MDA telethon moves to ABC

[michael hagerty]

ABC should run a Jerry Lewis Movie before AND After the Telethon. Or a couple of 1/2 hour shows of his.

MDA would never talk to ABC again. Their split from Jerry was way messier than Dean's.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Personally, if the telethon is to be only two hours, it should air on Monday evening of Labor Day weekend, since a lot more people will be home than on Sunday evening.

Besides the fact that people will be home from their Labor Day weekend activities, in most areas, the day after Labor Day is also the start of the new K-12 school year. Thus, parents will be home from their Labor Day travels in plenty of time to tuck the kids away to make sure they have a good sleep before they send their little ones off for the first day of school next morning and then watch the rest of the telethon.

schools actually start a few weeks before Labor Day around here, but I guess it's easier for them give up Sunday night before the fall season than a Monday night since they figure won't get much for ad space during Labor Day weekend

 

[nomadcowatbk]

ABC should run a Jerry Lewis Movie before AND After the Telethon. Or a couple of 1/2 hour shows of his.

the MDA doesn't want to be associated with Jerry anymore, and they don't even refer to it as a telethon anymore

 

[michael hagerty]

Personally, if the telethon is to be only two hours, it should air on Monday evening of Labor Day weekend, since a lot more people will be home than on Sunday evening.

Besides the fact that people will be home from their Labor Day weekend activities, in most areas, the day after Labor Day is also the start of the new K-12 school year. Thus, parents will be home from their Labor Day travels in plenty of time to tuck the kids away to make sure they have a good sleep before they send their little ones off for the first day of school next morning and then watch the rest of the telethon.

schools actually start a few weeks before Labor Day around here, but I guess it's easier for them give up Sunday night before the fall season than a Monday night since they figure won't get much for ad space during Labor Day weekend

Even during the glory days of the telethon (I was a local host in 1979 and 1980), stations weren't giving up Monday evening. The telethon was off the air by 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific on Labor Day.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Personally, if the telethon is to be only two hours, it should air on Monday evening of Labor Day weekend, since a lot more people will be home than on Sunday evening.

Besides the fact that people will be home from their Labor Day weekend activities, in most areas, the day after Labor Day is also the start of the new K-12 school year. Thus, parents will be home from their Labor Day travels in plenty of time to tuck the kids away to make sure they have a good sleep before they send their little ones off for the first day of school next morning and then watch the rest of the telethon.

schools actually start a few weeks before Labor Day around here, but I guess it's easier for them give up Sunday night before the fall season than a Monday night since they figure won't get much for ad space during Labor Day weekend

Even during the glory days of the telethon (I was a local host in 1979 and 1980), stations weren't giving up Monday evening. The telethon was off the air by 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific on Labor Day.

Labor Day weekend is easy time to give up since people aren't at home and they can't get much for ads, if they wanted to most eyeballs they'd have it during a weeknight in the winter when people are home and too cold for go outside in most of the country but that's probably when they can get the most $ for ad space

 

[Nate Wesley]

It is never going back to its 21-hour format.

It'll be interesting to see if it stays on the air in a 2-hour format for more than a couple of years.

If UNCF's An Evening of Stars (nee' Lou Rawls' Parade of Stars) can stay afloat, I think MDA's fundraising special has a shot also.

 

[Joe_Capitano]

No idea if it was on ABC, but the 1953 Martin/Lewis MDA show survives: CLICK HERE

It was definitely on ABC. Exactly 2 1/2 minutes in they acknowledge "The American Broadcasting Company", and there's a ribbon mike with an ABC mike flag on it over Jerry's shoulder.

No better evidence than that.

 

[Mark Giardina]

Was there ever a public explanation as to why the MDA and Jerry Lewis parted company?

I have my own theory which is that MDA executives figured Lewis (who is in his 80s) was just too old to attract younger viewers. Also the array of talent that use to participate in past telethons were either dead or too old to appear.

Another theory I have is that local stations were no longer interested in allocating 21 hours of programming space to the telethon because of a loss of revenue from scheduled commercials.

Like I said this is just my guess as to what happened.

A final prediction is that in less than five years there won’t be an MDA telethon aired on local TV anymore. It will go the way of other telethons or air as informercials.

 

[charlestondxman]

Charleston has run it on WCSC Channel 5 for decades, dating back to the late 1960s. They made a lot of money from the local telethon every year. It is probably sad for them that they've lost the rights.

