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Nine telethon expands across primetime

Updated: Nine's bushfire telethon screens live from 7:30pm right through until midnight with a staggering list of guests including cross-network personalities.

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bushfNine has announced its Australia Unites telethon will now screen from 7:30pm right through to midnight.

It was previously a 2 hour event, but with the magnitude of the disaster, and no doubt with the influx of offers it has received for the cause, it will run live for 4.5 hours.

Australia Unites is hosted by Eddie McGuire and features a line-up of entertainers, athletes and personalities. GTV9, the television home of Brian Naylor for twenty years, will play host to this important event which it has been frantically preparing on short notice.

It will follow a one hour Nine News and Current Affair.

Press Release:
The Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd, and the Premier of Victoria, Mr John Brumby, will join the Australian cricket team, along with entertainers including Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban; radio stars Hamish and Andy, and Merrick and Rosso; international models Miranda Kerr and Megan Gale; stars of the small screen Rove McManus, Dave Hughes, Kate Ritchie, Roy Billing, Martin Dingle Wall, Kat Stewart, Rodger Corser, Ben Mendelsohn, Molly Meldrum and Magda Szubanski to raise money for the victims of Victoria’s killer fires.

Sporting identities taking part will include cricketing great Shane Warne; Olympic gold medallists Cathy Freeman, Liesel Jones and Grant Hackett; AFL premiership players Chris Judd and Shane Crawford; Melbourne Storm star Billy Slater; Fatty Vautin and Matty Johns of the NRL Footy Show; AFL legend Ron Barassi; tennis player Mark Philippoussis; V8 champs Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander; and Bali bombing survivor and former AFL player, Jason McCartney.

Performers include The Living End, Jessica Mauboy, Colin Hay (Men At Work), Jimmy Barnes, Lee Kernaghan, Shannon Noll, Kate Ceberano, John Williamson, Angry Anderson and many others.

Eddie McGuire will host the coverage from Channel Nine’s Melbourne studios, with support from Garry Lyon and James Brayshaw, Livinia Nixon, Jules Lund and Giaan Rooney, who will be rallying troops in the phone room.

On location, Lisa Wilkinson, Karl Stefanovic, Tony Jones, Tracy Grimshaw and Leila McKinnon will be reporting from the fire-ravaged areas across the State.

Aussies abroad, rocked by the bushfires that have ravaged their home country, have united in spirit to support the victims of Australia’s worst natural disaster, including Hugh Jackman, Anthony La Paglia, Simon Baker, Rachel Griffiths and Cameron Daddo.

CEO of the Nine Network, Mr David Gyngell, has been overwhelmed by the response.

“The sports and entertainment industries have a fine tradition of pulling together when needed, but the level of support for Australia Unites is unprecedented and we thank everyone for their involvement,” he said.

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.

69 Responses

  3. For those who thought I was being negative, I wasn’t. The fact is, Nine stretched out the broadcast from 2 hours to more than double the originally intended running time as it’s clear that a national crisis of this magnitude will generate a lot of public interest (and equate to strong ratings; perhaps enough to win the entire week, or at least come at a close 2nd).

    I’ve had no problem with them airing a 2 hour telethon, hell I applaud it; however, it’s the fact that they’ve stretched it out so significantly that it seems that Nine are now only doing it for the ratings.

    And I agree with you Dan. Unless Nine will be donating the commercial revenue to bushfire victims, the entire telethon would’ve been a waste of time. People certainly don’t need some television programme to implore them to make donations.

  4. I think what 9 is doing is a good thing and it is how they ahve chosen to respond, like the various companies and big corporates across the nation that have been working out their own response to contribute money and support to the people whose lives have been affected by this tragedy.

    Not a criticism, just an observation, it is interesting that the three networks have not banded together for a joint national telathon broadcast, like was done once before in the past. Or am i imagining that? If not, what was it for? Does anyone recall?

  5. I’m very glad this is going ahead at 7.30pm. Well done to Ch 9 – I don’t care who’s hosting!

    Just as long as they don’t let Jessica Maubouy sing “Burn”. Highly inappropriate!

  6. My deepest thoughts and prayers to the victims of this horrible bushfires. Hope this event would raise a lot of money to rebuild the damaged area and support the families of the victims. God bless.

  7. Linda i so agree with you and have been saying it all along. 7 and 9 have been flooding our screens with pretty much repeats of the last 2 or 3 days of footage. there is no need to extend coverage of every news and morning program you have, i feel sorry for the victims having to watch it over and over, im sure them as me just want the important updates which would take 30 mins. 7 and 9 are loving this crisis!! give emotion and broken hearts and devestation and there are there replaying it over and over. thank god for ten giving us something to smile about in these tough times, they even say we will update you but then get back to normal stories to lighten up you day

  8. To the person who said it’s too early to have a telethon.. I think they have left it too late.. Surely everyone would have already donated and now they have a bunch of celebrities and TV execs telling us to give more? Are they going to give all their money they make for advertising during the show to the cause?

    And Eddie McGuire they couldn’t pick a worse person that could sympathies with these people, he gets paid millions of dollars to do nothing at nine!

    I just hope the money is handled sensibly and given out to the right people, wouldn’t most people have insurance living in the bush? Are we suppose to help the rich people who could afford these places and blocks of land too?

    People are also donating clothes and food too but I find it hypocritical because what about all the thousands of homeless people in Australia who don’t even have a house to begin with? It’s all a media beat up and grab for ratings in my opinion.

