Week of May 15, 1987

Wholesale inflation spikes up .7% in April. Causes: a weaker dollar and

increases in the cost of food, petroleum and cars.

President Reagan said that it was “my idea to begin with” for U.S officials to raise

money to raise money to support the Nicaraguan contras through such secret

and unorthodox methods as soliciting funds from Saudi Arabia and other foreign

countries.

Fawn Hall (27), former White House secretary who told

prosecutors that she helped Lt. Col. Oliver North shred

documents when the Iran-contra affair was unraveling,

testifies before a special federal grand jury.

More Contra - Congressional investigators reveal that

former White House staff member Oliver North personally

cashed $2.400 worth of traveler’s checks he received from

Nicaraguan contras and spent the money on such items as

groceries and snow tires.

The death toll rises to 37 aboard the Navy ship (frigate) USS Stark, struck by an

Iraqi missile. President Reagan orders other American vessels in the Persian

Gulf to a higher state of alert and warns Iraq and Iran that their planes will be

fired on if there is a hint of hostile intent.

Later, President Reagan portrays Iran, not Iraq, as the chief villain in the missile

attack by an Iraqi jet.

Nicaraguan resistance leader Adolfo Calero tells Senate and House committees

that he gave $90,000 in unsigned traveler’s checks to former White House aid

Oliver North in 1985 - money that congressional investigators say is still largely

unaccounted for.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy says that the

United States is ready to protect Kuwatti oil tankers to upset

Iranian plans to dominate the Persian Gulf region, preserve

free navigation in international waters and avoid what could

be a ruinous surge in oil prices.

Time Inc reaches an agreement to sell Discover, its money-

losing science magazine. New owners will be Family Media.

Sale price is $26 million.

Week of May 15, 1987

Passing - Rita Hayworth ( 68), pin-

up girl of the 1940’s.

Passing - Actor Colin Blakely (May

7). He was 56… of leukemia.

Rev Jerry Falwell tells PTL viewers

that if viewers don’t send $7 million

by the end of the month, he will shut

down the scandal-plagued empire.

“We need the most sacrificial gift you

can send. If we’re going to honor our

creditors, we need to raise at least

that by May 31 and probably $20

million to $25 million over the next 90

days.” Falwell took over the PTL TV

ministry and Christian them park-

resort from disgraced founder Jim

Bakker on March 19.

Television news - Joan Rivers is forced out of her 7-month-old “Late Show

Starring Joan Rivers” on Fox. Carole Bayer Sager will be the first guest host

under Fox’s new revolving host format for the program.

This week on the Phil Donahue show - “Female Impersonators - Who are they?

Why do they do it?

Turner broadcasting’s WTBS commissions a new version of “Our Gang” - the

pilot of a proposed made-for-cable half-hour sitcom. Turner has had the “Our

Gang” rights since it bought the MGM library last year.

MTV promotion - in conjunction with Mel Brooks’ upcoming “Spaceballs,” MTV is

offering a viewer a chance to be a movie mogul. The winner will get 10 days to

schmooze with Hollywood-types about a (MTV 3-minute) movie they’ll produce.

Included are the airfare, rented Beverly

Hills mansion and Porsche.

CNN’s Iran-contra hearing coverage has

its ratings up some 229% over the

channel’s normal audience share.

Week of May 15, 1987

The home shopping race escalates with the latest entry as MCA-TV and Home

Shipping Network announce the “Home Shopping Overnight Service” -

scheduled to begin in September. The announcement follows Lorimar

Telepictures recent announcement it

plans to expand its “ValueTelevision” (VTV) into overnights.