 

[michael hagerty]

Was there ever a public explanation as to why the MDA and Jerry Lewis parted company?

I have my own theory which is that MDA executives figured Lewis (who is in his 80s) was just too old to attract younger viewers. Also the array of talent that use to participate in past telethons were either dead or too old to appear.

Another theory I have is that local stations were no longer interested in allocating 21 hours of programming space to the telethon because of a loss of revenue from scheduled commercials.

Like I said this is just my guess as to what happened.

A final prediction is that in less than five years there won’t be an MDA telethon aired on local TV anymore. It will go the way of other telethons or air as informercials.

I have friends on the inside. It was less about Jerry's age than his proclivity for saying things MDA would feel the need to apologize for later. Jerry didn't appreciate the lack of support and thought they should back him up. Eventually, the inevitable " how much do we need Jerry, anyway?" conversation happened and that was that.

Jerry may have put MDA on the map, but he didn't run the organization.

As for the long telethon, stations had been antsy about that for the past 20 years, and there was a fair amount of turnover on the station roster. But most took the attitude that even though the original generation of performers had retired or died, they'd hang with it as long as Jerry did, knowing that there'd be an audience tuning in out of tradition, respect or to see if this was the year Jerry was going to either say something that would end his career or actually keel over on stage.

With that removed, and MDA at war with Jerry and unable to use him as a reminder of what a huge deal this was, it's just another show asking for money, with largely C-list entertainment (MDA's handling of Jerry's departure has ticked off a lot of entertainers who now wouldn't do the show unless Jerry asked them to).

Frankly, the network move was a smart one. I doubt they could have gotten 200 GMs to part with even 2 hours.

But don't expect it to last. Eventually, MDA will figure out how to raise the same amount of money without the expense of producing a 2-hour TV show.

 

[Mark Giardina]

I have friends on the inside. It was less about Jerry's age than his proclivity for saying things MDA would feel the need to apologize for later. Jerry didn't appreciate the lack of support and thought they should back him up. Eventually, the inevitable " how much do we need Jerry, anyway?" conversation happened and that was that.

Jerry may have put MDA on the map, but he didn't run the organization.

As for the long telethon, stations had been antsy about that for the past 20 years, and there was a fair amount of turnover on the station roster. But most took the attitude that even though the original generation of performers had retired or died, they'd hang with it as long as Jerry did, knowing that there'd be an audience tuning in out of tradition, respect or to see if this was the year Jerry was going to either say something that would end his career or actually keel over on stage.

With that removed, and MDA at war with Jerry and unable to use him as a reminder of what a huge deal this was, it's just another show asking for money, with largely C-list entertainment (MDA's handling of Jerry's departure has ticked off a lot of entertainers who now wouldn't do the show unless Jerry asked them to).

Frankly, the network move was a smart one. I doubt they could have gotten 200 GMs to part with even 2 hours.

But don't expect it to last. Eventually, MDA will figure out how to raise the same amount of money without the expense of producing a 2-hour TV show.

Thank you for responding to my inquiry. You’ve answered a lot of questions that I, and I’m sure others had.

While Jerry Lewis should be given credit for raising a huge amount of money for MDA over the years, time just caught up with both Jerry and the telethon.

Obviously no one can expect the same Jerry, who is now in his 80s, to be the zany person of his youth. Also television programming itself has changed.

And you certainly hit the nail on the head when commenting on the caliber of entertainers that have recently appeared on the telethon. They certainly don’t hold a candle to the types of performers that once graced the stage such as Sammy Davis Jr, Frank Sinatra, and even Dean Martin (who appeared in 1976 for that now famous unannounced and brief reunion).

 

[michael hagerty]

I have friends on the inside. It was less about Jerry's age than his proclivity for saying things MDA would feel the need to apologize for later. Jerry didn't appreciate the lack of support and thought they should back him up. Eventually, the inevitable " how much do we need Jerry, anyway?" conversation happened and that was that.

Jerry may have put MDA on the map, but he didn't run the organization.

As for the long telethon, stations had been antsy about that for the past 20 years, and there was a fair amount of turnover on the station roster. But most took the attitude that even though the original generation of performers had retired or died, they'd hang with it as long as Jerry did, knowing that there'd be an audience tuning in out of tradition, respect or to see if this was the year Jerry was going to either say something that would end his career or actually keel over on stage.

