Still Smiling After Watching the Prize Patrol on Oprah

Wow! We’re still smiling here at the PCH home office after watching the Prize Patrol’s appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday. The excitement began when Dave Sayer, Todd Sloane and Danielle Bertelotti of the PCH Prize Patrol drove onstage in the PCH Prize Patrol van, and hopped out with a big check. As a surprise to the audience, one lucky person in the studio that day was selected at random prior to the show to receive a $25,000 prize. The winner was stunned and very happy as she ran onstage to collect the prize. Later on, Dave announced everyone in the studio audience would win a cash prize of $500, and the place went wild.

Oprah’s studio in Chicago wasn’t the only place where the audience was cheering. All of our PCH employees (PCHers, we call ourselves) gathered in the company’s dining rooms to snack on popcorn and watch the show on TV. It was a lot of fun to watch it together. All around the room PCHers were smiling ear to ear. At the end of the show, with the view of Oprah’s studio audience jumping up and down and screaming, we PCHers were clapping and cheering, too.

Well done, Dave, Todd and Danielle! And, well done to all the PCHers and others behind the scenes who worked hard to make this Prize Patrol appearance on Oprah happen! We appreciate your efforts!

Prize Patrol on Oprah Update!

Dave Sayer and Todd Sloane of the PCH Prize Patrol have just arrived at Harpo Studios in Chicago to prepare for their appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show this Wednesday, October 28th. Here’s a photo of Oprah’s studio, taken from Todd's camera.

Publishers Clearing House winner, Stephanie Gornichec, will join the Prize Patrol in giving the audience a first-hand account of how wonderful it is to win a big cash sweepstakes prize.

Tune in on October 28th, to watch the PCH Prize Patrol on Oprah live and find out if there will be any surprises on the show!

Getting Ready for More PCH Prize Patrol Cash Sweepstakes Prize Awards

It’s Time to Replace a Worn Out Prize Patrol Blazer …

I will be on the road soon awarding more prizes. Not all by myself of course: I will have lots of company because, as you’ve recently seen on TV, we are about to embark on a Prize Patrol Blitz in which we will award 101 prizes to winners in 101 zip codes across the USA – prizes of at least $10,000.00. I can’t make all these deliveries myself – so we are engaging over 60 other PCH employees as Prize Patrol deputies to help out.

As I prepare for miles and miles of new travel, I realize that my navy blue PCH Prize Patrol blazer is looking a bit tired. No wonder – given what it’s been through: countless sweepstakes winning moments, long drives and flights, bone-chilling cold and sweat-inducing heat, repeated packing and unpacking. I’m not tired, but my blazer is! I think the time has come for a new one. If my memory is correct, I think this will make Blazer #5 in over 20 years of prize award duty for the PCH Sweepstakes.

I’ve heard that double-breasted blazers with brass buttons are out of fashion these days; so I guess the new one will be single breasted – and I don’t know what the buttons will be. No matter.

The point is: We are getting all geared-up to surprise more prize drawing winners – and one of those winners could be YOU! You could even win $1 Million!

The first step to winning is to enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. And that’s easy. Simply click here to enter the sweepstakes at pch.com.

At pch.com you can also find out if the Prize Patrol is coming to your area. Enter often -- every day if you want – and improve your chances of winning. But the entry deadline is approaching fast, so don’t delay. Submit your online sweepstakes entry now!

Good luck!

Dave Sayer

Executive Director

PCH PRIZE PATROL

What is a Prize Patrol Blitz?

In a Prize Patrol Blitz the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol awards 101 prizes to winners in 101 zip codes across the USA. The sweepstakes prizes are awarded in a 2-3 day timeframe. This is accomplished by training over 30 teams of Publishers Clearing House employees to become Prize Patrol Deputies.

The training program is called Prize Patrol Boot Camp and it is conducted on the premises of Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes headquarters in Port Washington, NY. Dave Sayer, Executive Director of the PCH Prize Patrol and Todd Sloane, Senior Vice President, are in charge of running the boot camp training program.

New PCH Contest: 101 Winners Across the USA

It’s “back to school” time for PCH Prize Patrol new recruits!

It’s not just all you students or your children or your grandchildren going back to school these days; Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes is putting over sixty of its employees through some schooling that will be educational for them – and could be mighty rewarding for you as well!

You see, these PCH employees are new Prize Patrol recruits who are being trained to travel to zip codes throughout the country to award sweepstakes prizes to 101 Winners across the USA and surprise folks like you with Big Checks – just like you’ve seen on TV! You could win anywhere from $10,000.00 to $1Million!

At our Prize Patrol Boot Camp the deputies won’t be learning the usual “3 R’s” (reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic) but will learn about another “3 R’s”: Reconnaissance, Reward and Rejoice.

The “Reconnaissance” will consist of planning the travel to each of the 101 winners’ addresses plus the detailed mapping of stops for roses and balloons, then letting the local media know that there is excitement afoot. The “Reward” will be the thrill of the actual sweepstakes winning moment – when the Prize Patrol knocks on the door and knocks the socks off an unprepared but very grateful winner. “Rejoicing” will undoubtedly follow – as champagne is uncorked, amazed friends and relatives come running with congratulations, and reporters file stories of “It happened right here in our town!”

