Rock Stars, Public TV Unite for Quake Relief Concert
An unusual alliance of rock musicians and public television will unite Nov. 26 for a telethon benefiting Northern California earthquake relief agencies.
San Francisco public-television station KQED and promoter Bill Graham said Wednesday that they will produce “Earthquake Relief,” a 12-hour concert from three Northern California sites. The broadcast will be available to all California radio and television stations.
KCET Channel 28 in Los Angeles and KVCR Channel 24 in San Bernardino said they plan to air four hours of the concert, from 8 p.m. to midnight.
“Earthquake Relief” is the first time KCET, KQED and KVCR have used their airwaves to raise funds outside of their own pledge drives. KQED needed a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission to air the telethon, because FCC requirements bar public stations from raising money for other organizations. KQED President Tony Tiano said such a waiver had only been granted once before, when WETA-TV in Washington raised money to help rebuild the amphitheater at Wolf Trap after it was destroyed by fire in 1982.
Musicians scheduled to perform include Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, John Fogerty, Steve Miller, Eddie Money, Bonnie Raitt, Tower of Power, Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Los Lobos and Santana.
The concerts will be at San Francisco’s Cow Palace, Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center and Watsonville High School.
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