Wacky 911 Calls on NBC's "Today" Show

Author Leland Gregory appeared on NBC's "Today" show on March 14, 2001 to promote his book and CD of the wackiest 911 calls. In a five-minute, joke-filled appearance at the very end of the two-hour show, Gregory presented two audio clips from his collection, but missed the chance to warn wireless phone users to prevent accidental 911 calls by locking their keypad. [Also check this page from the ABC-TV "Good Morning America" site]

Couric introduced Gregory by saying he was there to provide the "411 on 911," and then asked him how he got started on his 911 call collection. "I've always been interested in weird and unusual things--being from the South," he said. He mentioned the ThisIsTrue.com and Bizarrenews.com Web sites to collect strange incidents of all types. "So you've been making a lot of money as a result of their work," Couric joked. "As we all have," Gregory replied.

After being prompted by Katie Couric, Gregory admitted that he produced the CD of 911 audio clips because, as he visited radio DJs to promote his book, they said he'd be an "idiot" not to put the calls onto a CD. "And I thought, you know, I'm sort of tired of being an idiot," Gregory said. He then played the first audio clip of a senior citizen who dialed 911 for help with a beer bottle.

Couric noted that the dispatcher sounded "a little frustrated" with the caller, but added, "We should mention that throughout the call she was actually quite sympathetic, and actually sent a couple of police officers, didn't she?" Gregory explained that the dispatcher sent the officers, "to help the elderly resident." He said the officers asked on the radio, "Help her do what?" The dispatcher then replied, "Well, we'd rather not give the code out over the air." Gregory joked, "So, apparently they have a code for sending out a cop to open a beer bottle!"

Couric then asked Gregory about "E911," saying that it allowed a dispatcher to know from where a person is calling. Apparently there was a clip demonstrating the feature, but there wasn't time to show it. Gregory said, "Most cities have E911, which is Enhanced 911, so as soon as you place the phone call, the call is automatically traced back to its origin, and it's shown on a display screen in front of the operator, so they can...if you're in distress and it's a hang-up, if there's no response, they know where the call is, and they can dispatch paramedics, an ambulance or police officer immediately."

Couric observed that E911 also "cuts down on the number of crank 911 calls." Gregory explained, "My phrase is, if you place it--they'll trace it. So if you make a prank phone call, you're going to get caught."

Gregory wanted to emphasize that he's not promoting "people making stupid 911 phone calls." At that point, Couric interrupted, "Right--they do it on their own!"

Couric then set up the second audio clip, which surprisingly was the famous "deer" phone call that was debunked over two years ago by "911 Magazine" Editor Randall Larson. Couric warned the audience that NBC had "bleeped" out a few expletives. After a short portion of the clip was played, the camera returned to Couric, Matt Lauer and the other "Today" show cast laughing. But Couric asked, "Is that a joke, you think?" And even Matt Lauer observed, "I don't know about that one." Gregory said he wasn't sure, but that he had located the involved dispatcher in Poughkeepsie (NY). "So I'm going to find out it it's real or not. It actually came through a 911 center," he said.

Then, in the final 15 seconds of the segment, Couric attempted to pass along a tidbit of useful information: wireless phone users should lock their keypads to prevent accidental 911 calls. "I know a lot of people inadvertently press the speed dial for 911 on their cell phone...they need to deactivate it, because you can hear all sorts of things you shouldn't be hearing, right?"

However, since the segment was running out, Gregory's response was to plug the Web site where his CD is being sold: www.wacky911.com. He replied, "Exactly, and uh, so you do that, but the CD is only available from wacky911.com. It's the only place you can get it. "In fact, he generated laughter among the "Today" show cast by mentioning the Web site address three times within the last five seconds of the show.

Lauer ended the segment by saying, "Leland, you're a lunatic." To which Al Roker yelled, "A rich lunatic!" And the show was over.

Check this short excerpt (1:02) from the show--[Quicktime 5+]

Katie Couric interviews Leland Gregory	Available only at wacky911.com
Gregory laughed his way through the segment	The cast of the "Today" show with Gregory (right)
This graphic showed part the transcript of the famous "deer" 911 call that was played during the segment---this is not an authentic call, Leland!