The "Fun" in Fund-raising

Have you been listening to the first fall fund-raising drive for the newly combined classical music WGUC-Fm and new & info WVXU-FM? They're certainly sticking to the printed script, reading the pledge pitches word for word on the new VXU. It's not as much fun or as spontaneous as the old Xavier days under Doc King -- but there's not as much guilt and goofiness. Certainly no personality. But maybe this approach will work. It's just so different.

Ruth who?
Most of you probably don't know who Ruth Lyons is -- but if you've had a kid in any area hospital, the child has been given a toy from the Ruth Lyons' Children's Fund. And the young patients at Children's Hospital Medical Center have 7 activity centers full of games, crafts and toys from the fund, the Channel 5 charity started by the former TV star. My sons have received toys from the funds during hospital stays, a wonderful legacy from Cincinnati's biggest TV star. (She retired from Ch 5 in 1967, and died in 1988). Soon you'll see billboards wishing her a 100th birthday (Tuesday), to kick off the fund and introduce her to a new generation. It's a neat local charity that supports 30 hospitals in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Nearly 40 years after her retirement, she continues to touch the lives of children today throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. For more info, see my story today posted at:
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051003/LIFE03/510030318/1086/LIFE
On Tuesday, TV clips of Lyons from her "Fifty-Fifty Club" will be posted on Channel 5's website, www.channelcincinnati.com.

Martha Stewart done?
Starting Wednesday, NBC will throw Martha Stewart under the bus. "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" moves to 9 p.m. against ABC's hit "Lost," swapping places with NBC's "E-Ring," the Benjamin Bratt Pentagon drama getting killed by "Lost." The question: With continued low ratings, might this be the only season for Martha's "Apprentice?"

To boost ratings for NBC's

Martha