Start spreading the news: Hot 102.7FM is sending lucky listeners to New York!

The sales executive from Alberton was the grand prize winner when the lucky draw was made at Hot House in North Riding on Monday, 31 July, as Hot 102.7FM celebrated two years of being on air by putting the seal on a successful ‘It Takes Two’ birthday campaign.

“Yeah, baby!” screamed Borland, as he smashed the cake in front of him and saw the ‘winning’ red, white and blue colours. The lucky draw ‘grand reveal’ saw all 20 finalists lined up and tasked with hitting the small cake in front of them with a chocolate hammer, with only one cake featuring the red, white and blue colours of the United States inside.

“Hot 1027, I love you!” shouted Borland, as Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’ rang out in the background at a Hot House decked out in New York-inspired décor on a chilly July morning.

The month-long ‘It Takes Two’ campaign saw the station’s loyal audience tuning into the Hot 1027 Breakfast show every day for the name of the ‘Old Skool’ artist they needed to listen out for. Then, when two songs from that artist played out back-to-back at some stage in the day, that prompted a WhatsApp entry and a live on-air moment that saw R1,027 given away every day and culminated in 20 finalists being selected and going into the grand prize draw.

“This was the perfect way to celebrate our second birthday,” says Lloyd Madurai, managing director of Hot 102.7FM. “That’s because it weaved in the ‘Old Skool’ music and artists we’re famous for featuring, a fantastic prize that rewarded one of our loyal listeners, and an on-air competition that was catchy and fun – and that’s what we’re all about.”

Borland’s prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to New York, including flights, four night’s accommodation, and an incredible $2,000 (R35,000) in spending money.

“This really is the trip of a lifetime,” said Borland. “We just can’t wait to see New York and have such a long list of things we want to see and do, like watching the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, Central Park, a trip up the Hudson River, and watching Moulin Rouge on Broadway. It’s a long list! And, of course, we’ve got to drink their coffee and have a famous New York Hot dog!”

But, the winning on Hot 102.7FM doesn’t stop there.

The station is set to embark on another exciting campaign in August, celebrating Women’s Month, and giving away a daily share of R40,000, as it celebrates the ‘queens of the music industry’ and the female artists who’ve brought us great music over the past 50 years.