Ten minutes later, they had to drink another. Twenty-eight years old, married and the mother of three, Strange had entered the "Hold your Wee for a Wii" contest to try to win a Nintendo Wii video game player for her kids. Ran on: 06-04-2005 They told us if you dont feel like you can do this, dont put your health at risk.. The co-worker contacted Strange's mother, who went to her home an hour later to find her daughter dead. The participant who drank the most water without using the bathroom was promised a game console valued at $250. Tim Curran said Wednesday that the department feels that it has enough information to begin an investigation. [19] It also dropped its local news coverage. You would be surprised by the amount of people who die yearly from . The station first signed on in 1947 as KXOA-FM, an FM simulcast of AM station KXOA, before separating itself with distinct programming, including most prominently soft rock, adult contemporary, and classic hits formats. [35] At one point, a nurse contacted the station and informed the DJs that the contest could be dangerous and potentially fatal. The then-chief of enforcement for the FCC stated to the Sacramento Bee that the motive was financial and that Entercom would likely have fought had a merger not been planned. Strange was found dead Friday in her suburban Rancho Cordova home hours after taking part in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest in which KDND 107.9 promised a Nintendo Wii video game system for the winner. Become a home entertainment expert with our handpicked tips, reviews and deals. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The radio station, he said, "had the information months in advance that this could cause harm.". "How can someone die from drinking too much water?" That in turn can lead to swelling of the brain, seizures, comas and in some cases death. The contest began around 6:45a.m. as contestants were each handed 240 mL (8oz) water bottles to drink at 15-minute intervals. Strange apparently died from drinking too much water too quickly, resulting in a condition called water intoxication. #inline-recirc-item--id-d4637c66-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Contact us. Visit our attorney directory to find a lawyer near you who can help. In cases of water intoxication, it is extreme hyponatremia that can ultimately cause coma and death. In January 2007, KDND's morning show controversially held an on-air contest in which contestants were challenged to drink as much water as they could without urinating, in order to win a Nintendo Wii video game console. What happens to First Republic Bank's stock and deposits now? $3 million fentanyl shipment to Maine restaurant prompts arrest "In the brief amount of time she got to spend with Jen, the 11 months," he said, "she really picked up on a lot of her qualities and her personality.". She appeared ill, one contestant said. Media Action Center founder Sue Wilson, producer of a 2009 documentary, Broadcast Blues, on Stranges death, said the groups intend to formally serve papers when FCC commissioners meet in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22. All rights reserved. After the contest, Strange called in sick to work. According to preliminary autopsy reports, Ms. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old from Northern California, died in 2007 after participating in a radio station's contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii," in which contestants drank large. Once the contest was narrowed down to two, Strange and the eventual winner, Lucy Davidson, were brought into the studio. CNN.com. "I thought it was just water," Campos says, "that it would just flush out my body. I was talking to her and she was a nice lady, Ybarra said. [58][59] The next day, Entercom announced that KDND would cease operations effective February 8 and that its license would be terminated and returned to the FCC. "Like, a nurse called.". [56][57], On February 2, 2017, Entercom announced its intent to acquire CBS Radio. [20] The format did not improve KXOA's ratings; on March 25, 1994, the station flipped to a classic hits format branded as Arrow 108, adapted from Los Angeles' KCBS-FM. Water intoxication: When a person drinks large quantities of water rapidly, the normal balance of electrolytes in the body can be diluted to the point that brain function is disturbed, leading to. A nurse shocked at the idea, called on air to the Morning Rave Show at station KDND in California to warn that contestants were endangering their lives from water contamination. "I passed out in bed at 11 (a.m.) and didn't wake up until my husband shook me awake at 6 that night.". In 1969, the station raised its effective radiated power from 12,500 watts to more than 49,000. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, was among 18 people who entered the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition. After he quit, he said, the remaining contestants, including Strange, were given even bigger bottles to drink. Ms Strange, a mother-of-three, had taken part in radio station KDND 107.9's "hold your wee for a Wii" contest, in a bid to win a Nintendo Wii video games system. . 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. Drinking large quantities of water rapidly can throw off the body's balance of electrolytes, causing brain swelling and leading to seizures, coma, or even death. Sacramento sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Because as tragic as Strange's death was, other contestants on Friday were nearly as ill. "No one was more sick than anyone else," Campos says. Delivered Wednesdays. In severe cases of water intoxication, coma and death come fairly quickly as a result of brain swelling. Symptoms of water intoxication actually look a lot like the symptoms of alcohol intoxication, including nausea, altered mental state, and vomiting. CNN.com: Woman drinks so much water she dies - Jan. 13, 2007, Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Can You Drink Too Much Water?" . A preliminary investigation found evidence consistent with a water intoxication death, said assistant Coroner Ed Smith. "She said, 'Oh, my God. ", No, actually, he wasn't. [49] On October 29, 2009, after a week of deliberations, the jury