For 40 years KLFY was the host of the MDA telethon. From 1971 to 2011 the annual 21 hour broadcast raised over $22,000,000 to help families affected by neuromuscular diseases.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the world’s leading nonprofit health agency dedicated to finding treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neuromuscular diseases.
You can make donations year round at www.mda.org
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, a Labor Day television tradition for decades, is ending.
The association said the decision is due to “the new realities” of TV viewing and charitable giving.
“Today, we reflect on this remarkable history and our mission as we again change and move forward. Specifically, we have announced we no longer will produce and broadcast the MDA Labor Day weekend telethon, our Show of Strength. And while many people may not know the telethon or have watched it in recent years, we want our longtime, loyal telethon supporters to know this is a decision we do not take lightly,” said MDA President and CEO
Celebrities from Frank Sinatra, John Lennon and Michael Jackson to Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez have performed on the telethon — hosted for most of its run by Jerry Lewis
It ran 21 and a half hours in 2010, Lewis’ last year as host, and had dwindled to a two-hour show the last two years.
