The 2008 Chilean telethon was the 22nd edition of the solidarity event in Chile, produced on 28 and 29 November 2008, which sought to raise funds for the rehabilitation of children with mobility problems.
The event, transmitted on Chilean TV channels grouped into ANATEL, began at 2200 on 28 November at the Teatro Teletón, from which most of the event was transmitted. There were also links to subsidiary events throughout the country. As in the previous 13 years, the closing ceremony of Telethon 2008 took place at the National Stadium of Chile. This ceremony started at 2200 on the next day and took the form of a great show in which Chilean and international artists participated.
The official slogan of this campaign was "Thanks to you, we can continue" and the focus was on commemorating the 30th anniversary of the first telethon, held in 1978. In this edition Catalina Aranda was chosen as the poster girl.
With nearly 29 hours of uninterrupted transmission, ending at 0251 on 30 November, it became the longest version in the history of the Telethon. The final amount raised was CL$ 22,533,294,849 (approx. US$39 million), almost 70% above the original goal of CL$13,255,231,970, making it the most successful Telethon since 1994. Around $8,000,000,000 was collected in only 7 hours.
During the campaign, Luis Haro set a new world record by playing tennis for more than 60 hours to support the cause.
It was the last Telethon under the first governorship of Michelle Bachelet.
After the success achieved during the Telethon 2007 campaign - and after 30 years of existence - the solidarity campaign decided to mark some milestones in the new edition of 2008. Don Francisco (Mario Kreutzberger), the presenter and leader of the event, stated in May 2008 that the principal objective of the campaign would be to show the success achieved during its three decades of existence through the testimonies of health professionals, patients and their families, as well as the artists and all those who had actively participated.
The leaders of the Telethon Foundation emphasized the significance of fundraising during this event, as there were no plans to hold the event in the following year due to the scheduled presidential elections in December 2009. This recurring situation poses economic challenges for the organization considering the high cost of treatments, the increasing demand from new disabled patients, and the need to plan and develop new rehabilitation centers. Therefore, the presenters urged for greater donations to support the organization for the next two years.
In October the Telethon Foundation announced two large projects that it would be bringing together during this campaign. The first would be the enlarging of the Telethon Institute in Santiago,[1] which was in the evaluation stage with the Regional Metropolitan Government. The second would be the renovation of the Telethon Theatre, marking the bicentennial of the founding of Chile. The plans were for the construction of a new area with 1,600 seats, with space and facilities to accommodate any number of artists. In addition there would be an underground area of four floors, an event centre and a nine-storey tower.
The campaign would also seek to collect funds for the construction of four rehabilitation institutes in the cities of Calama, Coihaique, Copiapó and Valdivia. Although Telethon 2007 had provided a considerable sum for the construction of the Telethon Institute in Calama, various problems had delayed the project. Some days before the Telethon event the government, through the Ministry of Social Welfare, donated the land for the centres at Calama and Coihaique.
In early June the Telethon Foundation launched a competition called "Painting the Telethon" under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and the Faculty of Arts in the University of Chile and the sponsorship of various companies. The competition sought bring the campaign closer to young children of pre-school and junior school age, entering the best work into the promotional campaign of Telethon 2008. The last day of entry was 11 July and the prize- giving was on 19 August.[2]
The public launch of Telethon 2008 had been scheduled for 30 May in the "Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna" school in Santiago with Don Francisco. However, the previous day, the Government of Chile announced a period of official mourning for the air accident in Panama that cost the lives of the then Director General of the Carabineros, José Alejandro Bernales, and another 10 people. Therefore the Foundation decided to cancel this event and launch the campaign privately.
During August, when Chile was celebrating "Solidarity Month", Telethon launched an advertising campaign in various media to thank all those who had made possible the development and growth of the institution during its 30 years of existence. The campaign, named "National Pride", extended through the whole of August, delivering the message "Thanks to you" to everyone who had taken part. Members of the Telethon Institute for Children's Rehabilitation travelled Chile from north to south giving thanks to the community, the regional governments and the communications media. Starting that month, advertising spots on television broadcast the phrase "Thanks to you and all Chileans for the gift of these first 30 years of Telethon".
