ELIGIBILITY: The Houston Astros' 2013 Radio Apprentice Contest is open only to persons eighteen (18) years of age and older. Proof of age and picture ID must be provided in order to be qualified. A current driver's license will be sufficient. Contestant must be a legal U.S. citizen or U.S. resident who is eligible to work in the United States. Employees, officers and directors, immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside, and members of the same household, whether or not related) of the Houston Astros ("Astros"), the other MLB Entities (as defined below), the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Sports Southwest, Clear Channel, Comcast, KTRH, and each of their respective parents, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, licensees, distributors, dealers, retailers, printers, advertising and promotion agencies, and any and all other companies associated with the Contest are not eligible to participate or win a Prize (as defined below). The "MLB Entities" shall mean the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, its Bureaus, Committees, Subcommittees and Councils, MLB Advanced Media, L.P. ("MLBAM" or "MLB.com"), Major League Baseball Enterprises, Inc., Major League Baseball Properties, Inc., the Major League Baseball Clubs, The MLB Network, LLC, Tickets.com, Inc., SportsOnEarth, LLC and each of their respective subsidiaries or affiliated entities, any entity which, now or in the future, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the Major League Baseball Clubs or the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, and the directors, officers, employees and agents of the above entities. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Void where prohibited or restricted by law, rule or regulation.
A written acknowledgement and release authorizing the Astros to use and/or air your name, photo or likeness on radio, television, internet, print, or on any other media used by the Astros before, during and after the contest must be signed in order to compete.
If a person has been convicted of or is, at any time during the Contest, standing trial for a felony offense according to federal or state law, that person is deemed ineligible to compete.
ENTRY PERIOD: The Contest entry period begins on July 27, 2012 at 3:00 PM (cst) and ends on August 7, 2012 at 5:00 PM (cst) (the "Entry Period").
HOW TO ENTER: To enter, participant must log on to astros.com during the Entry Period and click on the Houston Astros' 2013 Radio Apprentice Contest buttons and/or links to access the online entry form for the Contest. To enter, participant must read and consent to these Official Rules during the Contest entry process. Participant must also provide their complete name, date of birth, address, city, state, ZIP/postal code, telephone number, e-mail address, and Submission pursuant to (1) the Submission Requirements (set forth below), and (2) the Content Restrictions (as set forth in the Content Restrictions section below).
By fully completing and submitting all required information you will be automatically entered in the Contest and be a "Participant." Participant may be given the option to receive (a) commercial e-mails from astros.com and/or MLB.com and/or (b) mobile text messages and updates from MLB.com; however, eligibility to participate in the Contest is not dependent upon Participant's consent to receive such e-mails or mobile text messages and updates and consenting to receive any such e-mails and/or mobile text messages and updates will not impact any Participant's chances of winning. Standard messaging rates apply to mobile text messages and updates. Check with your mobile service provider for more information.
Online entry only. No other method of entry will be accepted. Participants are solely responsible for Internet connectivity, software and/or hardware that may be required in order to create and/or submit any Submission.
All entries must include a valid e-mail address for the Participant. All information submitted online by Participants is subject to, and will be treated in a manner consistent with, MLB.com's Terms of Use accessible at: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb_com/terms_of_use.jsp and Privacy Policy accessible at: www.mlb.com/privacy. Participants must fully complete and submit all non-optional data requested on the online entry form to be eligible. Incomplete and/or inaccurate entries are void. Limit one (1) entry per person/e-mail address/household. In case of multiple entries received from any person or e-mail address or household, only the first entry received from such person or e-mail address or household will be considered. Participants who do not click their agreement to these Official Rules will not have their Submissions reviewed. Submissions that do not comply with the Content Restrictions, or otherwise with these Official Rules, will be void, eliminated and not eligible for consideration.
SUBMISSION: Participant will be required to submit information of his/her personal information, including without limitation name, date of birth, address (city and state of residence), telephone number(s), e-mail address(es), background information, videotape, and/or any information (verbal, written, or submitted online) provided to the Astros (the "Participant Information"). Participant will also be required to be interviewed and will perform auditions throughout this Contest (the "Performance"). Any such Participant Information and Performances shall be deemed the "Submission." The Participant's Submission may be displayed in audio, visual and/or multimedia production in connection with this Contest.
