Week of December 15, 1988

Reversal - Secretary of State George P. Shultz says

that the United States is now ready for direct talks with

the PLO because Chairman Yasser Arafat has

eliminated earlier ambiguities and reservations from his

renunciation of terrorism and his acknowledgement of

Israel’s right to exist.

President-elect Bush chooses former Texas Sen. John

Tower as his secretary of defense.

President -elect George Bush picks Jack Kemp as his

choice for secretary of housing and urban development. At the same time, Bush

delayed plans for naming additional Cabinet appointees amid mounting

controversy over the abortion views of leading contender for secretary of health

and human services.

A Pan Am 747 bound for New York with

258 on board crashes into a small

Scottish village. The crash in the town of

Lockerbie occurred about an hour after

takeoff from London’s Heathrow Airport.

Breaking several days of silence, Israeli

leader Yitzhak Shamir sharply criticized

Washington’s decision to talk with the

Palestine Liberation organization and

cautioned that the move is straining the

U.S.-Israeli alliance.

Yasser Arafat says that the leaders of the PLO “will do our best” to curb all acts

of Palestinian terrorism and that the political dialogue begun with the United

States will continue.

U.S. Atty. Rudolph Giuliani announces that Drexel Burnham Inc., The fifth largest

firm on Wall Street, has agreed in principle to plead guilty to six felony counts

and pay $650 million in financial penalties to end a two-year investigation of the

firm by federal prosecutors.

It seems that violence by neo-nazi hate groups or skinheads is increasing. The

latest incident took place in Portland, OR.

Week of December 15, 1988

AIDS researchers at UC San Francisco have isolated two types of AIDS-causing

viruses, HIV-1 and HIV-2 from a West African AIDS patient, providing the first

definitive proof that both viruses can infect the same individual.

Federal Express Corp, the overnight package-deliver company says it has

agreed to acquire cargo transport concert Tiger International Inc. for $880 million.

Technology -

Pioneer Electronics has come-up with a digital VCR. The VH-930SD S-VHS hi-fi

VCR features four-head HQ circuitry. The device also includes picture-in-picture

capability, which allows simultaneous viewing of two video sources on the same

screen.

Philips and Sony have reached agreement on a world standard for CD-

Interactive or CD-I format. Philips believes CD-I will be the consumer product of

the ‘90’s. The fourth ‘baby of the CD family - after CD audio, CD video, and CD-

Rom - CD-I makes possible a combination of all three when hooked up to a

television receiver equipped with remote control. More than 40 companies are

already committed to producing software for CD-I including Time-Life Books and

Rand McNally.

Week of December 15, 1988

Sports - In a television first - CBS will get major league baseball, by agreeing to

pay slightly more that $1 billion over 4 seasons, 1990 through 1993.

Entertainment news -

Lavon Muhammad, the ex-legal secretary who calls herself Billie Jean Jackson

and who has claimed to be married to singer Michael Jackson, pleads innocent

to violating a 2-year-old restraining order instructing her to stay away from his

home. She claims she was the inspiration for his hit “Billie Jean” and claims

Jackson fathered her 6-year-old twins.

Passing - Max Robinson, the nation’s first black network

television news anchor dies from AIDS. He was 49.

Passing - Sylvester (40) - the popular soul-rock singer and

remembered as San Francisco’s “Disco Queen.” Of AIDS.

Music news -

Bruce Springsteen and estranged wife Julianne Phillips have agreed on a

division of joint property and have signed papers to make their divorce final in

three months.

R.E.M. has a new album out on a new

label. After years with I.R.S. - they’re

with Warner Brothers with “Green.”

R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck says the

commercial success the band is enjoying

isn’t part of a plan or design: “I don’t

understand what makes a record a hit

enough to understand how to make a

hot. On ‘Green’, a lot of the songs don’t

have traditional hooks and such. They

just go around in circles.”

