MDA: Jerry Lewis Out As Chairman, Telethon Host

[bsmith8259]

Did WGN-TV and WGN America broadcast any of the national telethon live? At the time of this post I heard the end of the national telethon after was scheduled to end by 11:00 PM Central time. Were all of the segments between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM Central time local segments?

No, WGN-TV and WGN America did not broadcast the national telethon live. The segments between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM Central time were local segments.

 

[Joe_Capitano]

Right. Both WGNs showed the national 'thon on a one-hour delay, though the final local segment went into overtime thanks to a four-minute doubler that went 10 minutes.

They've just ended, and the final number at 12:08 AM CT for Chicagoland is $1,850,949.

 

[azumanga]

Right. Both WGNs showed the national 'thon on a one-hour delay, though the final local segment went into overtime thanks to a four-minute doubler that went 10 minutes.

They've just ended, and the final number at 12:08 AM CT for Chicagoland is $1,850,949.

It's the first time I ever heard that a telethon actually went into "overtime", going beyond its end time.

 

[Joe_Capitano]

Denver (KWGN) at 12:00 AM MT: $1,060,550.

 

[allstar2003]

WSYX in Columbus final tally at 12:10EDT was $782,392 which was about $30,000 better then last year.

 

[Robnoxious]

How about Casey Kasem and Wayne Newton? I always thought Wayne Newton would have been heir apparant for something like this and Casey Kasem has been there for years now.

Casey's wife used to do the local segments in Los Angeles for many years. I believe Casey himself also appeared with the KCAL-9 news staff for a couple of years as well. Seems now, it's just the KCAL news presenters and Shotgun Tom Kelly from K-Earth 101.

Final tote for Los Angeles (which will also include the Bakersfield market since KERO ditched the MDA telethon after a 20+ year run a few years back) will be around 12:30a local time.

Latest tote was $3.1 million around 11:30p.

 

[Robnoxious]

Los Angeles market via KCAL-9 (including Bakersfield and Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo) clocks in with a final tally of:

$3,366,303

 

[Joe_Capitano]

Seattle (KZJO): $2,104,151 at 12:30 AM PT (plus or minus a hundred or two - couldn't write it down fast enough). The 'thon stopped down at 9 PM for the news.

And so it ends as quickly as it began.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

WGN America is also all-local (to Chicago).

WGN America's coverage is running from 6PM to 1AM ET, so I assume, as in the past, what we see on WGN America is what Chicagoland sees on WGN-TV.

KTXA has volunteers to call, but the only number listed is the national 800 number.

In Tampa Bay, WFTS's coverage have also used the national number the last several years which, somehow, connects to local phones.

This leads me to agree that the national feed when it starts is probably completely taped.

That being said, any know what the final tote is, as I type this? (Especially since WBKI jot the jump on the telethon earlier today.)

The hosts (Alison, Jan, Nancy and Lythgoe) did take some time after the opening titles to pay a nice, proper tribute to, um ... "HIM."

In other words, the hosts treat him like Voldemort and call Jerry "The Host that is not to be named."

One more thing, the show appears to be in HD.

NOW that Jerry is gone, the show goes HD. What a way to treat an institution.

Maybe Jerry did not want HD

 

[nomadcowatbk]

What happened to Tony Orlando? He was always a telethon staple as well.

How about Casey Kasem and Wayne Newton? I always thought Wayne Newton would have been heir apparant for something like this and Casey Kasem has been there for years now.

Guess the Branson acts went away with Jerry

 

[johnnya2k6]

Alaska (KTUU Anchorage/KTVF Fairbanks): $359,720

And a correction: In lieu of the traditional "You'll Never Walk Alone", it was a medley of patriotic songs that closed out this year's short but sweet telethon.

Of course we have yet to hear from Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, etc.

 

[only1moore]

KITV/Honolulu's tote board was $314,363.

 

[KyDXIn]

I'm sorry I did not get the total from the WBKI telecast. I don't receive the broadcast OTA in my area 20 miles west of Louisville. The station was intended to be for Campbellsville KY and has been moved closer to the Louisville metro area, but the main transmitter is still 50 miles south of Louisville.

 

[TroyG]

What's also missing at This Year's MDA Telethon: The big giant tote board, which shows how much money it was raised nationally. Also the song it usually plays during the tote board check: "What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love". Both of them are longtime staples of The Jerry Lewis era

 

[adam95]

While we're posting our various markets...Fort Wayne, where the telethon did not start until 8 pm local time, raised $523,165. Also, I don't think it was mentioned anywhere else here but nationally nearly 61.5 million was raised. That trails only 2007 & 2008 in total contributions according to Wikipedia. So, although people may be upset (and rightfully so) about how this situation with Jerry shook out, they did not take it out on MDA or the folks who this money is being raised for.

 

[Mark Giardina]

According to an article in my morning newspaper (Labor Day) one of the hosts of the telethon said that Jerry Lewis "retired" which was the reason for him not being on the air.

For those of us who ever worked in broadcasting knows first hand that when someone in the business is let go (fired) there always comes the standard statement from management "he/she left to pursue other opportunities." That's what I thought when I read the comment that Lewis retired. In my opinion Jerry Lewis didn't retire; he was let go by MDA.

While I am glad that MDA (reportedly) made over $61 million dollars, I, along with a lot of people, feel that MDA gave Jerry Lewis the shaft. However unless Lewis himself goes public, we will never know the real truth as to what happened.

 

[MarcB]

FOX 61 here in Hartford, Connecticut - well over a Million Dollars. Phones were still ringing when they ended coverage and went into FOX's Animation Domination at 12:08 (8 mins late for the Taped Delay Coverage of Animation Domination).

 

[PTBoardOp94]

NPR reported this morning that the national tote was $63.5 million, up $2 million from last year.

 

[azumanga]

While I am glad that MDA (reportedly) made over $61 million dollars, I, along with a lot of people, feel that MDA gave Jerry Lewis the shaft.

It is especially disheartening to Jerry Lewis, as the MDA proved that they can earn "one dollar more" without a lengthy telethon, without being on Labor Day itself -- and without Jerry. This is something I would expect them to do after Jerry was dead, but as he's still alive and kicking, I probably wouldn't be in his shoes right now.

However unless Lewis himself goes public, we will never know the real truth as to what happened.

I hope Jerry lives up to his promise and make his announcement about the MDA.

 

[crainbebo]

Only saw bits of KZJO last night. Since Jerry is gone, the tote board is gone, "What The World Needs Now is Love" is gone, You'll Never Walk Alone is gone, and other staples of the original 21-hr telethon are gone, I'm probably not going to watch more versions. The national segments were more of an "infomercial" than a telethon, especially with the main host gone.

-crainbebo