CONSENT, LICENSE AND RELEASE: In exchange for the opportunity to participate in this Contest, and the possibility of the use of Participant's Submission and/or the Participant's appearance in an audio, visual and/or multimedia production, the receipt of which opportunities shall be sufficient consideration for this Consent, License and Release, each Participant does hereby:
(1) agree that his/her Submission, including the identity and likeness of the Participant, is an original work of authorship and that, as of the date of Submission, he/she owns all right, title and interest in the Submission or has all necessary rights in the Submission and hereby provides that information to Astros and/or MLBAM under the terms of these Official Rules;
(2) consent to the collection by Astros and/or MLBAM (or its designee) of his/her personal information, including without limitation name, date of birth, address (city and state of residence), telephone number(s) and e-mail address(es) (the "Personal Information") in connection with the Submission;
(3) grant to Astros and/or MLBAM and each of their respective designees the perpetual and unlimited right and license to use, edit, modify, duplicate and/or create derivative works from his/her Submission throughout the world and in perpetuity, including, but not limited to, the right for Astros and/or MLBAM, as applicable, to display, broadcast, distribute, reproduce, perform, create derivative works from and otherwise use and exploit the Submission, on television, via the Internet or any other interactive media, in print and/or any other media currently existing and hereafter developed and without limitation and without payment of any compensation to Participant or his/her heirs and successors, (i) on its own or as part of any audiovisual or other production; (ii) to advertise any products, programming or services of the Astros and/or MLB Entities or for any other advertising, marketing, publicizing and promotional purposes and in any materials related thereto; and/or (iii) for any other purpose whatsoever;
(4) agree that the foregoing license includes without limitation the right (i) to use his/her name (and any other Personal Information that may be incorporated into the Submission), likeness, image, voice, appearance and performance as embodied in the Submission in whole or in part, for advertising, promotional and trade purposes in conjunction with this and similar promotions in any and all media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without notice and without further consideration or compensation, except where prohibited by law; (ii) to edit, alter, distort, add to, rearrange and otherwise modify the Submission, and use the Submission in whole or in part or in combination with other materials; and (iii) to assign and/or license others to use the Submission for all of the purposes hereunder;
(5) acknowledge and agree, with respect to the Personal Information, that the Astros and/or MLB Entities shall have the right (subject to applicable law) to (i) incorporate certain of the Personal Information into the Submission and use such Personal Information as incorporated therein; (ii) analyze and use the Personal Information for any and all purposes, including without limitation sending him/her advertising and promotional materials and for any other advertising, marketing and promotional purposes; and (iii) to share the Personal Information with third parties for their advertising, marketing and promotional purposes or for any other purposes;
(6) acknowledge that Participant shall have no right of approval of any use of the Submission and the Personal Information as permitted hereunder;
(7) agree that Participant shall use any copy of the Submission that he/she obtains solely for his/her personal, non-public, non-commercial use; and
(8) release in perpetuity the Released Parties from any claims, demands, losses and liabilities of any nature arising out of or in any way connected with the Submission, the Personal Information and the use thereof as permitted hereunder, including, but not limited to, claims of false endorsement or infringement of rights of publicity or privacy.
Nothing herein will obligate the Astros or MLB Entities to make any use of any of the rights set forth herein. In the event that any individual(s) appears with the Participant in the Submission but does not submit a separate Consent, License and Release, the Participant hereby represents and warrants (i) that such individual(s) has authorized Participant to agree to this Consent, Assignment and Release on his/her behalf (or, with respect to any individual under eighteen (18) years of age, that Participant is the parent and/or legal guardian of such individual(s) with legal authority to act on behalf of such individual), and (ii) that Participant agrees to this Consent, License and Release on behalf of such individual(s).
CONTENT RESTRICTIONS: Participant must not include any of the following content (the "Content Restrictions") in any Submission: (i) pornography, adult-oriented content or any other sexually-explicit material; (ii) materials relating to lotteries or gambling; (iii) explicit language or content, images of violence, or promotion of illegal activities; (iv) content in violation of intellectual property rights or laws; (v) libelous, defamatory, disparaging, tortuous or slanderous materials; (vi) content that denigrates, disparages or reflects negatively on the Astros or MLB Entities, their owners and employees, or the game of baseball; (vii) tobacco, alcohol or drugs; (viii) dangerous stunts; (ix) real weapons of any kind including, but not limited to, guns, knives or projectiles; (x) material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, age or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation; (xi) individuals under legal age of majority without providing a signed release from parent or legal guardian; (xii) audio and/or visual content owned by any third party (e.g., recorded music; pre-produced video, etc.); and (xiii) material that is unlawful, or otherwise in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where the Submission is created. Any Submission that does not comply with the foregoing, in the sole discretion of Sponsor, will be disqualified and eliminated from consideration.
