As the new year sets in, many phone chatline companies are resetting their used free trial databases. You see, millions of phone numbers (or DIDs) are recycled every year in the US. People change cell phone companies or get new phones. A teenager gets a new cell phone and inherits the number from a somebody who recently moved out of the country. Chatline companies know this and for this reason they decide to purge clean the database of used free trials. This is good news for you. If you’ve used all your trials in 2015, your phone number might be eligible for new trials in 2016.
These are the most promising chatline numbers for 2016:
People often confuse the three different types of “lines”; chatlines, partylines, and hotlines. Each of these different forms of communication serve the similar function; to get people in contact with someone they haven’t exactly been in contact with in the past. Even though they all serve a similar function they do, also, have their differences.
Chatlines
Chatlines have a self-explanatory purpose. The purpose of a chatline is, simply, to meet and chat with new friends or even finding a potential lover. Since everyone now-a-days seems to have some type of social anxiety. If they seem to have lost the ability to communicate with another person face to face. They can call a chatline and be randomly connected to another individual who has a similar or common interest.
Many people using chatlines are looking for friendship, dating, or a simple conversation. They do not, usually, serve the purpose of trying to find someone a sexual partner. This from of connection generally has an individual call in and they are asked a series of question’s. Once the questionnaire is finished they move on to trying to match the person with someone who has similar interests or common attributes.
For example, a man calls in looking for a woman who has the same taste in movies or books. The system asks the questions and allows the gentleman to give a brief description of who he is and what he’s looking for. With all the information collected, the systems create a virtual profile that is then broadcasted to a number of different women with commonalities. This is where the “chat” comes in. The two are connected and allowed to chat for a given number of minutes. Once the conversation is ended, they are then given the opportunity to swap personal information or end the connection there. Similar to a crowded bar or dance club, chatlines depend on female callers to attract men to the line. That’s why most chatlines allow women to connect free. Men are offered a free trial after which they are expected to buy talk time. Minutes can be purchased at a discount as part of package or individually.
Party Lines
Since the late 1800s, way before every household in North America had a dedicated phone line, telecom companies would offer a shared phone service known as a party line. An entire building or neighborhood would share a single line. This type of phone service would provide no privacy in communication. Anyone could listen to active conversation by picking up their handset. Similar to a public bathroom, being a party line subscriber meant anyone wishing to make a call had to wait for the single shared phone line to be available in order to use it.
By the 1970s party lines began to be replaced by private lines all across the United States. Until then, sharing a phone line bill among multiple subscribers had allowed many middle-income earning families to afford the convenience of in-home phone service. Due to technological advances and widespread installation of copper phone wires, private phone lines became affordable. Universities also phased out party lines, which were once common in student dormitories. Illinois State University terminated its last party line in 1990.
Today, the term “party line” is more commonly attributed to voice bulletin services such as chatlines and phone sex lines which people can call to “have a party”. These systems are not party lines in the original sense of the term as users call in using multiple, individual lines. Unlike chatlines, modern “party lines” denote a more sexual agenda. People call a chatline to make friends; they call a party line looking for erotic conversation.
Hotlines
The third “line” seems to be one of the most common and semi-important. Hotlines have become a “life-line” to some people. With hotlines like; crime victims, suicide hotlines, emergency hotlines, and even “coming out” hotlines. We have given our society the ability to get any type of help or assistance needed almost in an instant. With suicide hotlines, people who feel they have no will to live can now call and speak to an individual to assist them in getting some sort of treatment or mental help. The suicide line itself has helped save a number of lives by just giving the individual someone to call and speak to about whatever may be bothering them. And with the bullying problem the US has in itself, this hotline gives those who are bullied the confidence they need to walk through the next day one step at a time. Another hotline is the “coming out” hotline. With many people finally starting to understand who they really are. This type of hotlines gives them the ability to, somewhat, explore their thoughts and feelings when it comes to their sexuality. In the past many people weren’t given this option let alone the ability to understand who they really are as a person.
A major form of hotline is the emergency lines. Being able to get in contact with emergency personnel, such as police officers and fire fighters, is very important in the time of crisis any of us have.
