Every year since 2008, WDW News Today has hosted a charity drive to raise money for the Toys for Tots Foundation. To date, we have raised over $20,000 for this amazing organization with donations through our website and those made during our annual WDWNT Live! program on Thanksgiving weekend. This year, we are taking the event to a whole new level, and we are asking you to be a part of this holiday tradition where we continue Walt Disney’s dream and try to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
Over 60 years ago, Walt Disney became one of the original sponsors of the Toys for Tots foundation, which ensures that every underprivileged child receives a toy during the holiday season. Walt and his animators personally designed the original Toys for Tots train logo that is still used today and the first poster created for Toys for Tots. It was also 60 years ago that Walt’s dream of Disneyland and the Disney Parks began, so…
In this spirit, WDW News Today and our many friends and partners are putting on our first-ever 60-HOUR live broadcast to raise money for Toys for Tots. We hope you will join us beginning at 9AM ET on November 27, 2014 when the broadcast begins and will help us by making a donation to this great cause at toys.WDWNT.com.
We are proud to announce Theme Park Connection once again as the official sponsor of this year’s show and charity drive. As part of their sponsorship, they are accepting cash and/or sealed, brand-new toy donations in-person at their Orlando store location and providing prizes for all of the many games that will be played during the course of the live program.
A portion of our 60-hour broadcast will be conducted live from their store on Friday, November 27th, from 9:00AM until 5:00PM EST. You are invited to watch us broadcast live or even be a part of the show in-person during this period. Theme Park Connection can be visited online at ThemeParkConnection.com or at their physical store location at 2160 Premier Row in Orlando, Florida, near the Florida Mall.
For the first-time-ever, there will also be an in-person portion happening at the Walt Disney World Resort on Saturday, November 28th from 1:00PM-5:00PM at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. This portion of the show will include “Cooking with Nick”, as Nick LoCiciero of WDWNT: The Radio Show tries to convince us that he can make several dishes from the Epcot Food & Wine Festival even better than the Disney chefs can. This event will also include additional surprises, but requires pre-registration to attend. To pre-register, send an email to wdwnewstoday@gmail.com with your name, how many are in your party, and if you or anyone in your party has any food allergies. Of those who email, a select few will e chosen to attend due to the size of the venue. If chosen, you will receive an email by midnight EST on Friday November 27th with the exact location of the event.
Here’s a full schedule of events for the entire 60-hour broadcast:
Friday, November 27th
- 9:00AM-5:00PM: Opening live from Theme Park Connection (Also includes WDWNT: The Pyramid and Disney Don’t Forget the Lyrics)
- 8:00PM: The Jedi, Hero, and Princess Podcast LIVE
- 9:00PM: Special Edition of The Fan-ly Feud (Nerd Alert vs. The Jedi, Hero, and Princess Podcast)
- 10:00PM: the WDW News Today Podcast presents Back to the Future LIVE – The History of the Matterhorn Bobsleds: From the Heights of Disneyland, to the Blue Skies of Epcot and the Magic Kingdom
- 12:00AM: Live audio commentary of the 2014 Christmas Podcast Parade
Saturday, November 28th
- 11:00 AM: Around the Hub LIVE
- 1:00PM-5:00PM: Live portion from Disney’s Old Key West Resort (Includes “Cooking with Nick”)
- 6:00PM: WDWNT’s Nerd Alert LIVE
- 8:00PM-10:00PM: WDWNT: The Radio Show, WDWNT: The Price is Right
- 11:00PM-12:00AM: The See Ya’ Real Late with Tom Corless holiday special
Sunday, November 29th
- 1:30AM: Disney Infinity (Wii U) & Star Wars Battlefront (PS4) Play-Along
- 11:00AM-12:30PM: Destination Vinylmation presents The 2015 DV Awards LIVE
- 1:00-3:00 PM: Trip Planning with Magical Travel
- 3:00PM: Disneyland Talk
- 4:00PM: “Where in the World is Tom Corless?”
- 5:00PM: The Disney Parks Pursuit
- 6:00PM: WDWNT: The Match Game
- 7:00PM-9:00PM – The Big Finish
All other times feature live interactive chat with WDWNT personalities and special guests.
As always, part of this amazing event will be out signature game shows! This year we are bringing out practically every game we have ever played, giving our readers and listeners many chances to win some great prizes from our sponsor Theme Park Connection.
Currently we are taking pre-registration for the contestant spots on many of the games. Here are the rules to apply:
- Send an email to Nick@WDWNT.com with your Name, Address and Phone number with the subject “WDWNT Game Entry”.
- Also include your top 3 choices for the games you wish to play in order of preference.
- Sending an email does not guarantee entry into any game. We will randomly select contestants as needed.
- Must be 18 years of age or older or have parents permission to enter.
- Must be available to play live on the day and time of your chosen game.
- You will be notified by email at least 24 hours prior, letting you know what game you have been selected to play
- We will call you at the number you provided when it is time to play.
- If you prefer to play via skype (voice call only), please provide your Skype username in the email as well.
Games and Times:
- WDWNT: The Price is Right – Saturday, Nov. 28 at 9PM EST
- Where in the World is Tom Corless? – Sunday, Nov. 29 at 4PM EST
- Disney Parks Pursuit – Sunday, Nov. 29 at 5PM EST
- WDWNT: The Match Game – Sunday, Nov. 29 at 6PM EST
- Disney Don’t Forget the Lyrics – (must be in-person at Theme Park Connection on 11/27)
- WDWNT: The Pyramid – (must be in-person at Theme Park Connection on 11/27)
This entire broadcast will be streamed live at listen.WDWNT.com. As well, WDW News Today: On The Air streams through several mobile applications also available at listen.WDWNT.com.
We hope you will join is for this fun show starting on November 27th at 9AM EST and will donate what you can to Toys for Tots through our FirstGiving Fundraiser Page or in-person at the Theme Park Connection store.