Now, listen up: Here’s today’s school lesson for you: One of the 101 winners in this Prize Patrol Blitz could be you IF you enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes! (You can’t win unless you enter!)

With PCH Prize Patrol teams blanketing the country with 101 Big Checks, the chances are excellent that we could be coming to your neck of the woods. To find out if your area is on our list, simply click on pch.com and type in your zip code. Then enter the contest now, and enter often, and one of our 101 Winners could be you!

Good luck!

Dave Sayer

Executive Director

PCH PRIZE PATROL

Is the PCH Prize Patrol Coming to my TV Area?

Many folks are currently receiving Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes mailings and e-mails saying that in coming weeks the PCH Prize Patrol could be delivering Big Checks to their TV areas. To find out if PCH is headed to their TV area, recipients are instructed to go to pch.com and type-in their zip codes – the way you might use a “store locator” on a retailer’s website to find a store near you.

Some may be wondering what a “TV area” actually is. Well, the entire continental United States is made up of TV areas -- as defined by Nielsen Media Research, the same company that measures the size of TV shows’ audiences. The largest share of TV viewing in every county in the U.S. can be attributed to stations in a certain TV area. For example …

Most of the TV viewing in Sarasota County, Florida can be traced to stations broadcasting out of Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida; therefore, if you live in Sarasota County, Florida, you reside in the “Tampa Bay TV area.”

Since most of the TV viewing in Davidson County, Tennessee, can be traced to stations broadcasting out of Nashville, Tennessee, those who live in Davidson County reside in the “Nashville TV area.”

Whether you know it or not, you live in a “TV area” too. Chances are your TV area carries a label that matches the biggest metropolitan area in your vicinity.

We are sending Prize Patrol teams to 101 TV areas – areas which account for the vast majority of Americans. So the chances are excellent that your TV area will be among them. You could win one of our 101 Big $10,000 Checks! You could even win the $1 Million SuperPrize!

Of course, if you want to win you have to enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes! But that’s easy. Just click on this link to pch.com. There you can type in your zip code and see if one of our Prize Patrol teams is headed your direction. Then with another click you can enter!

Before you know it the PCH Prize Patrol van could pull up in front of your home – with roses, balloons and The Big Check and announce “You’ve just won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes!”

We wish you the best of luck!

Dave Sayer

Executive Director

PCH PRIZE PATROL

How Did the Prize Patrol Get Started?

Just over twenty years ago, Todd Sloane, an assistant in the PCH advertising department, came to me and said, “I have an idea.”

“What is it?” I asked as I sat in my office minutes after we had conducted a drawing for a Million Dollar SuperPrize.

“Well,” he said, “you’re about to place a phone call to a guy in Texas to tell him he won a million dollars. Then maybe you’ll bring him to New York and film a TV commercial where he’ll sit woodenly in front of a camera and say something like ‘I just won a million dollars in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes – You can too.’ I think we could make more exciting TV advertising if we surprised him with the Big Check at his front door.”

The idea seemed a bit outrageous; but Todd volunteered to experiment with his amateur camcorder; so we flew to the winner’s home in Texas to give it a try.

Well, the winner John Yancy and his wife Julie gave us a surprise reaction that was, in a word, classic. They screamed, they jumped up and down, they held their heads in disbelief. And a TV commercial emerged from the shaky camera footage that set the course of Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes TV advertising ever since. Todd and I founded the PCH Prize Patrol to personally deliver roses, balloons and Big Checks – which since 1989 have numbered nearly a thousand! That’s a lot of miles – and over $221 million in prize money!

Naturally, we are happy with the popularity of the Prize Patrol, the excitement it has brought to our mailings and TV ads, and the joy it has brought to so many winners – far and wide – over the years.

Twenty years ago a person who wanted to win our contests had to enter the PCH Sweepstakes by mail. That’s no longer the case. While our mailed Bulletins are gratefully received in many households, more and more Americans are turning to the web to visit Publishers Clearing House.

Of course, you know that because you are reading our PCH Blog. And you probably want to win too! So let’s get started.

Just click here to enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes online. Have fun playing PCH’s online games. Watch the Prize Patrol in action at PCHTV.com.

Good luck!

Dave Sayer

Executive Director

PCH PRIZE PATROL

(P.S.: By the way, Todd continued to come up with bright ideas at PCH and is now one of our top executives.)

Where Will Dave Sayer Appear Next?

Visiting New York in the summer was always a family tradition. We have many relatives here, so we visit as often as possible. A favorite place to go has always been my Great-Aunt’s summer home on the Long Island Sound.

Since I've been doing a summer internship at Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes Headquarters in Long Island, NY this summer, it was convenient for me to make an afternoon visit to my Aunt recently. Hugs were exchanged and conversation was quickly made. All of a sudden, I heard my name being called from a distance. Thinking I was going crazy, I subtly glanced around. Lo and behold Dave Sayer, the face of Publishers Clearing House, was standing on the deck next door waving eagerly at me!

