Jerry Lewis Telethon drops to 6 hours in 2011!

[TeeVeeCloset]

Here is something that has been floating around but I don't remember anyone starting a thread......MDA has announced that the historical Labor Day Event will only be 6 hours starting in 2011....reason being that with the shorter length in primetime, they feel they can make it event television (I already thought it was!) but most people only watch the last three hours research shows. In my personal opinion I always thought this might happen after Mr. Lewis passed, since his on-air time has lessoned with his age....during 2010 he spent the least amount of time on the air in the telethons' history.

[AKA]

Maybe this will encourage more stations to air the telethon. So many stations have dropped it in the past fifteen years. Others have shortened their carriage, and/or or stopped participating in local cut-ins.

[Retro4Life]

Very sad to hear. When I was young it was an annual ritual, trying to stay up as late as I could to watch as much of the telethon as possible (it was 22 hours then and MANY local stations aired it).

Now I think there are two stations that air it, and they break away for other things. The telethon sure ain't what it used to be, but the cause is just as important and vital as ever.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

....200 stations {"The Love Network"} that carry all or most of Jerry's telethon every year. But lately, more stations have their own scheduling conflicts {sporting events, local news, network affiliations, et. al.}, and the extended length "cuts into" most of those local stations' plans.

Through the miracle of my local cable service, this year I was able to see two different stations' approach to the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon: WWOR-TV in New York, and WGN in Chicago. Both featured extensive local participation with local news and celebrity hosts- but I noticed that WGN often time-delayed several hours of the national portion from Las Vegas so that, at times, it was running at least two hours behind Channel 9/New York's "live feed". There was also a Chicago Cubs ball game on Monday afternoon that WGN had to carry....and unlike WWOR-TV, which ended their portion of the telethon at 7pm [after Jerry signed off nationally at 5:30 Eastern Time], WGN chose to end theirs by time-delaying the last half-hour of Jerry's portion to 7:30 Eastern/6:30 Chicago Time, so that it ended at 8.

And then, of course, there's one fact no one- not even Jerry- is willing to bring up: his age. Yes, at 84, Lewis doesn't have the stamina to stick around for multiple hours as he once did. Until now, he usually appeared during the first three hours on Sunday night, then turning the ceremonies over to someone like Ed McMahon {gone, but not forgotten} or Jann Carl, and "hibernating" until sometime during the next day, when he again appeared briefly. Then, of course, he reappeared during the last two hours or so, finishing the national portion of the telethon, then finally sleeping for another four or five days or so [preparations before and after the telethon drain a lot more out of him than actually being on camera]. Now, Jerry figures he can "turn up" a lot more in a six-hour format without knocking himself out or affecting his immediate health. And eventually, like Dick Clark's annual "NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' EVE" telecasts, he'll eventually turn over most of the proceedings to "another party"...whom, I don't know.

[Cruise Planners]

Since I was 16, I volunteered to answer phones every Labor Day. I'm now 50. I've answered phone in NYC, Secaucus, Woodbridge, and Tinton Falls. Last year they closed all but one pledge center. My kids started whn they were 13 volunteering as well. No one in my family has been afflicted with any neuromuscular diseases. It saddens me that when they are so close to a cure and there is so much research being done and all the people I have met over the years, that MDA severed ties with Jerry Lewis and that the telethon that played for 21 1/2 hours will now only be on for 6. Very sad - MDA should be ashamed to even run the telethon for 6 hours.

[TeeVeeCloset]

I actually started this thread in Nov 2010 when no one was thinking about the 2011 telethon, I have been a lifelong supporter of both Mr. Lewis and the MDA.

Even though Mr. Lewis can be a difficult person, I always defended his MDA activities, now I feel him and the MDA have some major explaining to do to the American public. Mr. Lewis had a "no comment" said in a snippy way when asked about him being terminated and so far the MDA has been way too quiet on the subject.

I would hope the media would jump on this, but so far nothing....

I am suggesting potential fraud somewhere. Already millions have already been collected by stores, firemen, etc all in the name of the MDA cause but in addition using Mr. Lewis up front for 44 years! Yes everyone believes in the cause, but I bet if you ask the average contributor ( I have been a lifelong one) most would say it was because of Jerry Lewis they contributed.

Now he is suddenly gone with advance of millions collected with weeks to go to the 6 hour event.

Perhaps a class action lawsuit on behalf of all contributing Americans against the MDA to sincerely open their books to really see how every cent has been spent, since it was collected and given sincerely but because we were begged by Mr. Lewis on behalf of the MDA who now are all strangely silent.

[Regulus]

The MDA Telethon has JUMPED THE SHARK! Say it isn't so!