Clearwater tech company hopes Oprah has Midas touch
By BENITA D. NEWTON
Published November 10, 2003
Getting your product featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show is no small feat. A small tech company from Clearwater not only made an appearance but also received on-air kudos from the talk show icon.
In a show that aired Oct. 30, Oprah's audience used Padgett Communications' wireless audience response system to cast instant votes for their favorite "Million Dollar Idea." The results were tallied on the screen.
"That was so quick," Winfrey said of the high-tech voting device. "I love that. Very cool. We have to come up with something else to vote on because that was so much fun."
The wireless system, which operates through signals sent from handheld keypads to a central receiver, can be used by groups of up to 4,000. Padgett said the device is used most often at national meetings and conferences and by pharmaceutical companies looking to get feedback from the medical community on new drugs.
Chief executive Todd Padgett said he hopes the talk show will use the device on a regular basis. He said the company has already gotten several new clients from the exposure on the show, proving perhaps that books, balding shrinks and polling gear all benefit from Oprah's Midas touch.
