If you can’t be in the Bryce Jordan Center to experience the Penn State Dance Marathon this weekend, 46 LIVE has you covered.
The organization will be conducting a live webcast of the action for the fourth consecutive year -- bringing THON to viewers around the world from Feb. 16-18.
The webcast starts with the THON Kickoff Show prior to the dancers standing, and will conclude with the final reveal of the total money raised throughout the year for the fight against childhood cancer.
“I remember that first time I walked into the BJC for THON and felt the energy. It’s really unparalleled,” said senior Matt Schaefer, one of the webcast’s executive producers. “The fact that we can bring a fraction of that to people around the world is incredible.”
Before THON gets underway, here are 10 things to know about 46 LIVE:
1. You can watch live here: thon.org/livestream
2. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 with the THON Kickoff Show. Dancers will stand at 6 p.m.
3. Nearly 60 students are involved in the production.
4. The group totaled about 400 hours of preparation.
5. 46 LIVE has about 60 pre-recorded videos ready for the show.
6. Last year, 46 LIVE notched about 207,000 total views for a total of almost 5 million viewership minutes. The webcast reached 128 countries, including every continent except Antarctica.
7. There will be three cameras at the event, including one in the bowl and two on the floor.
8. You can follow the action at @FortySixLIVE on Twitter and facebook.com/46LIVE on Facebook.
9. There are 20 hosts for the webcast, and each will be on air for shifts of between four and six hours.
10. The three executive producers are seniors Goldie Robins (film-video major from Philadelphia), Matt Schaefer (journalism major from Wilmington, North Carolina) and Analisa Seader (journalism major from Perkasie, Pennsylvania).
Support from faculty and staff in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, as well as WPSU, have been integral to the success of 46 LIVE, which continues a tradition of communications students producing the webcast. The organization’s adviser, Catie Grant, is a faculty member in the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies. THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.