Apparently Dave has had a summer home next to my Aunt for years. We said “hello” and talked to each other across the yard, but I soon returned to chatting with my Aunt. Seeing as how it was high tide on a beautiful day, my aunt, mom and I decided to swim. As I was swimming around in the Long Island Sound, Dave kayaked over to me, telling me there was something important I needed to do for him on Monday at work. (I just happen to work in the same department as Dave Sayer.) He explained my task as I tread water and he floated, and when all was said and done he thanked me and paddled away.

When I got to work on Monday, I fulfilled my task and shared my story with fellow PCH employees. I was talking to Deborah Holland, the Executive Vice President of PCH, and she said, “When work needs to be done, we PCHers will stop at nothing! Next time Dave will parachute out of the sky to find you!” I laughed, but after being here for a few weeks I have noticed the real dedication Publishers Clearing House employees put into their work, and how proud they are to know each has a hand in the process of delivering those giant sweepstakes prize checks to our lucky prize drawing winners.

Liz D.

PCH Summer Intern

Publishers Clearing House Summer Internship

I’m what some people call a “PCH baby,” meaning someone who grew up involved with PCH, the famous sweepstakes company that has made many unsuspecting winners millionaires. My mom has worked at Publishers Clearing House since before I was born and consequently, I’ve spent countless days after school and during vacations sitting in her office drawing on computer paper with the one pink highlighter she has on her desk, stealing French raspberry candies she keeps in her top file cabinet drawer and taking countless trips to the dining hall for the free soda fountain.

Now I am in college and naturally when I thought about taking a summer internship, I turned to my second home. Working at Publishers Clearing House, even as an intern is a wonderful experience, and I’m not just saying that because I am a “PCH baby”. Yes it is helpful that I see many familiar faces in the hall telling me, “My you’ve grown up!” and, “Oh, are you working here now?” as they remember me from my grade school days sporting a plaid uniform and pigtails, but even co-workers who never met me greet me with a warm hello in the hall.

A lot of my positive feelings about this internship come from how Publishers Clearing House treats its internship program as a learning experience first and foremost. PCH does not ask its interns to make coffee runs for the office or to stay cooped up filing papers all day. My supervisor knew that I was interested in law so he found a job I could do – even though I have not yet gone to law school – that would interest me and help the company. I spent most of my summer researching new laws and creating documents that summarize the laws to help PCH workers with legal compliance.

Another meaningful experience I had was getting to meet with Andy, the president and CEO of Publishers Clearing House. PCH set up a meeting for all of the interns to meet with Andy to further our learning experience. Andy took the time to talk with all of us, hear what work we are doing for the company and what we have learned. Then he told us about what he does for Publishers Clearing House. It is wonderful and unique as an intern to feel so valued by the company you work for that even the president is willing to meet and talk with you.

Now as a PCH intern, instead of just a “PCH baby,” I can truly say that I am sorry to leave the team when I go back to school this fall. I will miss the other interns, my PCH coworkers and the buzz of excitement all over the company every time a new sweepstakes winner is announced. But, knowing me and how much PCH is a part of my life, I’m predicting I’ll be back again sometime very soon.

Chelsea H.

Legal Intern

Publishers Clearing House (PCH)

Busy Week for the PCH Prize Patrol and a Good Week for Winning!

Last week was one busy week at Publishers Clearing House for the Contest Department and the PCH Prize Patrol.

We traveled to three destinations to surprise three new Publishers Clearing House winners in person. Two of them were $10,000.00 winners – one of whom entered our sweepstakes at pch.com. (That just proves that it’s a good idea to enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes online – at pch.com, PCHSearch&Win.com, or PCH online game sites, such as PCH Lotto, PCH Games or PCH Scratch Cards.)

The climactic visit was to the home of new PCH SuperPrize winner Stephanie Gornichec on Thursday, August 13, to award $1 Million. (The matching winning number eligible for a PCH Wow payout of $100,000 A Week for 52 Weeks was not returned, so a second chance drawing was held to award a base prize of $1 Million.) Naturally, this visit required lots of preparations: making travel arrangements, contacting the local media, ordering the bouquets of roses and balloons, and pulling together all the materials we need for the exciting presentation of The Big Check.

The name of the SuperPrize winner was announced in a PCH commercial on August 13th during The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Then, right from the winner’s home, we beamed the winning moment to pchtv.com where people could see it – just as it actually happened.

Meanwhile our Contest Department has just sent out $1,000.00 checks to over 200 lucky contest entrants all over the USA. Imagine the surprise those folks will receive when an overnight package arrives with an unexpected cash prize windfall.

On top of all of that, last week our recent “$5,000 A Week for Life” PCH winner, Doris Gray, a beloved school teacher from New Jersey was featured in a special TV show called “The Lottery Changed My Life” on The Learning Channel.

With all this winning going on, you are probably thinking, “I want that to be ME!” Well, it can be!

Enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes online right now. And enter often – We want to make you a winner!

Good luck!

Dave Sayer

Executive Director

PCH PRIZE PATROL