NY Wired
Encyclopedia
NY Wired was a short-lived lottery game show aired from 1997 to 1999. The weekly show was produced by Jonathan Goodson
Productions in conjunction with the New York Lottery
.
The show was hosted by WNBC
weather forecaster Janice Huff
during its first season, when the show was televised on that station. Cheryl Washington took over when the show switched to WNYW
for its second season.
Contestants won a spot on the show by playing a scratchcard
, in order of usage, "NY Wired Instant Game" (October 4, 1997-Early 1998) or "TV Cash" (early 1998-June 13, 1999), and sending it into a sweepstakes. Contestants were divided into three teams, blue, yellow, and red, in which a representative of that team played several games of chance to win thousands of dollars.
The show was also used to publicize the Lottery's promotions, as presented by veteran Lottery number-caller Yolanda Vega at an anchor's desk.
, with the first player guessing a number, and the opponent guessing higher or lower.
Originally the goal was to three points like in the first round.
The winner earned the right to play a mini-game for an escalating jackpot, which started at $60,000, and increased by the amount earned in each game until it was won.
Each time a yellow ball splashed down into the water, the player received $6,000. If no balls splashed down, the player received $1,000.
The game ended if a red ball or a green ball splashed down. If the red ball splashed down, either on its own or with other colored balls, the player lost half of their winnings. The player could walk away with their winnings at any point, ending the game. If the green ball splashed down without a red ball, the player won the jackpot.
This game was known as Splashdown on the Illinois and Florida lottery shows.
The amounts decreased to $500 if no balls splashed down and $2,500 if a yellow ball splashed down. The amount of the green ball remained the same.
This game was known as Home Run on Illinois Instant Riches/Illinois' Luckiest and Grand Prix on Flamingo Fortune.
Each time a player stepped to the next circle, he/she received a treasure bag good for $5,000. When the player reaches to the point where he/she may reach a $5,000 chest, that player would then place the treasure bags to the chest he/she thought would land on other than the jackpot chest. Whatever the chest chosen, the $5,000 treasure bags would then be added to the $5,000 chest.
Whatever treasure chest was hit, that's the amount his/her team won; if it's a chest without bags, he/she won $5,000, if it's a chest with bags, he/she won $5,000 plus that amount for each bag placed on it, but if it's the jackpot chest, he/she of course won the jackpot.
Jonathan Goodson
Jonathan Michael Goodson is an American television producer who specializes in game shows. He is the son of legendary game show producer Mark Goodson and began his television career in 1973 as chief counsel of Goodson-Todman Productions. He later produced several of the company's shows...
Productions in conjunction with the New York Lottery
New York Lottery
The New York Lottery began in 1967 as the third modern U.S. lottery, after Puerto Rico's began in 1934, and New Hampshire's in 1964. It provides revenue for public education, and is based in Schenectady.-History:...
.
The show was hosted by WNBC
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
weather forecaster Janice Huff
Janice Huff
Janice Huff is chief meteorologist for WNBC in New York City.-Early years:As she has sometimes noted on her newscast, though born in New York City, at an early age she moved to her grandparents in Columbia, South Carolina, and graduated from Eau Claire High School with honors, where she was a...
during its first season, when the show was televised on that station. Cheryl Washington took over when the show switched to WNYW
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
for its second season.
Contestants won a spot on the show by playing a scratchcard
Scratchcard
A scratchcard is a small card, often made of thin paper-based card for competitions and plastic to conceal PINs, where one or more areas contain concealed information which can...
, in order of usage, "NY Wired Instant Game" (October 4, 1997-Early 1998) or "TV Cash" (early 1998-June 13, 1999), and sending it into a sweepstakes. Contestants were divided into three teams, blue, yellow, and red, in which a representative of that team played several games of chance to win thousands of dollars.
The show was also used to publicize the Lottery's promotions, as presented by veteran Lottery number-caller Yolanda Vega at an anchor's desk.
3-player mode
Three lottery retailers played a qualifying round in which they answered survey questions. The host read each question one at a time and gave three possible answers. The first player to buzz-in had a chance to choose one of those answers. A correct answer scored a point, but an incorrect answer gave the other contestants a chance to buzz-in and answer and another incorrect answer from another player gave the remaining player the point by default. The first player to score three points won.2-player mode
The second qualifying round was played with the remaining two players and was played a little differently too. This time the survey questions were polled by the audience and were all yes or no. On each question, the audience locked in their answers, then the player in control predicted how the majority of the audience answered. A correct answer scored a point, but an incorrect answer gave the opponent the point. The first to reach two points won the right to play the next mini-game, and the losing the player received $5,000. If the tie was 1-1, they played one question in a manner similar to Card SharksCard Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
, with the first player guessing a number, and the opponent guessing higher or lower.
Originally the goal was to three points like in the first round.
The winner earned the right to play a mini-game for an escalating jackpot, which started at $60,000, and increased by the amount earned in each game until it was won.