Each form of “line” has it purpose and its faults. From the social chatlines to the possibility of getting an infection in the party line. We have connected almost every individual on this planet in one form or another. The beauty is, certain connections can be made to save lives in more ways than one. With the suicide line helping to, somewhat, mentally stabilize a person until they have the ability to seek the medical attention needed. Also the emergencies lines to put someone in touch with the responders who can literally save the lives of you and everyone around you. There is never and will never be shortage of people on this planet that need help. And with those people who are in need will always come someone who is ready and willing to help in one way or another.
Even if the help you need is finding a date for your grandmothers seventh wedding. There will always be some form of open communication to help get whatever you may need and sometimes give you what you want. In conclusion, we should be thanking our fore-fathers for giving us the freedom to speak to and say almost anything we want. Whole giving thanks to Alexander Graham Bell and Anotonio Meucci for starting the process of connecting our individual voices to one another.
Each day, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world call a chatline. Technology and the internet have evolved from local only services multi-channel global platform today. Today, some of the most successful and well established chatlines include QuestChat, Fonochat, Livelinks and Nightline. But, how and where did the idea of chatlines really come from?
The first chatline is believed to have started as a local dating service in California around 1981. Callers used to dial a premium toll (1-900) phone number in order to obtain information about tarot, astrology, lucky numbers, lottery number and weather and erotic conversations.
As soon as the business model was proven, small local chatlines where quickly run out of business by national brands with larger advertisement budgets. National chatlines still advertise local access numbers in each major city, in order to avoid long distance costs to the caller, but they all connect to the same national system.
Local phone companies billed the callers who called the chatline companies, and would then share the generated revenue with the chatlines companies. At the end of the day, the chatlines companies used to walk away with 40% of the total revenue, while the remainder went to the phone companies.
When the major telecom companies decided to retire premium toll 900 numbers, chatlines had no option but to start billing the client directly to their credit cards. This allowed chatline companies to keep more of the profit by not having to share 60% of of the profit with the phone companies. At the same time, chatline companies where now able to start offering free chat line trials which helped. It also allowed the chatline companies to differentiate male and female callers, and offer females 100% free access in order to attract males…
In 1988, the State of New York, at the height of the AIDS crisis forbade telephone companies from terminating phone chatlines. New York State Health officials believed chatlines were preventing the spread of HIV and STDs during the height of the AIDS and STD crisis. Phone sex, after all, is totally safe sex.
The Major Chatline Operators
First Media Group
First Media Group is an award-winning full-service company founded in 1985. The company is hailed for its role in the growth and development of the chatlines industry, and is one of the most successful companies owning more than three chatlines.
QuestChat – the leading phone chatline connecting singles in North America – is owned by this company, and was formed in 1988. It went on to quickly become the most preferred chatline for sexy local singles in North America. Come 2015 and thousands of singles are still choosing QuestChat to assist them meet and mingle with new people.
Today, they have a QuestChat mobile app that people are fully making use of to find love and happiness in their lives.
Apart from QuestChat, the company also owns and manages Nightline – a phone chat that has also been doing well in recent years, and attracting many singles as well across North America.
Teligence
It may have been started 5 years later after the formation of the First Media Group Inc, but Teligence has made it possible for millions of people around the world to connect for fun, friendship or dating; wherever, however and whenever they want.
The company started off as a single chatline and evolved to creative multi-platforms that have been pushing the boundaries of innovation for mobile, voice and web communication. The company’s take on branding made it possible for like-minded singles to easily find and interact with each other.
Teligence owns Livelinks, one of the largest chatline in North America. It also started FonoChat; a chatline similar to Nightline, which connects Hispanics together.
The Future of Chatlines
With rising communication technology advancements, some chatline numbers were by early 1999 able to offer callers the ability to download videos on their personal computers, as an awesome benefit of being a member.
Indeed this was a very popular and successful feature back then which saw thousands of single men and women as well as gays, joining various chatlines that were in operation.
Come 2005 and callers would now enjoy what is perhaps one of the best chatline services to date – live cams. Callers are now able to see one another, while conversing and this made the chatlines business even more successful and amazing.
Some people argue that this is what really attracted many other companies into the chatlines businesses, like we now see today. However, there are some companies that really played a big and very important role as far as the history of chatlines is concerned.
As more and more chatlines continue to emerge, it remains to be seen what impact they will have in the end on the people using them and entire industry at large. However, we of course expect more developments as far as chatlines are concerned, to sustain the rising demand among people from various parts of the world.
