Week of January 15, 1986

A jetliner carrying passengers to Mayan ruins in northern Guatemala crashes and

explodes, killing at least 90. The toll includes 6 Americans.

Austin - Dozens of National Guardsmen,

riot clubs in hand, form a human barricade

to close the Hormel plant there and prevent

violence between meat packers and

workers crossing picket lines.

U.S. intelligence reports say that Philippines

President Ferdinand Marcos, in the midst of

a reelection campaign, is seriously ill with a

cyclical, potentially fatal rare disease

complicated by diabetes.

Philippines - Foreign journalists and

international observer teams will be banned

from the polling places during the special

presidential election scheduled for Feb. 7.

A bust of Dr. Martin Luther Kin Jr., is unveiled by his widow. It will now be part of

the Capitol Rotunda.

The White House says laboratory tests of tissue samples removed from

President Reagan all show no signs of cancer.

President Reagan welcomes the surprise new offer on arms control by Soviet

leader Mikhail Gorbachev on the eve of a new round of arms control

negotiations.

Near Los Angeles - In a surprising development

charges against five the seven defendants in the

McMartin Pre-School molestation case are dropped by

prosecutors, who say they had insufficient evidence to

prove the five guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Only

Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin

Buckey will stand trial.

AIDS update - Federal health officials suggest that the AIDS epidemic may soon

make it necessary for state health departments to maintain lists of those infected

Week of January 15, 1986

with the virus and to force their sexual partners, as is done now with other

sexually transmitted diseases.

The percentage of AIDS cases related to blood transfusions doubled last year to

2 of all cases, the Centers for Disease Control reports. Also, scientists report that

they have identified how the AIDS virus binds itself to cells of the immune

system, a finding that will aid in development of a vaccine.

The Rev. Charles Stanley, head of the 14.3 million-member Southern Baptist

Convention says God created AIDS to show displeasure with America’s

acceptance of the homosexual life style. “It is a sinful life style according to

scripture and I believe that AIDS is God indicating his displeasure and his

attitude toward that form of life style, which we in this country are about to

accept.”

Passing - Herbert W. Armstrong - pioneer radio preacher

who built the Worldwide Church of God out of Pasadena,

CA. He was 93.

Technology - Among the VCR’s sold - only 15% are Betas.

VHS brand names outnumber Beta about 7 to 1. There’s

also HQ VHS and Super Beta and a new 8-millimeter

videotape initially promoted by Kodak.

GTE’s Sprint and United’s US Telecom will merge.

Apple unveils the Mac Plus - with 1 meg of internal memory. The existing

Macintosh, called the Mac 512 - has only 512-kilbye of memory. Mac Plus will

carry a retail price of $2,595.

Music news -

The song “Hands Across America” will make its public

debut during the super Bowl pre-game show on NBC-TV

Jan. 26. It was in October when organizer Ken Kragen

announced his plan to stretch a line of 6 million to 10

million Americans 4,152 miles from New York to Los

Angeles. Kragen believes the May 25 event (6 to 7pm

eastern) will be a reality, even though similar projects

failed in the past. One that comes to mind is the 1976

Bicentennial.

Comic Relief is born - Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and

Harold Ramis - join Home Box Office executives at a Beverly Hills press

Week of January 15, 1986

conference to announce the formation of Comic Relief. The charity is the latest

Hollywood fund-raising effort in the now familiar USA for Africa mode. Comic

Relief’s plans are to distribute all of its proceeds from an upcoming HBO special

to this year’s American homeless.

MTV is challenging findings by Nielsen which indicate a dramatic decline in key

demographic segments of the metered viewer sample for the 24-hour cable

music channel. Unexplained apparent drops of about 20% in the number of 18-

to-24-year-old viewers and 25% in the 12-17 age group as compared to the

second quarter of 1985 are causing an unspecified delay in Nielsen’s publishing

of MTV’s fourth quarter 1985 ratings.

Radio news -

(Power 95) WPLJ is #1 for the first time since the station switched from Album

rock to top-40 hits. The movie knocks urban WRKS and rival WHTZ (Z-100) into

a tie for number two. WNEW-FM the album rock station is up to a 4.1 from a 3.5.

In Los Angeles - Adult contemporary KMGG (Magic 106) becomes Power 106

and is going after KIIS-FM with a funky top 40. Gone is morning man Robert W.

Morgan.

Jay Thomas is “not going to be here anymore,” so says

WXRK New York general manager Tom Chiusano. Jay was

fired January 6. “We decided it just wasn’t working. Birth and

Arbitron showed that,’ said Chiusano. Thomas looks at it

another way - “it’s impossible to know what they want. On the

same day that (afternoon talent) Howard Stern did his

‘Lesbian Dial-A-date,’ I was told I couldn’t say my ‘If you don’t

believe it, stuff it’ bit.” Stern called Thomas and the two

chatted on-air about his departure. In the meantime, Jimmy Fink will handle

mornings at the station. Will Stern move to mornings?

