitions have always been a popular format with our listeners. By creating a dedicated quiz show, we?re giving listeners a great new way of interacting with the station while implementing our strategy to develop new revenue opportunities.?
Steve Ackerman, Managing Director of Somethin? Else, said: ?We are thrilled that our new joint venture with Optimistic has successfully received its first commission from GCap Media. We have confidence in the format and hope very much that it will become a real alternative to traditional advertiser-funded programming.?
Carolyn Maze, Managing Director, Optimistic Entertainment, added: ?This unique partnership enables us to translate our participation TV expertise to commercial radio for the first time. We are obviously keen to expand the interactive quiz show format across a wide range of platforms.?
Somethin? Else is unique in its cross-platform approach to broadcasting, exemplified by its work with the hit40uk brand which it has brought to television, radio, mobile and online across the globe. Optimistic Entertainment introduced the concept of participation TV in the UK and has recently been the first to introduce the concept into the USA through its partnership with GameShow Network.
The quiz programmes will be produced by Samantha Bryant of Somethin? Else. They will be Executive Produced by Steve Ackerman, Managing Director, Somethin? Else, and Director of Content at Optimistic Media, Simon Willis.