“Rock rap,” a weekly half-hour show

founded a little more than two years ago,

can be seen on cable outlets in

Manhattan and Long Island. Some of those appearing on the show - Billy Joel,

L.L. Cool J., Cissy Houston, Suzanne Vega, Great White, Lisa Lisa, Howard

Stern, the Ramones, Yoko Ono, The dean Milkman and more.

Week of December 15, 1988

high school this year, will have her

second Atlantic album, “Electric Youth,”

hit stores January 16. She topped the

triple-platinum mark with her debut set,

“Out of the Blue,” which spawned a string

of hit singles including “Only In My

dreams,” Shake Your Love,” ad the

album’s title track. The new album

features all self-penned songs.

Third time is a charm - “New Kids On

The Block” is finally pop - and you can

thank radio, specifically PD Randy Kabrich, program director of WRBQ (Q105)

Tampa. Released in February, their current album, “Hangin’ Tough,” was

languishing for two months at the 35,000 sales with limited airplay on the leadoff

single, “Please Don’t Go Girl,” - limited to just 15-20 black stations. Then Kabrich

began playing it, and the buzz forced other top-40 FM stations to add the record.

With a second single, “The Right Stuff,” out and a sold base established,

Columbia Records hopes to continue to build on the New Kids’ resurrection. The

group had two prior albums, but they did nothing.

CBS Music Video enterprises is set to release on January 10 - what it hopes

could be one of the best-selling music video longforms to date - a 94-minute

Michael Jackson video titled “Moonwalker.” It’ll be priced at $24.95.

But wait - CBS Music Video enterprises is releasing

Bruce Springsteen’s first longform home videocassette as

well - a 100-minute retrospective containing his complete

video clip output during the past 10 years. “Bruce

Springsteen Video Anthology/1978-88” should be out

soon.

“Nick Rocks,” Nickelodeon’s long-running half-hour rock

video request show for kids, is being canceled in January.

But, the channel isn’t dumping videos and is working on a

Sunday morning video show. “Nick rocks” has been

running in its after-school time slot for about five years.

Week of December 15, 1988

Radio news -

Casey Kasem’s new weekend countdown show for Westwood One - “Casey’s

Top 40” begins January 21. When news of Kasem’s decision to leave ABC Radio

Network’s “American Top 40” hit the streets last summer, there was speculation

that the longer he was off the air, the harder it would be regain his audience. But

he has continued to appear weekly as the host of his television countdown

program, “America’s top 10,”

After more than 14 years at the station - WWPR New York Program Director

Larry Berger is resigning to expand his consultancy and consider other

possibilities. Larry took the former WPLJ to the highest ratings of any AOR

station besides KMET-FM during the 1970’s.

Television news -

brought in a 39 share and a 25.1 rating - good

enough for #2 overall.

The Ninth annual Lou Rawls Parade of Stars

raised more than $9.4 million in pledges for the

United Negro College Fund. More than 50 stars

stopped by including Ben Vereen, Aretha

Franklin, Harry Belafonte, Neil Sedaka, Ray

Charles and Bob Hope. The telethon included

taped messages from President Reagan and

Michael Jackson.

MTV is now seen in some 24 countries. The

latest is MTV Japan, but there’s also MTV

Europe, MTV Australia and MTV Internacionale.

Top daytime TV -

General Hospital

Young and the Restless

One Life to Live

All My Children

Days of Our Lives

As The World Turns

The Price is Right 2

The Guiding Light

Bold and the Beautiful

The Price is Right 1

Week of December 15, 1988

Week of December 15, 1988

Top movies this week in 1988 -

Twins

Rain Man

The Naked Gun

Scrooged

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Torch Song Trilogy

Top children’s videos -

Lady and the Tramp

Cinderella

Mickey Commemorative Edition

Sleeping Beauty

Disney Sing Along” Very Merry Christmas Songs

An American Tail

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too

Top Modern Rock -

Charlotte Anne - Julian Cope

Orange Crush - R.E.M.