Larry Lujack moves from mornings to afternoon drive at WLS Chicago.

KMET-FM Los Angeles is plugging the use of compact discs, saying they air

more music from CD’s than any other rock station. The

commitment is traced to the station’s conviction that “CD is just on

the edge of really mass acceptance,” which prompted an

investment estimated at $12,000 for CD playback equipment for

the station.

Rick Sklar moves his Sklar Communications consulting firm to 100

Park Ave. Call 212 370-0077 (interesting).

Week of January 15, 1986

Television News -

Passing - Donna Reed (64) … Of pancreatic cancer. One of

the all-time great TV moms.

On CBS this week - George Burns 90 th Birthday Special. It

stars Ann-Margret, Diahann Carroll, Billy Crystal, John

Denver, John Forsythe and many others.

The FCC has told the nation’s cities they cannot outlaw

satellite receiving dishes as a way to promote the growth of cable TV. There

close to 2 million dishes in use, with 40,000 to 60,000 being sold each month.

Owners typically use them watch movies and other programs being transmitted

to cable TV systems without paying a fee to the program service. Congress had

made this legal as long as it is not done for commercial purposes such as

providing entertainment in a bar. But HBO, the largest pay programmer, has

plans to scramble its signal in days. Others say they will follow before year’s end.

Wednesday night television -

CBS - Mary, Foley Square , Crazy Like a Fox, The

Equalizer

NBC - Highway to Heaven, Blacke’s Magic, St.

Elsewhere, Tonight Show

ABC - MacGyver, Dynasty, Hotel

PBS - National Geographic, Martin Luther King:” The

Dream and the drum

Showtime - Honeymooners Lost Episodes. Brothers, Bizaare

MTV - Video Music

MacGyver - MacGyver is injected with deadly serum.

Top Album Rock Tracks -

Kyrie - Mr. Mister

Silent Running - Mike & The Mechanics

Stages - ZZ Top

Talk To Me - Stevie Nicks

Day By Day- The Hooters

Face the Face - Pete Townshend

I Can’t Wait - Stevie Nicks

Give Blood - Pete Townshend

Can’t Stop Rockin’ - ZZ Top

Life In A Northern Town - Dream Academy

Week of January 15, 1986

Strength - The Alarm

Top Country -

Bop - Dan Seals

Never Be You - Roseanne Cash

Just in Case - Forester Sisters

Home Again In My Heart - Nitty Gritty dirt Band

Memories to Burn - Gene Watson

Hurt - Juice Newton

(Back to the) Heartbreak Kid - Restless heart

Makin’ Up for Lost Time - Crystal Gayle and Gary

Morris

Old School - John Conlee

Morning Desire - Kenny Rogers

Top Hits In Britain -

Saving All My Love For You - Whitney Houston

West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys

Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin Stevens

The Sun Always Shines On TV - A-Ha

Hit That Perfect Beat - Bronski Beat

Dress You Up - Madonna

Girlie Girlie - Sophia George

Walking In The Air - Aled Jones

Top Albums -

Heart - Heart

Miami Vice - Soundtrack

The Broadway Album - Barbra

Streisand

Brothers In Arms - Dire straits

Afterburner - ZZ Top

In Square Circle - Stevie Wonder

Knee Deep In The Hoopla -

Starship

Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce

Springsteen

Promise - Sade

Scarecrow - John Cougar

Mellencamp

Welcome to The real World - Mr.

Mister

Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston

Week of January 15, 1986

Songs Form The Big Chair - Tears For Fears

Power Windows - Rush

Once Upon A Time - Simple Minds

Greatest Hits - The Cars

Rock A Little - Stevie Nicks

No Jacket Required - Phil Collins

Reckless - Bryan Adams

White Nights - Soundtrack

Rocky IV - Soundtrack

Rock Me Tonight - Freddie Jackson

So Red The Rose - arcadia

Here’s To Future Days - Thompson Twins

Seven The Hard Way - Pat Benatar

How Could It Be - Eddie Murphy

Who’s Zoomin’ Who - Aretha Franklin

Hot Hits -

That’s What Friends Are for - Dionne & Friends

Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy

Say You, say Me - Lionel Richie

I Miss You - Klymaxx

Alive and Kicking - Simple Minds

Small Town - John Cougar Mellencamp

Talk To Me - Stevie Nicks

Burning Heart - Survivor

Walk of Life - dire straits

Tonight She Comes - The Cars

I’m Your Man - Wham!

Go Home - Stevie Wonder

My Hometown - Bruce Springsteen

Spies Like Us - Paul McCartney

Conga - Miami Sound Machine

Separate Lives - Phil Collins/Marilyn

martin

Goodbye - Night ranger

It’s Only Love - Bryan Adams/Tina

Turner

Broken Wings - Mr. Mister

Sidewalk Talk - Jellybean