FLOOD IMPACTS PLANS FOR MDA TELETHON

The stars will come out a little later than usual for this year's Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon to benefit Muscular Dystrophy Association, scheduled to begin on KFVS-12 at 9 a.m. Monday.

The national telethon starts broadcasting Sunday night and continues for 21 hours.

Ken Lucy of the MDA said the delayed start was chosen for a couple of reasons. The top reason was the summer's flood.

In fact, the flood has been an issue throughout planning for the telethon, he said.

"Last year we came on the air at 10:30 p.m. and ran overnight. Local cutaways began Monday at 7 a.m.," Lucy said. "Since most people are asleep over night, we were toying with idea of starting Monday anyway."

Then the flooding began.

"When we started talking about start times and end times, the river was at its crest," Lucy said.

"In order for KFVS to get their news coverage in, we decided to start after `The Breakfast Show' and `CBS This Morning,'" he explained. "At that time, we thought the flood would still be top news."

The telethon, after its 9 a.m. local start, will run until 8 p.m. except for KFVS's news, from 6-6:30 p.m.

Lucy expressed little concern about the change in start times. About 12 to 15 percent of all pledges come in from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. on Labor Day. "That is the segment after Jerry Lewis is finished," he said.

But, the flooding is still an issue.

"We have a big current working against us, the flooding through the Midwest," Lucy said. "About a third of the counties we serve are affected by the flood."

Some MDA fundraisers, traditionally held during the weeks leading up to the telethon, were canceled because of flooding. Others fell short of their goals.

Prior to the start of the telethon, volunteers have been making phone calls soliciting pledges. The personal appeals are bringing in about the same as last year, Lucy said.

"Where there is personal fundraising, that is coming through fairly good," he said. "The big question is when it's not personal, when they have to make the phone call, what will be the response."

News anchor Mary-Ann Maloney and sports director Randy Ray will host local segments of the telethon from University Mall in Carbondale.

Weekend news anchor Suzanna Baylon will also be a telethon host from the KFVS studio in Cape Girardeau.

"Forty minutes of every hour is from Jerry Lewis," Lucy said. "In Carbondale, they will do the same things as in Cape except they will introduce our videotaped pieces."

The 1993 telethon originates from the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. Live remotes are planned from Branson, New York and Los Angeles.

Last year's broadcast raised over $45 million in pledges and contributions nationwide, including $281,622 locally.

For information, call 1-800-455-1234.