Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway
From: morris@jade.jpl.nasa.gov (Mike Morris)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Prefix '520' For Los Angeles Radio Stations
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Date: 24 Sep 89 18:47:30 GMT
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I wrote...

%klb@lzaz.att.com (K.BLATTER) writes:  (Regarding Foreign Exchange service)
%
%>Also, most people are familiar with this service as radio stations
%>often use this service -- especially stations that have large broadcast
%>areas.  I remember growing up and when the radio station would have
%>a contest, they would list six or seven numbers that listeners could
%>call into to win.  While each of these numbers was from a different
%>geographical area, they all terminated at the radio station.
%
%LA has most of it's FM station on a 5,000' mountain so both the AM and
%the FM has excellent coverage - LA county has 2 complete area codes
%(818 and 213) and pieces of 2 more (714, 805).  Many of the radio
%station also cover portions of San Bernadino and Riverside counties
%(area code 619). A while back (pre the 213-818 split) I noticed
%that more and more stations were giving out 213-520 numbers for dial-in.
%After the split, I noticed that they were giving out the same number
%as "dial 213-520-xxxx or 818-520-xxxx".
%
%Well, to make a long story short there is only one 520 exchange, but it
%can be accessed from both 818 and 213.
%
%I was told it was done at the (collective) stations request to lower the
%number of FX lines and hence the cost, but I kinda doubt that -

Brian Kantor straightened me out...

     From: brian@ucsd.edu (Brian Kantor)
     Subject: Re: Prefix '520' For Los Angeles Radio Stations

     All the radio stations in San Diego have a 570 prefix for their numbers.
     That is done to limit the number of inter-CO trunks that can be tied up
     whilst they are running one of their "the 91st caller wins two free
     tickets to the moon" contests.
          	- Brian

Thank You.

Mike Morris                      UUCP: Morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov
                                 ICBM: 34.12 N, 118.02 W
#Include quote.cute.standard     PSTN: 818-447-7052
#Include disclaimer.standard     cat flames.all > /dev/null