Children Get Naughty Earful When They Misdial Santa’s Number

In a new twist to an old Christmas question, some children are wondering this year whether Santa Claus is naughty or nice.

Some youngsters calling a popular 976 dial-a-message, “North Pole hot line” to talk to Santa Claus are misdialing and reaching pornographic recordings by mistake, officials said Tuesday.

The mix-ups have angered parents and the operator of the Beverly Hills-based Santa Hot Line, which draws about 1,000 calls a day at $2 each.

“My 7-year-old daughter heard the whole orgasmic thing,” said one Toluca Lake woman, who asked that her name not be used.

‘Loss of Innocence’

“She told me she got a lot of dirty words when she called Santa,” the woman said. “I’m just furious. There’s a definite loss of innocence.”

Santa hot line originator Robert Lorsch said operators of explicit-message lines have purposely requested phone numbers that are close to his and can be mistakenly dialed. Lorsch’s Santa line, which began two years ago, is 976-2233. Explicit adult message lines are at 976-2323 and 976-2223.

“How do you reverse the damage when a kid picks up the phone and hears a pornographic message?” Lorsch asked. “I know of many instances. . . . I know it’s a big problem, and I know the phone company knows it’s a big problem. I’ve talked to them about it.”

The Santa line, which changes to other seasonal messages for children during the year, features Santa talking about his reindeer. But children whose fingers slip while they are dialing get an earful of Laura talking about sex fantasies.

‘Isolated Case’

Linda Levine, a spokeswoman for the Valencia adult message line accidently reached by the Toluca Lake second-grader, characterized the incident as “an isolated case.” She said the recorded adult messages include an admonition for callers under 18 to hang up.

“Why don’t they change their number?” she said of the Santa line. “We’ve had ours for months . . . .”

But Jim Christopoulos, a Pacific Bell executive in San Francisco, who is in charge of 976 services in the state, said the company does not assign 976 numbers randomly.

“The provider requests a specific number from us. . . . We know it’s a marketing tool to have an easily remembered number, or one that sometimes spells a word.”

The adult message lines also earn $2 a call, even if called by mistake. Under state Public Utility Commission guidelines, Pacific Bell must forgive the fee one time if customers complain.

The phone company provides over 900 of the message lines; 36 of the lines offer children’s messages, while about 360 offer explicit adult messages.

Pacific Bell has no way of knowing how often children accidentally dial adult message lines, Christopoulos said. Irate parents can complain to a variety of local and corporate phone offices.

“The number of complaints at this time of year increases,” he said.

The phone company uses public service announcements and brochures during the Christmas season to remind parents that 976 calls cost money and to monitor their children’s calls, he said.

New Ways

Charlene Baldwin, a Pacific Bell spokeswoman in Los Angeles, said misdialed Santas are apparently not a widespread problem. But she said the complaints underscore the need for new ways to control 976 calls.

The Public Utilities Commission has given Pacific Bell a deadline of Feb. 1, 1988, to electronically block 976 calls for customers who request it.

Additionally, the company is seeking PUC permission to establish new 900 prefixes to segregate explicit adult numbers from numbers to children’s lines and general-interest lines, such as horoscopes, Baldwin said. The PUC is expected to review that plan early next year, she said.