Angle of Harlem - U2

The Great Commandment - Camouflage

Fisherman’s Blues - The Waterboys

The Killing jar - Siouxsie and the Banshees

I’m an Adult Now - Pursuit of Happiness

Way Behind Me - the Primitives

In Your room - Bangles

When Love Comes to Town - U2

Top Country -

When You Say Nothing At All - Keith Whitley

A Tender Lie - Restless Heart

Hold Me - K.T. Oslin

Week of December 15, 1988

Love Helps Those - Paul Overstreet

Change of Heart - The Judds

Mama Knows - Shenandoah

We Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right - Eddie Rabbit

Long Shot - Bailie and the Boys

She’s Crazy For Leaving - Rodney Crowell

Blue Side of Town - Patty Loveless

My Baby’s Gone - Sawyer Brown

Deeper Than the Holler - Randy Travis

Top Contemporary Jazz -

Festival - Lee Ritenour

Silhouette - Kenny G.

Don’t Try this At Home - Lee

Ritenour

Heart’s Horizon - Al Jarreau

Simple Pleasures - Bobby McFerrin

Close-Up - David Sanborn

Flying Home - Stanley Jordan

If This Bass Could Only talk - Stanley

Clarke

Top hits in Britain -

Mistletoe And Wine - Cliff Richard

Especially For You - Kyle Minogue & Jason Donovan

Suddenly - Angry Anderson

Cat Among the Pigeons/Silent Night - Bros

First Time - Robin Beck

Two Hearts - Phil Collins

Crackers International EP - Erasure

Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

Missing You- - Chris de Burgh

Hot Hits This Week In 1988 -

Look Away - Chicago

Giving You The Best That I got - Anita

Baker

My Prerogative - Bobby Brown

Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison

I Don’t Want Your Love - Duran Duran

Week of December 15, 1988

Waiting For A Star To Fall - Boy Meets Girl

Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N’ Roses

How Can I Fall? - Breathe

Two Hearts - Phil Collins

In Your Room - Bangles

Finish What Ya Started - Van Halen

Walk On Water - Eddie Money

The Promise - When in Rome

Don’t Rush Me - Taylor Dayne

Spy in the House of Love - Was (Was

Not)

I Remember Holding You - Boys Club

Early in the Morning - Robert Palmer

Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

Armageddon It - Def Leppard

Desire - U2

Top Alums This Week In 1988 -

Cocktail - Soundtrack

Rattle and Hum - U2

Giving You The Best That I Got - Anita Baker

Appetite For destruction - Guns N’ Roses

New Jersey - Bon Jovi

Don’t Be Cruel - Bobby Brown

Traveling Wilburys - Traveling

Wilburys

Silhouette - Kenny G.

Open Up And Say… Ahh! - Poison

Green - R.E.M.

Till I Love You - Barbara Streisand

Any Love - Luther Vandross

Faith - George Michael

Long Cold Winter - Cinderfella

American Dream - Crosby, Stills,

Nash & Young

Reach for the Sky - Ratt

No Rest For The Wicked - Ozzy

Osbourne

Kick -INXS

Week of December 15, 1988

OU812 - Van Helen

Shooting Rubberbands At the Stars - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians

…And Justice For All - Metallica

Hold An Old Friend’s Hand - Tiffany

Billboard’s top new pop artists for 1988 -

Guns N’ Roses

Rick Astley

Terrence Trent D’Arby

Taylor Dayne

Tracy Chapman

Pebbles

Keith Swat

White Lion

Breathe

Al B. Sure!

Billboard’s top pop artists of the year -

George Michael

Def Leppard

INXS

Michael Jackson

Debbie Gibson

Guns N’ Roes

Whitney Houston

Richard Marx

Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

Rick Astley

Terrence Trent D’Arby

Steve Winwood

Tiffany

Aerosmith

Poison

Elton John

Belinda Carlisle

Taylor Dayne

Cheap Trick

Tracy Chapman

John Cougar Mellencamp

Week of December 15, 1988

U2

Van Halen

Pebbles

Week of December 15, 1988

Week of December 15, 1988