WSB-AM’s 9th annual Careathon for AFLAC Cancer Center last week raised a record amount: more than $1.3 million. The news/talk station was able to do so despite the economy and lower ratings this summer.

All the local hosts including Scott Slade, Neal Boortz, Herman Cain and Clark Howard (above, right) participated over two days, breaking from regularly scheduled programming by talking with cancer survivors and talking about the center.

“There were times over the 37 hours we were pacing behind past years,” said program director Pete Spriggs. But he said the hosts were able to push their listeners to open their wallets.

Here are the totals over the past five years:

2009: $1.34 million
2008: $1.2 million
2007: $1.24 million
2006: $1.27 million
2005: $1 million
2004: $735,000