TV Ratings -

Family Ties - 26.8

Cosby Show - 25.5

Dallas - 21.5

Movie- Return of the Six Million Dollar Man -

20.5

Murder, She Wrote - 20.3

Cheers - 20.1

Growing Pains - 20.0

Moonlighting - 19.2

60 Minutes - 18.7

Knots Landing - 18.7

Falcon Crest - 18.6

Movie-Roses Are for the Rich -

18.6

Who’s the Boss? - 18.3

Matlock - 18.3

Hill Street Blues - 18.1

Golden Girls - 17.8

Golden Girls - 17.6

Hands of a Stranger - 17.4

Magnum, PI - 15.8

The Equalizer - 15.7

Valorie - 15.2

Cagney & Lacey - 14.7

Designing Women - 14.7

Me & Mrs. C - 14.5

Movie-Ghost of a Chance -

14.4

Kate & Allie - 14.3

Alf - 14.1

Newhart - 14.1

Head of the Class - 13.6

NBC’s “Hunter” will also be seen on CBS - in reruns late night beginning this fall.

Dial Magazine - public TV’s monthly magazine will cease publication in

September. The 7-year-old publication had 1.3 million subscribers, but it wasn’t

Week of May 15, 1987

enough to meet the rising costs of publishing and distributing the magazine.

Some PBS stations will opt for their own publications.

The cast has been picked for a Star Trek

revival TV series. The new captain of the

Enterprise will be played by Patrick

Stewart - a Shakespearean-trained

British actor. Jonathan Frakes, lately of

steamy soap operas, will portray the

starfleet’s executive officer and second-

in-command. LeVar Burton of “Roots” will

play a blind lieutenant who “sees” by the

use of a prosthetic device worn over his

eyes. Also named - Denise Crosby from

“48 Hours,” and soap actress Cheryl McFadden will play the ship’s doctor.

Sunday night television -

CBS - 60 Minutes, Murder, She wrote, Roses are for the Rich

NBC - Our House, Rags to Riches, Return of the Six Million Dollar Man

ABC - Movie, Movie

PBS - A Planet for the Taking, Masterpiece Theater, The Collection

Fox - 21 Jump Street, Married With Children, Tracey Ullman, Mr. President, Duet

MTV - Andy Warhol’s 15 Minutes, Video music

A&E - Passport, Evening at the Improv, Good Time Café, Goldie Hawn Special

Nick At Nite - Smothers Brothers, Bad News Bears, Donna Reed, Mr. Ed, Movie

21 Jump Street - A teen gang holds students hostage.

Married With Children - Marcy and Steve get stuck babysitting the Bundy kids.

Roses are for the Rich - Stars Lisa Hartman , Bruce Dern,

Jim Younge, Betty Buckley. A young widow plots revenge

on a local mining magnate, who may be responsible for the

mining accident that killed her husband.

Return of the Six Million Dollar Man - Lee Majors and

Lindsay Wagner are back! Steve and Jaime stop radicals

out to take over the country.

ABC Movie #2 “Silkwood” with Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell,

Week of May 15, 1987

Cher.

Music news - David Crosby (45) marries Jan Dance (35)

his longtime girlfriend. Some of those attending- Bonnie

Raitt, Stephen Stills, Joe Walsh, Grace Slick, Roger

McGuinn, Graham Nash and actor Howard Hessman.

Claiming a loss of more than $400,000 in record royalties -

Carole King files suit against former Ode Records president

Lou Adler. Ode records officially dissolved in 1977.

Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” becomes the fastest-selling megahit since

Prince’s “Purple Rain” nearly three years ago. RIAA says the album has sold

some 7 million copies in less than 8 months.

Run-D.M.C. strikes a deal with Adidas

for its own shoe and clothing lines. The

trio is gearing up for their tour with the

Beastie Boys.

John Mellencamp has dropped

“Cougar.”

Beach Boy Brian Wilson has teamed up

with Wall of Voodoo for the group’s

remake of “Do It Again.”

“Nick Rocks” - The Nickelodeon channels

special music show will blend baseball and

rock ‘n’ roll. Some of baseball’s stars will

request their favorite videos. Also seen on

the channel - “The Nick Rocks Dance

Party.” The latest edition was hosted by

Expose and featured clips by the Cover

Girls, Teen Dream and Patrice Rushen.

