Virgin Radio admits phone request scam
Virgin Radio has admitted charging listeners for record requests that they stand little or no chance of hearing on air.
Presenter Suggs, singer of pop group Madness, invites people to text the titles of the songs they want to hear on his Saturday night show - but does not explain it is often prerecorded.
The nationwide station is one of many to encourage listeners to text requests. It costs a Virgin listener 25p per text to send a message on the 81215 number - 10p of which goes to the station with the rest going to the mobile phone operator.
The latest revelations echo the scandal over TV phone-ins, which was prompted by the Mail on Sunday's revelations about Channel 4's Richard And Judy show.
Industry watchdog Icstis is now investigating five other TV shows over irregularities in the way premium-rate competitions are run.
The Virgin text-message 'scam' was uncovered when a reader complained he had texted a song request to the Suggs Saturday show only to see the singer appearing live on television minutes later.
While on air, Suggs frequently announces the number listeners should text their requests to - and gives every impression they will be played, if possible, on the night. But he does not reveal that the show, Virgin Party Classics, is sometimes prerecorded.
The reader sent his request on October 21 last year while listening to the Virgin show in his car. When he arrived home he switched on the TV and saw Suggs - real name Graham McPherson --appearing live on ITV's Ant And Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.
He said: 'I thought I'd been conned when I saw Suggs on TV. I listen to his Saturday show when I drive home from work and I had stopped off at a petrol station so I decided to text in a request. I can't remember what the song was but I know it wasn't played, and when I got home and turned on the TV, I realised why.'
Last night Virgin admitted that the Suggs show aired between 6pm and 10pm on October 21 last year had been prerecorded. The company refused to say how many text messagesit received during the show and insisted its share of the text charge is not profit and merely covers operating costs.
A Virgin spokeswoman said: 'Suggs is extremely busy and has a number of commitments including his music career and various TV appearances.
'On this occasion the show was pre-recorded but all the texts we get go into an email inbox which will still be used at some point - it's not that those requests will go to waste.'
Last night Icstis said it would look into the Virgin text-messaging scheme. A spokesman said: 'You can't portray something as live if it's not. We would have to hear a transcript of the show to see what words were used.'
Watchdog warned two years ago of Richard And Judy racket
The watchdog investigating the phone-quiz scandal engulfing British television was alerted to a Richard And Judy show scam nearly two years ago.
Icstis, the premium-rate regulator, was warned that it was impossible for viewers in Wales to win the Channel 4 chat show's You Say, We Pay competition because it was broadcast 30 minutes after it had been aired live in England.
The regulator raised the matter with telecom company Eckoh but did not launch a full inquiry.
Last night Albert Bayliss, a retired salesman from Oxfordshire who made the initial complaint, said: 'It was a golden opportunity to look at the way the competition was being run and perhaps prevent thousands of people being taken for a ride.'
Within a few weeks of Mr Bayliss's complaint in 2005, S4C, the Welsh equivalent of Channel 4, flashed up a 'Competition lines are now closed' message when the programme started.
Three weeks ago, the Mail on Sunday revealed a You Say, We Pay scam in which viewers were encouraged to ring a premium-rate number after potential winners had been selected.
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