If you have been a #WaitWaitDontTellMe listener for a while, you would know that a winning listener contestant would get a custom message or greeting from Carl Kasell (#RIP), Bill Kurtis, and/or a panelist of their choosing.
That wasn't always the case. The earliest shows didn't have much of anything to give away, and there was mentions about a #WaitWait t-shirt. It wasn't until the listener contestant won the News Etymology segment on the show that aired February 28, 1998 did the prize become getting Carl Kasell's custom message on their answering machine or voicemail!
Show Notes: https://stats.wwdt.me/shows/1998/2/28