When I was a kid, like most kids, I had some favorite TV shows. I was really impressed by the technology of TV programming when I found out that real people could call in, and have the call answered live (of course, it was the time of live TV, then).
One for me
I cannot remember what TV show it was, but I was watching it, and they were asking kids to call in for something. Was it to ask a question? or to answer one? or suggest something? I have no idea, but I knew I could call in with whatever they wanted from me.
Busy, busy, busy
Of course, there must have been thousands of people watching that show and many kids hoping to get on the line. Since we didn't have "redial" functions on our phone, I had to dial all the 7 digits, manually (on a rotary dial too). First try: busy. Second try: busy. I would just dial, hear the busy signal, hang up and repeat. Over and over again. I don't remember how many times I tried. It was always busy.
Nothing?
Suddenly, I dial, expecting the same busy signal. In fact, I didn't hear anything. That surprised me so much that... I hung up. I thought I might have dialed the wrong number and it was going to ring somewhere I didn't want.
Told mom
I immediately went over to my mom, in the kitchen, to tell her that I might have dialed the wrong number because it was not sounding "normal". When I described to her what I heard (or didn't hear), she told me that I had probably gotten through, and it was just the delay before they answered. I was so disappointed. The one time the call might have gotten through, I hung up. I tried over and over again after, but no luck.
Did you ever call into a TV show in the past? What kind of show was it? Did you ever dream of calling in but never dared to? Share your story in the comment below.
