No prize budget? No problem.

In my previous post, "How my radio career began," I wrote about how satisfying it was to record my own radio shows for a made-up station when I was a kid.  Watching it snow recently reminded me of one other satisfying aspect: Because I made up the station, and the shows I recorded would never air anywhere, I could create a contest on the spot and award any prize I wanted.  During a snowstorm in 1984, for instance, I said, "Let's help someone out during this heavy snow.  Be caller number five, and win a brand new snowmobile."  After all, when you're not on a real station, you're not burdened by a prize budget--or even a phone line.