‘Dino’ to headline KPLE-TV’s fundraiser banquet
Posted On: Saturday, Feb. 9 2008 03:10 AM
By Desiree Johnson
Killeen Daily HeraldIf you’ve never heard of Dino, Catherine Mason thinks you should. “He’s the Christian Liberace,” said Mason, founder of KPLE-TV, a Killeen Christian station. “You don’t want to miss it.”
Dino, whose full name is Dino Kartonakis, has played Carnegie Hall and has a highly popular running show in Branson, Mo. He has been scheduled as the main entertainment at KPLE’s annual fundraiser banquet, scheduled for Feb. 19 at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center..
Kartonakis has been dubbed “America’s Piano Showman,” spreading the gospel at every show he performs. “We’ll even have camera people walking around projecting images of his hands onto big screens at the banquet,” Mason said. “I listen to his CDs nightly for praise and worship. He’s simply amazing.”
More than great entertainment, banquet participants will be helping a great local cause: keeping KPLE on the air.
Each year the banquet hosts anywhere from 600 to 700 people, each helping to raise funds to aid the independently run Christian station. “We have to raise our own money to pay for equipment and the electricity bills,” Mason said. “We couldn’t do it without local help.”
This year, the banquet will be helping the station reach an especially big goal for the upcoming year.
KPLE airs programming from a national Christian station, the Television Broadcasting Network. Recently TBN switched all its programming to digital and in order to continue broadcasting, KPLE must switch to digital as well.
“Production equipment, a transmitter and antenna are already in place, but there’s so much more to do and the switch is going to be expensive,” Mason said. “Plus, switching over will give us a bigger coverage area so more people can see Christian programming.”
Not only will donations help support a Christian station, but Mason says it’s important to support a station that is so locally focused. “The heart of this station is that we are involved in the community,” Mason said. “We are Killeen’s very own Christian station, and that’s something special.”
The banquet is being held at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Reservations are $25 per person and entire tables are available for purchase.
For more information, call (254) 554-3683. For more information on Dino Kartonakis, check out
www.dinoplayspiano.com.
Contact Desiree Johnson at
djohnson@kdhnews.com or call (254) 501-7559.