Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

The MDA Telethon will air on WSAV Labor Day - Monday, September 7th, from 9am to 6:30pm. For more details visit MDA.org.

For the first time ever, MDA has produced a compilation of unforgettable Telethon performances. "The Best of the 2008 Jerry Lewis Telethon" DVD is now available for purchase CLICK HERE!

Telethon History

Television has few traditions as strongly ingrained as the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.

Adults who used to watch as kids now introduce their own children to the 21½-hour, star-studded variety show that simultaneously entertains, informs and raises funds for the service and research programs of the MDA.

First broadcast over Labor Day weekend in 1966 by a lone TV station in New York City, the unique event starring popular comedian Jerry Lewis quickly caught the public’s attention – and raised more than $1 million in pledges. Now, more than 40 years later, the show will be broadcast by 190 MDA “Love Network” stations, assisted by 250,000 volunteers across the country.

In 1998, the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon made history as the first telethon seen around the world via Internet simulcast, hosted by RealNetworks on MDA’s Web site.

An “interactive” show long before the computer age popularized the term, the Telethon derives its drama from the ever-increasing fund-raising total posted on the tote board – done originally by hand in 1966, now electronically. Jerry’s goal of raising “one dollar more” than the previous year’s total has been more than met almost every year, thanks to the generosity and compassion of the American public. Last year’s total was $65 million.