Press Contact: Teri L. Sullivan
WKNO Promotions Manager
(901) 729-8735
tlsullivan@wkno.org
June 16, 2011
For Immediate Release
WKNO to Participate in Multi-State Telethon for Local
Disaster Victims
WKNO-TV will lend a hand in the Rise for Relief Telethon on Saturday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. Proceeds raised in the telethon will go to the Red Cross in order to benefit victims of the recent flooding and tornados in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The telethon is airing as a multistate production through Mississippi Public Broadcasting in conjunction with nine other local channels in the Southeast including WMC-TV 5 in Memphis. Viewers may call 800-435-7669 or text 90999 to make a donation during the telethon.
The telethon will feature news reports, personal testimonies, updates from community leaders, and a variety of music from our region. Rise for Relief features performances by Graceland’s 2008 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Champion, Brandon Bennett; Mississippi Delta pianist and blues singer, Eden Brent; New Orleans’s jazz saxophonist and singer Breeze Cayolle, who now resides in Memphis; Mississippi blues singer and harmonica player, Grady Champion; North Mississippi’s soulful country singer and guitarist, John Milstead; Nashville singer-songwriter Chas Sandford; and Mississippi’s The Williams Brothers’ gospel singer Doug Williams.
Record setting rain in April attributed to historic water levels on the Mississippi River banks along the City of Memphis causing the evacuation of nearly 1,000 homes. After the water crested at 48 feet, the second highest level on record, destruction was left behind in some of Memphis’ most impoverished communities. Total predicted damage for the area includes about 5,000 properties with more than $320 million dollars in repairs.
About WKNO
WKNO is a non-profit, private foundation serving the Mid-South for more than 50 years. An important community resource, WKNO uses the power of non-commercial public broadcasting to provide the Mid-South with quality educational and cultural programs that inform, entertain, and inspire. For more information: wkno.org |
