Week of September 15, 1981

A bipartisan majority of the FCC votes to urge repeal of the so-called “fairness

doctrine,” a 32-year-old requirement that broadcasters must present balanced

views in airing public issues. Broadcasters welcome the FCC actions as

favorable to their rights under the first Amendment.

So far, the stock market hasn’t responded to what the press is calling

“Reaganomics” but the President believes otherwise…

In Denver - President Reagan denounces the

“Chicken Littles" who doubt that is economic

recover plan will work and proclaims it “as good as

money in the bank.”

The President declared there will be no retreat

from his economic program and tells Wall Street to

join Main Street in plunging into “a rising tide of

confidence in the future of America.” “Now I have

listened to those Chicken Littles who proclaim the

sky is falling and those others who recklessly play

on high interest rates for their own narrow political purposes. But this concert

about a plan not even in effect yet is nothing more than false labor.” The

President noted that his tax and budget cuts begin October 1 and predicted wall

Street’s “tune will change” when it sees a real drop in government spending.

Solidarity Day March - A massive

counterattack against the economic

and social policies of the Reagan

Administration is launched in

Washington with a turnout of some

260,000. It’s one of the largest political

demonstrations ever held in the U.S.

Speakers charged that the

Administration is providing benefits to

the rich, but not to the average

worker. The prime sponsor was the

AFL-CIO.

Hundreds amass to shutdown the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in

California - almost a repeat of 1978. The action was to prevent utility PG&E from

conducting low-energy tests of one of the two rectors at the site.

Week of September 15, 1981

Playing in Las Vegas -

Wayne Newton - Aladdin showroom

Paul Anka - Caesars Palace

Tony Orland, Joan Rivers - Riviera

A new supermarket tabloid paper - “Rhapsody Romances” is set to debut

October 6. The idea is unique - sort of romantic short stories.

Sports - George Steinbrenner wants that college kid - John

Elway. You see, Elway has the rest of this month to accept

Steinbrenner’s $75,000 offer to play right field next summer

on the Yankees’ Class A team in the New York -

Pennsylvania League. But there is a big chance the Stanford

baseball and football star, will play football instead.

Television news - Erik Estrada, who sued MGM for $6.25

million and refused to appear for the first day filming of

“ChiPS” last month, returns to work. Looks like Bruce Jenner will remain with the

show, for now. Can the show handle three main characters?

Gary Coleman of the NBC comedy series “Diff’rent Strokes” is being sued for $1

million by tandem Productions, which claims the 13-year-old actor’s

representatives have informed the company he will not report to work this week.

Tandem says he’s in breach of contract. Coleman received $25,000 per episode

last season and is due to get another $5,000 per episode this season

NBC-TV, which has been running third in the network news race, bolts to first

place for the first time in three years, CBS (with Dan Rather) finished third for the

first time ever.

Retired CBS News commentator Eric Sevareid will be appearing regularly on the

expanded CBS News Morning with Charles Kuralt and Diane Sawyer.

Jayne Kennedy pulls the plug on the syndicated

“The Jayne Kennedy NFL Report.” 47 stations were

set to air the weekly sports series beginning last

week.

Meantime Phyllis George returns to CBS-TV’s “NFL

Today” at halftime. But there’s a rub. Jimmy “the

Greek” Snyder, who hasn’t said nice things about

Week of September 15, 1981

Genie Francis , the 19-year-old star of “General

Hospital” - the #1 daytime serial, is leaving the show.

Her contract expires in December. “I have done 837

shows in the series and I feel it’s time to do something

else.”

David Brinkley will join ABC as anchorman for the

network’s expanded Sunday morning program “Issues

and Answers” as soon as he is clear of his commitment

to NBC. Brinkley, at NBC for 38 years, had announced

his retirement 2 weeks ago. Recently, Brinkley had

been relegated to an hour-long “NBC Magazine” which, buried in competition,

was at the bottom of the ratings heap.

ESPN is adding “SportsCenter Plus to its sked beginning October 3. Anchors will

be George Grande, Bob Ley and Sharon Smith, all regulars on ESPN’s

“Sportscenter.”

Week of September 15, 1981

Thursday night television -

CBS - Magnum, Nurse, Knot’s Landing, Quincy (reruns)

NBC - Games People Play, Movie, Tonight Show, Tomorrow Show

ABC - NFL Football, Best of the West

PBS - Training dogs the Woodhouse way, Sneak Previews, Homeboys, U.S.

Chronicles

ARTS - “Overture for a Feast” by Shostakovich

USA - Baseball-Cincinnati at San Francisco, Sportsprobe

HBO - Movie-The Cat From Outer Space, Movie-Seems Like Old Times, Inside

the NFL

Games People Play - With Larry Wilcox, John madden and Al McGuire. An 84-

year-old woman climbs Mt Whitney for the 19 th time.

Knot’s Landing - Sid and Karen’s teen-age son is the hero of the hour when he

rescues a young woman from drowning.

Tonight Show - Mel Tillis is the guest.

Music news - The Rolling Stones play the first date of their American tour -

surprise appearance at Sir Morgan’s Cove in Worcester.

Audiophile records for rock fans? - Mobile

Fidelity is releasing a pair of $50 rock vinyl

albums this week. Pink Floyd’s “ Dark Side of

the Moon and Supertramp’s “Crime of the

Century.” The albums are re-mastered at half-

speed and recorded with new technology.

5,000 copies of reach will be pressed.

Beach Boy Mike Love marries fashion model

Catherine Martinez. Ceremony was

Week of September 15, 1981

performed by DJ Wolfman Jack - an ordained minister.

Record labels MCA and Polygram are currently withholding their musical video

productions from the new MTV channel. “Why should we pay $15,000 to $50,000

for a three-minute video and then give it away?” said a spokesperson from

Polygram. “It’s philosophically wrong for anyone to use material we’ve paid for

without compensation.”

Radio news - Ted Turner says he’ll launch an all-

news network for radio stations and will make

Cable News Network II, the recently announced

headline service, available to broadcast TV

stations for excerpted use. Target date for both is

January 1. The radio network will offer a

combination of audio tracks from CNN1 and

CNNII. Says Turner - “No one else is now doing a

24-hour news network for radio.” “We’ll offer portions of CNN II to television

stations.” The idea is to supplement a station’s local news.

Nick Verbitsky, senior v/p of stations for Mutual, Frank Murphy also of Mutual

Broadcasting, Ed Salamon, program director for Mutual’s WHN New York and

Dick Clark form United Stations Inc. to offer full-format, 24-hour country satellite

network service to stations. Clark, although not on-air for the new service, will

continue his duties at Mutual including hosting his weekly countdown show. The

rest will leave Mutual.

Ron O’Brien joins WNBC in New York. He had been with

KFI, Los Angeles.

Chicago radio legends - Art Roberts joins WBCS-FM,

Milwaukee and Ron Riley takes over as ops director of

WCAO-AM and WXYV-FM in Baltimore.

In Philadelphia - WFIL-AM, once a top station with its top-40

music and personalities, changes

format to adult contemporary.

Since the spring of 1980, the Arbitron share of

audience has dropped from a 4.7 to 3.2 to 3.1 and

finally to 2.6 in the latest ratings.

Top hits in Britain -

Prince Charming - Adam & The Ants

Week of September 15, 1981

Tainted Love - Soft Cell

Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart) - Ottawan

Souvenir - Orchestral Maneauvres In The Dark

Wired For Sound - Cliff Richard

Japanese Boy - Aneka

Pretend - Alvin Stardust

Hold On Tight - Electric Light Orchestra

Top Country -

Tight Fittin Jeans - Conway Twitty

Midnight Hauler/Scratch My Back - Razzy Bailey

Party Time - T.G. Shepard

Takin It Easy - Lacy J. Dalton

Step By Step - Eddie Rabbit

It Don’t Hurt Me Half As Bad - Ray Price

I’ll Need Someone to Hold Me When I Cry - Janie Frickie

Today All Over Again - Reba McIntire

Pop music this week in 1981 -

Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Ritchie

Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around -

Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty

Urgent - Foreigner

No Getting’ Over Me - Ronnie

Milsap

Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton

Arthur’s Theme - Christopher

Cross

Lady You Bring Me Up -

Commodores

Start Me Up - Rolling Stones

Step By Step - Eddie Rabbit

Jessie’s Girl - Rick Springfield

Hold On Tight - E.L.O.

The Voice - Moody Blues

For Your Eyes Only - Sheena

Easton

Slowhand - Pointer Sisters

Top albums -

Tattoo You - Rolling Stones

Pirates - Rickie Lee Jones

Week of September 15, 1981

4 - Foreigner

Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks

Pretenders II - Pretenders

Don’t Say No - Billy Squier

Endless Love - Soundtrack

Breakin’ Away - Al Jarreau

Long Distance Voyager - Moody

Blues

Street Songs - Rick James

Working Class Dog - Rick

Springfield

Time - E.L.O.

Hi Infidelity - REO Speedwagon

Pretenders II - Pretenders

Black & White - Pointer Sisters

El Loco - ZZ Top

In the Pocket - Commodores

Nine Tonight - Bob Seger & The

Silver Bullet Band

The Innocent Age - Dan Fogelberg

KooKoo - Debra Harry

Fire of Unknown Origin - Blue Oyster Colt

Give The People What They Want - Kinks

Playing in Discos -

Zulu - The Quick

A Little Bit of Jazz - Nick Striker

Dancin’ the Night Away - Voggue

On the Beat - B.B.Q. Band

Busting Out - Material With Nona Hendryx

Do You Love Me - Patti Austin