STRATEGIC PARTNERS
January 23, 2002
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Two DJs pulled an April Fool's Day prank involving ATMs on listeners of their morning show, according to the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record.
Chris Kelly and Chris Demm told listeners that the state was testing support for a new lottery system. They urged people to try the game by sticking their driver's licenses in any bank ATM.
The ATM was supposed to give the user a lottery number and a shot at winning $250,000 on April 1. If enough people played, the state would hold a lottery referendum.
The disc jockeys also set up a Web site that purported to belong to a state lottery department, the News & Record reported. Included on the site was a prominent photo of Gov. Mike Easley.
Easley has asked the legislature to consider a lottery to pay for education programs, but lawmakers have not yet debated the issue. The governor issued a statement saying he had received telephone calls about the prank and was referring the matter to Attorney General Roy Cooper.
Cooper said his office had talked with the station, which agreed to retract the hoax. The Web site was changed to include prominent warnings that "there is no North Carolina license lottery."
Kelly said he was surprised anyone fell for the gag and that public officials need to learn to take a joke.
Two years ago, his show angered Greensboro officials with another April Fool's prank when the DJs told listeners they had done such a good job conserving water that the city wanted them to run their showers for an entire day. The city has a chronic water shortage.
