NBC telethons raise millions

NBC’s two-hour tsunami relief concert Jan. 15 raised $18.3 million for the American Red Cross, the network announced Friday.

Earlier in the month, local NBC stations raised $10.5 million for UNICEF in a separate telethon for victims of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Indonesia, Thailand and other countries, according to Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television Group.

“Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope” included performances by Madonna, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and others. The special aired on NBC and affiliated networks, including Bravo, USA, Sci Fi, MSNBC, CNBC, Trio and Telemundo. NBC estimated that 19.6 million viewers saw the special.

Major donors included the Oneida Indian Nation, which pledged $1 million, and Pokerstars.net ($400,000), according to NBC.

SBC Communications underwrote the $2-million production cost of the special, Zucker told reporters at the Television Critics Assn. semiannual meeting in Universal City.

Money raised by the Jan. 15 telethon will go to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which has raised $222 million since the tsunami struck, according to Red Cross spokeswoman Renita Hosler.