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Publishers Clearing House was founded in 1953 in Port Washington, New York by Harold Mertz, [5] [6] a former manager of a door-to-door sales team for magazine subscriptions. [7] The company started in Mertz's basement with help from his first wife LuEsther and daughter Joyce.
Publishers Clearing House (PCH) was a competitor to American Family Publishers that ran similar sweepstakes. The two companies were often mistaken for each other. Many believe, incorrectly, that Ed McMahon was the spokesperson for PCH. Star Search host Ed McMahon worked for only American Family Publishers according to a 1992 interview [7].
Of those three companies, only Publishers Clearing House continues to use sweepstakes as a promotional device and as recently as 2010 paid $3.5 million to settle charges that it had violated the terms of a 2001 multi-state agreement for which it was fined $34 million. [13] [14]
In 1953, LuEsther and her husband, Harold Mertz, along with their daughter, Joyce, founded Publishers Clearing House. Over the years, Publishers Clearing House grew from an initial mailing of 10,000 letters to a marketing legend. Mrs. Mertz was active in the company's management, serving as a member of its executive committee until her death in ...
In March 1989, Castleberry won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes jackpot of $10 million. [3] Castleberry had been entering the sweepstakes every year since 1967. The winning numbers were broadcast on TV that evening.
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The odds of winning a Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes vary depending on how many entries are made and which prize or sweepstakes is involved.[3] According to the official rules, the estimated odds for winning the largest prize in the current sweepstakes are one in 1.215 billion.[5]
Publishers Clearing House (PCH) has found itself in hot water over its sweepstakes practices, which were described by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as “deceptive and unfair.”The company ...