Week of January 15, 1990

Big trouble in the Soviet Union - At least 25 are dead in the Armenian quarter of

Baku after massive rioting. Leaders from neighboring Armenia warn that it could

mean a civil war.

Armenian-Azerbaijani fighting escalates into open warfare and the Soviet Union

declares a state of emergency.

Washington D.C. mayor Marion Barry is arrested by

FBI agents and local police on charges of purchasing

crack cocaine from undercover operative. Barry has

been dogged by accusations of drug abuse for the past

several years.

Longest criminal trial in history - In California - Ray

Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey are

found not guilty of molesting children at their family-run

McMartin Pre-School near Los Angeles.

Soviet army troops open fire on Azerbaijan militants on the streets of Baku. It’s

the Kremlin’s first use of deadly force against its people since last April.

Peggy McMartin Buckey , acquitted of molestation

charges in the famed McMartin Pre-school case, files a

multi-million-dollar federal lawsuit, alleging that her civil

rights were violated by the county of Los Angeles, the

City of Manhattan Beach (CA) and others.

Mayor Marion Barry, his political career jeopardized by

his cocaine-possession arrest, plans to enter a

substance abuse treatment program.

First Lady Barbara Bush says that women should be

able to service in combat as long as they have the physical strength to match

their ability to shoot and fly as well as men.

Entertainment news -

George Lucas testifies in Canada, saying that the “Jedi” Ewoks characters were

his own ideas - not stolen. That the short furry creatures called Ewoks in the

1983 film “Return of the Jedi” evolved from a script written by him and were

Week of January 15, 1990

designed partially - with the Lucas’ family dog in minds. Lucas has been accused

of stealing the name and concept for the Ewoks from a Calgary writer.

Passing - Barbara Stanwyck (82) - career spanned

some 60 years.

Passing - Candy Jones - model of the 1940’s and

talkshow host with her late husband, Long John Nebel.

Suicide - Onetime child actor Rusty

Hamer, best known for “Make Room For

Daddy.” He was 42… of a self-inflicted

gunshot wound.

Tom Cruise and actress-wife Mimi

Rogers end their nearly three-year marriage.

Sports - In Atlantic City - George Foreman stops Gerry Cooney

in the 2 nd round.

Television news -

Fox TV announces an expansion to 5 nights this fall.

Speaking at a television convention, Geraldo Rivera says he

went to far last year. He won sensationalism attention last

year by having his nose broken in an onstage fracas between

a white supremacist and a black guest. He says he strayed

and wants to steer his show back to more mainstream.

Monday night television -

CBS - Major Dad, Famous Teddy, Murphy Brown, Designing

Women, Newhart, Doctor Doctor, Pat Sajak

NBC - Alf, Hogan Family, Movie, Tonight Show

McGyver, Movie, Nightline

Fox - 21 Jump Street, Alien Nation

PBS - Nature, Eyes on the Prize II Martin

MacGyiver - MacGyver teaches a troubled student the value of an education.

Murphy Brown - Miles’ brother gets together with Murphy.

Pat Sajak - Jerry Lee Lewis guests.

Week of January 15, 1990

Music news - The video for rap artist Public Enemy’s

“Welcome to the Terrordome” is released exclusively with

an instrumental backing track, after lyrics from the single

reignited charges of anti-Semitism against the group.

Leader Chuck D claims that the controversy over the

lyrics “the so-called chosen” and “still they got me like

Jesus,” which some have construed as attacking Jews,

had nothing to do with the decision.

Not getting along - Singer Richard Marx and MTV’s

Adam Curry. They had a spat while Curry was

interviewing him on the channel.

Heavy Metal - Sebastian Bach of Skid Row is getting a lot of attention. He’s

almost a regular on MTV’s “Top 20 Countdown.” Now, MTV is airing footage from

the group’s December 27 Springfield (MA) concert where he was struck by a

bottle hurled from someone in the audience. Enraged, he through the bottle back

into the audience while shouting obscenities, injuring a 17-year-old girl. He was

arrested after the show for assault, battery, and two counts of assault with a

deadly weapon and mayhem.