The official launch of Telethon 2008 finally took place on 3 September in the Telethon Theatre. In attendance were the senior authorities of the Institution, government representatives, the communications media, artists, and various people linked to charitable work. During the event Catalina Aranda, a girl of 11, was introduced as the poster girl for the campaign. The anthem "Gracias a tí" (Eng:Thanks to you), composed by Alberto Plaza and Mario Guerrero, was sung by well-known Chilean artists. The publicity campaign that would run during the following weeks in the communications media was developed by the Prolam, Young & Rubicam Publicity Agency; the Chilean film-maker Andrés Wood also took part.
In addition, on 5 September the programme "Telethon Ambassadors" was introduced. This initiative was organised by the Telethon Foundation and sought to make this innovative social marketing project into an inclusive project of corporate social responsibility. The event, put on in the Telethon Theatre, was attended by workers from the campaign's sponsoring companies, who were designated as official representatives of the Foundation within their companies with the goal of actively supporting the creation and development of promotional initiatives for Telethon 2008 in their workplace.
Although the solidarity campaign was officially introduced in September, after which advertisements could be seen promoting the event, the Telethon 2008 campaign was relaunched on 27 October from the Hyatt Hotel Santiago, with the presence of Don Francisco and various Chilean artists. The relaunch, which commenced immediately after the municipal elections, marked the final stage of the advertising campaign of this edition.
During that event the structure of the show, to be televised on 28 and 29 November, was made known. It would include numerous Chilean and international artists and the popular sections like "Vedetón" (Cabaret), "Bailetón" (Dance-a-thon), and "Levántate papito" (Get Up, Daddy), as well as comedy acts and a showball match organized by the Chilean ex-footballer Iván Zamorano.[3] Within this plan a huge advertising sign would be inaugurated at midday on 28 October in part of Plaza Baquedano, a traditional meeting place in Santiago, to display the days and seconds until the event was to begin.
During November, the traditional Telethon Tour spread across the country, headed by Don Francisco and largely supported by various entertainers and artists who came along voluntarily. On the tour a number of occurrences filled the front pages of the daily papers. The inauguration of the Rehabilitation Centre in Valdivia for 2010 was announced, and in the city of Puerto Montt a woman made a karate attack by a woman on the guitarist of the group Chancho en Piedra during a song. Hours before the start of the telethon, the businessman Pedro Lizana said that "the telethon is a national disgrace, because disability is a concern of the state and is not a spectacle", similar accusations to those made by the communist leader Gladys Marín in 2002.
As in all previous shows, the event was presented by Don Francisco, accompanied by presenters from the different Chilean television companies transmitting the programme.