Skyscraper
To start, the winner of the qualifying round received the shortest building worth $10,000. The contestant faced 10 blocks in front of four buildings. The contestant picked off blocks by number, though what makes this game different is that the numbers are behind those blocks & placed at random. When co-host Winters revealed the chosen number, the color of that block was placed in front of the appropriate building. The object of the game was to build the highest skyscraper with the appropriate colored blocks as he/she can. The contestant is only paid for the highest completed skyscraper. However, if the player finds one block for each skyscraper, the game is over and that player loses half his/her winnings. For that reason, once the player has blocks on three different skyscrapers, he or she can stop with the money already won.| Buildings | Number of Blocks Required | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Building 1 (Treasury) | 1 Block (colored yellow) | $20,000 |
| Building 2 | 2 Blocks (colored orange) | $30,000 |
| Building 3 (Chrysler Building) | 3 Blocks (colored blue) | $40,000 |
| Building 4 (Empire State Building) | 4 Blocks (colored purple) | Jackpot |
Niagara
The player faced a board of 18 numbered rods, split into three rows (1-4 on top, 5-10 in the middle, and 11-18 on the bottom), each holding up a colored ball. Rods 1-4 held up two red balls and a green ball, and the rest held yellow balls. The winner of the qualifying round draws a number, and that number's rod gets removed from the board.Each time a yellow ball splashed down into the water, the player received $6,000. If no balls splashed down, the player received $1,000.
The game ended if a red ball or a green ball splashed down. If the red ball splashed down, either on its own or with other colored balls, the player lost half of their winnings. The player could walk away with their winnings at any point, ending the game. If the green ball splashed down without a red ball, the player won the jackpot.
This game was known as Splashdown on the Illinois and Florida lottery shows.
2nd Season Changes
The amounts decreased to $500 if no balls splashed down and $2,500 if a yellow ball splashed down. The amount of the green ball remained the same.
Saratoga
The player was shown a board with 3 "horses" - a red horse, a yellow horse, and a blue horse. They were then shown a board of 12 numbered boxes, and asked to call out numbers, one at a time. Finding four of a color ended up the game and awarded the player a cash prize -- $10,000 (for the red horse), $20,000 (for the yellow horse), or a cash prize called the "Big Purse" (for the blue horse). Before the game, the contestant would choose from one of three flags, each of which had a different cash amount (two worth $40,000, one worth the jackpot), to determine the top prize for the blue horse.This game was known as Home Run on Illinois Instant Riches/Illinois' Luckiest and Grand Prix on Flamingo Fortune.
Treasure Quest
The winner of the qualifying round stood at the beginning of a giant treasure map. The map had 15 colored circles (five of each color (red, blue & green)). At the end of the map are seven treasure chests, six of them represent $5,000, while the one up front represents the jackpot. A member of the studio audience representing the player's team was shown a mini treasure chest presented by Scott. Inside the chest are three jewels colored red, blue & green. Scott would shake up the chest just to mix up the jewels afterwhich he opened it up again and then the audience member reached into the chest and pulled out a jewel; and whatever jewel he/she pulled out, that's when the player moved to the closest circle that matches the jewel.Each time a player stepped to the next circle, he/she received a treasure bag good for $5,000. When the player reaches to the point where he/she may reach a $5,000 chest, that player would then place the treasure bags to the chest he/she thought would land on other than the jackpot chest. Whatever the chest chosen, the $5,000 treasure bags would then be added to the $5,000 chest.
Whatever treasure chest was hit, that's the amount his/her team won; if it's a chest without bags, he/she won $5,000, if it's a chest with bags, he/she won $5,000 plus that amount for each bag placed on it, but if it's the jackpot chest, he/she of course won the jackpot.
At-Home Games
- People finding a "couch" symbol on either scratchcard could send it in for a ticket with a three-digit number & the name of a NY town. If they matched the number & town revealed on the show, the person won $1,000.
- Players sending in non-winning tickets were entered in a drawing. Three names were revealed, each winning either $500, $1,000, or $1,500 based on when their name was revealed.
Format Changes
- In season one, each contestant played for a colored section of the audience (red, yellow & blue) and a school. Half of the winnings went to the appropriate section of the studio audience (minimum of $6,000 per person, five in all), while the other half went to the school the contestant was playing for (minimum of $30,000). In season two, the players were captains of each team, they would split all the money, while the school (randomly selected before the show) they were playing for won $5,000.
- The Jackpot decreased to a minimum of $25,000.
Stations
- Albany - WTENWTENWTEN is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Capital District of New York State and Western New England that is licensed to Albany. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter southwest of the Voorheesville section of New Scotland...
- Buffalo - WUTVWUTVWUTV, virtual channel 29, is the Fox-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 14. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, in a duopoly with the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYO-TV...
- New York City - WNBCWNBCWNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
(1997-1998), WNYWWNYWWNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
(1998-1999) - Plattsburgh - WPTZWPTZWPTZ, virtual channel 5, is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Plattsburgh, New York, USA. WPTZ is owned by Hearst Television, and has its studios in Plattsburgh and transmitter located on Mount Mansfield in Vermont....