Lights.  Camera.  CompuServe
Online Leader Helps Keep MDA Telethon Up And Running

COLUMBUS, Ohio, August 31, 1995 -- When Rita Rudner's act runs too long or
Ed McMahon's speech ends too soon, what will the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day
Telethon do to keep the show on track? How will they keep 200
participating local television stations broadcasting a 21 1/2-hour
national event informed, in sync and on time? They'll connect them online
via CompuServe.

CompuServe, the worlds largest online information service and leading
Internet services company, is providing the network links and
informational support to help the 30th annual Jerry Lewis "Stars Across
America" Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon, run smoothly.

"Considering that the Telethon runs longer in one day than most sitcoms do
throughout a whole season, that is no easy task," said Lee Miller,
Telethon producer. "Throw in the unpredictability of live television,
multiple acts, hundreds of local communities, thousands of volunteers and
millions of viewers across the U.S., and it is a tremendous logistical
challenge just to make the event happen at all."

Online communication using CompuServe will provide rapid, accurate and easy
interaction between his main production studio and the local stations of
the "Love Network," Miller noted. "Anything from a particularly emotional
performer to a glitch with a prop can throw the whole show out of whack
without timely communication to everyone involved. CompuServe is making
that communication more effective than ever before. It will mean a
smoother, slicker production and a better show."

For the second consecutive year, CompuServe members can make donations to
Jerrys Kids and the Muscular Dystrophy Association online (GO MDA) before,
during or after the 1995 Jerry Lewis "Stars Across America" Labor Day
Telethon. Additionally, CompuServe's World Wide Web page
(http://www.compuserve.com/mda) will offer an MDA information and pledge
area. During the 1994 telethon CompuServe members contributed $26,000 to
the MDA, and this year the goal is to double that amount.

Throughout the year, the MDA Forum (GO MDA) provides an information and
support network for those affected by neuromuscular diseases, their
families, friends and physicians, as well as researchers working to find
treatments and cures. More than 80 physicians and researchers have agreed
to participate in the forum's "Ask the Experts" area online, answering
questions posed by forum members. During the telethon, the MDA Forum is an
especially active area, and CompuServe will waive all access charges to
the forum over the Labor Day weekend. In addition, CompuServe members can
obtain updated information regarding the star-studded line up of
celebrities included on the 21 1/2-hour broadcast.

Special backstage celebrity interviews will be conducted the during first
three hours of the telethon by the Entertainment Drive Forum (GO EDRIVE).
Entertainers who may participate include telethon anchor Ed McMahon,
comedians Rita Rudner, Elayne Boosler Norm Crosby and Carrot Top, as well
as Kathleen Sullivan, Jerry Springer, Gordie Brown, members of the dance
group Stomp and more. The telethon will be broadcast from CBS Television
City in Hollywood, Calif., with segments from New York, Chicago and the
Improv in Los Angeles.

The 30th annual Jerry Lewis "Stars Across America" Labor Day Telethon will
air nationally from 9:00 p.m. EDT, Sunday, September 3 through 6:30 p.m.
EDT, Monday, September 4. An estimated 80 million viewers will watch the
telethon in the United States and Canada.

The annual telethon is the MDA's largest single source of support,
contributing more than a third of the organization's annual income. The
organization supports research into more than 40 neuromuscular diseases,
including ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and many MDA-supported research
breakthroughs have important applications to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and
other diseases.

CompuServe Incorporated provides a wide range of products and services for
companies and individuals that want to put interactive technology to work
for them. The CompuServe Information Service continues to be the world's
most successful and most popular online service, with 3.4 million members.
CompuServe's Internet Division is the leading developer of Internet access
applications for the office, home and publishing markets. In addition to
providing online and Internet access from more than 140 countries,
CompuServe Network Services provides value-added network services to more
than 800 companies worldwide.

More information about CompuServe is available from: CIS: 1-800-524-3388
(http://www.compuserve.com ); CompuServe is an H&R Block (NYSE: HRB)
company.
 
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