MDA Telethon Will Be Streamlined In 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Muscular Dystrophy Association's Labor Day Telethon is getting shorter.

The group says it plans to shave more than 15 hours off its annual fundraising telecast. The 2011 MDA Labor Day Telethon will now be a six-hour, prime-time program, organizers said Wednesday.

Spokesman Jim Brown says the hope is that the shorter format will capture more viewers, bigger performers and generate more donations for the nonprofit group.

Last month's Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon raised $58.9 million to fund research to find a cure for muscular dystrophy and ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

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