host posted on April 09, 2000 16:14
www.LARadio.com
Leigh Ann was the focal point of a major national promotion that garnered KBIG huge publicity. In the spring of 2000, Leigh gave birth to her new baby with the world watching on a KBIG web cam that was hooked up to the Internet. "Next to my own family and new baby, my show on KBIG is the most important aspect of my life," said Leigh Ann at the time. Leigh Ann admitted that the decision to share the birth was all about ratings. Then KBIG gm Ed Krampf commented: "With no manual to follow, we are writing our own rules for how we meld the Internet with our listening audience to form a multi media platform.” The station is offered $1,000 in a "BIG Baby Pool" to guess the exact date and time of the birth.
There were over 6,000,000 hits from people watching the Internet baby being born. The drama of the day occurred when doctors announced the baby was in the wrong position and they decided to deliver him via C-Section. As the afternoon wore on, the BIG BabyCam was receiving approximately nine thousand hits per minute, enough to crash the server of a partner company hired to help keep track of who was logging in. "Most of the time I didn't even think about the fact that the camera was there," said a weary Leigh Ann. "The mood at the station was fantastic, everyone on the staff was so behind Leigh Ann and wishing her the best," remarked KBIG gm Ed Krampf. "It was definitely not a business as usual sort of day."