Connect live whenever and wherever you want with the new QuestChat Dating App! Strike-up a flirty conversation by text, connect live by voice, or show-off your best assets with video – the choice is yours. Find what you’re looking for by adjusting your search preferences and start connecting with local singles today.
It’s free to try, 100% private and easy-to-use. Try it now!
Nightline App
Now you can flirt and chat with singles near you using the new Nightline free chat app. Browse voice profiles, send and receive instant voice messages, or connect one-on-one for a completely private conversation. What you talk about is up to you! It’s 100% free to download, fast, discreet and easy to use.
Everyone you hear on the Nightline app is live, and ready for hot chat. Go ahead and flirt shamelessly – with real time voice chat you can connect safely and easily without sharing your phone number and you’ll enjoy faster, clearer communication versus traditional texting. It’s so fun and easy to listen to local or national singles and send private voice messages using your handheld android device.
Ladies get the thrill of talking to someone new safely, without revealing your specific location or identifying information.
Lavalife App
Take the fun with you with the Lavalife.com dating app for Android and iOS. The app offers all the same features as the website plus exclusive app-only bonuses like LavaLounge. Download the app now!
Hardline Chat App
Keep the conversation going with the Hardline Chat app! Powered by our unique voice technology, the HARDLINE app has everything you need to take your conversation to the next level. Connect live with voice or chat via IM with our integrated photo and video platform. Show off your stuff with a video on your profile, then add your voice greeting to express your intention. Within seconds you will have messages from other hot gay, bi and curious guys from your local area! You only need one hand to use our simple and discreet app- so the other one is free for whatever you might need it for.
Having more than one phone number often makes sense, especially for those who have a business. When it comes to work-life balance, having separate business and work numbers is one of the best ways to let work-related calls after six in the evening go directly to voice mail. Likewise, it could also prohibit personal calls during office hours. Having a second line is also a foolproof way prevent a phone number from appearing in your mobile phone statement, such as if you’ve been calling a dating chatline or psychic line and you don’t want anyone to find out.
The question is, is it possible to add a second line to your smartphone? The answer is yes. Adding a second line to your smart phone is easy. It will cost anywhere from free to $25 a month and up — the price will depend on the type of line you want, how many calls you’re going to make, and the features being offered in the bundle.
Here are some of the best ways to get a second line to your smartphone.
This is available for both Android and iOS smartphones. Basically, this app allows the user to add up to 6 phone numbers on a single device. The cost could range from free to $29.99 a month, but it’s also possible to add an additional given at a cost of $2.99 to obtain an additional phone number.
Aside from separate phone numbers, the Flyp app also allows the user to manage voicemail, texts, and the like. You can also customize the area codes on each number, making it easier for your contacts to reach you wherever they live, without worrying of long distance charges.
Google Voice is similar to PBX front-end service that has a phone number that could route calls to one or several phone numbers, such as office, cell, home, or even VoIP. When somebody tries to call you through Google Voice, Google will ring all the phone number consecutively until you answer the call.
Google Voice is free of charge, and it is only available in the US.
With Line2, you can have a second phone number that can be used to send and receive calls. You can use line 2 from any compatible device, such as your tablet, computer or smart phone.
Best known for video chat, Skype also allows the user to enjoy voice and conference calling to landlines and mobiles, as well as texting. Because of the number of options available, setting up Skype to make outgoing calls can be bit tricky. In order to get a full-featured phone setup, there’s a need to add several services. However, you’ll only have to pay for services you’re going to use.
Truphone offers two services– the Tru App for smartphones; and Tru SIM that allows users to call through the Tru network. Truphone focuses on international calling and it’s possible to acquire numbers from other countries, such as the US, UK, and even Australia in order to provide a local calling option for people calling from these locations.
For $13 a month, you can enjoy an unlimited calling to US numbers, and by adding $5 per month, you’ll get a phone number that will allow you to receive incoming calls.
VOIP Services
For those who often use their mobile devices for business calls, as well as text messages, you ought to know that the fees from your carrier can skyrocket quickly. However, with the use of suitable apps and programs, you’ll be able to add a second line that will allow you to use WiFi in order to make voice calls and text messages from your smartphone or desktop with no extra fees at all. All you need is an Internet connection and that’s it.