NOTIFICATION: The potential winner will be notified by e-mail and/or telephone by Astros and/or MLBAM and may (in Astros' discretion) be confirmed by postal mail, return receipt (the "Winner Notification"). In the event that any potential winner does not respond to such Winner Notification within three (3) days of the date of issuance, a disqualification and prize/award forfeiture will result and, at Astros' sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate potential winner shall be chosen from among all remaining eligible Submissions. The potential winner may be required to submit his/her valid social security number and/or other identification to Astros and will be required to execute, have notarized and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and, unless prohibited by law, Publicity, within five (5) days of the date of receipt. A disqualification and prize forfeiture will result and, at Astros' sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate potential winner will be selected from among all remaining eligible Submissions if all required documents are not properly executed and returned within the specified period of time. Refusal to return such required documents or the return of any such documentation as non-deliverable, or any potential winner's noncompliance with these Official Rules will also result in disqualification prize forfeiture and, at Astros' sole discretion and time permitting, may cause an alternate potential winner to be chosen from among all remaining eligible entries.
GENERAL CONDITIONS: By participating in the Contest, each Participant (a) accepts and agrees to be bound by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, the MLB.com Privacy Policy and MLB.com Website Terms of Use; and (b) gives his/her express permission to be contacted by Astros and/or its representatives for Contest administration purposes.
All applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. This Contest and these Official Rules will be governed by the laws of the State of Texas. Any court of competent jurisdiction sitting within the State of Texas, Harris County will be the exclusive jurisdiction and venue for any dispute arising out of or relating to this Contest or these Official Rules. Astros' failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
The Astros, the MLB Entities, and each of their respective parent companies, trustees, subsidiaries, franchisees, assignees, affiliates, licensees, agents, independent contractors, telecasters, sponsors, licensees and advertising and promotional agencies, and each of their respective general and limited partners, members, shareholders, officers, directors, agents, employees, representatives and contractors (collectively, the "Released Parties") shall not be responsible for lost, late, stolen, garbled, delayed, undelivered, or misdirected entries, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a Participant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions.
Released Parties are not responsible for any technical, computer, network, typographical, printing, human or other errors relating to or in connection with this Contest, including, without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with the offer or administration of this Contest, the processing of entries, the tabulation of scores, the cancellation of games or any errors appearing in any Contest related-materials including, but not limited to, errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of Prize winners or the distribution of the Prizes. The Astros reserve the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest.
Released Parties make no warranties, express or implied, relative to the use or enjoyment of any Prize or Award, or portions thereof, including without limitation, its quality, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. By entering the Contest, each Participant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless and fully release the Released Parties from any and all liability for any injuries, losses, death, or damages of any kind caused by participation in the Contest, Participant's Submission, or resulting from the acceptance, possession, quality, use or misuse of any Prize, or any portion of any Prize, including any travel or activity related thereto.
The Contest is a skill contest designed to increase consumer awareness of and interest in the Astros, Major League Baseball and MLB.com, the Official Site of Major League Baseball. This Contest may not be used for, or in connection with, any form of gambling.
INTERNET: If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, cancellation of games, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Astros reserve the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and, if terminated, to determine the winners, if any, from among all eligible, non-suspect Submissions submitted up to the point of termination.
Released Parties assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. The Released Parties are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network, cable, satellite, Internet Service Provider (ISP) or lines, computer systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to Participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Contest.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL, WHETHER OR NOT A PARTICIPANT, TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONTEST OR UNDERMINE THE CONTENT OR LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR WILL DISQUALIFY ANY SUCH PARTICIPANT, AND ASTROS, MLBAM AND/OR THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
In the event that the Contest is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, the Astros reserve the right to discontinue or modify the Contest, or to disqualify Participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, the Released Parties shall have no liability to any Participants who are disqualified due to such an action.
TRADEMARKS: The Houston Astros and Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are proprietary to the Houston Astros and MLB Entities. All rights reserved.
