The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 38

38 THE BOSTON GLOBE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1993 How do you feel about Boston's mystery Ssnta being a promotional stunt for a Worcester radio station? 4 If MUIPUUHIJWU I.PIIIII.III1I1J mm jf Dan Sweeney Audrey Pinato Ken Heidelberg Store detective, from Boston Ilt's Christmastime. What was he promoting, his radio station? That's OK. It was innocent. Nobody got hurt and some people got an extra $50 for Christmas." A computer inputer, from Boston 's South End ISo what? 50 bucks is 50 bucks. It's not like he was giving it away to some big corporation.

I think what he did was great. So what if it was a promotion?" Store cterfc, hmi Belmont fit's about people being generous. People are so skeptical as it is. It's about time someone was generous even if if a promotion. Christmas is a time for giving." Peter Polos i4 doctor, from Falmouth lit doesn't bother me.

It's who he gave it to. He gave at Children's Hospital and to the homeless veterans. He helped people who need it. Maybe some people who have the ability and are not hooked up with a radio station will take a lesson from this." Jeannine Hanrsum A sales assistant, from Tewksbury lYou'd kind of like to know it was someone who was being nice and helping people out who needed help. That's what I was hoping.

I was kind of hoping for a hero scenario or a Good Samaritan. It would have been better if he stayed anonymous and reappeared each year." Jim Lynch Works for mutual funds company, from Braintree I'm very disappointed. I thought we had something real. If they are playing off that as a promotion for a radio station, that's way off base. It seems that every time something good comes along it seems to get spoiled by being nothing more than a public relations stunt.

Maybe it's a reflection on our society." Interviews conducted at The Shops at Prudential Center by staff reporter Tom Coakley. Globe staff photos by Frank O'Brien Mystery Santa's beard hid a At gift overshadowed the promotional nature of Hill's Santa gambit. "The bottom line is that the money he gave me will go to buy toys for children in the Boston area," said Marine Master Sgt. Orlando Vas-quez, who estimated the gift would supply Christmas toys for about 200 children. But not everyone was tickled by Hill's Santa act, including Tony Ber-ardini, the general manager of WBCN, Boston's top-rated rock 'n' roll station, whose ratings WAAF covets.

Berardini described the stunt, as others did, as "deceiving people." "I think there might be a backlash," he said. "I'm not sure it's in the spirit of Christmas." When reporters pressed Hill about secretly shilling for ratings in a Santa suit, he replied, "I'm not trying to sucker people in. I'm trying to encourage people to give to charity." By all accounts, it was a public relations dream. "It was a win-win situation for everybody," said George Regan, a Boston public relations consultant "Sure, it helped the station, but the' station made everyone feel good -everyone who got a $50 bill and ev left cards that said, "Yes, Massachusetts, there is a Santa Claus!" With reporters and photographers at his heels, Hill's spree of pseudo-philanthropy made front page news whose value would have cost $250,000 in advertising to equal, according to WAAF's general manager, Bruce Mittman. The stunt may "have ended sooner had the media learned that the secret Santa's seemingly charitable jaunt was a commercial venture aimed at boosting WAAF's woeful ranking of 22d in the most recent Greater Boston ratings for listeners age 12 and older.

But the masquerade endured until Sunday night, when a Globe reporter knocked on the door of Hill's home in Stow. At first Hill said he was not the mystery Santa, but then said that if he were, he wouldn't admit it He acknowledged yesterday that the reporter's visit prompted yesterday's disclosure. As his final act of charity and hype, HiD gave $1,000 of WAAF's promotional money yesterday to the US Marine Reserve's Toys for Tots program in South Weymouth. The program's officials said the erybody who read about it in the paper." The city's newspapers benefited as well, Regan suggested. "I'm sure you didn't see circulations go down because of the coverage, he said.

But Mark Jurkowitz, media critic for the Boston Phoenix, said the coverage may have exceeded the story's journalistic worth. "It would have been much more fun if the guy was involved in genuine philanthropy," he said. "Once editors and reporters started to suspect this wasn't "The Miracle on 34th it was time to get it off the front page." However, recipients of the mystery Santa's largesse cared little about Hill's day-time occupation. "He was doing kind things, generous things," said Debbie Chausse, assistant director of the Long Island Shelter for the homeless, which received $200 during the spree. "And he may have helped people to realize that Boston does have a Long Island Shelter." Globe staff imter Susan Bickel-haupt contributed to this report By Bob Hohler and Tom Coakley GLOBE STAFF The mystery Santa stripped off his beard yesterday.

