The most famous live performance of the song came on September 21, 2001 during the America: A Tribute to Heroes national telethon.

WHEC was the creator of the "cut-ins" that local stations insert into the national telethon, a concept that has since spread across the country.

The March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation has canceled its national telethon this fall.

The Theater Authority, the New York-based clearinghouse that schedules national telethons, has found that fewer stations are broadcasting each telethon.

For the first national telethons in the late 1960's, most of the stations donated the time.

He also re-stated his support for Humphrey on a live election-eve national telethon.

In the United States, telethons are held for various Charitable organizations; as of 2012, however, no national telethons currently exist.

The cutaways would become an integral part of every MDA Telethon broadcast, as well as for national telethons for other organizations.

And, as he has for the last seven years, Lou Rawls, the singer, led the fund's national telethon on Dec. 17.

A national telethon this weekend will replace a portion of its traditional song-and-dance entertainment with sponsored program segments on subjects like child-rearing and sports.