awarded the survivors of Jennifer Strange the sum of $16,577,118 in monetary damages. A legal action is already in the works from an attorney representing the Strange family. [53][54], The Media Action Center, a watchdog organization founded by former producer Sue Wilson, filed a petition to deny against KDND's license when it was up for renewal in 2013. The purpose of this rule is fairly simple: To hold employers responsible for the costs of doing business, including the costs of employee carelessness or misconduct. A Sacramento radio stunt gone gone bad will cost the radio station and its parent company $16.57 million. Initially, Jennifer seemed to be having fun, joking lightheartedly with the radio hosts and obligingly downing an 8-ounce bottle of water every 15 minutes. They tried to drink as much water as they could without urinating in a bid to win a Nintendo Wii gaming console. MedlinePlus Encyclopedia. Without electrolytes, the body can't function (see What are electrolytes? She called in sick to work after the contest, complaining of a bad headache, and about five hours later, her mother found her dead in her Rancho Cordova, Calif., home. "The biggest thing that got most of us was all of the phone calls that came in," she said. Our thoughts remain with the family. A California woman's death is being linked to her participation in a radio contest, the grand prize for which was a Nintendo Wii. Originally, the sheriff had said that because the contestants entered under their own free will, there might have been no crime. But when someone drinks a tremendous amount of water in a short period of time, and the water does not contain any added electrolytes, the cellular maintenance system can't handle the level of sodium dilution that occurs. And if you found their antics mean and offensive, maybe you just weren't cool enough to get the joke. [47] Subsequently, both DJs settled with Entercom for an undisclosed amount. [21] The Arrow format challenged KSEG (96.9 FM) and KHYL (101.1 FM). On September 25, 1945, Lincoln Dellar, who had signed on KXOA (1470 AM) on May 20 of that year,[1] applied to the FCC to build a new FM radio station in Sacramento, originally specifying 95.9MHz as the frequency. #inline-recirc-item--id-d4637c66-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-d4637c66-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { The DJs also joked about Strange's distended belly, joking that she looked three months pregnant. [28][29] In January 1999, the KXOA call letters, as well as the Arrow format and branding, were recycled by the former KRAK-FM at 93.7MHz, replacing an ailing classic country station. Strange had showed fellow. She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad, said Laura Rios, one of Stranges co-workers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento. According to contest participants, 17 to 20 contestants took part in the competition in a room at KDND's studios. Most Relevant is selected, so some comments may have been filtered out. During its existence, the Browns bought back KNDE and returned it to the fold as KXOA, to air a harder AOR mix. The complaint, which does not specify monetary damages, include a number of on-air statements made by radio station personnel, including one DJ who noted that they should have 'researched' water intoxication before conducting the contest. The wrongful death lawsuit, a copy of which you'll find below, names the radio station's owner and eight individuals as defendants. [12] The station re-branded as Super Stereo K108, featuring Top 40 music and album-oriented rock (AOR) at night. [50], The former "Morning Rave" hosts went on other radio jobs in different markets; Cox hosted mornings at KRBB in Wichita, Kansas,[51] and as of 2021, was working at KPLD in St. George, Utah. Drinking large quantities of water rapidly can throw off the body's balance of electrolytes, causing brain swelling and leading to seizures, coma or even death. Signs and symptoms of dehydration include thirst, dizziness, fainting, headaches, low blood-pressure, fatigue, low to no urine output, and, in extreme cases, loss of consciousness and death. As the contestants dropped out, it became clear that some of them were having serious health problems. Billy Strange said she is truly her mother's daughter, a comfort to the entire family. It was not immediately know how much water Strange consumed. An excess of water in the body can lead to the dilution of vital fluids. A wrongful death lawsuit was announced on January 18 on behalf of Strange's husband and three children against Entercom and KDND's operating subsidiary Entercom Sacramento LLC. "We totally had a moment together," says Campos, 33. Wilson said a jury had held the radio station liable for Stranges death, but the FCC has shown "no inclination" to go after its broadcast license despite calls from the victims family for sanctions against the station. Among the fired employees were three morning disc jockeys. "She was in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition trying to win a Nintendo Wii video game system." The FCC ruled that Stolz's arguments had no merit and that he was not a party of interest in the dispute between Media Action Center and Entercom that led to the license revocation hearing. A work colleague said Ms Strange had reported her head . (AP Photo/California Department of Motor Vehicles via the Sacramento Bee) ** ** UNDATED PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES, Elidia Campos, shown with her son, Israel, sat next to Jennifer Strange during the water-drinking contest on Sacramento radio station KDND. Ten employees were fired following the incident. Jennifer Strange's youngest daughter was just 11 months old when her mother died. Also, when a caller who identified herself as a nurse warned that contestants could face illness or death, an on-air personality replied, 'Yeah, they signed releases so we're not responsible so it's okay.' .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { C.W. The jurors found that the Entercom Communications Corporation based in Philadeliphia, along with its Sacramento subsidiary liable for the actions of its employees at the Sacramento radio station KDND-FM.
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