And he was no Kris Kringle. No, Virginia, the St. Nick who crisscrossed Boston for a week, handing out $50 bills and hiding his identity from reporters, revealed himself to be an unshaven and unrepentant rock 'n' roll disc jockey on a quest for higher ratings. In an anticlimactic finale to his highly publicized escapade, Greg Hill, the morning man at WAAF-FM in Worcester, yanked off his bushy beard and claimed victory in a promotional stunt he said was aimed at "capturing the curiosity of the people." "It was very exciting to see good news on the front pages of the papers and on the TV news," Hill, 27, said at a news conference at the Back Bay Hilton. "There are a lot of tragic things going on.

I did this to entertain people and excite them about Christmas." Excite them Hill did, as he dashed about town in a silver limousine, giving away more than $10,000 in $50 bills, never saying a word. He 4 GLOBE STAFF PHOTO FRANK O'BRIEN Greg Hill, traveling in a silver limo, gave away more than $10,000. Deaths restart debate on drunken-driving laws DEATHS Continued from Page 37 "But if one looks at the data, the biggest declines across the country were back in the early 1980s," he said. "Over the last few years, the decline has been minimal. I think we can't be complacent about where we are." tor of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said Massachusetts, which has the sixth highest rate of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the nation, is lagging behind other states in efforts to curb drunken driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 44 percent of the 485 traffic deaths in Massachusetts in 1992 were alco- Patricia Latino, statewide direc hol-related, the same percentage as in 1987. Nationwide, alcohol-related fatalities fell by 21 percent between 1982 and 1992. Latino said her group will be on Beacon Hill tomorrow to push a bill now before the Senate designed to help reduce the state's alcohol-related road deaths. The bill would lower from .10 to .08 the blood alcohol level considered the legal threshold for drunken driving. It would also set a .02 blood alcohol threshold for drivers younger than 21.

Noting that such measures have been "proven deterrents" in other states, Latino said, "We are just trying to catch up, seeing that we have had no major drunk driving legisla- I Give The Gift That Will Last A Lifetime Piano Come to Steinert Sons for the largest selection and best value in New England. tion in Massachusetts since 1986." Ten states have lowered blood alcohol thresholds for drunken driving to .08, while 21 have established lower thresholds for minors. Essex District Attorney Kevin M. Burke, who supports the changes, said a key battle in the war against drunken driving is to stop repeat offenders. "I think the stunning thing for prosecutors after all these years is the disregard multiple offenders have for the process," Burke said.

In the Saturday accidents, Tewksbury police have established that the man they have charged in the crash that killed a Burlington woman had two previous drunken-driving convictions. They have charged John F. O'Regan, 32, of Andover, with numerous violations, including motor vehicle homicide. He is charged in the death of Susan Harrington, 27, of Burlington, a passenger in his car. An hour before the Tewksbury crash, a Dracut man was killed on Route 93 in Wilmington.

According to State Police, Barry M. Melia, 38, died at the scene of the collision involving his car and one driven by 'Thomas F. DiBenedetto, 37, of Lawrence. Police said that Melia's car struck the right guard rail, veered across all four northbound lanes and was struck broadside by a car driven by DeBenedetto. DeBenedetto has been charged with drunken driving.

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Stephen B. Ross and a friend were walking across a bridge on Washington Street in Gloucester when Ross was allegedly struck by a van driven by Anthony Milne, 20, of Gloucester. Police Detective Robert K. Briand said the van scooped up Ross onto its windshield before dropping him onto the pavement and continuing on. Milne pleaded not guilty yesterday to a combined charge of motor vehicle homicide while driving drunk and operating negligently, along with several other charges.

Prosecutors said Milne, who is free on $1,000 bail, has admitted he was drinking at three establishments prior to the Factory authorized dealers for Steinway, Roland, Technics, Boston, Young Chang, and more. TAKE ACTI0U If you have a problem in your neighrjorhood, the Globe wants to help get it solved. Call us and give a brief description of the problem. We'll select topics with the broadest community interest and write about them. Anonymity of callers will be preserved if requested.

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