Wherehouse president/CEO Lou Kwiker says the vinyl album will all but

disappear by 1989 and will account for only 5-7% of the music business.

Week of May 15, 1987

CBS Records reveals that it will begin to copy-code its compact disks in the third

quarter so the CD’s can be read by digital audio tape recorders equipped with

copy-code chips. Other majors are waiting.

Radio news - Gary Owens is teaming up with Al

Lohman for a new morning show over KFI, Los

Angeles. The show will offer all the silliness these

two talents can conjure-up. Both are veterans of LA

radio and both are extremely talented.

More Los Angeles - Former KMET rock DJ’s Jim

Ladd, David Perry and Jack Snyder, fired when the

station changed formats in February, each file

multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the station. All

the staff was let-go on February 6. The station went

jockless, and came back a week later as KTWV (The Wave) - and sequed

music. Ladd got perhaps the biggest short end of the stick. He jumped from rival

KLOS to join rock KMET in January.

Country music will remain on New York radio:

NBC-owned WYNY (97.1) says it will pick-up the

country format when WHN (1050) goes all-sports

July 1. WYNY has nothing to loose. Its last ratings

were a 1.6, worse than WHN with a 2.1. WYNY will

continue to carry Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s

“Sexually Speaking” talk show Sundays 10pm-

midnight.

Top country -

Can’t Stop My Heart

from Loving You - The

O’Kanes

To Know Him Is To Love Him - Emmylou Harris

Julia - Conway Twitty

It Takes A Little Rain - Oak Ridge Boys

I Will Be There - Dan Seals

Girls Ride Horses Too - Judy Rodman

Too Many Rivers - Forrester Sisters

Plain Brown Wrapper - Gary Morris

Week of May 15, 1987

Domestic Life - John Conlee

Til I’m Too Old To Die Young - Moe Bandy

Top hits in Britain -

La Isla Bonita - Madonna

Can’t Be With You Tonight - Judy Boucher

Nothing’s Gonna Stop us Now - Starship

Living In A Box - Living In A Box

Lean On Me - Club Nouveau

The Slightest Touch - Five Star

Sheila Take a Bow - Smiths

If You Let Me Stay - Terence Trent D’Arby

A Boy From Nowhere - Tom Jones

Another Step (Close To You) - Kim Wilde & Junior

Top Black -

Just To See Her - Smokey Robinson

Always - Atlantic Starr

There’s Nothing Better than Love - Luther

Vandross

Back And Forth - Cameo

Happy - Surface

Don’t Disturb This Groove - The System

Go On Without You - Shirley Murdock

I Don’t Want To Lose Your Love - Freddie

Jackson

Pop hits this week in 1987 -

(I Just) Died In Your Arms - Cutting Crew

With Or Without You - U2

Looking For A New Love - Jody Whatley

The Lady In Red - Chris De Burgh

La Isla Bonita - Madonna

Heat of the Night - Bryan Adams

Big Love - Fleetwood Mac

You Keep Me Hangin’ On - Kim

Wilde

Always - Atlantic Starr

Week of May 15, 1987

I Know What I Like - Huey Lewis & The News

Right On Track - Breakfast Club

Talk Dirty To Me - Poison

Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House

Wanted Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi

Top albums this week in 1987 -

Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys

The Joshua Tree - U2

Look what The Cat Dragged In - Poison

Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi

Into The Fire - Bryan Adams

Whitesnake - Whitesnake

The Final Countdown - Europe

Tango In The Night - Fleetwood Mac

Crowded House - Crowded House

Life, Love and Pain - Club Nouveau

Jody Whatley - Jody Whatley

Trio - Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris

Broadcast - Cutting Crew

Control - Janet Jackson

Back in the Highlife - Steve Winwood

Videocassette rentals -

Top Gun

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Stand By Me

The Fly

Legal Eagles

Aliens

Ruthless People

Blue Velvet

Soul Man

Top movies this week in 1987 -

The Secret of My Success - Michael

J. Fox

Creepshow 2

Gardens of Stone

Lethal Weapon