Boston Radio Contest Offers Fun For All

June was a winning month for Boston Organ and Piano, The Wave radio station, and a lucky contestant who took home a brand-new Yamaha Clavinova CVP103 digital piano. It started when Ray Totaro, owner of Boston Organ and Piano, contacted the Cape Cod radio station for possible advertising possibilities. But instead of a typical radio commercial, the two companies decided it would be much more fun to hold a contest.

(L to R) Doug of The Wave's Doug & Mina morning show; contest winner Alisa Ardolino with her husband; Mina of Doug & Mina morning show; Sean Hagon, manager of Boston Organ & Piano's Sandwich, MA location

"It was unique because we wanted the Clavinova to be used for qualifying the prize winner," says Totaro. "At a specific time, the deejay would take a caller, who then had to listen to part of a song on the Clavinova and identify it." If the caller correctly named the song, he or she became one of 60 people eligible to win it.

Several disks were custom-made to match the music format of The Wave, which features mostly contemporary music of the 1980s. "What made it even more special," adds Totaro, "was that some of the deejays knew how to play the piano, and so they added their own fun, too."

The listener response to the contest was overwhelming. "I've done a gazillion contests in my day, but this really blossomed into a very fun thing, both for the on-air personnel and the listeners," says Dale Pierce, The Wave promotions director. "The deejays loved playing with the Clavinova on the air."

On the day the winner was chosen, the crowd at Boston Organ and Piano was so large they had to do the event on the sidewalk. The Wave was there, broadcasting live, as each of the 60 qualifiers chose a disk, inserted it into the Clavinova, and hoped to hear the winning sound: a drum roll and a cymbal crash. Finally, Alisa Ardolino, who had been praying she would win from the moment the contest began, inserted her disk and heard the triumphant drums. "It was remarkable, like a dream," says Ardolino. "I wanted it so badly. I had played the instrument in the store, and it was so awesome; that made me want it even more." Ardolino had given her old piano away to her sister just weeks before and was looking for a new one. "I feel like this was meant to be," she gushed.

The contest was a boon for everyone: Boston Organ and Piano said it brought many new customers to the store, The Wave gained new listeners, and Alisa Ardolino has the new piano of her dreams.

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"On the day the Clavinova winner was chosen, the crowd at Boston Organ and Piano was so large they had to do the event on the sidewalk. The Wave was there broadcasting live."