Charity calls for Telcos DWTS cost transparency

Recently the exorbitant telephone and vote-tallying companies costs for Dancing With The Stars has again surfaced. For the 2009 show they charged 40 percent of the total donations given through the text and 0900 voting campaigns. That’s $285,857 out of $718,910.

Arthritis New Zealand wants to know just what that $285,857 is spent on. TVNZ does not take any of the money from the voting campaign, so what exactly are the Telcos using all this money for?

“We know that there are costs involved in tallying votes and providing a network for the increased traffic over the voting period, but does it really cost that much?” says Ms Sandra Kirby, Chief Executive for Arthritis New Zealand.

With Geraldine Brophy’s dancing feet and the support of the public, Arthritis New Zealand received a cheque for $24,795.53, however, the public actually gave approximately $41,325. Charities have been under the microscope recently for their use of donated funds, the same should be expected from the Telco’s.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the dollar you spent texting to vote for your favourite celebrity or cause, actually went to the charity, but unfortunately that’s not the case.

Kirby says that although TVNZ said the show was not about charity, many people watching, and the celebrities involved, do see it as a charitable endeavour. “Arthritis New Zealand are very appreciative that TVNZ put together such a great show every year, and we don’t want to take anything away from that.”

ENDS