Participant shall not have any right to, or license to, any such trademark. Participant shall not have any rights or license involving any interactive or on-line media related to this Contest. Further, Participant shall not have any right to use any name and/or logo used in connection with this Contest. All uses of the Astros or Major League Baseball trademarks shall inure to the benefit of the Astros and/or MLB. Participant shall not, during this Contest or thereafter, do anything which impairs the validity of, or infringes upon, such trademarks. The Astros and/or MLB may take any legal action to stop any infringement of such trademarks. Participant agrees to cooperate to the extent reasonably requested by the Astros or MLB to stop such infringement.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: Participant expressly acknowledges and agrees that any Confidential Information obtained regarding the Astros or MLB shall remain confidential. Participant agrees not to directly or indirectly disclose, or permit anyone on its behalf to disclose, information related to the Astros or MLB. Confidential information shall not include any information which (i) was publicly known after disclosure by the disclosing Party, or (ii) becomes publicly known after disclosure by the disclosing Party through no wrongful action or inaction of the receiving party.
INDEPENDENT PARTIES: The relationship of the Astros and Participant is that of independent parties, each acting in its own best interests. No partnership, joint venture, employment relationship, or other business relationship is established or intended hereby between the Astros and Participant.
CONTEST RULES: Applications and questionnaires are available on-line at www.astros.com. Applications and questionnaires must be submitted online at www.astros.com. All eligible Participants ("Contestants") will be contacted and instructed to appear at the Contestant Interview Round of the Houston Astros' 2013 Radio Apprentice Contest audition.
Contestant Interview Round shall consist of an informational session and brief in person interview. Contestants must report to the designated location at Minute Maid Park at a designated time on Monday, August 13th. Contestants will be interviewed by Panelists selected by the Astros. The Panelists will select a maximum of 10 contestants to advance to the Player Interview Round.
Player Interview Round is scheduled for August 17 - 19 2012 at Minute Maid Park. Contestants will interview a current Astros player during game-day batting practice. The recording will be placed on astros.com for the fan vote. Fans will vote for, and a panel of two (2) judges selected by the Astros will rank, their favorite contestants. Fans will vote online at astros.com commencing August 21, 2012 at 10:00 AM (cst) and ending August 28, 2012 at 5:00 PM (cst). Fans may vote for up to four (4) contestants. The contestants will then be assigned a "Fan Rank" based upon the total number of votes each contestant receives, with the contestant receiving the most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of one (1), the contestant receiving the second most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of two (2), etc. The panel of Astros judges will rank each contestant based on his/her performance. The "Fan Rank" will be multiplied by 2 and added to the two Astros judges' ranks for a contestant, establishing an "Aggregate Score". The contestants will then be ranked based on the "Aggregate Score", with the lowest being assigned the number one (1) ranking, the next lowest number two (2) ranking, etc. The highest four ranked contestants will advance to the Play-by-Play Round.
Play-By-Play Round is scheduled for August 30 - September 2, 2012 at Minute Maid Park. Contestants will appear live on the air during an Astros radio broadcast. The recording of each contestant's appearance will be placed on astros.com for the fan vote. Fans will vote for, and a panel of two (2) judges selected by the Astros will rank, their favorite contestants. Fans will vote online at astros.com commencing September 5, 2012 at 10:00 AM (cst) and ending September 10, 2012 at 5:00 PM (cst). Fans may vote for up to two (2) contestants. The contestants will then be assigned a "Fan Rank" based upon the total number of votes each contestant receives, with the contestant receiving the most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of one (1), the contestant receiving the second most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of two (2), etc. The panel of Astros judges will rank each contestant based on his/her performance. The "Fan Rank" will be multiplied by 2 and added to the two Astros judges' ranks for a contestant, establishing an "Aggregate Score". The contestants will then be ranked based on the "Aggregate Score", with the lowest being assigned the number one (1) ranking, the next lowest number two (2) ranking, etc. The highest two (2) ranked contestants will advance to the Final Round.
Final Round is scheduled for September 13-14, 2012 at Minute Maid Park. Finalists will record a pre-game interview with Astros personnel, appear live on the air during, and perform an in-game interview with Astros personnel. Each contestant's appearance will be placed on astros.com for the fan vote. Fans will vote for, and a panel of two (2) judges selected by the Astros will rank their favorite contestant. Fans will vote online at astros.com commencing September 16, 2012 at 10:00 AM (cst) and ending September 24, 2012 at 5:00 PM (cst). Fans may vote for one (1) contestant. The contestants will then be assigned a "Fan Rank" based upon the total number of votes each contestant receives, with the contestant receiving the most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of one (1), the contestant receiving the second most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of two (2). The panel of Astros judges will rank each contestant based on his/her performance. The "Fan Rank" will be multiplied by 2 and added to the two Astros judges' ranks for a contestant, establishing an "Aggregate Score". The contestants will then be ranked based on the "Aggregate Score", with the lowest being assigned the number one (1) ranking, the next lowest number two (2) ranking. The highest ranked contestant of the Final Round will be declared the winner of the 2013 Radio Apprentice Contest (the "Winner").