Queen Latifah debuts her first album - “All

Hail The Queen” which melds rap, reggae, R&B

and house.

RCA’s country division says it will be out of the

vinyl business in a matter of months. Only radio

stations will be serviced promotional 45-rpm

vinyl records and some albums will have limited

vinyl runs - but that will be it.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame 5 th Induction

ceremony - Inductees were The Four Seasons,

Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, Platters, the Who,

Simon & Garfunkel, the Kinks and the Four Tops.

Elton John and Paula Abdul team for a new Diet Coke commercial. Catch it this

week.

Week of January 15, 1990

Baby Bruce - Bruce Springsteen’s girlfriend/back-up singer Patty Scialfa is

expecting. No date has been announced.

Radio news - Syndicated morning show a good idea?

David Hartman, former co-host of “Good Morning America”

is pitching an idea of a national morning radio show. The

plan for the Hartman show dates to last spring when

Satellite Music Network and Hartman formulated a plan to

develop the “best morning TV show on radio.” The project

was shelved after ABC’s acquisition of SMN and has been

on hold during the transitional period. Hartman and his

agent talked to other distributors, but so far, no luck. The

feeling is that radio stations want to keep their local morning

shows due to revenue and ratings. Some exceptions -

Howard Stern is having success on WYSP (Philly) and recently, the ratings at

Washington’s WJFK have come up. Also, the Jim Zippo show on Satellite Music

Network’s Gold channel is extremely high profile and is carried on 200 stations.

(This would be another trend in the 90’s with shows such as Bob and Tom, Mark

and Brian, Howard Stern and many others). Hartman never saw his idea/show

come to fruition.

Ross Wilson re-signs with Z-100, but he caught a lot of kidding after an ad

appeared about his job availability. Wilson says he placed the ad during a period

when his renewal talks with Z100 had stalemated. Rival morning show Gary

Bryan & Linda Energy over at WPLJ made, some light of it as did Howard Stern.

Speaking of Gary Bryan, looks like his syndicated “Hot 30” countdown show is

dead. Bryan, who does mornings at ABC-owned WPLJ, was to have the show

syndicated by rival Westwood One, but ABC won’t allow that.

Turtles Mark Volman & Howard

Kaylan , aka Flo and Eddie are now

doing afternoons at classic rock WXRK.

Top-40 ratings decline - Ratings for

WHTZ (Z-100) are down sharply - 5.7-

4.3 as is WPLJ from a 3.5 to a 3.0. Easy

WPAT is #1 in New York with a 5.1. In Los Angeles - Top-40/dance KPWR is up

to a 6.2 but top-40 KIIS fell 6.4-5.4.

Week of January 15, 1990

In Tampa - the rival between WFLZ and WRBQ (Q 105) is intense. Q-105 has

asked WFLZ to stop distributing “Screw the Q” T-shirts because it used Q-105’s

logo.

Bob Dearborn - a Chicago vet is back in town, this time

on adult standards WJJD.

Top albums this week in 1990 -

… But Seriously - Phil Collins

Girl You Know It’s True - Milli Vanilli

Storm Front - Billy Joel

Forever Your Gil - Paula Abdul

Pump - Aerosmith

Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty

Hangin’ Tough - New Kids On The Block

Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet Jackson

Cosmic Thing - B-52’s

Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind - Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville

Dance!… Ya Know It! - Bobby Brown

Dr. Feelgood - Motley Crue

Steel Wheels - Rolling Stones

Back On The Block - Quincy Jones

Repeat Offender - Richard Marx

Journeyman - Eric Clapton

Heart of Stone - Cher

Slip of the Tongue - Whitesnake

Keep On Movin’ - Soul II Sol

Soul Provider - Michael Bolton

Live - Kenny G.

