Ahhh, Labor Day weekend...picnics, BBQ's, a long holiday weekend for most people.
For my family, Labor Day weekend is very different. My two daughters, Betsy (almost 14) and Katie (almost 13) have Spinal Muscular Atrophy, type 1. http://www.fightsma.org/index.php?what_is_sma
Betsy and Katie are above average smart (their teacher says so, I'm not making this up), happy girls who just started 7th grade at their neighborhood school. They are both typical boy crazy teen girls.
We were looking forward to last night's MDA Telethon. Thought it would be both informative and a boost to Betsy and Katie's self image. Most importantly, prime time is when people are awake with their wallets handy!
After clicking around on the remote, we realized that the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon would not be airing until 10:30 PM. I emailed the VP for Fox 59. Ironicaly, his name is JERRY.
Jerry responded quickly from his iPhone : To my assumptiom that the deciding factor on time slot for the scheduling was all about money, Jerry said, "Not really bottom line. Rather the decision has to do with my contract with the Fox network. The MDA folks are fully aware and my contract with the MDA is for a 10:30 start. We put extra effort for the telethon each year and try to give the telethon a great product. Hope you reconsider.". I bet he does ;).
The MDA has to take whatever time slot they are given. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the drastic change in the TV coverage of the Annual MDA Labor Day Tekehon :
Current scheduling
In recent years, more "Love Network" stations over the years have opted not to show the entire telethon, opting to join the show in progress after the 11PM/10PM local news, or even on Labor Day morning, after the network morning shows, while some break from the coverage during the afternoon to show sports, such as CBS' coverage of the U.S. Open, and subsequently beginning in 2007 NBC Sports covering thesecond event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup. One such station is Chicago's WGN-TV, which, since the 1970s, pre-empted the afternoon segment of the telethon for Chicago Cubs or Chicago White Sox baseball (except for the 1994 telethon, due to the baseball strike); incidentally, WGN-TV simulcasts the telethon (including the local telethon segments featuring WGN-TV personalities) nationally via its WGN America superstation feed.
In another case, some use a sister station affiliated with either The CW, MyNetworkTV or an independent to show the telethon start, and/or air the station's network programming while the telethon station continues to air the telethon; this is the case with CBS affiliate WDJT inMilwaukee and its independent sister station WMLW-CA, which in 2007 aired the first four hours of the telethon during CBS prime time, then aired U.S. Open coverage on Labor Day to allow WDJT to carry the telethon. In Pittsburgh, WPXI carried the telethon, while sending NBC's coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament to independent station WBGN-LP[6].
I'm sure that for most people reading this, the MDA telethon is boring. I understand. If there was a fundraiser for a disease that runs in your family, I'm sure you would be as passionate as I am about the MDA telethon.