Channel Seven Perth Telethon

The Channel Seven Perth Telethon, regionally known simply as Telethon, is an annual telethon established in 1968 by philanthropist Sir James Cruthers and Brian Treasure, and produced by TVW, a Seven Network-owned television station in Perth, Western Australia. It raises money for over 150 beneficiaries each year including the Perth Children's Hospital, the Telethon Clinical Research Centre and the Telethon Kids Institute. Channel Seven's Perth Telethon is the highest donating telethon per capita in the world, and since the first Telethon in 1968 has raised over A$750 million in total.

The Channel 7 Telethon Trust is the charitable trust behind the event and its related fundraising activities. The philosophy behind the Channel 7 Telethon Trust is to financially support the medical and social welfare of children and young people and to fund research into children's diseases.

Presenters for Telethon have included:

Ryan Daniels and Charlotte Goodlet (2024–present)

Basil Zempilas (2010–2023)

Jeff Newman (1968–2009)

Overview

The Telethon broadcast usually runs around 26 hours non-stop, starting from 7.00pm on a Saturday night in October, broadcasting live across Western Australia on the Seven Network throughout the metropolitan area of Perth and across the rest of Western Australia; the broadcast was also carried by Seven-affiliate GWN7 in regional Western Australia before the network's dissolution in 2022. As of 2024 Telethon is held at Perth Arena; the event was originally held at TVW's former studios at Dianella, from 2005 to 2019 it was held at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre, and in 2020 and 2021 the opening and closing portions of the broadcast were held at the Crown Theatre at Crown Perth. The event aims to raise money for its beneficiaries from donations from private citizens, organisations, businesses and corporations, as well as from special fundraising events held throughout the year and the public auction of up to two specially built Telethon homes, with one in the metropolitan area of Perth and one in a regional area of Western Australia.

Since its inception in 1968, one or more children currently undergoing treatment at Perth Children's Hospital (and before 2018, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children), or who are supported by Telethon beneficiaries are chosen by Telethon to represent all the children who benefit from the money raised during that year's event. Although one child has been traditionally chosen to be that year's representative, since 2008 two children, one from the metropolitan area and one from a regional area, have been chosen each year, and on occasion more than two children have been featured on Telethon.