News Kids On The Block - New Kids On

The Block

Tender Lover - Baby Face

Presto - Rush

As Nasty As They Wanna Be - 2 Live Crew

Trash - Alice Cooper

Crossroads - Tracy Chapman

Hot Hits -

How Am I Supposed To Live Without You - Michael Bolton

Everything - Jody Watley

Another Day In Paradise - Phil Collins

Week of January 15, 1990

Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic

Downtown Train - Rod Stewart

Just Between You And Me - Lou

Gramm

Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson

Love Song - Tesla

Free Fallin’ Tom Petty

When The Night Comes - Joe

Cocker

Swing The Mood - Jive Bunny and

the Mastermixers

Janie’s Got A Gun - Aerosmith

Peace In Our Time - Eddie Money

Don’t Know Much - Linda Ronstadt

and Aaron Neville

Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul

Just Like Jesse James - Cher

This One’s For The Children - New

Kids On The Block

Tender Lover - Babyface

I’ll Be Good To You - Quincy Jones featuring Ray Charles & Chaka Khan

Tell Me Why - Expose

Back To Life - Soul II Soul

Dangerous - Roxette

We Didn’t Start The Fire - Billy Joel

Top Country -

Nobody’s Home - Clint Black

My Arms Stay Open All Night -

Tanya Tucker

It Ain’t Nothin’ - Keith Whitley

Southern Star - Alabama

Statue of a Fool - Rick Van

Shelton

It’s You Again - Skip Ewing

When I Could Come Home To You

- Steve Wariner

That Just About Does It - Vern

Gosdin

Start All Over Again - The Desert Rose Band

Out Of Your Shoes - Lorrie Morgan

Week of January 15, 1990

On Second Thought - Eddie Rabbit

On Man Woman - The Judds

Many A Long A Lonesome Highway - Rodney Crowell

Jazz -

Waiting For Spring - David Benoit

On Fire - Michel Camilo

Music From When Harry Met Sally - Harry

Connick Jr.

My Favourite Songs: The Last Great Concert

- Chet Baker

Mood Indigo - Frank Morgan

Pittsburgh - Ahmad Jamal

The Fabulous Baker Boys - Soundtrack

Contemporary Jazz -

Back on the Block - Quincy Jones

Time Out Of Mind - Grover Washington Jr.

Rich and Poor - Randy Crawford

Live - Kenny G.

Migration - Dave Grusin

Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown - Various Artist

At Last - Lou Rawls

Top Modern Rock -

Love and Anger - Kate Bush

House - Psychedelic Furs

No Myth - Michael Penn

Ouija Board, Ouija Board -

Morrissey

Standing There - The Creatures

Babydoll - Laurie Anderson

Where Do We Go From Heaven -

Mighty Lemon Drops

Roam - B-52’s

Blues From A Gun - The Jesus and

Mary Chain

Cuts You Up - Peter Murphy

Proud To Fall - Ian McCulloch

Don’t Let Me Down Gently - The

Wonder Stuff

Week of January 15, 1990

Top hits in Britain -

Hangin’ Tough - New Kids on The Block

Get A Life - Soul II Soul

When You Come Back to Me - Jason Donovan

Touch Me - 49ers

Do They Know It’s Christmas? - Band Aid II

The Magic Number - De La Soul

Got To Get - Rob N Raz

Lambada - Kaoma

Dear Jessie - Madonna

Children’s videos -

The Land Before Time

Teen Mutant Ninja Turtles: Killer Pizzas

Cinderella

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Frosty the Snowman

Teen Mutant Ninja Turtles: The

Shredder…

Charlotte’s Web

Dumbo

Charlotte’s Webb

Teen Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hot

Rodding…

Top movies this week in 1990 -

Born on the Fourth of July

War of the Roses

Tango & Cash

Always

Little Mermaid

Steel Magnolias

Back to the Future II

Christmas Vacation

Look Who’s talking

Blaze

Harlem Nights

Wizard

Family Business

She-Devil

We’re No Angels