Dialing For Dollars was an American television and radio program that was very popular in the middle of 20th century. An on-air host would inform viewers about the day’s code words and then call a random number. The person who answered the phone would know the code word and win a cash prize. If not, the amount of award was increased until the winner was identified. This show had a profound impact on American culture and is still being held today.
Dialing For Dollars was originally a radio program that was broadcast in the 1930s. It launched a television version in 1940s, just like many other popular radio shows. National networks only produced a small portion of available programming at the time. Local affiliates filled the remainder of the broadcast day with franchised or original programs. Dialing For Dollars is an example of the former. From Baltimore to San Francisco, local versions were broadcast until the late 1970s. Sometimes the show would take up its own hour. Other versions were shown during commercial breaks to promote the day’s movie broadcast. The host announced the code phrase for the day and the prize amount. It is usually between $100 and 500 US Dollars (USD). A sidekick or host selected a local number randomly, sometimes using pages from a telephone book. When prompted, the person calling must answer the phone with the code phrase. If the number is not answered, or the respondent doesn’t know the code phrase well, the prize amount was increased and a new number dialled.
Calling to Dollars was a cheap and well-liked way for local stations to boost rating and market share particularly during the midday hours when viewership was at a low. Certain hosts used to refer to the mix of winning words as the count and amount, which eventually became an extremely popular phrase in these regions. In the late 1970s the popularity of television programs increased in nationally syndicated programming including talk programs. However increasing the number of two-income households meant that fewer homes were home with an adult at all times to pick up the phone. In the 80s dialing for dollars was no longer a reality.
This event left an indelible influence on American pop culture landscape. It’s most likely to be remembered because of its appearance within the hit song “Mercedes the Benz” by the rock star Janis Joplin It was the last song she recorded by Joplin. The well-known media personality Oprah Winfrey was a Dialing for Dollars host at an Baltimore television station from 1978. Today local radio stations have similar contests that reward listeners with prizes or cash. The term “dialing in exchange for money” is a term that has been reintroduced to widespread use to define the telemarketing scams.