Judging Contestants are not guaranteed an audition during the Contestant Interview Round. In all rounds, Contestants will be judged under the criteria set by the Astros. Some portions of the Contest will be judged by both fans and a panel consisting of two (2) panelists selected by the Astros. In such portions of the Contest, the fans and the judges will rank a pre-set number of participants. The fan vote will count as 50% (fifty percent) of the overall vote for that particular portion of the Contest and the panelists' vote will count as 50% (fifty percent) of the overall vote for that particular portion of the Contest.
Final Round is scheduled for September 13-14, 2012 at Minute Maid Park. Finalists will record a pre-game interview with Astros personnel, appear live on the air during, and perform an in-game interview with Astros personnel. Each contestant's appearance will be placed on astros.com for the fan vote. Fans and a panel of two (2) judges selected by the Houston Astros will vote for their favorite contestant. Fans will vote online at Astros.com commencing September 16, 2012 at 10:00 AM (cst) and ending September 24, 2012 at 5:00 PM (cst). Fans may vote for one (1) contestant. The contestants will then be assigned a "Fan Rank" based upon the total number of votes each contestant receives, with the contestant receiving the most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of one (1), the contestant receiving the second most fan votes assigned the "Fan Rank" of two (2). The panel of Astros judges will rank each contestant based on their performance. The "Fan Rank" will be multiplied by 2 and added to the two Astros judges' ranks for a contestant, establishing an "Aggregate Score". The contestants will then be ranked based on the "Aggregate Score", with the lowest being assigned the number one (1) ranking, the next lowest number two (2) ranking. The highest ranked contestant of the Final round will be declared the winner of the 2013 Radio Apprentice Contest.
JUDGING: Contestants are not guaranteed an audition during the Contestant Interview Round. In all rounds contestants will be judged under the criteria set by the Houston Astros. Some portions of the Contest will be judged by both fans and a panel consisting of two (2) panelists selected by the Houston Astros. In such portions of the Contest, the fans and the judges will rank a pre-set number of participants. The fan vote will count as 50% (fifty percent) of the overall vote for that particular portion of the Contest and the panelists' vote will count as 50% (fifty percent) of the overall vote for that particular portion of the Contest.
PRIZES / AWARDS: Contest Winner - The Winner of the Houston Astros' 2013 Radio Apprentice Contest will have the opportunity to be the sideline reporter for the Astros during the 2013 Baseball Season. The Winner will be offered Employment At-Will with the Astros and will be paid a salary of four thousand, one hundred sixty-six dollars and sixty-seven cents ($4,166.67) per month.
Final 10 - Each of the Final 10 Contestants will receive two (2) tickets to attend a regular season Astros game (game to be determined) in a suite and at a meet-and-greet with the Astros Broadcast team. Any and all prizes or awards are non-transferable and non-assignable, with no cash redemptions except at Astros' sole and absolute discretion. Any Major League Baseball game, event and exhibition tickets awarded as part of any Prize may not be resold or offered for resale. Any such resale may result in disqualification and forfeiture of prize, and may invalidate the license granted by the game ticket(s). Astros reserve the right to substitute the Prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value at its sole and absolute discretion. Any prize or award winner is fully responsible for any and all applicable federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes). All costs and expenses associated with any prize or award acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided, including but not limited to lodging, transportation costs, meals, gratuities and other expenses incurred by accepting the prize or award are the sole responsibility of the Winner. All prize or award details shall be determined in the sole and absolute discretion of the Astros. Astros and the applicable MLB Entities reserve the right to remove or to deny entry to Winner and/or his/her guest(s) who engage(s) in a non-sportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person at the game, event or exhibition. In the event production the Houston Astros' 2013 Radio Apprentice Contest is cancelled or postponed, any and all prizes or awards may be cancelled without substitution or compensation therefore.
CONTEST ADMINISTRATION: Astros will be responsible for resolving any disputes and rules violations that arise in connection with the Contest. All decisions by Astros regarding the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects.
SPONSOR: The Sponsor of this Contest is The Houston Astros, Minute Maid Park, Union Station, 501 Crawford, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77002.
Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are proprietary to the MLB Entities. All rights reserved.
