European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 4, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Dial now pay and pay later Bojoh Barbour associated press aware the u s Telephone. To ads May lease and Promise adventure at the fingertips but it s Call now pay later when the monthly Bill shows where late night loneliness and he Pursuit of Romance dug into the Wallet that once Friendly instrument. Masquerading in the colors of he Rainbow and shapes that Range fwd computer Clever to space ago gothic. Is at your service with services you never dreamed you d want. Everything irom p Ayas you talk to Santa to pay As you dream about sex. A firm in Seattle brought Down the Wrath of parents who a Hall hour Christmas show featuring Santa Claus children were told to hold their telephones toward the screen a whereupon Lone activated signals dialled up thai Pill old Elf so the kids could Chat with him while the computer logged and charged Lor the Calls. Things have changed in the world of the american Telephone not so much because the changes Are needed but because they Are possible. And profitable today s Telephone Junkie can have intimate chats with Ell kinds of strangers. Now a whole new series om-900 numbers Are opening up. On some you Are a quiz , answering with your push Button phone to maybe win a prize. But you pay Tor the Call perhaps $2 for openers and Mare if you o Lay on the Lino. A simple Call on one Adul i sex line in new York City can run $20 or More whether you talk or not the Telephone in the United Stales has spawned a new business that some say is eclipsing Moo million a  growing. An evening of letting your fingers do the walking can  a $200 phone Bill in couple of hours. The Samo comforting device that gave you grandma s warm Ond comforting voice now gives you everything irom strange sex o Sony strangers from Gays in search of companionship to High school kids on a High it otters up the Slock Market the latest interest Rales advice on mortgages. Its recorded voices Tell you what meetings there Are in your Community where to shop for an Auto loan when to get up How to Pray in Fiat your biorhythms Are when your stars Are Lavora Blei when they Are not How to gel a Dale . Sexual or racial Choice who is going to win the super bowl and what the Point spread is where to got ire Money for College. Dial and get the latest jokes the top horse racing picks lottery results a daily die i. Skiing bargains sports scores government Job openings insults wine choices movie reviews soap opera reviews music trivia sports trivia . Thai s no All. On the gab lines you can Chat , search Tor a Date leave your number Tor promised human adventure dispel in seven push Button digits thai most Universal of All human conditions loneliness. And it one is too shy dial the adult Linos in now York there arc More than 200 of them and become an aural voyeur to Kinky sex. Erotic isl any. From their lips to your ear and Only the Telephone Billing computer will know. Ii is 5 30 a m in new York City and lbs has sandwiched in Between its tale night rerun and morning business shows a commercial or two showing a Black dressed villain and a Prelly blonde a la perils of Pauline urging viewers to Call a certain 970 number and Rescue this Damsel from certain boredom when the number is reached after several tries a woman s voice says he Call will Cost $5 unless you hang up now. Then you Aie assigned your personal code number and Given another Telephone number to Calk alter several tries again you enter your code then push another number As instructed and finally reach a Gold is steady,.ibm s up tar us Pray. " l-7the Money beware of jealousy from another Capricorn Morni Hestime to set up so toe Salesman spies this two was the Kins of swing take the lakers Young breathless voice named Linda. She is apparently ready to Field your favorite fantasy although she volunteers nothing. You find that she is a 22-Ycar-Tjld College graduate political science ram a new York stale University is thinking about joining the peace corps and is saving. Money to go to Europe to visit a Friend. You hesitate id ask what s a Nice girl like you doing in this Racket and inquire instead Are you Well paid Tor this she answers Rio. Then someone Steps in and terminates the Call. Either time was up or the questions were going too Lar. Three weeks later the television invitation local carries an addendum ten dollars a  this particular operation is offered by one of a group of companies known usually As Omni phone inc. Of Seattle although in tews lire name is Hal inc. The marketing and promotion is handled by a firm called Tho Mega quest group based in Seattle the companies employ about 500  operate in about 30 cities domestically plus Allol Canada and in London Rotterdam Paris and Australia. One of the satellite companies pop request. Was the one that engineered the Santa cutting show. Ii was syndicated to 30 Domestic and four foreign markets when the Seattle station began getting irate Calls it quickly ran a warning to children with Tho printed words telling them to ask morn and dad first. Why did. Phone quest which has used the program Lor four years rely on Tho electronic dealing technique a spokesman said it was to prevent children ram dealing the wrong number when one of the firm s 970 numbers in new Yort cily was dialled land reached alter several abortive tries a pretentiously sexy female voice answered and Olloren to be companionable. When Tho phone Bill came in it registered four Calls and iwo additional minutes. The charge was �79 to even though three of the Calls never produced an answer when the number Wab. Called Back Post Ming this was the conversation i Welcome to parly line. How much does this Cal cos saturday March 4, 1989 you Flinn t hear ?. There was no recording. Nineteen ninety live. Goodbye. That number also was advertised on Tefo vis