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Citadel Radiothon

> I don't recall any airtime being sold during the three
> telethons that this market handles - MDA, CMN, Make-A-Wish.
> In the case of MDA and CMN, national writes the check, which
> is supported by the administrative money the locals raise.
> Make-A-Wish is/was underwritten strictly by the local
> chapter. If Connecticut "gave" the airtime to any telethon,
> they are the exception, not the rule...

I was one of the TV co-hosts back in my home town out west for 9 years (they used radio people because their on-air staff--except for the weatherman--felt it was beneath them) and that station never got paid either. What money that came in was from sponsors who paid to have their banners up at the broadcast location, which was the local Sheraton Hotel. I'm going out on a limb to say if any of that goes on, it's probably in the larger markets. I was in market size 250.
 
I'm going out on a limb to say if any of that goes
> on, it's probably in the larger markets. I was in market
> size 250.

Could be you are right, but here in this market, cash dollars are paid. No station here staffs a telethon with dozens of tekkies and others and absorbs the costs, it just doesn't happen. It would be interesting to ask MDA who gets paid, and who does not. Obviously, they'll never let go of that info. Now, as to talent thinking it beneath them, sorry, but no, I honestly don't think that's true. What is true, and it's sort of a dirty little secret, is that most TV-types genuninely dislike doing telethons, they do not like begging for money.


>
 
> It would be interesting to ask MDA who gets
> paid, and who does not.
>

Okay, now I'm going to go back into an earlier phase of my life....I lived in Las Vegas in the late 70's. eraly 80's and I worked for the IATSE. That's the union that supplies stagehands and techies for the various projects thatn come through the hotels----the MDA Telethon being one of these. I can tell you from my own experience that I LOOOOOVVVEEEDD getting called to work the telethon as a stagehand because it meant a double-time and a half check (holiday weekend, ya know). We made $16 an hour normally, so do the math and figure what a double-time and a half eight hour shift would be worth to me---then multiply that by 30 (the other guys working) for a day and a half.
Now, to my knowledge, the only ones NOT getting paid were the talents.
 
> The difference.....valuable air time was not taken up. I
> did two minutes going in to every stopset. I was on every TV
> station and in every newspaper. For donations (and a signed
> release) we would even allow people to get up there with me
> for an hour at a time! We had fun and never tried to guilt
> people into donating by using maudlin testimonials. I raised
> $50,000 for March of Dimes! THIS I am in favor of.
>

Yes, a much better idea certainly. I usually get some sort of humor by listening to Jenn and AJ in the morning, but Friday was certainly a trainwreck. It's almost a case of 'you're darned if you do, you're darned if you don't', but a radiothon like this isn't the best way of "serving the public". IMHO, of course.
 
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