Press Release
Ritter Communications, the largest privately held telecommunications service provider serving exclusively the Mid-South, has announced the company’s sponsorship of the 44th Annual St. Jude Radio/Cablethon, which was broadcast on Saturday, March 9. The much-anticipated annual event raised $327,359 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
This was Ritter Communications seventeenth consecutive year sponsoring the event. The Radio/Cablethon has raised over $4.5 million in donations over the past 17 years.
The Northeast Arkansas Chapter of ESA International, a community service organization, has taken ownership of the event for many decades and fundraises year-round to ensure the success of the Radio/Cablethon. The local ESA team is dedicated to producing a successful community-focused event year after year by calling on local talent and entertainment, and also by highlighting the stories of local community members who are past and current patients of St. Jude.
St. Jude is world-renowned for its commitment to finding a cure for childhood cancer and never sending patients a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food. For this reason, the success of the Cablethon directly impacts terminally ill patients undergoing treatment at St. Jude.
“We are privileged to sponsor this event each year,” said Jessica Odom, Ritter Communications Public Relations Manager. “The ESA team sets the standard for building a community around a cause. We are honored to partner with them to raise funds for life-saving care at St. Jude.”
This year’s Cablethon streamed on YouTube, allowing viewers around the world to watch. KHLS Thunder Country 96.3 FM, a Blytheville-based Sudbury Broadcasting radio station, led the Radiothon airing the audio portion of Tubetown’s Cablethon. The programming focused on St. Jude as the event solicited pledges from listeners.
