More popular than Jesus Doug Layton, and was immediately incensed, saying, "That does it for me. I am not going to play the Beatles any more". Charles and Layton asked for listeners' views on Lennon's comment and the response was overwhelmingly negative. Charles later stated, "We just felt it was so absurd and sacrilegious that something ought to be done to show them that they can't get away with this sort of thing". Al Benn, who was the bureau manager for United Press International News, heard the WAQY show and immediately filed a news report in New York City, culminating in a major news
An Evening with Champions to make annual appearances. The show was formerly televised each year on PBS, but the broadcast ended in 2001. More recently, it had been televised on the Comcast Network cable channel CN8. Beginning in 2012, EWC launched "Skating with Champions," a fundraising initiative in which fans can fundraise solo or in a team to win an invitation to perform in the show alongside the main cast. The 2010 show of An Evening with Champions celebrated the 40th anniversary of the charity with a special spring show taking place on April 16 and 17, 2010, as opposed to a show in