Will KXAS Show all of the Jerry Lews MDA Telethon this year!!!

[Prais]

Many of the tbn stations are low power, inferior coverage. Also, they would NEVER abide Jerry's mouth.

 

[salemjedi54]

...and instead of the telethon, there is golf on KXAS right now.

NBC owns KXAS, and THOU SHALT NOT PRE-EMPT NETWORK PROGRAMMING when you are an O/O. I could understand not wanting to give up Sunday prime time. I could understanding wanting to wait to run the late local news, but INFORMERICALS and sign-off for maintanence (if that still happens) took precendence over a chairty telethon?

It is indeed time for MDA to buy time on another station. The problem is where can they go in this market? CBS owns KTVT, so they're out. Fox has no Sunday night or daytime programing , so KDFW might be a choice. KFWD could easily run the entire telethon without an issue. The catch, as has been stated before, does MDA think they can make more on KXAS with less than half the program aired than running the entire show on KDFW or KFWD?

I thought the time was all donated. KFWD would probably be a great choice. If MDA is having problems getting clearance on its stations, then they should try to find stations that would clear them 100%.

 

[arnoldevns]

This is thinking out of the box, but I wonder if MDA has considered partnering with TBN on the MDA Telethon. TBN has the nationwide program distribution infrastructure in place, plus they have studios complete with phone banks in most good-sized markets. Or in the annual MDA Telethon not a good fit at the home of the Praise-a-thon?

TBN no.. because (as stated above) the content of the show would not be tolerated by that network. But.. I like the idea of thinking outside the box.. what about PBS? They ask for money all the time. They have an infrastructure in place to take local donations already. Jerry's not a huge ratings draw, but this would seem to fit PBS pretty well.

 

[Prais]

PBS, no, too, They would NEVER accept fundraising from anyone else but themselves.

Salemjed, Donated??? What gave you that idea? TV is a business, a license to steal in most markets. MDS PAYS for the time on every station. Imagine what wgn charges.

 

[salemjedi54]

PBS, no, too, They would NEVER accept fundraising from anyone else but themselves.

Salemjed, Donated??? What gave you that idea? TV is a business, a license to steal in most markets. MDS PAYS for the time on every station. Imagine what wgn charges.

Because it is for a good cause thats why.

 

[Prais]

Unfortunately, there are LOTS of good causes. Newspapers are notoriously even stingier than tv. Nothing worthwhile is free.

 

[fybush]

PBS, no, too, They would NEVER accept fundraising from anyone else but themselves.

As noncommercial licensees, PBS stations can't fundraise for anyone else but themselves, unless they get special dispensation from the FCC. It's been granted in exceptional cases (the 9/11 telethon, for instance), but whether the FCC would allow it on an annual basis, absent some sort of compelling national emergency, is questionable.

 

[azumanga]

It is indeed time for MDA to buy time on another station. ... Fox has no Sunday night or daytime programing , so KDFW might be a choice.

I disagree there, as many Fox-owned stations have local newscasts during the morning. For that reason, there are no Fox affiliates owned by Fox carrying the telethon.

 

[azumanga]

MDA PAYS for the time on every station.

And if they felt that they can't get their money's worth, they go to another station. If they can't find any other takers, they write the market off for this year and try again next year. There are many mid-sized and small markets with no Love Network affiliates, such as KAME-TV in Reno, Nevada, which was dumped by the MDA this year, as they lost money on the telethon there -- as a result, no station there had the telethon; furthermore, Charter in Reno does not carry WGN America, requiring telethon fans to watch on satellite, AT&T UVerse, or online.

 

[salemjedi54]

So if MDA is buying the time, KXAS can't at start the show at 10 or 10:30pm (like they used to on Sunday night) on 5.2 or 5.3. Would they still lose money since most of America is using the Digital TV standard now?

 

[Prais]

I'm not on the staff of KXAS, nor am I privvy to their negotiation style or availabilities. I can tell you that it is PAID time, maybe discounted because mda is an npo - but most likely NOT.

In the 70's, mda bought time on my radio stations, as we were between a couple of tv markets. They were great to do business with.

Salem said, "most of America is using the Digital TV standard"

Um..., but "most of America" is still watching on analog sets. We have 6 tv's at home and none are digital. I'm putting a couple of kids through college, and we mostly only watch "The Westerns Channel", TCM and "the History Channel." Mostly, tv stinks (including the mda telethon). IMHO, the cause is fine, Jerry is a putz.

 

[salemjedi54]

I'm not on the staff of KXAS, nor am I privvy to their negotiation style or availabilities. I can tell you that it is PAID time, maybe discounted because mda is an npo - but most likely NOT.

In the 70's, mda bought time on my radio stations, as we were between a couple of tv markets. They were great to do business with.

Salem said, "most of America is using the Digital TV standard"

Um..., but "most of America" is still watching on analog sets. We have 6 tv's at home and none are digital. I'm putting a couple of kids through college, and we mostly only watch "The Westerns Channel", TCM and "the History Channel." Mostly, tv stinks (including the mda telethon). IMHO, the cause is fine, Jerry is a putz.

But you had to get either cable, satelite or the digital converter to watch television. So again why can't any station that has the capabilites put the telethon on one of their digital substations if they will "lose" money on their main station.

 

[Prais]

I woudn't.

Digital is not in enough homes, and quite unproven - like uhf in a vhf market in the 1960's.

.

 

[fredcantu]

I think the MDA Telethon could offer an alternative shortform format... like the people who sells shutters and blinds in mini-infomercials. A series of three-minute pledge breaks in regular programming could include some snappy pitches and check presentations and even a little entertainment while teasing they can see much more on the web. They can be generic pre-produced like the PBS pledge specials and be formatted to include local talent where desired.

 

[newsmark]

So again why can't any station that has the capabilites put the telethon on one of their digital substations if they will "lose" money on their main station.

I don't have any inside info on the arrangement between MDA and NBC5, but I can offer a few possible reasons:

-Very few stations have the facilities and staff to be able to produce the local portions of the telethon on say 5.2, while also doing their regular newscast etc. on 5.1.

-MDA probably wouldn't be willing to buy time on 5.2 knowing that far fewer people have access to that channel (if you have only analog cable or satellite, you don't get 5.2),

-Ratings for the telethon have fallen. Perhaps NBC 5 doesn't feel there's enough interest to justify blowing out that many hours of regular programming. According to DFW TV Critic Ed Bark (unclebarky.com):

"... (the) closing 5 to 6 p.m. hour of the annual Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon drew just 20,359 viewers."

 

[salemjedi54]

The answer is NO. According to Ed Bark, KXAS is not showing the 6 hour telethon. Another station will pick it up, but it will not be KTVT, WFAA, or KDFW.

 

[arnoldevns]

My guess would be either KTXA or KFWD.

 

[salemjedi54]

My guess would be either KTXA or KFWD.

Tested is right. TXA21 will show the new format at 5pm-12am, with Karen Borta and Larry Mowery as hosts. I may tune in, but it will never be the same. Has KTXA ran any promo spots announcing the new station. I wonder if does anyone really care.