San Antonio’s Greatest Radio Promotion

San Antonio’s Greatest Radio Promotion?

Sometime in the middle 1960's, I awoke at my $122.50 a month apartment off Austin Highway just behind The Bun & Barrel Restaurant. As I readied myself for a new day at KONO, my thoughts (like most radio people) drifted toward “stop sets” and "hot clocks." As was my custom while shaving, I turned on KONO to listen to good ole Howard Edwards.

I became intrigued by the lead news story. It seems that a stranger who had deplaned at San Antonio International Airport the night before, is just randomly handing out money! The KONO Big Red mobile units are dispatched and various people are interviewed who received the free cash.

A cab driver was tipped a hundred dollar bill! On and on the stories keep coming in. The distributor of the money, the object of intense local attention, is described as a middle-aged man in a dark suit and vest, wearing a stylish hat and carrying an expensive looking briefcase.

While sipping coffee a few minutes later, I pick up the San Antonio Express morning newspaper and get hit with the headline “Millionaire Wants to Share His Wealth With San Antonians.” Wow! I thought. I would like to be part of that. Little did I know that I soon WOULD be a part of it!

The “buzz” didn’t stop the next day as coverage continued on local radio and TV morning shows. It seemed that everyone was talking about “The Millionaire.” I did some checking and found that KTSA, our main competition, was also giving extensive coverage to this momentous event. It was even the lead story on evening TV newscasts.

Finally, after nearly three days, it was revealed that the mystery philanthropist millionaire was none other than KONO station owner Jack Roth.

Before the revelation only KONO station owner Jack Roth and one close assistant knew about the promotion...BUT NO ONE ELSE. I have often thought Jack should have "milked" it for a few more days of free promotion before revealing his true identity.

Now we started airing promos with the KONO Millionaire stating: “I inherited a large sum of money and I want to share it with the good people of San Antonio.” The millionaire will be walking the streets of San Antonio. If you tell him the phrase of the day, he will hand you money. Once each hour, each KONO jock would air the current money phrase, such as: "Dimes to Diamonds." Each day there was a new money “phrase that pays!”

Soon the KONO Millionaire was no longer walking, but riding around The Alamo City in a brand new Lincoln. If you spot the KONO Millionaire and tell him the phrase of the day, money will be yours. People quickly got to know the Lincoln by sight. A procession would follow the Lincoln containing our money giver all over San Antonio.

After a few weeks, The KONO Millionaire announced that he wasn’t giving away money fast enough or to enough people. To solve the problem, he has chosen a vacant lot in the San Antonio area where, at a specific time, he will distribute lots of loot. Soon, there will be clues on KONO as to where and when the KONO Millionaire will be giving away his money.

The clues to the vacant lot started on a Friday and culminated on a Sunday afternoon. Each hour, the on-air clue was designed, if one listened closely and followed the clues, to bring the listener closer to the giveaway location. By Sunday morning, several hundred people had ascertained the general area, but not the precise location in San Antonio and were staked out in that area.

About noon, when the KONO jocks with the KONO Millionaire, all jumped in the Lincoln for the ride to the exact location, many listeners had the approximate three-acre vacant lot already mostly surrounded.

The “loot” to be given away had been prepared beforehand. It was a few hundred dollars in various bill denominations (1's, 5’s, 20's etc.) rolled individually in KONO envelopes and rubber banded into cigarette looking cylinders.

Upon our arrival we immediately noticed that the hundreds we had heard rumors about, were actually thousands. Cars were parked all over the streets encircling the no longer “mystery” lot. We had a problem. How were we going to get to the center of the lot without being noticed too early to make it to the center of the lot? We decided to back off a few blocks and plan our strategy just before the final clue was scheduled to air.

By this time, we could hear KONO as one loud chorus echoing all around us. Just before the last clue was given on the air, we began our drive toward bedlam! As soon as the last clue aired, literally, a swarm of listeners descended upon the location like locusts. We arrived at the lot site, and quickly tried to find an opening that would allow us access to the center of the lot. Finally, someone spotted a narrow lane next to a fire hydrant...we went for it!

We made it over the curb and broke through to open space! Off we drove to the middle of the vacant lot...only it wasn’t vacant any longer.

As soon as people spotted the Lincoln, they came running, and a sea of humanity quickly engulfed us and started rocking our car! Someone yelled, "Hand out some money!" We tried, but it wasn’t easy to push the rolled up bills out of the windows of the Lincoln, because we could only open them a crack.

Thousands of hands and fingers, just like piranha fish, were clawing for the little rolls of banded money. We kept attempting to push the money tubes out...but the mass of hands and fingers would only push the money back IN the car. We could not drive forward or backward for fear of running over someone. No one wanted to be the one responsible for a possible injury…or death!

So…there we sat in the black Lincoln, surrounded by a teeming mass of KONO listeners...all wanting MONEY! It seemed that all of them were pounding on the Lincoln’s fenders, hood, roof and windows. We all felt that a riot was about to happen, because we heard someone mention that an older woman had been trampled and her leg was broken. Desperation and panic began to appear on everyone’s face in the car, including our nattily attired KONO Millionaire.

Just when things looked the worse, we heard a loud voice from above. No, it was not the Good Lord, but instead, it was the San Antonio Police in an overhead helicopter shouting that the event was now cancelled due to endangering public safety. The people were ordered to disband and go home, which, after what seemed like an eternity, they did so very slowly.

The San Antonio Police Department later estimated the crowd at around 35,000. The KONO Millionaire accomplished his mission, albeit at a cost.

It is my understanding that the total amount of money given away during the six-week KONO Millionaire promotion was approximately $1,500. The big secret was that most if it was given away the very first night at the airport.

Did the promotion help KONO ratings? A special Hooper rating survey was taken that Sunday. Total KONO listenership was a 97!

In all my decades as a broadcaster, this was one of the greatest promotions I was ever a part of. Yes, I am glad I was there. It was a once in a career contest that really worked! Many agree with me, that this may have been San Antonio radio’s best promotion or contest ever.

Gary Allyn

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