The presenters nominated by each station affiliated with ANATEL were:
| width=50% |
| width=50% |
|
Also as in previous editions five entertainers presented live from different cities:
Among the artists participating in Telethon 2008 were:
| width=50% | width=50% |
|
All times expressed in local (Chile continental) time (UTC-3)
| width=4% | Time | width=7% | Section | width=35% | Content and musical acts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The event commenced with a tribute to Telethon, marking 30 years since the inauguration of the solidarity campaign. The official theme song was performed by Mario Guerrero, Gloria Simonetti, Quique Neira, and Vanessa Aguilera among other Chilean artists. Then Don Francisco spoke with feeling. After this the President, Michelle Bachelet, spoke, handing over her donation and encouraging Chileans to support the great solidarity cause. The comperes and the call handlers were then introduced, followed by the humour of Stefan Kramer and Alvaro Salas. Before moving on to the next part of the show, Felipe Camiroaga presented the much-loved Cuban-American lawyer Ana Maria Polo, who said she felt very excited about the solidarity cause. Musical acts
| |||||
| This section, presented by Leo Caprile, Tomka Tomicic, Pollo Valdivia, Kike Morande and Rafael Araneda, featured 30 years of humour. Álvaro Salas introduced comedy acts that had appeared on previous Telethons such as: Antonio Vodanovic and Patricia Maldonado; "La cuatro dientes"Gloria Benavides; and Professor Salomon and Don Francisco as "Tutu tutu". Also returning to the show was the comedy team of Don Francisco, Luís Jara and Mandolino. | |||||
| This section was presented by Vivi Kreutzberger, Jose Miguel Viñuela, Julián Elfenbain, Luís Jara, Sergio Lagos and Rafael Araneda, and was broadcast from Teatro Caupolicán. Vivi Kreutzberger and Rafaela Carrá began the dancing, and then the 30 participants were introduced, including Willy Sabor, Renata Bravo, Alejandro Chávez, Pancho del Sur, and other celebrities. The judging panel consisted of Ricarte Soto, Raquel Argandoña and Italo Pasalaccua. The winning couple was Willy Sabor and Sarita Vazquez. | |||||
This section was led by Kike Morande, Juan Carlos Valdivia and Felipe Camiroaga. It included a tribute to 30 years of the Cabaret, and dance performances by Daniela Campos and Andrea Dellacasa. Comedy performers were Mauricio Flores with Francesca Cigna, Gisela Molineros and Patricia Cofre. Also appearing were the character Checopete The Poet and the model Pamela Diaz.Musical acts
| |||||
Led by Rafael Araneda and Kike Morande, this section came from Valparaíso, a "breakfast" to rouse all Chileans, with a "freitón" and donations. There were also reports from branches of the Bank of Chile and stories of fundraising activities.Musical acts
| |||||
| Juan José Lavin, Karina Alvarez and José Luís Reppening. Round-up of the main news of this solidarity day. | |||||
| The morning section began with music from leading Chilean chefs. It was led by Vivi Kreutzberger, Tomka Tomicic, Sergio Lagos, Claudia Conserva, Eva Gomez and Ana María Polo. Breakfasts and donations were televised from different cities in the country. Pledges from the Líder and Ripley companies were announced (see below, "Pledges"). Musical acts
| |||||
| This began with tributes to leading children's programmes such as Cachureos and Mundo Magico with the participation of TV celebrities Martin Carcamo, Fernando Godoy, Gianella Marengo and the girls of BKN - Vanessa Aguilera, Camila Lopez, Vesta Lugg and Paulina Prohaska. There was a short presentation with Marcelo Hernandez showing some of the main themes of the Cachureos programme, and the section finished with "Celebra la vida" presented by BKN and Amango. Musical acts
| |||||
| A section led by Fernando Solabarrieta, presented in the Teatro Caupolicán. There were a red team and a white team, composed of ministers and sports players. The commentators were Pedro Carcuro and Aldo Shiappacasse. | |||||
| Carola Urrejola, Felipe Vidal and Mónica Perez | |||||
This section began with a musical introduction featuring the jury members - Patricia Maldonado, Julia Vial, Francisca García Huidobro and Fernanda Hansen. The candidates included Pedro Yadsel, Carlos Casseli, Ramón Farías, Fernando Godoy, Guido Vequiola and Carlos Embri. Also taking part were Felipe Camiroaga with his character "Luciano Bello"; the presenter of Buenos dias a todos, Patricio Frez; and Daniel Sagues doing an imitation of Luís Dimas.Musical acts
| |||||
This was the final section from the Teatro Teletón. It began with music from Los Maipucitos and Chilean folk groups. Inspiring stories were told about rehabilitation and the last reports from the regions were transmitted.Musical acts
| |||||
| News broadcasts on each channel (22:00-23:00) | |||||
The closing section began with Luís Jara singing Luís Miguel's "Dream Song". The fundraising target was reached at about 01:40, and the final total at 03:47 was $22,533,294,849.Musical acts
| |||||
The event was produced and broadcast by the television companies affiliated to ANATEL:
To these should be added Más Canal 22, which broadcast the first hours of the event until 01.20 and the final part from 23.00 on 29 November. Chile National Television transmitted the entire event internationally, and it could also be seen live on the official website. The simultaneous transmission was only suspended between 22.00 and 23.00 hours when each channel transmitted its own programmes and/or newscast.
