Any Love For The "Love Network"?

[hubcity]

I can't help but be drawn once again to this coming weekend's Jerry Lewis Telethon, over the ad-hoc 178-station "Love Network".

On the one hand, Lewis remains a (now) unique example of the way Big Showbiz, in all its inauthentic, obsequious glory, was conducted at the dawn of the television era.

On the other hand, this is a 21 1/2 hour live broadcast, and the broadcasting fan in me applauds the effort and logistical support necessary to make the whole thing come off, hitches and all.

It also has, at its core, an overwhelmingly good cause, whose successes in fundraising very certainly have been bolstered by Lewis over the years.

And so: here's the MDA announcement for the special: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...lethon-to-feature-stars-galore-101520359.html

...and here's the list of stations: http://www.mdausa.org/telethon/FindYourStation.pdf

Bit of a shame, it seems to me, that the folks at WWOR, the New York City outlet for the Telethon, can't seem to be bothered to put up anything about it at their web page...for the record, it'll start at 9pm Eastern on Sunday night and wrap up at 7PM Eastern, I assume with a bit of extra NYC telethon bringing the total to 22 hours. (Last year, they wrapped up with Tony Orlando fronting The Smithereens, covering Led Zeppelin. Which, along with Charo covering Rihanna, is why I regard the Telethon as a must-see...)

 

[soundsandsports]

I just saw the list of stations...how long ago was it printed? there's stations listed as UPN affiliates, and WGN is listed independent instead of CW...

 

[hubcity]

I just saw the list of stations...how long ago was it printed? there's stations listed as UPN affiliates, and WGN is listed independent instead of CW...

I see some MyNetwork affiliations listed, too, as well as at least one WB Network affiliation, despite the station's web address having been updated to clearly show a CW branding. Despite the July 2010 heading at the top, it looks like some legacy data has been retained (to say the least.)

As for Tribune/CW affiliations, it might just be an artifact of Tribune backing away from overt CW branding (like how http://cw11.com now redirects to http://wpix.com). Or an oversight. Or something...

 

[azumanga]

I also noticed in their station list that it no longer includes the start time for each station, as many stations would actually join the show after the late news or even the next day.

Just as well, as there are always some errors. For instance -- WKAQ in San Juan is a listed Love Network affiliate, but according to their own schedules, they never show Jerry's telethon; they do, however, have a local telethon for MDA, which is telecast the Sunday after Labor Day.

 

[bpatrick]

It seems to be getting more difficult every year to entice CBS and
NBC affiliates to carry the telethon; on Monday afternoon CBS has
the U.S. Open Tennis tournament and NBC has the Deutschebank
golf tournament (one of four that determines the FedEx Cup champion,
and one that should attract a lot of interest this year since the top 70
move on to round three, the BMW in Chicago, and Tiger is ranked 65th
in the FedEx point standings right now).

I'm sure there are a number of ABC affiliates carrying the telethon;
in my neck of the woods WSET Lynchburg, VA and WLOS Asheville, NC,
usually carry it from start to finish.

 

[radiojomo]

Do all the major network affiliates (excluding the CW and MyNet who don't show Sunday programming) preempt network programming and show it at a later time after the telethon or do they preempt the telethon and go ahead and show the network programming?
It's also interesting that WGN America feeds the telethon along with WGN-TV every year, who knows if that'll happen this year as WGN America is trying to create their own cable identity.

 

[azumanga]

It's also interesting that WGN America feeds the telethon along with WGN-TV every year, who knows if that'll happen this year as WGN America is trying to create their own cable identity.

According to Zap2it's schedules, WGN America will show the telethon as usual, starting Sunday at 11PM ET, with a break at 2PM ET for Cubs vs. Astros, resuming after the game and running to 8PM ET.

It's lucky my system in Tampa Bay, Bright House, offers WGN America -- the local Love Network station, WFTS, won't start up the telethon until 9AM after Good Morning America; they end the telethon at 6PM, carrying the telethon during the day, including Jerry's song at the end, live. (WGN-TV and WGN America delays most of it, carrying only the morning segments before baseball live.)

 

[LKellerIII]

I have this strange affection for the Jerry Lewis telethon. I moved into my house on Saturday of Labor Day weekend - 1978. We were sitting in the living room exhausted after moving in all day, and hauling furniture up a long flight of switch-back stairs. We plugged in the TV, but there was no cable hookup, and all we could get over the air was KNTV in San Jose, which was running the telethon at the time. I guess I must love the house, because I still live here 32 years later, and I've raised my family here. I doubt I've spent more than 20 minutes watching the telethon in all the intervening years. But we did that night - it was all that was "on."

 

[ShawnHill1]

WREX, the NBC affiliate in Rockford, IL won't carry the Jerry Lewis telethon this year (they've carried every year since the early '70s, back when they were with ABC). Instead, the local MDA chapter is advising area viewers to watch the Telethon on WGN (both OTA and the "America" feed). Since WGN-TV is considered "out-of-market" for the Rockford area, the cable systems there (Comcast is the primary provider) carry WGN America instead.

http://www.wrex.com/global/story.asp?s=13089598&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[charlestondxman]

My station here, WCSC has run the telethon for over 30 years. They run the whole thing, 9pm Sunday to 6:30pm Monday night. They do a great job with it. In fact, last year, the local cut-ins were in HD while the rest of the telethon was not. Late at night, I don't think there's any local cut-ins, but I have to check this year if they'll have any.

