Re: WWTBAM Phone-a-Friend Question

• From: cdbarker
• Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 08:59:20 -0700
• Message-ID: <000SMRPQO.000UQO08N.12170551-quizbowl_at_...>

(Only Yapping for myself here. This message
should in no way be construed as anything more than my
understanding of the facts and realities of the
situation.)

Having been a part of this phone-a-friend thing a couple
of times now, it is my understanding that having
multiple people in the room with you is just fine -- so
long as they (the Producers) cannot hear anyone else
in the room on the phone call. Thus, put a good
written silent system in place and you're all set. Also,
IIRC, I remember an interview with WWTBAM producer
Michael Davies in an EW last summer that stated that
there was nothing wrong with multiple people being on
the other end of that call, because they still have
to get the right answer to the contestant in 30
seconds and that's not an easy trick, because the more
opinions you have, the harder it could become to reach an
consensus, and you have shot yourself in the foot. ABC's
"Good Morning America" even asked David himself
yesterday about who was at the other end of his lifeline,
so if the network is asking about it, it would seem
kosher to me. 

Besides, how would WWTBAM? do
enforcement on this? If I am in an office at my desk and I am
lifelining for someone and the rules is that only you may be
in the room, am I disqualified because there are
other people around me even though they are just
sitting at their own desks minding their own P's and
Q's?

That's my understanding of the situation, others may
have more info.

CDB