As in previous years all the sponsoring companies made their contribution in a single donation. The amount contributed came to CLP$3,243,574,119, equivalent to 24.4% of the final amount.
| Company | Product | Amount in pesos | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aceite Belmont | Cooking oils | 88,113,457 | |
| Banco de Chile | Banking | 510,024,503 | |
| Cachantún | Mineral water | 337,076,449 | |
| Campanario | Andean brandy | ||
| Cerveza Cristal | Beer | ||
| Pepsi | Soft drinks | ||
| CEPECH | Educational services | 90,998,590 | |
| Claro | Mobile telephones | 115,152,390 | |
| Colún | Dairy products | 101.320.510 | |
| Confort | Toilet paper | 182,000,000 | |
| LadySoft | Sanitary towels | ||
| Johnson's | Department store | 150,264,213 | |
| LAN Airlines | Airline | 120,000,000 | |
| Livean | Powdered drinks | 190,000,000 | |
| Lucchetti | Pasta products | ||
| Los Héroes | Compensation fund | (unclear on Spanish Wikipedia entry) | |
| Loto | Lotteries | ||
| Mabe | Domestic electrical goods | ||
| Master Dog | Dogfood | 81,709,656 | |
| Omo | Detergents | 110,000,000 | |
| Pan Ideal | Baked products | 104,918,558 | |
| Pampers | Babies' nappies | 100,000,000 | |
| Publiguías | Yellow pages guides | 87,777,007 | |
| Ripley | Department stores | 300,000,000 | |
| Rotter & Krauss | Opticians | 86,194,986 | |
| Sodimac | Retail shops | 400,662,626 | |
| Soprole | Dairy products | 160,288,875 | |
| Tapsin | Pharmaceuticals | 90,235,540 | |
| Té Supremo | Tea | 92,000,000 | |
| Pinturas Tricolor | Industrial paints | 90,381,477 |
As was done every year, the traditional auctions were arranged of objects donated to the Telethon. The results this year were:
| Object | Description | Initial price | Final donation | |
| Baseball cap from the Roland Garros Tournament | Autographed by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal | $500,000 | $2,100,000 | |
| Stone moai | Carved by the father of Hotuiti Teao | $50,000 | $200,000 | |
| Sombrero | Donated by Fernando Godoy | $50,000 | $60,000 | |
| Tennis racket and bag | Donated by Fernando González | $1,000,000 | $3,200,000 | |
| Poster of the film Driven | Autographed by Cristián de la Fuente | $100,000 | $300,000 | |
| Picture | Donated by Pablo Millas | $300,000 | $360,000 | |
| Polo shirt of the programme El último pasajero | Used and donated by Martín Cárcamo | $20,000 | $115,000 | |
| Beijing Olympic souvenirs | Bought by Soledad Bacarreza in the Beijing Olympics 2008 | $15,000 | $68,000 | |
| Ray Ban sunglasses | Used by Ignacio Gutiérrez | $50,000 | $200,000 | |
| Metal Jacket | Was used by Raquel Argandoña in the Festival de Viña del Mar, 1981 | $1,000,000 | $9,500,000 | |
| Barbie Doll | Belonged to Andrea Molina | $20,000 | $90,000 | |
| Superman socks | Used by Jordi Castell | $20,000 | $110,000 |
The largest donations that day, indeed in the history of the Telethon up to then, were handed over by the businessmen Leonardo Farkas and José Luis Nazar, who each gave CLP$1,000 million (about USD$1.5 million). Both donations were in their own names, not on behalf of their businesses. Nevertheless, the mining entrepreneur (Farkas) admitted in the newspaper Las Últimas Noticias that $50 million of the $1,000 million came from the Santa Fe mining company.