They use most of their major personalities and make a whole bunch of money every year.

 

[MarcB]

Seen promos during the FOX 61 News here in Hartford. Non-stop coverage 10:45PM Sunday until 7:00PM Monday. Live from The Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville and Zandri's Stillwood Inn in Wallingford.

When WFSB/3 carried it they'd show it 9PM Sunday until 6:30PM Monday airing a local newscast at 6:30PM. The US Open Tennis Tournament would air on LIN-TV's WCTX/59. (Sister to the ABC affiliate WTNH).

 

[DToTheJ]

WFSB also aired a 20-minute newscast on Sunday night at 11 PM.

 

[azumanga]

My station here, WCSC has run the telethon for over 30 years... last year, the local cut-ins were in HD while the rest of the telethon was not.

Same in Tampa Bay -- on WFTS, the national segments were standard-def only, with the local segments in HD. Kind of amazing that Jerry still refuses to do his show in HD, while some Love Network stations do their cut-ins with it.

For the record, WGN America's HD feed was all standard-def only, including the local segments. Did any Chicagoland viewers see their local segments in HD on WGN proper?

 

[dave73]

My station here, WCSC has run the telethon for over 30 years... last year, the local cut-ins were in HD while the rest of the telethon was not.

Same in Tampa Bay -- on WFTS, the national segments were standard-def only, with the local segments in HD. Kind of amazing that Jerry still refuses to do his show in HD, while some Love Network stations do their cut-ins with it.

For the record, WGN America's HD feed was all standard-def only, including the local segments. Did any Chicagoland viewers see their local segments in HD on WGN proper?

WGN-TV is all HD now for any programming that originates in their studios and for remotes. Now if the local portion of the telethon isn't held in WGN-TV studios, the equipment used isn't WGN-TV's, but being to broadcast the local portion of the telethon, then there's a chance that would be the only time the local portion of the telethon isn't in HD. I remember when WGN-TV went HD for their news, the cameras in the studios were HD, but the remote cameras initially weren't HD, and had blue bars on the sides during remotes.

 

[hubcity]

Kind of amazing that Jerry still refuses to do his show in HD, while some Love Network stations do their cut-ins with it.

I'm thinking HD does Jerry no favors. Widescreen SD would be nice, though.

/back to mono!

 

[Studio20]

Unfortunately, the entertainment lineup harkens back to the borscht belt, which in its time was a great place for humor.


I've the feeling Mr Lewis is none too thrilled with the current crop of divas and superstars. His comments regarding Lindsay Lohan ("I'd smack her right in the mouth.") might keep some of the "idols" away.

Then again, who wouldn't want to see much of todays divas go away.

 

[LKellerIII]

Unfortunately, the entertainment lineup harkens back to the borscht belt, which in its time was a great place for humor.


I've the feeling Mr Lewis is none too thrilled with the current crop of divas and superstars. His comments regarding Lindsay Lohan ("I'd smack her right in the mouth.") might keep some of the "idols" away.

Then again, who wouldn't want to see much of todays divas go away.

"Mr. Lewis" had a reputation as being a bit of a diva in decades past, himself, not to mention an addiction to prescription pain-killers in the 70s - though he reportedly developed the addiction for legitimate reasons. He reportedly had severe back and skeletal problems due to all the slapstick comic pratfalls he did early in his movie career.

 

[crainbebo]

We might be going back to Yakima this labor day weekend, so if I do, I'll watch the telethon on WGN America and KVEW 42 (Dish Network is at relatives, carries Tri-Cities ABC instead of Yakima ABC). Bad news is damn WGN America will interrupt the Jerry Lewis telethon for Cubs baseball! I donated a few bucks to the MDA, so I'm good. Seems like the economy is getting better. Will we get $66 million this year?

-crainbebo

 

[azumanga]

Bad news is damn WGN America will interrupt the Jerry Lewis telethon for Cubs baseball!

Which is something WGN has always done the last 30 or so years that WGN had the telethon.

I donated a few bucks to the MDA, so I'm good. Seems like the economy is getting better. Will we get $66 million this year?

While it is likely that Jerry will get the fabled "one dollar more" this year, I doubt it'll reach $66 million -- last year's telethon netted only $60,481,231, the lowest since 2003. Even though the economy is improving, it'll still be another year or two before it beats 2008's total of $65,031,393. While the economy's healing, I don't think everyone's in a giving mood yet.

 

[crainbebo]

Another thing about this year's telethon

Tri-Cities' ABC affiliate KVEW 42, which carries the Jerry Lewis Telethon, goes 9hrs between 7am-4pm. Most affiliates will end the telethon at 5pm. Just a spoiler alert!

-crainbebo