Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon preview

TV stations have been marginalizing this for years. They run less of it, or they dump it off on digitial sub-channels.

Of course MDA wants to keep it going. But that doesn't mean they'll be able to do it. The economics of the TV industry have changed radically since the days when the telethon started and the show was a loss-leader image-booster for one of the three network affiliates in the market. Stations aren't giving up 22 continuous hours any more because they can make money selling "Slap Chop" infomercials for some of that time.

It won't vanish the instant Jerry does, but it will fade very quickly and maybe survive in a greatly-truncated form, like a three-hour special. Your days of seeing the plate spinners at 4 a.m. are numbered.

 

Didn't the total break a streak of years setting an MDA telethon pledge mark?
Also, is it because of the economy or people not caring as deeply for the lower amount of pledges?

 

The 2004 and 2005 telethons saw drops in pledges, probably due to hurricanes both years. 2008 was expected to see a dropoff because of another hurricane, but they were OK. This year almost certainly has to be ascribed to the economy.