Curtis Media Group, Time Warner Cable partner with North Carolina Children's Hospital for N.C. Children's Promise Radiothon/Telethon
CHAPEL HILL - For the sixth consecutive year, North Carolina Children's Hospital will reach out to more than 1.5 million people across the state on Thursday, Nov. 15, in a live fundraiser aired on radio and television.
Nov. 8, 2007
Curtis Media Group, Time Warner Cable partner with North Carolina Children's Hospital for N.C. Children's Promise Radiothon/Telethon
CHAPEL HILL - For the sixth consecutive year, North Carolina Children’s Hospital will reach out to more than 1.5 million people across the state on Thursday, Nov. 15, in a live fundraiser aired on radio and television.
That day, seventeen radio stations owned by Raleigh-based Curtis Media Group will broadcast the N.C. Children’s Promise Radiothon/Telethon live from the Children’s Hospital lobby in Chapel Hill. Time Warner Cable’s News 14 Carolina, in its third year as a full media partner in the Children’s Promise, will additionally provide extensive television coverage.
The radiothon/telethon, which will start at 5 a.m. EST and continue until 11:30 p.m., is the annual culmination of the fundraising efforts of the N.C. Children’s Promise, North Carolina Children's Hospital's fundraising arm. Listeners and viewers are invited to phone in their contributions throughout the day at 1-866-9-NC-KIDS (1-866-962-5437) or donate online through the N.C. Children’s Promise Web site at www.ncchildrenspromise.org. Gifts can also be made in advance via the Web site, which additionally details more information about the event.
Time Warner Cable will provide advanced promotion on many cable networks. Time Warner Cable’s 24-hour local news channel, News 14 Carolina, will promote the event and run a special series of stories leading up to the radiothon/telethon the week of Nov. 12. In addition, News 14 Carolina anchors and meteorologists will be on location in the Children's Hospital doing multiple live reports each hour throughout the day on Nov. 15.
Curtis Media will once again provide on-site entertainment in the Children’s Hospital's lobby to keep the energy of its on-air talent and the more than 500 volunteers high. The entertainment schedule will include in-person appearances by musical performers Parmalee, Lee Brice, Keith Anderson, Bucky Covington, Jason Michael Carroll, and Van Zant. The public is invited to join the festivities in the Children's Hospital's lobby. A tentative entertainment schedule is available on the N.C. Children's Promise's Web site at www.ncchildrenspromise.org.
In addition, Curtis Media will offer an online auction of many items signed by celebrities, including:
- Guitar autographed Garth Brooks that will be personalized for the winner
- Guitar signed by Rush, including band member Neil Peart, who rarely grants autographs
- Drum head autographed by Ozzy Osbourne
- Brooks and Dunn autographed guitar
- Football signed by the 2007 Carolina Panthers
- Basketball signed by Raymond Felton, Chris Paul, and Bobby Jones
- A surprise item autographed by Michael Jordan
All auction items will be posted on e-Bay beginning Monday, Nov. 12, and the individual auctions will close at various times throughout the day on Thursday, Nov. 15. Links to the auction items will be available on the Curtis Media Group's Web site at www.curtismedia.com, as well as on the N.C. Children's Promise Web site at www.ncchildrenspromise.org.
The radiothon/telethon is also a bilingual affair, thanks to Curtis Media’s 100,000-watt Spanish-language FM radio station, called “La Ley” or “The Leader,” which broadcasts at 96.9 FM. Once again this year, La Ley will seek donations from the estimated 400,000 Latino listeners who live within its coverage area. Spanish-speaking callers can phone in their donations to (866) 855-8355.
Some local businesses have already raised thousands of dollars for this year’s Children’s Promise Radiothon/Telethon. For example, the Chapel Hill Wine Company raised nearly $50,000 in its second annual Corks for Kids wine tasting event in September.
Media contact: Danielle Bates, 919-843-9714 or dbates@med.unc.edu
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Each year, more that 60,000 children from all 100 counties across the state make over 200,000 visits to North Carolina Children's Hospital. The hospital relocated to a state-of-the-art facility in 2002, which includes a comprehensive children's outpatient center and 136 inpatient beds in a child-friendly, family-focused environment. It is the first children's hospital in North Carolina to bring together complete inpatient and outpatient care in one location. For more information about North Carolina Children's Hospital, please visit the NCCH website at www.ncchildrenshospital.org.
ABOUT UNC HEALTH CARE
The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, which is ranked among the top 50 in the nation in six specialties by U.S. News & World Report and ranked one of the country’s 41 best on the Leapfrog 2007 Top Hospitals list; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; and Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County. UNC Health Care also manages Chatham Hospital in Siler City.