With that, a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can be one of the most inexpensive ways to add a second phone line. VoIP allows you to make voice calls as long as you have a working Internet connection and with it, you can even turn your WiFi only device into a phone.
The disposable voice call, SMS, and voicemail-compatible number app is free of charge. All you need is one “burner” account and an in-app credit packs to acquire more numbers with your chosen area code. We can say it’s one of the best disposable number apps out there.
This app provides toll-free numbers, aside from local lines. You can purchase a line for $3 and it will last a month, and pay for texts and minutes depending on your needs.
Although this app won’t let you do outbound calls, you still could create a local number so that the international callers won’t suffer from high rates whenever they try to reach you. Call forwarding and recording are some of the most notable features of this app. It can be downloaded for free, and depending on the number’s location, the app will base its fee on credits.
Similar to Burner, Hushed can be downloaded for free, and you can easily purchase credits in the app itself wherein, a 1-week number costs $2, and you can also consider the pay-per minute rates if you want.
Additional Numbers from Your Carrier
Back in the days, AT&T, as well as other carriers offers more than one phone number to a phone line. Each of these numbers also has a distinctive ring. However, all out going calls show up the same caller ID coming from the primary number. Although this is still available, distinctive rings are no longer a feature a customer can acquire. You can always talk to your carrier to find the option perfect for you.
When it comes to adding a second line to a smartphone, Google voice is the best free option available, mainly because it’s highly reliable and free of charge. VoIP calls are also possible, but you’ll need a data plan and VoIP calls could even use up the monthly data allotment rather quickly. For those who spend most of their time within a WiFi range, and don’t mind setting up everything, Google Voice would be the best choice.
Premium toll, or 1-900 lines as they are famously known in the US, have had a long and chequered history among companies and subscribers alike. In the early 80’s, AT&T was tasked with providing said numbers for use in situations where networks were polling their viewers in a bid to catch the mood of the public on a variety of subjects. In the States, The numbers were first tried out by ABC in a bid to find what the public thought about the just concluded debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. The exercise was a resounding success, and the practice picked from there.
It is important to note that there is a bit of confusion regarding the first documented use of this number, with some accounts pointing out that premium rate calls were actually used in 1977 after the election of Carter, where viewers were supposed to call in and pitch questions to the president. The official position is that the earlier uses of the number were ad-hoc, and that the restructuring carried out by AT&T in 1980 officially flagged off the technology. Back in the day, the regular charge was $50 per call, after which the proceeds would be shared by the service provider and the company drawing callers in on various topics.
When a premium rate is applied, then the charges billed to the customer are way higher than the prevailing market price for a regular call. In situations like that specific, premium rate numbers are used. One of the key differences between premium and regular calls is that in the former, some of the fee is paid directly to the company providing the service while the latter does not operate quite like that. A premium contact is handled precisely the same way a toll-free call would, regardless of the areas involved. Due to the fact that premium calls tend to be expensive, blocking is now being provided to ensure that subscribers do not have to pay for services they have not requested or enjoyed.
Milestones
In 1980, the 1-900 was redesigned to factor in area codes, and this structure remains to date. The pricing outlook has varied over time, and there are situations in which the rate diminishes as the user racks up more minutes. At the beginning, there were no restrictions as to who could access these numbers at any time, which is why a child racked up a bill of $17,000 in 1987. The California Public Utilities Commission moved fast, passing statutes that required companies to restrict access to premium rate exchanges. The technology was open for use, and up to the late 80’s, whoever wanted to provide the services did and made plenty of money while at it. This led to congestion in the market, and there were widespread calls from the public and lawmakers to streamline the technology and restrict its application.
In 1985, AT&T had introduced a system whereby it paid out commissions to companies wishing to use the system, but this state of affairs was to change dramatically two years down the line. The same provider now decided that each sponsor could set a premium rate but with a maximum limit placed at $2.00 per minute. This new approach came with plenty of weaknesses, the major one being that it could not allow multi-programming, hence restricting the interactive aspect of calls.
The 90’s: a period of diversification
In the late 80’s, the focus on shows and polls remained, but there was a strong desire to move to areas that had not been explored before. The adult entertainment took notice of the potential of premium rate calls, and they dug in with zest. Companies cropped up and encouraged users to maximize the application of these technologies in adult sexual communication and the culture grew. Such an approach may not have been perfect, but it certainly formed the basis of what we now know as modern dating chat lines. Today, we have vastly sophisticated avenues such as QuestChat and LiveLinks, and while they are hugely advanced, they thrive upon an idea hatched in boardrooms in the late 70’s and put into use in the 80’s and 90’s.
