Week of December 15, 1984
The United Nations and Cuba agree on a pact under which Cuba will accept the
repatriation of 2,746 criminals and mental patients who entered the U.S. during
the 1980 Mariel boatlift.
In London - Soviet Politburo member Mikhail S. Gorbachev says that Moscow is
ready to take radical measures toward banning nuclear weapons and a top
Soviet scientist warned of a runaway arms race if the United States continues its
anti-satellite experiments.
Dmitri Ustinov
, Defense Minister and head of the
Soviet military for the past eight years, dies of a heart
attack after surgery to stop eternal bleeding.
FBI arrest a Northrop engineer Thomas Cavanagh on
charges that he tried to sell stealth technology for
concealing bombers from radar to the Soviet Union for
$25,000.
The Commerce Department reports that factory orders
rose 8.3% in November, the steepest monthly climb in
more than for years.
Prince Harry - the-3-month-old son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, is
christened at Windsor Castle in a ceremony snubbed by his aunt, Princess Anne.
Manufacturers Hanover Trust, the nation’s fourth largest bank cuts its prime rate
to 10-3/4%.
Technology
- The FCC votes to increase
residential telephone rates by $1 a month next
June and by another dollar in June 1986. But
those who use their home phones for lone-
distance calls will se a reduction in the cost of out-
of-state calls to help offset the new access charge,
a fee designed to make the user pay for the line
linking the home phone with the various long-
distance networks. Before the breakup of
American Telephone & Telegraph Co, part of the price of long-distance calls
went to support the local lines that connected individual homes and offices with
the nationwide system.
Week of December 15, 1984
The two millionth Apple II personal
computer has rolled off the assembly line at
its Carrollton, Tex. manufacturing plant.
IBM says it has curtailed shipments of its
enhanced versions of its PC AT, because of
continued technical problems with the
machines.
Music news -
A federal grand jury finds CBS Inc. not guilty
of copyright infringement in a $5 million suit
filed by a songwriter over Michael Jackson’s
hit song “The Girl is Mine.” The suit, filed by
Fred Sanford, alleged that a song he had
written, “Please Love Me Now,” was the
basis of the hit song by Jackson and Paul
McCartney. Jackson was not a defendant.
VH-1 - the sister music channel to MTV is read to roll on January 1.
Programming for VH-1is described as falling into the r&b, “soft rock,”
contemporary and country music categories and is designed to attract the 25-
to54 year-old audience. Don Imus and Scott Shannon have been signed as VJ’s.
“We were looking for personalities who could bring a point of view about topical
issues that is relevant to the 25-54 age range,” explains Bob Pittman, executive
vice president of MTV. The new music service will duplicate MTV’s format of
mixing video clips with news and feature stories.
Update - Ted Turner’s Cable Music Channel went off the air Nov. 30 and its
assets will be sold to MTV (boy that was quick). It only operated for 34 days. The
channel promised advertisers it would be available in to 10 million subscribers,
but the actual number was closer to 400,000. The channel originally signed-on
25 charter advertisers before its Oct. 26 debut, and promised them a number
substantially higher than that they got. Turner Broadcast Systems Inc announce
the shutdown shortly after reaching an agreement with MTV Networks Inc that
had MTV purchasing “certain assets” of the cable music channel for $1 million in
cash and a promise for the purchase of $500,000 in advertising on the
company’s surviving channels.
Week of December 15, 1984
Radio news -
Rick Sklar ends his association with ABC
Radio to form Sklar Communications.
ABC calls the move “sudden” and terms it
an early retirement. He already has clients
including the new channel 66 (WDJD-TV)
in Boston, which will play videos 24 hours
a day.
John Lander will remain as PD and
morning man of KKBQ-FM Houston even
though the station is being sold to Gannett
from Harte Hanks.
Entertainment news -
An Appeals Court refuses to free Stacy Keach,
television’s detective Mike Hammer - from a nine-
month jail sentence for cocaine smuggling, despite a
plea that he might never be able to work in television
again. In his Dec. 7 trial, Keach admitted trying to
smuggle 1 ¼ ounces of cocaine past customs officers
at London’s Heathrow Airport last April 3 after flying
into London on a break from filming “Mistral’s
Daughter in France.”
Television news -
CBS is catching some flak for hiring
Phyllis George
for the CBS Morning News. George, will join the
show when it gets a new format and set January 14.
She replaces Diane Sawyer who is moving to “60
Minutes.” Sawyer is seen as a serious newswoman,
but Ms. George has spent the past decade on “The
NFL Today.”
