Largest Market Not Covering The Jerry Lewis Telethon

[Ultimajock]

...a rather odd situation regarding the telethon has arisen in Tucson. The Fox station here, KMSB/11, carries "Good Morning Arizona" from KTVK/3 Phoenix. Curiously, not only does "Good Morning Arizona" not acknowledge KMSB on the air, for the last few days they've heavily plugged KTVK's carriage of the telethon in Phoenix; the Tucson station carrying it is not KMSB, but KGUN/9...

 

[azumanga]

Here's your official MDA list, which includes the number of years each station has carried it:

http://www.mda.org/telethon/findyourstation.html

Curiously, one of the stations listed is WKAQ, the Telemundo station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Did they ever show the telethon in one form or another, being primarily a Spanish-language station? Also, according to their schedule, they have their normal programming on Labor Day, making me wonder if they have local inserts during the day, or if they have a local telethon on another day of the year.

 

[YEKIMI]

When did the MDA telethon first air nationally? I remember watching it in the early-mid 70s when I was in high school. And di it start out being shown nationally or was it shown just locally somewhere and then gradually picked up nationwide? And when Jerry finally croaks, will they hold a telethon to pick his replacement or does the telethon end? [I really hope he's around for a lot more years, but I know his health is getting precarious].

 

[PTBoardOp94]

The telethon aired in New York City only in its first year. After that, it began to spread across the country, and was available in many markets in its fourth year or so. Second year there were 4 affils.

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

The telethon aired in New York City only in its first year. After that, it began to spread across the country, and was available in many markets in its fourth year or so. Second year there were 4 affils.

The telethon started in New York at WNEW-TV, in 1966. So I'd assume those first affiliates were the other stations in the Metromedia group at the time (KTTV in Los Angeles, WTTG in Washington, and KMBC-TV in Kansas City), and the list mushroomed from there.

 

[Ultimajock]

The telethon aired in New York City only in its first year. After that, it began to spread across the country, and was available in many markets in its fourth year or so. Second year there were 4 affils.

The telethon started in New York at WNEW-TV, in 1966.

...not quite. The Labor Day Telethon began in '66, but Lewis (with Dean Martin helping out in the earliest years) was doing MDA telethons as early as 1954 (one of the performers on the earliest telethons was Charlie Parker!)...

 

[gr8oldies]

When Jerry passes I'm sue it will be the "Jerry Lewis Memorial MDA Telethon".

 

[azumanga]

The telethon started in New York at WNEW-TV, in 1966. So I'd assume those first affiliates were the other stations in the Metromedia group at the time (KTTV in Los Angeles, WTTG in Washington, and KMBC-TV in Kansas City), and the list mushroomed from there.

First of all, only WNEW shown the telethon until 1968, when The Love Network was created, and even then its first affiliates outside of NYC were all non-Metromedia -- WHEC in Rochester, WGR(Z) Buffalo, WTEV (WLNE) Providence and WKBG (WLVI) Boston. It didn't even make it to Los Angeles until 1970.

 

[azumanga]

I have a feeling that Love Network affiliates from Mobile to Houston may [relocate or scuttle the telethon], when Gustav comes hither early next week.

With Gustav now a 4, on the verge of becoming a 5, and on its way to Louisiana, you can bet that no one in Louisiana (and possibly Mississippi) will be showing the telethon at all, on any channel. Expect a national shortfall in pledges and, perhaps, another plea for The Salvation Army and the Red Cross for this year's edition.

 

[imhomerjay]

It may not be a case of "not carrying," but in Philly, WPHL will run it only from 10:30 PM Sunday to 5 or 5:30 a.m. Monday--so that Philadelphians will be sure not to miss their stellar lineup of Maury/Springer/Maury/Springer over and over again, with some Montel and Wilkos nonsense thrown in. Oh, and the breakfasttime run of Cheaters with your Cheerios.

Yeah, that's some quality entertainment....

 

[azumanga]

It may not be a case of "not carrying," but in Philly, WPHL will run it only from 10:30 PM Sunday to 5 or 5:30 a.m. Monday...

Over in the Atlanta TV board, someone mentioned that the telethon on WUPA is scheduled also only for late-night hours, 9PM to 5AM. One wonders if those stations would even bother having local cut-ins, since it'll be over by sun-up.

 

[Mario500]

WJTC-TV, an independent station in the Mobile-Pensacola TV market, may only cancel the local segments of the telethon and begin airing the national telethon at 12:00 AM Monday. The last time the station cancelled those segments was on September 5th, 2005 due to the effects of a tropical cyclone named "Katrina". This would be their 12th year broadcasting the national telethon, which was once carried by former NBC affiliate WALA-TV until 1993 after the MDA of Mobile was shut down to consolidate jobs with a similar office in Jackson, Mississippi.

WJTC-TV shares the same building and owner (Newport Television) as NBC affiliate WPMI-TV, where the news division will be focusing on the storm very closely in the next few days.

 

[nathannah]

Obviously WGNO in New Orleans has already packed it in and cancelled the airing completely.

 

[azumanga]

Obviously WGNO in New Orleans has already packed it in and cancelled the airing completely.

As I read the brief article, I think only the local segments were cancelled, and the national telethon will continue to be shown. Of course, it should also be known that WGNO's sister station, WNOL, will be carrying the telethon, as normally scheduled, freeing WGNO up for normal programming (or, this year, Gustav).