1-900 numbers also came in handy when companies were offering technical support, stock market information and banking services. While the use of premium rate numbers boomed in the early years of diversification, application dwindled going into 1991, and companies such as MCI and AT&T. The early 90’s also featured the vigorous commercialization of pay-per-call services, regardless of the audience involved. Marketing gurus started enticing children to make calls by use of cartoon broadcasts and Santa Claus ensemble. Parents raised an alarm as a result of increasing phone bills, and the FTC moved to streamline things, scrapping off such commercials in the process.
Controversies
Premium rate numbers have faced plenty of setbacks and criticism. After inception, companies took advantage of unsuspecting users to drive phone bills sky high. Advertising had little in the way of discretion, which led to exposure and exploitation of children. Scammers also joined the fray, making it hard to distinguish between legitimate companies and unscrupulous businesses out for easy cash. The number is very much around, but the scale of use is not as it was, say, 2 decades ago.
Modern times
Today, premium rate lines are used for a variety of purposes, and the top ones involve:
The internet has played a pivotal role in the diminishing importance of the 900, as have other factors indicated earlier. The authorities in the United States and some parts of Europe provide a stringent set of rules governing the use of these numbers-for example, consumers are granted the right to disclaimers before making calls. They are also allowed to block specific numbers and can hang up three seconds into a call to avoid getting billed.
1-900 numbers have been around for over three decades now. Starting out in the USA, they quickly made inroads across Europe and South America, looping in diverse audiences from across the board. They have now been eclipsed (to an extent) by the internet but still find use in banking, customer care and dating.
The Donut chatlines by Talkee.com are the only chat lines offered to the public totally free! Other chatlines do offer free trials, but will try get your credit card on file and start to charge you by the minute after your trial is over. Before you know it, you’ve lost track of the time and you’ve racked up a ton of credit card charges that you didn’t expect and don’t really want to pay! The good news is that you no longer have to go through a whole complicated process to talk to other people and have a good time. All you have to do is have a telephone and dial onto your local Donut chatline.
The nice thing about using Donut is that it is a totally safe way to chat to other people (as long as you dont share personal information). If you’re new to the service, this is just a normal phone call. Donuts are completely open to the public; you can use it any time as long as you have a working phone. The donut chatline offers free phone chat, and as a result, the service is not screened. Users must use their own judgment when it comes to chatting over the phone. Donut chatlines requires callers to be over 18 to use this service, that you agree to never give out your personal phone number while using this service, you agree to never give out your name, and you never give out your address. This is obviously to protect your safety and to prevent those who use the service from tracking you down online, calling you at your home, or knowing where you live. Safety and personal protection is of the utmost importance.
Talkee.com requires that users agree to abide by these rules in order to participate in the chatline service. There are absolutely no charges for using this service and no hidden fees. Donut chatlines are a hidden gem. The chatline is not heavily advertised and does not charge, but because of this, they might not be as crowded as the maintstream chatlines like Livelinks or QuestChat! Yes, the service is not moderated, but as long as you never give out personal information or your social media information to others, this is not a problem.
There are absolutely no charges for using this service and no hidden fees.
CB Live Personals is one of the most popular choices for users. You can also go to Talkee.com and post a photo of yourself and view the photos of others. However, you do not need to go to talkee.com in order to use the service; you just need to call the phone number!
Users have their choice of back rooms and front rooms. If you’re in a room chatting with someone and you want to chat privately, you can swap the 3 digit code you received at the beginning and then pressing the ‘star’ key. This will likely work the best. You can also choose to hit 3 then 5, 3 then 6, or 3 then 7 at the same time, and the computer will hook you up in a private room. This does run the risk of you going into a private room with someone else than the person you wish to go in the room with, so it’s best to swap the code if you want to be sure you’ll both be getting into the same room.
