Jerry Lewis Telethon Finds a Local Home at Goal Line

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

When the Northern California offices of the Muscular Dystrophy Association first found out that they needed to find a new studio for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon's regional broadcast, they only had four weeks to prepare for the event instead of their usual ten months. Fortunately, they found a perfect location just down the street from their Stoneridge Mall Road offices, at Hacienda's Goal Line Productions.

"We had a last minute change," explains Shannon Shryne, MDA's regional director for Northern California. "We were at a location in Oakland that due to some logistical problems, we had to move out of, so it was nice that they could help us out on such short notice."

Goal Line's 7,000 square foot stage will host 55 phone volunteers as well as a large number of local television and radio personalities.

"We're working with KTVU Channel 2 and KICU Channel 36, the two stations that will broadcast the telethon locally," explains Goal Line's Paul Levine.

"They'll do all the shooting here and will microwave the signals to their broadcast facilities, where they'll integrate those segments into the national program," he adds.

The broadcast will begin locally on KICU at 8:00 pm September 5 with a live broadcast from Goal Line's studios.

"We'll have 15 minutes of local (material), and then we go to Jerry Lewis," explains Shryne. "Every segment we have, every hour, there's a portion of live, local programming and a portion of network programming. We raise the majority of our money when we're local."

A variety of personalities from both Bay Area stations will serve as hosts to the local segments, including Dennis Richmond and Leslie Griffiths from KTVU and Fred LaCoss and Terry Lowery from KICU.

And More

While the MDA Telethon may be the latest project at Goal Line, there's been much more happening as well.

The creative crew at Goal Line is just completing a promotional piece for Shappell Homes' new Eagle Ridge development, located near Gilroy. The studios have also been used recently by QVC for segments featuring the works of painter Thomas Kincaid.

Photo: Goal Line's Paul Levine operates the studio's digital editing equipment.

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