0/5

Airdate: Australia Unites telethon

Nine announces a two hour telethon to air on Thursday night to raise funds for bushfire victims.

marysvilleChannel Nine will stage a two hour telethon this Thursday night, in response to the Victorian Bushfires.

Australia Unites will air from 8:30 – 10:30pm, hosted by Eddie McGuire. It will feature entertainers, athletes and personalities.

Updated: So far 183 lives have been lost in Australia’s worst natural disaster.

At least 750 homes have been destroyed and more than 330,000 hectares burnt out, while authorities said some fires could take weeks to contain.

Nine CEO David Gyngell said, “All Australians have been affected by the enormity of this tragedy, and we are putting all our support behind the victims and their families to help them rebuild their lives.”

GTV9 Manager Jeffrey Browne added, “From all of us at Nine, we express our condolences to those who have lost family, friends, property, pets and in a significant number of cases, the certainty of their immediate futures.”

The Nine family has been personally touched by the tragedy after veteran newsreader Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree perished in their family home at Kinglake north of Melbourne.

Donations will go to the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund. To make a donation go to www.redcross.org.au, call the toll free number 1800 811 700 or donate via the Commonwealth Bank.

More news as it comes to hand.

Photo: Herald Sun

58 Responses

  1. I’m not a big Eddie (or Channel 9) fan either, but that’s irrelevant. Good on them. I remember back to the Ash Wednesday fires that engulfed large parts of SA & Victoria back in 1983 and how the following night The Don Lane Show dropped their usual format and put on a special Bushfire Appeal edition instead. I was kinda hoping Rove would do a similar thing on Sunday.

  2. Bob,
    I was actually emphasising that the Brisbane Channel 9 station always gives it’s all to these events, and that anything the Brisbane station does for this, will be replayed alongside the station’s contributions to telethons for Darwin in 74 (where they had Brisbane call centres to supplement the national effort by 9.) and more contemporary offerings on their 50th special in August.

    QTQ is a big supporter of Queensland charities, Surf Lifesaving Queensland (proudly turning 100 in 2009) as well as many Brisbane events. Their partners for their 50th, RACQ, KFC Queensland and Sizzler will probably make major donations to the cause.

    Queenslanders can give when they are asked, and they do.

    Also, have seen ad for the telethon up here David, strangely listing no start time…
    Just screen the telethon live!

  3. Stop bagging Eddie. Whether you like him or not is not the issue. I applaud Nine for organising this fundraising night. I hope all of you bagging him have pulled your fingers out and made a donation to the cause…………..

  4. I called Channel Nine about the telethon, why is only two hours. They said to me that they have scheduled programs, I also said when the boxing day tsunami, it was on all day and all three TV stations joined forces for this. I said it is not fair, this is happening in our own country and they can spare is 2 hours. I think they only care about ratings not people. Why we should only help overseas but our Aussie brothers and sisters. When I called they didn’t seem to care what I am saying.

  5. Kuttsy – If you’re serious, seems inapproriate for a 50 year QTQ celebration to be tacked on to the bushfires?

    Sum Ting – Maybe you should heed some of your advice when you attack people while inapproriate, if not racist nickname (bet you were giggling like a little schoolgirl while you were thinking about it).

  6. You have to be cynical about Nine’s motives when they do this and pull out Eddie.

    Let’s hope its commercial free – and if not – Nine should be donating their entire advertising revenue for the night.

  7. This by all rights should be live in Brisbane 7:30 to 10:30, with a Brisbane phone room, as well as a extra Brisbane-only hour, as a “apology” for Sunday.

    I believe Queenslanders will be encouraged to give if they hear a local voice on the end of the line… not a phone operator in Melbourne.

    If a Brisbane phone room is set up, the invitation should go out to anyone, from any network, to man it.

    Now that would be a 50th birthday moment for QTQ, a old school telethon, with a Brisbane spin, just like in the old days.

  8. You all seem to forget Eddie is a Melbourne boy from Broadmeadows – not all that far from the fires. This is an issue close to his heart.
    Congrats Eddie and thankyou for your time and support!!

  9. the only reason they are giving air time is cause they know its going to be gang busters in ratings, bet you if last nights fire news rated poorly they wouldnt have done anything. i do agree, svu and lom for me, i dont need to hear everything about the fire 30 times.

  10. The tsunami cost about 250,000 lives – we don’t know the total so far, but the bushfire cost maybe 200 lives, maybe more. The banks and networks could raise plenty without an all-singing-all-dancing telethon. The only reason Nine is doing this (and as pointed out, on their lowest ratings night) is for ratings.

    Nine staffers: we dont need your input here.

  11. Obviously some people are more worried about who is hosting the telethon than the magnatude of this event. Does it really matter who does the hosting as long as it raises money for the people who have been effected by this tragedy.

    My home town was destroyed by the fire and anything Ch 9 and Eddie can do to help will be much appreciated.

    Some people need to get over themselves and put other peoples needs above their disapproval of who is hosting or why Ch9 are the only ones having the telethon.

  12. Good on Nine.

    So glad to see something being done to raise money for the victims of this horrific tragedy. So what if it’s not 3 free-to-air channels? If people want to give money, they’ll do it no matter what channel the telethon’s one – or whether there even is a telethon.

  13. OMG how can anyone bag anyone for wanting to do something good for so many who have lost. Comments made above in regards to who hosts the show are not only disgusting but just plain unbelievable…iam not a victorian and i have seen Eddie i am not passionate either way…the tradegy and cause are bigger than the personality, the “ratings grab” comment is just as disgusting…iam not loyal to any of them and i work for one of them…who cares when a show is called…the ongoing need for help will go on for months…so if 7 does something later good on them as well good on 9 good on the Salvos good on everyone who donates their hard earned in these difficult economic times…. Shame on those who criticise the efforts of others above…get back in your box and get a life…RIP all those tragically taken and hopefully the money raised over the coming weeks can help those who have lost everything to somehow rebuild their lives….

  14. I don’t want to be cynical but when we had the Tsunami a few years back all nets joined together on a commercial free telecast to raise money – now Nine has boldly decided to go it alone – on one of their worst performing nights no less, seems to me that this is less about fundraising and more about killing several birds with one stone:

    First they can reset their night wiping the awful memory of 20 to 01 / Kitchen Nightmares, secondly they can get Eddie McGuire back in the public eye and thirdly they can draw a crowd away from their opposition (disrupting serial dramas in their second week no less)

    I’m not criticising the move to do a telethon – but the choice of night and the decision to go it alone strikes me as opportunistic

  15. Gee some of you pathetic, disgusting creatures disgust me.

    A broadcaster is pulling its finger out, donating air-time to raise money for thousands of people who have lost homes, belongings, livestock, pets, friends and lives and all you can do is knock Nine and its host because you’re all jealous of his wealth and success in life.

    Get some perspective, get out of your bedrooms, go outside and play, preferably in the traffic or better still, go burn your homes down so you know what it feels like to have nothing you filthy, whingeing scum.

  16. I’d pay money not to see Eddie!

    As for the idea of Domestic Blitz doing a special in the affected areas, that sounds like a good idea. I reckon Guerilla Gardeners should go there as well.

    At least these two programmes help out people.

  17. While I have no problem with Nine doing this, what exactly is going to be done during the two hours (other than ad breaks and the phone number been splatered across the screen).

    Good on ya nine, but wouldn’t it be better to give a little air time (1 minute) during every show this week to remind people of the website and number to call. Thursday night is SVU / LoM for me, so I won’t be watching (and have already donated to the cause).

Leave a Reply