Television networks band to fight cancer

On September 5, 2008, the three major television networks will join together with film, sports, and music stars for an unprecedented initiative to help raise money to contribute to research which will, hopefully, put an end to cancer's current status as a leading cause of death. The initiative will be called Stand Up To Cancer.

The networks will donate one hour of commercial-free primetime television to the cause, during which the fundraiser will be held. The initiative was announced by Charles Gibson, Katie Couric, and Brian Williams during live appearances on ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS's "The Early Show," and NBC's "Today Show."

"For people struggling with this disease, or those who will be diagnosed, scientific breakthroughs can be a matter of life or death -- literally. We want everyone to know that they can make a difference in this fight," said Couric. "Television is a notoriously competitive business. For the three major broadcast networks to join forces is a wonderful example of the power of working together, and we're very grateful to have the opportunity to reach people all over the country through this show."

"As a motion picture and television producer, I've learned how incredibly powerful these mediums can be in generating public discourse, sometimes almost overnight. Our goal with this initiative and TV show is to 'tip' the conversation in this country about cancer - to get people riled up, so they want to do something about the fact that it still takes so many lives," said Laura Ziskin, who will produce the September 5th broadcast. Ziskin is a cancer survivor.

"The statistics are staggering," Gibson said. "Cancer claims one person every minute of every day in the United States. Every year in this country, it takes the lives of more than half a million people...worldwide, cancer kills more than six million people annually. There has been progress on both the research and awareness fronts; as a result, there are over ten million cancer survivors in the US today. More work urgently needs to be done so that more people will survive," he said.

"Not only has cancer touched all of our media organizations in profound ways, but it has touched each of us personally. This extraordinary broadcast will serve a number of purposes - we'll share vital information with our viewers and hopefully raise funds that are so critical in the fight against this insidious disease," said Williams.