If you’re live and you want to go to back rooms, press 10 through 30. If you want to go to the Bulletin Board, press 2. If you want to go to Personals, press 4. If you’re live and you want to go to the CB Live Personals, press 3 and you’ll go there. Press 9 to go to the Directory and press 8 in a live room to see how many people are in the room and a voice will tell you (and only you) how many people are in the room. You can also create your own personal room be pressing the pound key, with your own code and pin code to enter. You can also tell your friends and have your own room no one else knows about.
Have some fun and chat with people you know or people you don’t with Donut Chatlines from Talkee.com! There are local numbers for some major cities for added convenience. Life can need a little excitement from time to time. Free phone chat is a great way to shake up your Saturday night and meet new people! Go to Talkee.com to find out more!
These are the main Donut chatline numbers:
Phoenix, AZ Donut: (712) 432-8848 Tucson, AZ Donut: (712) 432-3509 Hartford, CT Donut: (218) 895-2165 Tallahassee, FL Donut: (712) 432-3507 Baltimore, MD Donut: (218) 844-3724 Bronx, NY Donut: (218) 237-4494 Brooklyn, NY Donut: (218) 237-4493 Manhattan, NY Donut: (218) 237-4492 New York, NY Donut: (218) 237-4077 Queens, NY Donut: (218) 237-4495 Staten Island, NY Donut: (218) 237-4496 Cleveland, OH Donut: (218) 862-3796 Providence, RI Donut: (218) 895-2160 Seattle, WA Donut: (712) 432-8833 American, WA Donut: (712) 432-3505
Sometime in 2011, Steven Chilton and Richard Burnish made an astonishing discovery-that they could, in fact, form a satirical (not to mention fictional) branch of Christianity, one which would go by a flowery name and host plenty of webcasts and streamed shows. It was out of these moments of epiphany that the name Church of the Neon Bible’ was born. And no, it had nothing to do with noble gases. In fact, the only thing noble about it all was the not-so noble way in which trolls inundated the show with all manner of calls, mostly from 4chan’s /b/ random forum board. Said shows ran under the equally creative name. Jesus Chatline.
Beginnings
Deeply inspired by the Neon’ idea and full of ‘win’ (much like Charley Sheen in his interviews from back in the day), the two ‘televangelists’ started off the first wave of internet broadcasts in May of the year 2011. At the end of June, 2011, Burnish suddenly decided that Chilton was dead and hosted a mock funeral for his beloved brother in the ministry. Members got the opportunity to take a look at the ‘corpse’ of Chilton, who was really, really dead and lay on a sofa. Over time, the news of these shows Spread across the internet and got picked up by forums, which then passed the word around on YouTube, where the trolls were waiting for epic showdowns and hilarious comebacks.
The ‘Holy’ Bible
Richard had actually written a bible, one that carried hilarious messages and promised buyers that they would go to heaven if only they bought themselves a copy. From time to time, he updated this book, often with hilarious little additions like why God chooses Firefox’. In some episode, news filtered in to the effect that, sadly, Steven had been blown to smithereens by lightning. The good news was that the televangelist was painstakingly put to back together by a bunch of scientists who, quite understandably, could not stand aside and let the pioneers of this new wave of thought fade away. What would happen is that those who called into the show always thought that they was pranking the hosts, only to find that they were actually the ones on the other end of the joke-literally.
2012
This year brought more hilarity into this chat line, in which they now started mimicking cable news programs and discussing hugely important issues such as the freedom of speech and a bunch of others like the state of race relations in the US. Richard seemed to be the funnier one, in one instance even being shown in bed with Angelina Jolie but looking really calm and not at all interested in making sexual moves-pretty much what we expect from the honorable leader of the Church of the Neon Bible.
At some point in July 2012, the two discontinued the chat line (maybe to mull over the future of the church and update the bible?) and faded off the spotlight. Their Facebook and Twitter handles however remained active sometime after that. The duo were highly popular due to their trademark broadcasts, some coming with full testimonials filmed in churches and open lines from where calls could be made.
Trolls Pranking Trolls
In 2011, when the first wave of prank calls made their way into YouTube as video excerpts, they were soon picked up by varied forums and distributed to places such as Reddit, where the trolls now came down in full force. However, one Redditor eventually pointed out to those in the thread that they were actually poking fun at a show that was poking fun at them and pretty much everyone else. This was a turning point in the history of trolling (if I do say so myself), where a whole bunch of trolls found themselves slugging away at two actors who were just basically pranking regular televangelists.
