begathonn.
/ˈbɛɡəθɒn/, U.S. /ˈbɛɡəˌθɑn/ colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.).
A disparaging or dismissive term for: a fundraising event that is considered to be overextravagant or unduly prolonged, typically one broadcast on television or radio.
ΚΠ
1972 Cherokee (Iowa) Daily Times 10 July 2/1 The show ground on..and to even the most vocal Democrat, it became apparent that the effort should have been named a begathon.
1986 N.Y. Times 12 May c15/1 On-the-air subscription campaigns—telethons that are called ‘begathons’ behind the scenes.
1989 Philadelphia Inquirer 20 Sept. e1/2 One by one, the executives from young, upstart companies stepped to the front of the Four Seasons ballroom yesterday and put out their palms in a high-tech, high-finance beg-a-thon.
2003 J. B. Arden America's Meltdown 63 Because of consistent cuts in funds from the Republican-led congress, PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) air more ‘begathons’.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1972