  9. It seems ch 9 are trying to make up for the mistakes, they are stepping up and say what you want about Eddie he stepped up straight away the other day, he was a huge part of Tuesdays thing on the radio stations raising money for the bushfires also. its great to see those in the states are getting involved also. lets put all this aside though and remember the cause no matter whos hosting!
    great to see Shannon Noll comfirmed also

  10. why dont the whole lot of you get over it i lost relatives down there and still have more relatives to fine who cares who is hosting it as long as they do a good job and raise heaps to help our fellow countrymen and women its not about the host or ratings its about our fellow australian’s so can everyone stop being so negative and help anyway you can thanks

  11. Bundynelle
    Or, what you said last night about the $100 if they went live into QLD…

    Dont forget to call at 6:30 Brisbane time/5:30 Perth time, just as it starts, and see if they respond, by cutting 9 News in two.

    If that don’t work, call the QTQ/STW switchboard.

    Note: First strategy needs a southerner, and the Perth details are for Perthite.

  12. I agree with you Earhquake, maybe we should bother with the blog at all, as many people would think the whole thing is not important to many worldwide events.

    I have a right to give my opinion I reckon and if I think Eddie McGuire is a toss bag then I can say it. I also doubt nine have done this out of the kindness of their own heart, would love to be in the rooms of the executives, I think they don’t care that much about the situtation that has occured. At times like this I wish Frontline was still on and you would see what these networks really get up to behind the scenes and how they really feel about the poor people who have had their lives destroyed.

    If Channel nine are serious about this, then they will make it commercial free and not plug any of their shows but we will see hey. Make me eat my words channel nine I dare you. To be honest I wouldn’t have only given the whole thing credibility if it were held on the ABC.

  14. To a certain degree I agree with some of the comments on how we should just focus on the point that it’s for a good cause and it doesn’t matter who’s hosting and so on however I find it hard to believe that CH9 are doing this just for charity. To me it seems more like a publicity stunt and to boost the heads of 9’s ego’s….are they just trying to get in first before ch7 or 10??? Seriously, these fires just happened and are actually still burning in some area’s, people haven’t even had a chance for it to sink in or even comprehend what has happened. A benefit concert or telethon should take place in at least a few weeks…….it’s not like they need the money at this very second. They have over 35 million raised thus far and today they just released 800,000 of it. I just find it so insensitive that this is happening, even more so in the first week of ratings for the networks. To top it off they have one of the most arrogant and insincere men on television hosting such an event…….really, we need people that have a heart and are able to stop and think for just 5 min to work in television, not ego/figure driven execs and publicists.
    What I have liked this week is the sensitivity that ch10 has shown towards the fires. They haven’t saturated our screens with non stop replayed footage of the events and over sensationalising stories. Helen Kapalos has done an amazing job as a journo with being warm and sensitive and having a human touch.
    Sorry about my rant, but I had to get it out………

  16. David, while I understand your point of view, your website itself is a forum for people to have their opinions on television matters, including hosts of telethons for bushfires.

    The comments section is there to be filled with people’s opinions and while the opinion may be relevant to the subject at hand, but may differ to those of the blog’s author, they are still valid and should be heard.

    We could be here all day talking about things that are “more important” – even moreso possibly than bushfires. Preventable diseases in third world countries, children dying of malnutrition, the global financial crisis, global warming and the ongoing Middle East crisis – these are just some examples.

    But here you have created a fine TV blog, and as such, here we discuss TV.

  17. If this is live across the country, does that mean it’ll be 5:30pm in Perth? Or will we get it delayed at 7:30? You’d think a Telethon would have to be live, wouldn’t it?

  18. I see seven conveniently held back an episode of Home & Away tonight so they had an hour block to go up against the telethon tomorrow night (It’s not about ratings at all!) I’m surprised they didn’t get Karl & Lisa to host this to boost the viewers for the Today show.

    Jessica Mauboy? yikes.. I hope they don’t get her to sing her current single “Burn”? Highly inappropriate..

  19. I think we need a moratorium on comments on the host.
    Enough already!
    If you don’t like it, keep it to yourself in what is a very troubling time for many. Appreciate what these guys and everyone else in the media is doing at the moment.

  20. Kuttsywood – No, it isn’t ‘live’ in Qld. It is advertised for 7.30pm which is 8.30pm VIC/NSW time, so yes, another delayed coverage for us Qlders … ho ruddy hum! I don’t care who hosts … I just wish it was on a Saturday night. I’m going to be pretty blearing eyed on Friday morning if this telecast is going to midnight! Then again, I have no rights in complaining as there are many many others much worse than me.

    In QLD we don’t do telethons these days but I always remember the ones we did in the 1970s/80s where you can ring and say ‘I’ll give lots of money if such n such does this….”. I’m very tempted to say I have money, its yours if Eddie sings very loudly the Brisbane Lions team song. I’d like to see that!

  21. Who gives a s**t who is hosting it all that matters is that it raises a lot of money for the poor people who have lost everything their family’s their pets their homes and so on I just cant understand how people can whinge about who the host is I will be watching it and I will be making a donation

  22. The only hosting alternatives 9 would consider are
    Richard Wilkins
    Karl Stefanovic
    Lisa Wilkinson.

    Eddie is a good compromise IMO, but who really cares who’s hosting?? All the action will be on the special guests and location interviews. Not Eddie.

  23. Like it matters who is hosting, Eddie or anyone else. Isn’t the point to raise money for those in need? Who cares if Channel Nine have ulterior motives.

    Here’s an idea, stop complaining and donate some money instead.

  24. for you’s who are telling us to shut up, get lost! we dont have to like the fact 9 chose a loser host who everyone cant stand, or the fact they are doing this more for their ratings boost than the victims!!
    i have donated and probably have these people!

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