Every Caller Wins: Unforgettable moments with Breakfast's Executive Producer
Ready for Every Caller Wins? Breakfast’s Executive Producer shares some behind-the-scenes moments and epic caller memories to prepare you for the week ahead!
Every year, East Coast Radio holds Every Caller Wins, bringing a whirlwind of excitement, joy, and surprises to listeners across KZN. For WR van der Merwe, the Executive Producer of the Breakfast Show, last year’s campaign was no exception. WR let us in on some of his favourite moments from last year and some behind-the-scenes info!
For WR, the highlight of Every Caller Wins is the sheer happiness of people who manage to get through the busy phone line.
“I randomly select a line to put callers to air, so I speak to callers a couple of seconds before they speak to Darren, Sky, and Carmen. The sound of joy of people who have been trying to get through all morning puts a smile on my face every time!”
It’s not always sunshine and roses though. He describes the heartache he feels when a caller gets through but is unaware.
“It breaks my heart when I pick up a line and I can hear someone in the background going on with their daily life, unaware that they did in fact get through, then, unfortunately, we have to move on to the next caller,” he said.
WR took us on a trip down memory lane as he recalled when Pinetown’s Cindy Ntuli participated in Darren Maule’s Quick Quiz. She answered four out of five questions correctly but missed the final question, leaving WR devastated. However, all was not lost as Cindy still won a Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds in cosmic silver and a R6,000 voucher.
"That made it all better," he shared.
Last year’s Every Caller Wins took place on an especially thrilling day when East Coast Breakfast hosted FIVE competitions.
"Naturally, everyone who made it to air won with Every Caller Wins in addition to the competition they entered," WR recalls. The unexpected nature of the prizes and the amount of competitions running simultaneously made for a rollercoaster of emotions for both the team and the listeners.
While the campaign may come across as seamless to listeners, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure a chaos-free experience.
"Every year we try our best to improve the infrastructure to accommodate as many calls as possible but we were still surprised to find out that the entire area North of Durban was experiencing telephone issues due to the massive amounts of calls we received,” he said.
According to WR, the phones start ringing from midnight although the competition only starts at six in the morning.
WR also took a moment to tug on our heartstrings. He shared a touching moment of a listener who nominated a local business for a prize. Initially, the business owner was convinced the call was a prank but was beyond grateful and overwhelmed with emotion after a SMEG hamper arrived at her doorstep
For our loyal listeners, the thrill of the unexpected and the joy of winning is a feeling like no other, but for WR and the team, it's all about creating those unforgettable moments that resonate for years to come.
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