Week of March 31, 1997

President Clinton and Israeli Prime

to reach an agreement on how to start the

Middle East peace process. One matter both

leaders agreed on - progress on peace

between the Israelis and the Palestinians will

be impossible unless terrorism comes to an

end.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune wins two Pulitzer Prizes including a gold

medal for public service articles examining threats to the world’s supply of fish.

The Seattle Times also picked-up two. It’s the first Pulitzer ever for the New

Orleans paper.

The Dow plunges 157 points in two days - the largest drop since the Gulf war.

Closing at 6,583.48 - investors got the jitters when the Fed hiked interest rates

last week - the first time in two years.

Disney says next month it’s launching a new pay site for

kids - “Disney’s Daily Blast.” The site will target kids 3 to 12

and include games, stories, news quizzes, comic books and

more. Disney says it will charge $4.95 a month or $39.95 a

year.

The Supreme Court rules that cable television operators

must carry the signals of all TV broadcasters in their area. The cable industry

claimed that its local owners had a free right to pick and choose local stations

under the 1st amendment. The ruling spares educational stations and small

independent stations from being dumped on cable systems. No doubt, owners

and employees of these stations are happy with the ruling.

The FCC approves a plan awarding new licenses to owners of the nation’s

television stations to broadcast digital television. Under the plan, existing stations

will get a second television channel to broadcast their signal in digital form. In

most major cities, those channels will be located on the UHF spectrum. Example:

WCBS-TV (channel 2) in New York will broadcast its digital counterpart on UHF

Channel 56. Some stations in the largest markets should be broadcasting a

digital signal by December of next year.

Week of March 31, 1997

Microsoft says it will acquire Web TV Networks for $425 million.

Web TV enables consumers to access the Internet via a $350

box, which attaches to a television set. The service costs $19.95 a

month. Web TV was founded in 1995 by former Apple Computer

engineer Steve Perlman.

In sports - The Arizona Wildcats defeat Kentucky for the NCAA

basketball championship in Indianapolis.

Walter Cronkite (80) undergoes quadruple heart bypass surgery.

He never suffered a heart attack. Doctors discovered he had

clogged arteries during a regular checkup.

Passing - Jack Kent Cooke (84) - media, sports

mogul. Owned the Washington Redskins, Los

Angeles Lakers.

Passing - poet Allen Ginsberg (70). Described as

much a social force as a literary phenomenon.

Influenced the music of Bob Dylan, who said he

was the greatest influence on the American poetic voice since

Whitman.

Beach Boy Carl Wilson is said to be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation

treatment for brain and lung cancer. Doctors are hopeful he’ll recover in time for

the Beach Boys’ summer tour.

Joan Collins signs on to do another Aaron Spelling series “Pacific Palisades” set

to debut early April on Fox.

David Carridine (Kung Fu) gets his star on the Hollywood walk of fame this week.

VH1 begins to air Michael Jackson’s new

Bestsellers - “The Partner” - John

Grisham, “”3001: The Final Odyssey: -

Arthur C. Clarke, “Total Control” - David

Baldacci, “Sole Survivor” - Dean Koontz,

“Simple Abundance: A Daybook of

Comfort and Joy” - Sarah Ban Breathnach, “Personal History” - Katharine

Week of March 31, 1997

Graham, “Monster: Living Off the Big Screen” - John Gregory, “Angela’s Ashes” -

Frank McCourt

Tuesday Night Television - CBS -

Mysterious Man of the Shrowd, Movie ...

NBC - Mad About You, Something So

Right, Frasier, Caroline, Dateline NBC ...

ABC - Roseanne, Ellen, Home

Improvement, Spin City, The Practice ...

PBS - Nova, Frontline, Imaging America,

Charlie Rose ... FOX - Movie ... UPN -

Moesha, Social Studies, In The House,

In The House.

Mad About You - Jamie wants to quit her job.

Roseanne - the family tries to coax heartbroken Roseanne out of her room.

Moesha - stars singer Brandy.

Spin City - Mike’s former girlfriend wants to bear his child. Michael J. Fox stars

Pop music this week in 1997 -

Can't Nobody Hold Me Down- Puff

Daddy .

Wannabe- Spice Girls

You Were Meant For Me- Jewel

All By Myself- Celine Dion

In My Bed- Dru Hill

Every Time I Close My Eyes-

Babyface

Un-Break My Heart- Toni Braxton

I'll Be- Foxy Brown Featuring Jay-Z

For You I Will- Monica

I Believe I Can Fly- R. Kelly

Every Day Is A Winding Road-

Cheryl Crow

Get It Together- 702

I Want You- Savage Garden

Don't Let Go (Love)- En Vogue

Hard To Say I'm Sorry- Az Yet Featuring Peter Cetera.

Week of March 31, 1997

At the movies -

Donohoe.

Driver Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd

Margaret Colin,

Ruben Blades,

Treat Williams

Elisabeth Shue,

Rade Serbedzija

Yoakam

Olmos

Hardison

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie