Week of August 22, 1986

President Reagan approves measures to tighten its 26-

year-old trade embargo on Cuba. Some of them include

an end to the possibility of Cubans getting U.S. visas in

third countries (usually Panama).

A volcano hits Vaounder, Cameroon and it’s reported at

least 1,200 were killed and hundreds hospitalized.

War on drugs - Over 250 federal and local law

enforcement officials board and search nearly every

vessel that entered New York’s harbor.

The family of Challenger astronaut Ron McNair says they will file suit against the

maker of the solid rocket boosters blamed for the explosion that killed its seven

crew members.

Weekly radio address - President Reagan says that the industrialized world

should follow America’s example and cut tax rates in order to spur sluggish

economic growth. “America won’t be able to grow and prosper indefinitely if the

rest of the world economy is dragging behind,” said the President.

The nation’s trade deficit hit a record $18 billion last month - a blow that could

hold back July-September growth.

Spying - Jerry Whitworth , the former U.S. Navy

communication specialist is sentenced to 365-years in

prison.

A federal grand jury indicts Anita Sanabria Castelo who is

Nancy Reagan’s personal maid and three men on charges

they conspired to illegally export ammunition without a

license.

Soviet officials confirm that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster “caused the deaths of

31 people and sent 203 others to the hospital with acute radiation sickness. It

also forced the evacuation of 135,000 for the disaster zone.

Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred wins $20,000 and a public apology. This after

former California state senator John Schmitz conceded that the feminist lawyer is

“not a slick butch lawyeress” as he described in 1981.

Week of August 22, 1986

Mattel announces a new family of dolls complete with father, a pregnant mom

who gets “un” pregnant, infants and accessories. Look for the “Heart Family New

Arrival” set soon.

For the holidays, Paramount is releasing 20 movies on videotape, including

“Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom” which should retail for $29.95.

Get ready for the new NBC-TV show “Alf” debuting next

month. “ALF” is a puppet, but already the toy and

merchandising marketing machine is in full swing.

Sports -

U.S. Open - Jack McEnroe loses to Paul Annacone.

Former football great Jim Brown is arrested after he allegedly beat up his fiancé

at his Hollywood Hills home.

Radio news - KIIS-FM morning man Rick Dees mailed letters to 300 radio

program directors urging their support in the “fight against the glorification of

drugs on radio.” “I don’t joke on the air about people being high at concerts and

jumping off the roof. That’s not funny,” said Dees.

Surprise - Emmis Broadcasting has changed WAPP (classic rock) to WQHT - a

top-40/hurban hybrid - a format quite similar to sister station KPWR (Power 106)

in Los Angeles. WQHT-FM is at 103.5. No one in the industry guessed this one.

Another legendary top-40 AM station bites the dust as KFRC/San Francisco says

it’s flipping to a Middle of the Road format.

Week of August 22, 1986

Howard Stern’s morning WXRK New York morning show begins to simulcast on

WYSP-FM Philadelphia this week. That puts him in competition with WMMR-FM

morning man John De Bella on that station’s morning zoo. De Bella is #1 in Philly

mornings. This is separate from a new weekend taped show Stern will be

syndicating for weekends. Check out the ads above. Stern made the WYSP

announcement during an appearance on David Letterman’s NBC-TV show

August 5.

More Stern - Howard Stern jumps from a 3.4 to a 5.3 overall, but men - look out!

Stern logged a 9-share with men 18 and older. Rival WNEW-FM dropped from a

5.3 to a 4.4 in the same demographic.

Jeff Mazzei is the new music director at oldies WCBS-FM.

MTV - MTV Networks president and CEO Bob Pittman says

he will leave his post sometime before the middle of next year.

The loss of Pittman and another key executive, programmer

John Sykes (who resigned last month), coupled with MTV’s poor

Nielsen ratings have some believe the channel may be in

trouble.

Separately, MTV says it wants more specific viewer ship demo

information and signs with AGB, which will use the new People

Meter technology to gather ratings info.

Music news -

Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson have a new single - “Count Your

Blessings.” They’ll be going on a three-month tour beginning in September.

