Week of March 15, 1981

After 13 days of terror, three Pakistani

hijackers surrender to Syrian authorities and

release an estimated 102 hostages - the

victims of the longest such aircraft

kidnapping in history (so far).

In Chicago - a fire in a four-story residential

hotel for transients kills 19 - with many

trapped in their rooms.

The State Department links the Soviet Union with the hijacking of a Pakistani

airliner, accusing the Russians of prolonging the incident and acting in complicity

with the Pakistanis who seized the plane.

Cutting $2.3 billion more than President Reagan had proposed, the Senate

Budget Committee approves a $36.4 billion spending reduction blueprint for the

next fiscal year - the largest cutback in federal spending in U.S. history (so far).

Cape Canaveral - A worker is killed and a second critically inured after they

blunder into a nitrogen-filled engine compartment of the space shuttle Columbia

after a rehearsal for next month’s launching.

In Washington - President Reagan

tells an audience of longtime

conservative supporters that “our time

is now, our moment has arrived. He

thanked them for helping him win “a

victory for a set of principles” that can

change the balance of government.

A fund-raising drive by a group called

the “Coalition for a New Beginning” is

killed by the White House. The tax-exempt group was created in Washington

recently to promote his budget and tax cut plans. They wanted to solicit $50,000

from corporations to underwrite a closed-circuit television hookup for Regan,

where viewers would be asked for additional contributions to help push the

Administration’s economic program.

The California Supreme Court, citing the right to privacy, rules that the state must

pay for abortions sought by low-income women under the state’s Medi-Cal

program.

Week of March 15, 1981

Passing - Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Eleanor Perry (66), whose credits

include “David and Lisa,” and “diary of a Mad Housewife.”

The Rhode Island Commission of

Human Rights orders the

California-based “Sambo” chain to

change the name of its four Rhode

Island restaurants. The commission

ruled the name, which is found

offensive by some blacks because

of the children’s book “Little Black Sambo,” “is an indirect way of denying public

accommodations to black persons.” (Note: this is the beginning of the end, as all

the restaurants would eventually change).

Jean Harris (57) is sentenced to 15 years

to life in prison for the love-triangle slaying

of Scarsdale diet author Herman Tarnower,

the millionaire bachelor who jilted her for a

younger woman.

Business - Chase Manhattan and First

National Bank of Chicago announce they

are going cut their prime-lending rate back

to 17 ½ % from 18%.

Sports - George Steinbrenner meets with

Reggie Jackson to resolve some

differences. A new contract for Jackson is

pending.

John McEnroe signs a five-year contract with the British Dunlop

company. He’ll use the Maxply Fort racket under the agreement,

worth $2.5 million.

TWA says it is slashing most fares up to 70% during a five-week period

April 20 through May 31.

Week of March 15, 1981

Interviewed in the current issue of Ladies’ Home

Journal - Joan Kennedy says she has found a new

sense of self-esteem and calls herself “one of the most

fascinating women in this country.” Her remarks were

made just before she and her husband, Sen. Edward

Kennedy announced they were divorcing. “I have

talent; I know I’m smart, I got straight A’s in graduate

school. I’ve still got my looks. There are a lot of women

who don’t have the choices I have. But the most

exciting thing is that I… can be and will be happy,

whatever I choose to do.” Ms. Kennedy said she had

never been in love with anyone but Ted and that as

late as last year they had never discussed divorce.

Playing in Las Vegas -

Frank Sinatra - Caesars Palace

Wayne Newton - Frontier

Mac Davis, Lonnie Shorr - Hilton

Melissa Manchester, Larry Gatling - Riviera

Flip Wilson, Frank Sinatra Jr. - Sahara

Bobby Vinton - Sands

Hollywood news - Johnny Carson blasts “The National

Enquirer” on his “Tonight Show” after they published an

article predicting he and his third wife, Joanna, were near

divorce. He called the article totally false and called the

author a creep.