With that removed, and MDA at war with Jerry and unable to use him as a reminder of what a huge deal this was, it's just another show asking for money, with largely C-list entertainment (MDA's handling of Jerry's departure has ticked off a lot of entertainers who now wouldn't do the show unless Jerry asked them to).

Frankly, the network move was a smart one. I doubt they could have gotten 200 GMs to part with even 2 hours.

But don't expect it to last. Eventually, MDA will figure out how to raise the same amount of money without the expense of producing a 2-hour TV show.

Thank you for responding to my inquiry. You’ve answered a lot of questions that I, and I’m sure others had.

While Jerry Lewis should be given credit for raising a huge amount of money for MDA over the years, time just caught up with both Jerry and the telethon.

Obviously no one can expect the same Jerry, who is now in his 80s, to be the zany person of his youth. Also television programming itself has changed.

And you certainly hit the nail on the head when commenting on the caliber of entertainers that have recently appeared on the telethon. They certainly don’t hold a candle to the types of performers that once graced the stage such as Sammy Davis Jr, Frank Sinatra, and even Dean Martin (who appeared in 1976 for that now famous unannounced and brief reunion).

The trouble is...who are the Sinatras and Dean Martins of today? How many artists are hugely popular recording stars who can perform equally at ease in nightclubs or arenas as well as act, do comedy and (in the case of Sammy Davis, Jr.) dance?

You could book today's biggest heritage acts (Streisand, Neil Diamond, Liza Minelli, Elton John, Bette Midler, Celene Dion) and still not get that kind of star power (though Streisand , Liza and Bette come close).

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Is the MDA buying time or is ABC giving it to them for free or a tax write off?

 

[only1moore]

Charleston has run it on WCSC Channel 5 for decades, dating back to the late 1960s. They made a lot of money from the local telethon every year. It is probably sad for them that they've lost the rights.

They're not the only ones who'll lose out. Stations like WGN/Chicago and WPXI/Pittsburgh are also seeing their history with this telethon go away. It'll be interesting to see how they will fill their schedule come September 1, 2013.

 

[michael hagerty]

Charleston has run it on WCSC Channel 5 for decades, dating back to the late 1960s. They made a lot of money from the local telethon every year. It is probably sad for them that they've lost the rights.

They're not the only ones who'll lose out. Stations like WGN/Chicago and WPXI/Pittsburgh are also seeing their history with this telethon go away. It'll be interesting to see how they will fill their schedule come September 1, 2013.

How about with whatever they'd normally run on a Sunday?

By the way, I can't find a thing anywhere about how or if stations were compensated for carrying the telethon. I'm assuming, given pre-emptions for sports and time-shifting in certain markets to clear infomercials, that MDA did not buy the time for cash, which means the stations don't suffer a financial loss by it going to ABC.

 

[Mario500]

The trouble is...who are the Sinatras and Dean Martins of today? How many artists are hugely popular recording stars who can perform equally at ease in nightclubs or arenas as well as act, do comedy and (in the case of Sammy Davis, Jr.) dance?

You could book today's biggest heritage acts (Streisand, Neil Diamond, Liza Minelli, Elton John, Bette Midler, Celene Dion) and still not get that kind of star power (though Streisand, Liza and Bette come close).

Could you be more specify the person with the name in bold letters? I'm sure there are other entertainers with the same name.

 

[michael hagerty]

The trouble is...who are the Sinatras and Dean Martins of today? How many artists are hugely popular recording stars who can perform equally at ease in nightclubs or arenas as well as act, do comedy and (in the case of Sammy Davis, Jr.) dance?

You could book today's biggest heritage acts (Streisand, Neil Diamond, Liza Minelli, Elton John, Bette Midler, Celene Dion) and still not get that kind of star power (though Streisand, Liza and Bette come close).

Sorry. You're right. I was of course referring to Igor Streisand.
Could you be more specify the person with the name in bold letters? I'm sure there are other entertainers with the same name.

 

[Mario500]

^Could you provide visitors directions to some information about this entertainer you identified as Igor Streisand (I have found nothing so far)?

 

[michael hagerty]

^Could you provide visitors directions to some information about this entertainer you identified as Igor Streisand (I have found nothing so far)?

Sure.

http://youtu.be/tMcBNfhkZ-4

 

[johnnya2k6]

KATN in Fairbanks -- an ABC affiliate nonetheless -- used to carry the telethon for dozens of years until new ownership led to KTVF picking up the rights in 1996.

So even though it's down to two hours this year...the MDA extravaganza has come back to Channel 2!