 

[Madmansam]

KTVU in San Francisco has carried the telethon each year since '72. They started on time (6PM Pacific), and almost always carried the entire show, with extended local coverage usually til 4 or 5 o'clock Labor Day, well beyond Jerry's sign-off (I recall a memorable exception in 1989, for a Giants baseball game, in which the Giants rallied from an 8-0 deficit in Cincinnati; the national portion had already concluded, so the station just dropped its local coverage an hour early, though it took donations off-air during the game.)
However, they began reducing their coverage in 1991, delaying til 11 PM for Fox programming and the 10 o'clock news. Since 1996, they have only aired coverage from 9 AM to 5 PM on Labor Day-with the same sloppy approach to rejoining thenational feed as other posts have mentioned.

With CABLE-TV, I remember watching KTVU's version of the Telethon. I believe back in in the 1970's, The Local KTVU Telethon was hosted by PAT MCCORMICK. I also remember a POPO THE CLOWN contributing to the festivities?

 

[Madmansam]

KTVU in San Francisco has carried the telethon each year since '72. They started on time (6PM Pacific), and almost always carried the entire show, with extended local coverage usually til 4 or 5 o'clock Labor Day, well beyond Jerry's sign-off (I recall a memorable exception in 1989, for a Giants baseball game, in which the Giants rallied from an 8-0 deficit in Cincinnati; the national portion had already concluded, so the station just dropped its local coverage an hour early, though it took donations off-air during the game.)
However, they began reducing their coverage in 1991, delaying til 11 PM for Fox programming and the 10 o'clock news. Since 1996, they have only aired coverage from 9 AM to 5 PM on Labor Day-with the same sloppy approach to rejoining thenational feed as other posts have mentioned.

Didn't KICU-TV 36 used to carry the MDA Telethon?

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Here's another question that I have wondered about regarding the treatment of Jerry's telethon by the "Love Network" affiliates who wait until Labor Day to carry the telethon:

When Labor Day 2009 rolls around with the first MDA telethon since the DTV switchover, can you see many of the stations going back to carrying the entire telethon, at least on one of their subchannels (or have part of the telethon on a subchannel and the rest on the main channel). Or do you think we'll still have a lot of "Love Network" affiliates joining the show in progress Labor Day morning?

 

[imhomerjay]

It may not be a case of "not carrying," but in Philly, WPHL will run it only from 10:30 PM Sunday to 5 or 5:30 a.m. Monday...

Over in the Atlanta TV board, someone mentioned that the telethon on WUPA is scheduled also only for late-night hours, 9PM to 5AM. One wonders if those stations would even bother having local cut-ins, since it'll be over by sun-up.

I don't know for sure, but given WPHL is a My Network affiliate with no local programing save for outsourced news from the NBC affiliate, i doubt they'd have any hosts to bother with in the first place.

As a kid, I hated Labor Day because (1) school started in one or two days and (2) the game shows I enjoyed were all bumped (Price is Right by U.S. Open tennis and syndicated fare like Match Game and later The Joker's Wild on WPVI, which carried the telethon for quite some time) on one of my last days to watch them. Eh....that's youth, when some of your "big issues" are out of whack.

 

[Prais]

Boys and Girls,

In my youth, I enjoyed the telethon, then got involved in programming a few tv stations, and learned a few things.

I'm not here to question anything but the blind trust lots of people have in what goes on this weekend.

You DO know that the tv stations DO NOT "donate" time for the telethon, don't you? MDA's biggest expense must be tv time.

WGN, for example, would NEVER "give away" time. It's a way for them to make money on what was the "lowest viewer" weekend of the year.

Communications 101;
To use the term loosely, Jerry is an ACTOR. TV's appeal is BEST with "emotional issues." This alll woirks together - and has for 40+ years.

Economics 101; The way Money works;
You have two kinds of money: quick cash (mostly in the syndicated
malls, owned by the NCS (National Crime Syndicate) and the big checks
by major corporations.

The cash in the mall is impossible to really account for.

Therefore, some Iacocca or Gates type gives Jerry a check for 2,000,000, of which he would only receive 40 % after taxes, and Jerry gives him back 1,000,000 in the mall cash.

The end result?

1. Jerry has a good check for 2,000,000 that he only paid 1,000,000 for.

2. The Corporate bigwig has 1,000,000, where he would have had only 800,000, not to mention some great advertising and PR.

3. The corporate bigwig has a tax deduction for 2,000,000

4. We pick up the tab

5. Is the following statement true? Not one kid has ever been cured.

If it is true, you will say this "must continue." A perfect scam.

I wish there would be a federal hearing about this, and I was proved wrong. Til then, YOU don't know for sure, either. Can you prove I'm wrong?

Thank you,

 

[Newname]

KTVU in San Francisco has carried the telethon each year since '72. They started on time (6PM Pacific), and almost always carried the entire show, with extended local coverage usually til 4 or 5 o'clock Labor Day, well beyond Jerry's sign-off (I recall a memorable exception in 1989, for a Giants baseball game, in which the Giants rallied from an 8-0 deficit in Cincinnati; the national portion had already concluded, so the station just dropped its local coverage an hour early, though it took donations off-air during the game.)
However, they began reducing their coverage in 1991, delaying til 11 PM for Fox programming and the 10 o'clock news. Since 1996, they have only aired coverage from 9 AM to 5 PM on Labor Day-with the same sloppy approach to rejoining thenational feed as other posts have mentioned.

Didn't KICU-TV 36 used to carry the MDA Telethon?

They did, very briefly,in 1996, while KTVU aired other programming, but that only lasted for a year. KNTV, Channel 11, in its days as an ABC affiliate, carried the telethon in the 70s and 80s, but I'm not sure of the exact years. At that point, KNTV, despite being located in San Jose, was serving as the de facto telethon affiliate for Salinas-Monterey. (The station was carried only on cable systems south off San Francisco).