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Telethon - The birth of the
television telethon occurred from 12:00 P.M. on April 9, 1949 until 4:00
A.M. as Milton Berle emceed a 16-hour video marathon to raise money for the
"Damon Runyun Memorial Cancer Fund." He received pledges for $1, 040, 617.
Phone number for donating to the cause was LOngacre 4-4120. Among the many
celebrities assisting at WNBT in New York were Faye Emerson, Walter
Winchell, Phil Baker and Leonard Lyons.
Originally telethons were used to fund the coffers of
medically-oriented charities but over the years other needy folks have
gotten on the band wagon. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were the anchor men for a
mammoth telethon which raised money for the 1952 US Olympic team.
On July 8-9, 1972, the Democratic Party staged a 18 1/2 hour
telethon on the ABC Network on the eve of the Democratic National Convention
to raise funds to pay off the Democratic campaign debt.
And on July 13, 1985 the worldwide musical Rock 'N' Roll
telethon "Live Aid" (conceived by Bob Geldorf) held at Wembly Stadium in
London was conducted to raise money and the consciousness of the world to
the plight of the starving people in Africa. This telethon spawned a flood
of similar events such as "Farm Aid" (1985) to assist the impoverished
farmers, and "Hands Across America" (1986) to aid the homeless, and the
"Amnesty Concert" sponsored by Amnesty International (1986) to aid political
prisoners of the world.
Unfortunately, charity telethons are becoming more costly
and therefore less common, the victims of recent changes in the television
industry. For the first national telethons in the late 1960s, most of the
stations donated the air-time. As the number of telethons increased,
stations were more likely to charge for time and production, but at a
reduced price. Today, costs are prohibitive. Most can't afford to spend 50
cents to make a dollar.
The longest running telethon occurs each year during the
Labor Day weekend as comedian Jerry Lewis hosts a celebrity-filled event
that solicits funds for the Multiple Dystrophy Association. Originally held in
New York City (since 1966), the event later moved to Las Vegas and Los
Angeles.
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