Christmas specials to air this week -
“Perry Como’s Christmas In London” with guest
Ann-Margret.
“A Christmas Dream” with Mr. T and Emmanuel
Lewis.
“Christmas in Washington” - Nell Carter, Donny and Marie Osmond, Hal Linden
and the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club
Week of December 15, 1984
The Gift of Song” - - With Dick Van Patten and his wife Pat, Neil Sedaka, Marilyn
McCoo, Gatlin Brothers.
Saturday night television -
CBS - Movie, Mike Hammer
NBC - Diff’rent Strokes, Double Trouble, Gimme A Break, Spencer, Partners in
Crime, Saturday Night Live
ABC - T.J. Hooker, The Love
Boat, Perry Como’s Christmas
In England
HBO -
Not Necessarily The
News,
The Hitchhiker
Saturday Night Live - Former
cast member Eddie Murphy
hosts with musical guest the
Honeydrippers.
Hot Video Games -
Frogger
Centipede
Pitfall
Mario Brothers
Jungle Hunt
Kangaroo
Tarzan
Star Trek
Billboard’s Top New Pop Artists For 1984 -
Cyndi Lauper
Steve Parry
Rockwell
Wang Chung
Bon Jovi
Corey Hart
Sheila E.
Hoard Jones
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown
Band
Peter Wolf
Week of December 15, 1984
Billboard’s Top Pop Artists For 1984 -
Lionel Richie
Michael Jackson
Culture Club
Prince
Duran Duran
Huey Lewis & The News
Billy Idol
Van Halen
The Police
Billy Joel
Cyndi Lauper
Eurythmics
Pointer Sisters
John Cougar Mellencamp
Night Ranger
Kenny Rogers
The Cars
Motley Crue
Madonna
Quiet Riot
ZZ Top
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Yes
Def Leppard
U2
Elton John
Bruce Springsteen
Tina Turner
Linda Ronstadt
Jeffrey Osbourne
Thompson Twins
Top Album Rock Tracks -
Run to You - Bryan Adams
The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
Do It Again - The Kinks
I Want To Know What Love Is -
Foreigner
Call To The Heart - Giuffria
It’s Only Love - Bryan Adams
We Belong - Pat Benatar
Week of December 15, 1984
Week of December 15, 1984
Top Country This Week -
Why Not Me - The Judds
I Love Only You- Nitty Gritty dirt Band
She’s My Rock - George Jones
The Best Year Of My Life - Eddie Rabbitt
America - Waylon Jennings
Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind? - George
Strait
Nobody Loves Me Like You Do - Anne Murray &
Kenny Loggins
How Blue - Reba McEntyre
All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight -
Hank Williams Jr.
Top Hits In Britain -
Do They Know Its Christmas - Band Aid
Last Christmas - Wham!
The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Like A Virgin - Madonna
We All Stand Together - Paul McCartney & Frog
Chorus
I Should Have Known Better - Jim Diamond
Teardrops - Shakin’ Stevens
Sexcrime - Eurythmics
The Riddle - Nnik Kershaw
Fresh - Kool & The Gang
I Won’t Run Away - Alvin Stardust
Hot Hits This Week -
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Sea of Love - Honeydrippers
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Out of Touch - Hall & Oates
Cool It Now - New Edition
We Belong - Pat Benatar
I feel For You - Chaka Khan
No More Lonely Nights - Paul McCartney
Valotte - Julian Lennon
All I Need - Jack Wagner
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
All Through The Night - Cyndi Lauper
You’re The Inspiration - Chicago
I Can’t Hold Back - Survivor
Week of December 15, 1984
Run to You - Bryan Adams
Penny Lover - Lionel Richie
Hello Again - The Cars
Top Albums This Week -
Purple Rain - Prince & The Revolution
Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
Private Dancer - Tina Turner
Arena - Duran Duran
Like A Virgin - Madonna
The Woman in Red Soundtrack - Stevie
Wonder
17 - Chicago
Volume One - Honeydrippers
Big Bam Boom - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Can’t Slow Down - Lionel Richie
Reckless - Bryan Adams
Sports - Huey Lewis & The News
Tropico - Pat Benatar
She’s So Unusual - Cyndi Lauper
The Unforgettable Fire - U2
Heartbeat City - The Cars
I Feel For You - Chaka Khan
1100 Bel Air Place - Julio Iglesias
Break Out - Pointer Sisters
At the movies -
City Heat
Starman
Protocol
Johnny Dangerously
Beverly Hills Cop
Week of December 15, 1984
Week of December 15, 1984
