SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — "Watch the tram car, please."
The woman whose voice has been heard making that iconic announcement on the Wildwood boardwalk for decades is now suing the shore town for using the recording without compensation.
Floss Stingel recorded the line in 1971. The phrase blares from the trackless train thousands of times a day in the summer.
Stingel's lawyer, Emeka Igwe, filed a civil suit overnight in Cape May County Superior Court accusing Wildwood and several shore organizations and businesses of "reaping significant financial benefits from the continual use of her voice" — to the tune of $2.5 million a year.
Igwe told our partners at NBC10 that Stingel wants damages, restitution and compensation for future use of her voice.
"Our goal is to allow the voice to continue, because we don't want to mess up the culture and the fabric of Wildwood. All we're asking for is for the defendants to compensate her, and then they can continue to use the voice."
The only thing Stingel gets, the suit says, are free tram tickets.
KYW Newsradio has reached out to the City of Wildwood for comment.