Over the next four years, the legend of Burnish and Chilton only grew, spearheaded by mystery and the fact that these two were no longer around to answer some serious questions like ‘are you being serious?’ or ?’where is the mic?’
Rumbled Feathers
Following the demise of the Jesus Chatline, Chilton decided to go solo and started a show of his own known as Rumbled Feathers. It was hosted on Justin.tv (now twitch.tv ) and was also frequently pranked by trolls from 4chan.
As far as we know, Burnish and Shilton were the only hosts of the show. They however did have an imaginary producer, someone they shouted at all the time when technical issues arose in the middle of broadcasts.
Jesus Chatline was short-lived, but it sure did serve up plenty of epic moments that live up till today.
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Relationship advice, psychic readings, song lyrics, video game hints; you could get it all if you dialed the number on your screen. In the 80’s and 90’s 900 phone numbers were a big hit, mostly because the channels for getting information then were limited to television, radio and telephones.
Premium-rate telephone phone numbers are telephone contacts that you call to receive a service. The calls are billed at higher prices than normal calls. The typical way of doing it is by charging a certain fee for the first few minutes then a lower fee per minute afterwards. The customer service lines were provided by phone companies such as AT&T and Verizon. In 1971, the area code 900 was introduced but it was not until 1977 that it was used for the “Ask President Carter” program. After their introduction to the masses, all sorts of companies and individuals jumped on the band wagon offering one service or the other. Celebrities and psychics had such lines as did companies offering tech support.
In the 80’s and 90’s premium-rate phone numbers were a big hit
The lucrative market however lost its popularity among the masses for various reasons.
1. The Rise Of The Internet
Before the internet came in and spoiled the party, companies could make billions from calls. Whether through fraudulent or legitimate ways, such calls could rake in large amounts of money every end of the month. Callers received outrageously high telephone bills, the proceeds of which would be shared by the telephone company and the service provider. When the internet became the new way to do things, the funds generated from the calls took a nose dive. All the info that people depended on the calls to get was spread out in the internet and Google was there to find it for you. Today weather forecasts, competition betting, tech support, erotic stimulation, contact between fans and their celebrities, and most everything else that kept the numbers in business can be more easily found online.
2. A Growing Number of Scams and Chargebacks
As the industry grew, unscrupulous business people and fraudsters saw an opening to make money illegally. Many unsuspecting people were promised a ‘prize’ and a 900 number would be provided that they could call. The prize didn’t really turn out to be real- but the phone charges were.
Subscription fraud also dented the industry. Being the most common form of telephone fraud, it was given a place to flourish in the form of premium-rate phone service. In some instances, a scammer opens up a premium-rate phone line after which they then subscribe to one or multiple phone lines from a carrier that they use to make hundreds of phone calls a day. The phone line used is usually registered under a stolen identity. The victim is then left to pay the bills for the calls made. The scammer wraps up the operation faster than the phone company or the victim can catch wind of what’s going on, taking the revenues generated from the calls.
3. The Companies Got Greedy
A seemingly harmless way of getting the phones to ring involved advertising to children. Kids would shoot up the phone bill calling the number since the implications were unknown to them. Kiddy shows on the television were constantly encouraging children to call and talk to their favorite characters. The trend was brought to a screeching halt when in 1987, a child racked up a bill of $17,000. Such advertisements were banned from airing by the FTC. The carrier companies also charged exorbitant fees right from the beginning, a factor that proved costly even for them. The high calling rates caused the previously self-regulated industry to catch the attention of regulating bodies and the maximum charge was reduced.
Major Players Pulled Out
Telecom companies AT&T, MCI and Verizon, which provided the base for the industry to stay afloat pulled out due to low profits. The fraud that marred the industry took its economic viability from the scheme of things. Phone companies could no longer continue collecting revenues for the service providers. MCI went bankrupt after failing to pay their customers. AT&T was followed by Verizon and Swift who also phased out 900 billing. The banks have cashed in on this as chat lines of such sort are now billed to credit cards rather than the phone.
Despite the many pitfalls that the premium-rate phone numbers faced, they sure did play their role in disseminating information in their early years of operation. However, set up in a market that seemed to conspire against their success, the end was always inevitable.
Relationship advice, psychic readings, song lyrics, video game hints; you could get it all if you dialed the number on your screen. In the 80’s and 90’s 