Week of December 14, 1986

President Reagan urges congressional committees investigating the Iran-contra

scandal to grant limited immunity to former national Security Council aides John

Poindexter and Oliver North to obtain their testimony. Meantime White House

Chief of staff Donald Regan is summoned to make an appearance before the

senate Intelligence Committee, which plans to ask him who authorized the

diversion to Nicaraguan rebels of profits from the sale of U.S arms to Iran.

The Soviet Union ends almost seven years of exile for

leading dissident Andrei Sakharov and pardons his wife,

Yelena Bonner, allowing them to return to Moscow from the

closed city of Gorky.

Besieged by reporters in his driveway, Oliver L. North

portrayed himself as an abandoned and persecuted figure,

taking advice just from his attorney and getting comfort only

from his family and the Lord.

Surgeons remove a cancerous tumor from the brain of CIA Director William

Casey. He’s in stable condition ad doing well.

First Lady Nancy Reagan says that her husband feels misled by his former aides

and frustrated over their refusal to tell what they did in the Iran-contras affair.

“Nobody’s happy and jubilant about being deceived,” said the First Lady. “If we

could just get North and Poindexter to talk.” Their testimony, she said, could pull

Reagan out of what she called “a valley” of his presidency.

The Kremlin announces that it will scrap its moratorium on nuclear weapons

testing after the first U.S. explosion in 1987, saying the Soviet Union “cannot

show unilateral restraint indefinitely.”

A federal jury finds former automaker John Z. Delorean not

guilty of charges that he swindled $8.5 million from backers

who bankrolled his failed sports car company in Northern

Ireland.

Business - Denny’s Inc. says it’s spinning off its Winchell’s

donut Houses to the public in order to raise cash.

Consumer process rose a modest .3% in November, with

increases in food and auto costs offsetting slightly lower energy prices.

Week of December 14, 1986

Sports - Joe Montana leads the 49ers to a division title.

Entertainment news -

Griffin O’Neal, son of actor Ryan O’Neal is acquitted of manslaughter but

convicted of a lesser charge by a judge who said he was driving too fast when

his boat hit a tow rope, killing the son of director Francis Ford Coppola.

On “This We With David Brinkley” more on the Iran-contras investigation.

Featured Sen. Daniel Inouye, Sen. Warren Rudman, Rep Dante Fascell and

Rep. Dick Cheney (R-Wyo).

A jury concludes that NBC television defamed Wayne

Newton in 1980 and 1981 broadcasts by linking the

entertainer to organized crime figures and awarded Newton

$19 million.

Radio News - KCBQ-AM/FM San Diego drops country for

class rock and the “Eagle 105” slogan.

Howard Stern, now heard on WXRK and WYSP says he

doesn’t like the term DJ when describing him He prefers

“broadcast comedian.” “I’d like to think that what I do elevates radio - makes it an

exciting medium, a medium that people now talk abut - and that it may elevate

salaries for radio performers and change the thinking on hiring a group show

concept.”

New York Arbitrends - WPLJ bests Z-100 - 5.5-5.1. In LA - KPWR bests KIIS-

FM - 6.9-6.2. Steve Rivers gets program director of KIIS-FM. Andy dean is

elevated to music director of WPLJ, succeeding Lisa Tonacci. Gene Sanbloom is

the hot music director of KIIS-FM.

Television news -

William Shatner hosts “Saturday Night Live” with musical guests Lone Justice.

Steve Bell , co-anchor of the news segments of ABC’s “Good

Morning America” since its premiere in 1975, is leaving. He’s

moving to KYW-TV in Philadelphia as an anchor.

Shelly Long announces she’s leaving “Cheers.” In which she

portrays Diane Chambers opposite Ted Danson. She’s been with

the series since its 1982 beginning and leaving at the end of this

Week of December 14, 1986

TV season.

CBS announces its new mornings - CBS’ new “The Morning Show.” The new

7:30am - 9am weekday entertainment program will be preceded by a new 90-

minute hard news version of the “CBS Morning News.” Mariette Hartley and

former New York news anchor Rolland Smith along with DJ Mark McEwen and

comedian Bob Saget will be part of the action.

Deborah Norville , a co-anchor at NBC-owned WMAQ-TV

Chicago, is named as anchor of the early morning “NBC News

at Sunrise.

Music news - New on MTV - the “Hot Clip of the Week.” MTV

makes the pick then programs it more than 50 times each

week. This week - the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for the Right to

Party.” Also new on MTV - “The Meldrum Tapes” - a monthly

update hosted by Australian music journalist Ian (Molly) Meldrum. Cyndi Lauper

guests the first show - airing this week. More MTV - the channel has just

purchased “The Beatles” cartoon series originally airing on ABC-TV during the

mid-1960’s (see this site).

The first high definition music video is shot. At a cost of $80,000, it's Cameo’s

“Candy.” It uses the Sony HDTV system. The new technology makes possible a

filmlike video look through its 1,125 lines of picture. (Note - this is not a 16:9

aspect ratio of today’s HDTV, but 4:3 - same as regular TV.)

Run-DMC will be starring in a movie called “Tougher than Leather.” The trio

consists of Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniel’s and Jason Mizell.

45rpm singles lost a whipping 28% share of the market during the first six months

of 1986. Lots of it has to do with a move toward CD’s. Some are saying the

cassingle - cassette singles could be a viable alternative.

Monday night television -

CBS - Kate & Allie, My Sister Sam ,

Newhart, The Cavanaughs, Cagney &

Lacey

NBC - Mickey’s Christmas Carol, A Year

in the Life, Tonight Show

ABC - MacGyver, Monday Night Football,

Nightline

Week of December 14, 1986

PBS - Nature, A Candle in the Wind, World of Strange Powers, Faces of Japan

MacGyver - Our star helps a starving actor and his wife outrun homicidal

counterfeiters.

Billboard top (NEW) pop artists for 1986 in order:

Miami Sound Machine

Mike & The Mechanics

The Outfield

Pet Shop Boys

Simply red

Nu Shooz

The Jets

The Dream Academy

Charlie Sexton

GT8

Top pop artists of the year 1986 -

Whitney Houston

Madonna

John Cougar Mellencamp

Sade

ZZ Top

Phil Colins

Heart

Janet Jackson

Miami sound Machine

Mr. Mister

Robert Palmer

Billy Ocean

Dire Straits

Van Halen

The Monkees

Lionel Ritchie

Mike & The Mechanics

Bob Seger &: The Silver Bullet Band

Starship

The Outfield

Bruce Springsteen

Talking Heads

Bangles

Genesis

Week of December 14, 1986

Simple Minds

INXS

Steve Wonder

Wham!

Prince & The Revolution

Billy Joel

Peter Gabriel

Journey

Pet Shop Boys

Run-D.M.C.

New Edition

Barbara Streisand

Bon Jovi

Fabulous Thunderbirds

Simply Red