WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE PRIZE PATROL?

“Where in the world is Matt Lauer” was a long-running feature on NBC’s “Today Show” when he’d fly around the world to secret locations and keep viewers guessing. Nowadays PCH fans on Facebook get to play “Where in the world is Dave Sayer?” (or some other Prize Patrol’er) as they try to figure out where we will surprise our next sweepstakes winner.

We send photo hints of our whereabouts from our smartphones to PCH headquarters for posting on the PCH Blog and the Danielle Lam PCH Fan Page on Facebook. It’s not only fun for our fans to play along, but the shots help us remember where we are. You see, when we have multiple Prize Patrol deliveries to make in the course of one trip, I sometimes have trouble remembering where I am. “Is this Atlanta? Was I at home this morning? or was that yesterday? Was I in St. Louis last night or was that Chicago? Wait … here I am in Denver airport. Whoops … this is Phoenix.” After a while all the airport concourses, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls look alike. It’s good to be in a place like Santa Fe with its distinctive architecture, or in New Orleans with its unusual food, or Florida with its palm trees so we can orient ourselves.

I don’t mean to sound blasé about traveling or put down places that are just wonderfully American. We Prize Patrol’ers love flying all over the USA and presenting roses, balloons and – tah dah – Big Checks to winners of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes! Every “winning moment” is special no matter where it is – and as memorable for us as it is for the winner.

I’m sure you’ve seen many, many of our surprise visits on TV, and you may be thinking “Enough of those other places! I want the Prize Patrol to come to MY town and knock on MY door!”

Well, you never know! You could be next – and soon too, since we’ll be hitting the road again next Monday, June 30th! With some luck, you won’t be saying “Where in the world is the Prize Patrol?” but “WELCOME Prize Patrol! I’m mighty glad you’re HERE!”