Out of this World

Win a trip into outer space: It’s reminiscent of something you might have seen on WKRP, but a Quebec city radio station is staging a contest that is literally our of this world. Sortir FM 106,9 isn’t even set to go on the air for a few weeks yet, but already they have managed to generate more publicity than a lot of powerhouse stations do in a year.

The station is teaming up with Space Adventures, the same company that took Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte into space for a hefty $35 million. To be fair, this contest will only take the winner to the limits of space and then back. It’s still more than most of us will ever see.

Quebec mayor Régis Labeaume claims it will be good for his city and may attract tourists. The city is not getting involved in terms of money, but a local home builder and restaurant are also involved. The cost of the hour or so trip is estimated to be in the neighbourhood of $107,000.

Labeaume cut a “winning” ticket into three pieces. Each piece will be hidden at different locations within the city, thus beginning the treasure hunt. In the end, the people who find each piece will have to face off somehow on Sortir FM’s airwaves. The listeners will then have the final say on who will blast off.