Julio Iglesias is in the middle of a 55-city U.S. tour. He

plans to release the follow-up to his English-language

Columbia debut album 1984’s “1100 Bel Air Place” after

his four-month tour ends in late October. Iglesias has

been performing for about 20 years, but is relatively new

to the U.S.

With the drug days behind him, Boy George is back in

the recording studio - this time as a solo artist. He was

just fined $375 by a magistrate’s court in London for

possession of heroin.

Week of August 22, 1986

Entertainment news -

Passing - Beloved TV actor Ted Knight (62) of cancer.

Passing - Popular TV character actor Walter Brooke.

Up and coming - Jim Varney , whose local TV spots in

New York and Chicago with his “Hey Vern”

signature is now becoming a home video star.

His first video (He Vern! It’s My Family Album)

has sold almost 20,000 and a second title is

scheduled to be released. Varney’s character is

called Ernest P. Worrell. The first video is

composed mainly of Varney’s commercials - of

which, he’s appeared in some 2000!

Television news -

“Captain Midnight” (John MacDougall) who briefly jammed the

HBO satellite signal last April, is fined $5,000 and given a year’s

probation. The short interruption caused major concern and the

FCC launched an intensive investigation. MacDougall is the only

person ever known to have taken private control of a commercial

satellite signal. He said he did it to protest HBO’s new scrambling

fees. MacDougal is based out of the Jacksonville (FL) area.

Charlie Rose begins to co-anchor the “CBS Morning News.” He

was an anchor with CBS’ late-night “Nightwatch" newscast.

Robert Wright, A General Electric executive is appointed president and chief

executive office of NBC.

A never-aired pilot for “Star Trek” might be included in Paramount’s 20 th

anniversary celebration of the TV series. Titled “The Cage,” - the program is in

b&w and color. The original color work print of “The Cage” was cut up and large

portions thrown out when the episode was incorporated into “the Menagerie,

another “Star Trek” episode. Only black-and-white “travel copies” of that show

survived, according to Gene Roddenberry. “Star Trek” has some 80 episodes in

reruns (not counting this one) plus three feature films.

Week of August 22, 1986

Sunday night television -

CBS - 60 Minutes, Murder, She Wrote, Movie

NBC - Silver Spoons, Punky Brester, Dalton’s Code of Vengeance, Movie

ABC - Disney: Love Leads The Way, Movie

PBS - Masterpiece Theatre

MTV - Profile of the group Power Station, Young Ones, 120 Minutes

Silver Spoons - Rick has two dates for his birthday celebration.

NBC Movie - “The Verdict” (1962) Paul Newman.

ABC Sunday Night Movie - “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) - Roger Moore as

007.

Top Hits in Britain -

I Want To Wake Up With You - Boris Gardiner

The Lady In Red - Chris DeBurgh

So Macho - Sinitta

Anyone Can Fall In Love - Anita Dobson & Simon May

Orchestra

Camouflage - Stan Ridgway

Ain’t Nothing Goin On But The Rent - Gwen Guthrie

Papa Don’t Preach - Madonna

Find The Time - Five Star

Calling Al The Heroes - It Bites

Shout - LuLu

Hot Rock Album Cuts -

In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel

Missionary Man - Eurythmics

Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The

News

Throwing It All Away - Genesis

Touch The Night - Neil Young

Love Walks In - Van Halen

Higher Love - Steve Winwood

Dreamtime - Daryl Hall

Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money

Fall On Me - R.E.M.

Split Decision - Steve Winwood

Week of August 22, 1986

Top Country -

Desperado Love - Conway Twitty

Strong Heart - T.G. Sheppard

Sometimes A Lady - Eddy Raven

Heartbeat in the Darkness - Don Williams

Little Rock - Reba McEntyre

Got My Heart Set On You - John Conlee

Slow Boat To China - Girls Next Door

Stand A Little Rain- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Country State of Mind - Hank Williams Jr.

A Friend In California - Merle Haggard

At the movies -

Nothing in Common

Extremities

Ruthless People

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Flight of the navigator

Armed and Dangerous

Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2

The Fly

Ton Gun

Reform School Girls

Stand By Me

Born American