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Telethon raises money for muscular dystrophe

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By Tom Uribes

Fresno State's Digital Production Group (DPG) produced the Central Valley regional telecast of the 2001 Jerry Lewis Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon that aired on KMPH Fox-26 on Labor Day and raised $96,000.

It was the fourth year that DPG produced the telethon for Central Valley MDA. Kopi Sotiropulis and Jadine MacLiver hosted the live television program from DPG's Studio A, located in the Speech Arts building.

The live, day-long program featured local patient/family interviews, check presentations and fun and games mixed with segments of the national Jerry Lewis program feed, as well as live remote broadcasts from River Park Shopping Center in Fresno.

In addition to its own staff of video producers, technicians and engineers, DPG employed students from the Mass Communication and Journalism Department, paired with DPG staff and professionals from the local television stations, as a unique working internship opportunity, said director John Reynolds.

DPG producers include Reynolds, Randy Haar, Eric West and Scott Kennington. Todd Bowen (Athletics) also produced the telecast. Academic Innovation Center employees Randy Mills was the studio engineer and Nancy Kobata was be the Live Remote Site coordinator at River Park. Cathi Scherer of Information Technology Services at Fresno State was the telecommunications coordinator (phones).

DPG's recent projects have included promotional videos for the Craig School of Business, the College of Social Sciences, the university's Henry Madden Library and the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature. DPG also worked in concert with the CSU Chancellor's Office on the CalStateTeach project to complete a new recruitment video and PSA commercial spots. DPG has entered into a multi-year partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the California Department of Health Services to create nationally distributed training media.

Back to University Journal, 9/10/01 Issue