Catherine Kudlick visits Pushing Limits to discuss “Telethons,” a book by the late Paul K. Longmore. There have been several disability-related, day long fund-raisng extravaganzas in the latter part of the 2oth century; but these faded away from the pop philanthropy/pop culture scene, to the relief to some and the disappointment of others.
What was the essence of these telethons? What was their message? And, why was there such strong opposition to them, especially the one sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association?
Catherine Kudlick, editor of “Telethons,” will talk with host Eddie Ytuarte about some of the main characteristics of telethons and how disability activists confronted these widely-seen television events. Kudlick succeeded Longmore as director of the Paul K. Longmore Institute, based at San Francisco State University
Listeners can get a sense of these telethons from the many examples on You Tube. Most of these edited or selected examples are presented in a favorable light.