The National Enquirer is in court with Carol Burnett on an

article they published in 1976. She’s seeking $10 million in damages.

Television news - The Mayor of Piscataway, NJ is peeved at

“Saturday Night Live” and wants NBC to apologize for a skit

portraying his township as the home of a polluting chemical

industry. The recent skit featured Joe Piscopo playing a slow-

witted Piscataway chemical worker bragging about his home

which is shown as the center of New Jersey’s highway maze

and chemical industry. The skit showed the actor eating a

sandwich at the plant as chemical dust fell onto his food.

Week of March 15, 1981

WSM Inc., parent company of WSM AM/FM/TV and the Grand Ole Opry says it

plans to launch a cable-TV channel. A spokesman says it will consist of musical

programming “country and otherwise,” plus some semi-talk and celebrity

interviews. Target date for launch is about a year and a half. (This will become

The Nashville Network).

It’s announced that Alpha Repertory Television Service (ARTS) a cable TV

channel devoted to cultural fare, will debut April 12. ARTS is a joint venture of

ABC Video Enterprises and Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment Co. The

channel will offer three house of cultural programming nightly beginning at 9pm

Eastern time on cable systems affiliated with Warner’s Nickelodeon children’s

cable channel.

Declining contributions to the Cathedral of Tomorrow in Akron,

causes pay evangelist Rex Humbard to cut his 60-minute

weekly program to 30-minutes.

Week of March 15, 1981

Monday night television -

CBS - The White Shadow, MASH, House Calls, Lou Grant

NBC - Special (Donahue and the Kids), Movie, Tonight Show

ABC - That’s Incredible, Dynasty, Soap

Special - Donahue and the Kids - Phil Donahue talks with kids who have

survived or are in remission from catastrophic illness.

MASH - Hawkeye catches an allergy and Col. Potter

turns the camp inside out to find a cause.

Soap - Jessica, Chester and Mary relive some of their

high school misadventures.

The Tonight Show - Eydie Gorme, Steve Lawrence,

Charlie Callas, Dudley Moore join Johnny Carson

Radio news - Dr. Demento celebrates his 10 th anniversary on station KMET-FM

(Los Angeles this week. Look for interviews with Frank Zappa, Bette Medler, Tom

Waits, George Carlin and others.

Fred Winston can now be heard mornings on

WCFL. He comes from WFYR-FM.

Ruth Meyer - who programmed WMCA New York

to the top station in the nation during its “goodguy”

1960’s era, joins ABC as programming director for

the entertainment Network. She had been v/p for

programming at NBC Radio.

Bree Bushaw, formerly with rocker KPRI-FM

(106.5) moves to crosstown rival KGB-FM (101.5)

- San Diego.

The NBC Source radio network says it had a winner with its

90-minute Grateful Dead special last week. Almost 6.2 million

listeners tuned (part of) the show in.

WABC slowly going talk? The music station is taking steps towards talk

programming with the installation of a sports talk show from 7p-9p. Art Rusk Jr. -

Week of March 15, 1981

hired away from WMCA will do the show. But the station says music is still its

game, even though it’s also added the New York Yankees.

WABC is relying on its new morning team - Ross & Wilson from Z-93 (Atlanta).

And the station just broadcast its first Yankees game this week. Ops director Jay

Clark says the station just instituted call-out music research of 250 calls a week.

The new WABC line-up is Ross & Wilson, Ron Lundy, Johnny Donavan, Dan

Ingram (who succeeds Bob Cruz in afternoon), then into the sports show, then

DJ Sturgis Griffin.

Bob Cruz, who had been working 4 to 8p is leaving to concentrate on his voice

work for ABC-TV (he’s the announcer for 20/20).

Music news - Paul McCartney is now part of “Who’s Who” - the 2,800 page red

book and the last word in British social circles.

