April 2, 2009
World’s largest trivia contest at UW-Stevens Point turns 40!
The world’s largest trivia contest returns to WWSP 90FM at the University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP). In its 40th year and still going strong, the
54-hour trivia contest, filled with questions and music, begins Friday, April
17, at 6 p.m. and runs until midnight, Sunday, April 19.
This year’s contest theme, “Trivia 40: Here’s looking at you, kid,” will draw
people to Central Wisconsin from as far away as Europe with nearly 500 teams
competing for the title. Others will participate through the World Wide
Web.
“Trivia at 40 is a huge deal and is a testament to the many coordinators,
volunteers, and participants who have made this contest the largest in the
world,” said Jim “The Oz” Oliva, Trivia coordinator. “I’ve been thinking
over the years about a Humphrey Bogart theme for Trivia as he is such a
Hollywood icon. Whether young or old, one can’t ignore his impact of the
silver screen on our culture and music.”
Trivia begins with the first question at 6 p.m. on Friday. Eight questions
are read each hour and teams have the length of two songs to call in their
answers. There will also be a variety of specialty questions including a
treasure hunt-style series of clues scattered around Stevens Point. Teams
with correct answers are given an equal share of the 2000 points each question
is worth, with a minimum of 5 points and a maximum of 500 points. Trophies
will be given to the top ten teams with the highest points.
Teams are being advised not to study up on any one topic, as the questions
promise to include all areas of unusual and often trivial knowledge.
Trivia will kick off at 4 p.m. on Friday with a parade starting near Lot Q
on the UWSP campus. The parade will feature floats from many of the registered
teams as well as a 90FM float.
The Trivia movie will be shown at midnight on Friday, April 3, and at 10:30
a.m. and midnight on Saturday, April 4, at Rogers Cinema on Church Street in
Stevens Point. Admission is $3. The title of the movie will be announced at
the midnight shows.
Registration is $30 per team and must be completed in advance at the 90FM
studios between April 13 – 16 from 3 - 7 p.m., and Friday, April 17, from
noon - 6 p.m. All money collected from this event will be used for the
general maintenance of 90FM and for 90FM scholarships. For complete rules,
a listing of teams and registration information, visit the 90FM Web site
at
www.90fmtrivia.org.
For the fourth year in a row 90FM has teamed up with the Wisconsin Public
Service Corporation (WPS) to power the contest using “green powered”
electricity.
Trivia began in 1969 with 16 teams and was first broadcast on 90FM the
following year. A documentary, “Triviatown,” was filmed during the 2004
trivia weekend, debuted in 2006 and won Best Film at the Wisconsin Film
Festival in Madison and Best Documentary at the Westchester (New York)
Film Festival.
90FM WWSP is the not-for-profit, student-run radio station at UWSP. It is
the largest station of its kind in the Midwest and can be found at the FM
frequency of 89.9. The station broadcasts commercial-free 365 days a year
from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m.
Contact: Scott Clark, promotions director, at 715-346-3755.