Eagles member Don Henley is fined $2,500 and placed on

two years’ probation after pleading no contest to a

misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a

minor back in November. Henley was arrested at his home

near Hollywood after a nude 16-year-old girl was found there

by police.

Eric Clapton is listed in severe but stable condition after

suffering from bleeding ulcers. He just finished a concert in

Madison, WI.

A judge postpones a hearing until April on the alleged mismanagement and

handling of the late Elvis Presley estate at the mutual request of attorneys for the

estate and Presley’s 12-year-old daughter Lisa Marie… Also, bond is set for a

second time for Dr. George Nichopoulos, Elvis’ personal medico, who was re-

indicted by a special Grand Jury. He was initially indicted last year on charges of

“over -prescribing drugs” to some close friends, including Presley.

New music channel for television -

Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment’s

new 24-hour music channel will be in four

to six million homes within the next two

years - so says the company. The new

service debuts August 1 and will be the

first of its kind. The company is calling it

“MTV: The Music Channel” and it should

Week of March 15, 1981

impact record sales. Programmer Robert Pittman says it’s too premature to detail

specific programming for the Music channel, but that numerous negotiations with

record labels and other video music suppliers are underway. Pittman does say

that 80% of the initial programming will consist of videoclips of artists. A video

deejay will appear two or three times an hour to give viewers information on

artists and other pertinent info such as concert dates.

The rest of the programming will consist of music-oriented movies and

documentaries as well as an occasional live concert simulcast. And the audio will

be stereo. Pittman says the channel could later produce its own documentaries

and the like. The Music Channel will be advertiser supported and the cable

operator will charge an extra dollar to his subscriber for attaching a link from a

home television cable hookup to the hi-fi system for stereo sound. A home user

will then adjust his FM receiver to a predetermined dormant position on the dial.

Top Country -

Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground - Willie Nelson

Wandering Eyes - Ronnie McDowell

Texas Women - Hank Williams Jr.

Drifter - Sylvia

Thirty Nine and Holding - Jerry Lee Lewis

Old Flame - Alabama

You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma - David Frizzell &

Shelly West

Guitar Man - Elvis Presley

Top albums this week in 1981 -

Paradise Theatre - Styx

Hi Infidelity - REO Speedwagon

Zenyatta Mondatta - Police

Jazz Singer - Neil Diamond

Captured - Journey

Moving Pictures - Rush

Crimes of Passion - Pat Benatar

Guilty - Barbra Streisand

Autoamerican - Blondie

Back in Black - AC/DC

Greatest Hits - Kenny Rogers

Horizon - Eddie Rabbitt

Hotter Than July - Steve Wonder

Celebrate - Kool & The Gang

Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood

Week of March 15, 1981

Pop music this week in 1981 -

Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon

Crying - Don McLean

Woman - John Lennon

9 To 5 - Dolly Parton

Rapture - Blondie

The Winner Takes It All - Abba

What Kind of Fool - Barbara Streisand & Barry Gibb

Hello Again - Neil Diamond

Kiss On My List - Daryl Hall & John

Oates

I Love A Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt

I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It - Stevie

Wonder

A Little In Love - Cliff Richard

While You See A Chance - Steve

Winwood

Precious To Me - Phil Seymour

Just The Two Of Us - Grover

Washington Jr.

Treat Me Right - Pat Benatar

Hearts On Fire - Randy Meisner

Games People Play - Alan Parsons

Don’t Stand So Close To Me -

Police

Fade Away - Bruce Springsteen

Week of March 15, 1981

Some best selling books -

Answer As A Man - Taylor Caldwell

Brain - Robin Cook

The Covenant - James A. Michener

Rage of Angels - Sidney Sheldon

Masquerade - Kit Williams

Cosmos - Carl Sagan

Nice Girls Do - Irene Kassoria

Never-Say-Diet Book - Richard Simmons

You Can Negotiate Anything - Herb Cohen

Wealth and Poverty - George Gilder

William E. Donoghue’s Complete Money Market

Guide