The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 49

1 yii-pu Scene and Heard: Does anyone really watch the Super Bowl? 3D. 6DCOMICS SECTION 2DCROSSWORD D. TheTENNESSEAN THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1990 fl Jr Ch. 17's owners tiding to purchase Ch. 30 RICHARD SCHWEID Staff Writer Act III Broadcasting, owners of WZTV-Channel 17, will try to close a deal today to purchase WXMT-Chan-nel 30's entire inventory of programs, according to sources close to the negotiations.

Channel 30's Fox Broadcasting affiliation, responsible for such popular programs as America's Most Wanted, Children and 21 Jump Street, would be moved to Channel 17 if a deal is reached be- tween Atlanta-based Act III and Michael Thompson's MT Cmmunica-tions, owner of WXMT. Other Channel 30 shows expected to make the switch to Channel 17 include the Disney cartoons. Star Trek The Next Generation and War 0 the Worlds. During this past year, WZTV programmed aggressively in the early fringe period, 4-7 p.ra, a crucial one for independents, which count heavily on good ratings among young viewers to sell advertising. WZTV recovered the ratings lead in that critical time period from WXMT, and won handily in a number of others.

Industry insiders began to wonder whether Channel 30 would be able to hold the Fox programming. Officials at Fox Broadcasting's affiliate relations office in Chicago declined to comment yesterday on the status of its affiliation with Channel 30. During the mid-1980s, Nashville seemed like a boom town for independents. From 1984-86, there were three independently programmed television stations Channels 17, 30 and 39. $9 million, and sources said yesterday he would probably be paid about the same price for his programming inventory.

Channel 30 is reportedly planning to begin airing Home Shopping Network for at least 18 hours a day, if its programming is sold to Channel 17. If an agreement is reached tween the two stations, it would be the first time in the five-year existence of Fox Broadcasting that an affiliate change has been made, but Fox has a policy of affiliating with a market's leading independent, and WXMT has not been that Sources said Fox's affiliation with Channel 30 began to unravel when Thompson bought the station. Channel 30 had a contract with Fox stipulating that if it were sold, its affiliation would be reviewed after a year. General managers at both stations refused to comment yesterday on the pending deal, but sources close to the stations said WZTV is prepared to begin airing Channel 30's programming immediately after the deafcloses, and if that happens today, The Ar-senio Hall Show will appear at 10:30 p.m. tonight on Channel 17.

Act in is affiliated with ACT HI Entertainment, owned by television producer Normal Lear (AH in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons). The broadcasting group owns six other television stations, all of which are Fox affiliates, and Bert Ellis, president of Act III Broadcasting has said in the past he would like WZTV to follow suit Ellis was unavailable for comment yesterday. Thompson bought Channel 30 a little over a year ago for a reported $7- Since then, the growth of advertising revenue at local stations has leveled out and most industry observers agree that there is not support in Nashville to maintain two financially healthy independent stations. Dan Maslan, general manager of WKRN-Channel 2, was the general manager of Channel 17 during those boom years. He said is not surprised by the news that Nashville may become a one-independent city.

"Even during that time I didn't think there was enough room for two independents from a financial point of view," he said yesterday. "Obviously, there's less variety to choose from if viewers have one less station to view, but if you look at the ratings book you'll see that not a lot of people were watching Channel 30 anyway." Radio offers tix to Kids concert THOMAS 1 GOLDSMITH 1 's it Another'ffid' Rei Perry Staff Brian McDaniel is the new Kid on the Block (the puppets not the group), thanks to the cooperative effort of the Epilepsy Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Outlook Nashville. The Foundation purchased the puppet for Outlook Nashville to use in school performances of "Kids on the Block," a troupe of disabled and nondisabled puppets. At right, Lee Kronk, program coordinator for the Epilepsy Foundation, performs as Brian, and Judy Bachi operates another puppet at a performance at Grassland Elementary School. Below, Grassland students Jordan Imbs, 10, and Karen Tomlinson, 9, enjoy the performance.

1 RICHARD SCHWEID Ratings fight stirs up competition The sweeps season has arrived, and the important February rating period should bring out the best in local news departments competing to draw viewers let's see what's coming up. WTVF-Channel 5's Focus Five reports, at 10 p.m., deal this week with why Nashville is among the most dangerous cities in America in which to drive. The series, Deadly Crossings, is done by Dan MacDonald. Coming up later in the month will be Shattered Innocence about the increase in sexual offenses against children reported by Tom Gasparoli, to be followed by Vital Signs about heart attacks and their treatment and prevention with Lee Ann Soowal reporting. WSMV-Channel 4 is proving that the station's commitment to its year of Project Earth environmental reporting extends even unto the sweeps.

This week, on the 6 p.m. newscast John Seigenthaler Jr. reports on acid rain and the damage it is causing to Tennessee's environment in Blame It on the Rain. This excellent series will also air in an hour-long documentary at 7 p.m. Friday.

Next week, Al Tompkins weighs in with Earthworfes, an examination of how people are trying to put to use the things we usually throw away. One man, for instance, insulates his house with old newspapers. The third week of the sweeps, Caren Connelly will be doing an investigative series on charitable solicitations. WKRN-Channel 2 is airing Channel 2's Guide to the '90s, and they're airing it all month long on the 6 p.m. news one story for each of the 20 weeknights during the sweeps.

"None of the parts require any previous viewing to understand them, but they all will serve to provide the viewers with a guide to changes they can expect in the next decade," said Bill Lord, Channel 2's news director. The pieces will deal with such issues as family, job, medicine and technology and will be reported by Stuart Watson, Melissa Penry, Julie Kirtz and Art Sasse. Last night's segment for instance, was about the "smart house of the '90s," and all the technology that will be available to homeowners in the near future. WAYLON WITH COWBOYS Fans of Waylon Jennings won't want to miss My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys, airing at 8 p.ra Saturday night on cable's The Nashville Network. "Everybody dreams of being a cowboy, no matter where they're from," says Jennings at the beginning of this hour-long documentary.

To fulfill his dream, and after a lifetime spent singing about the boy life, Jennings joined cowboys on a 10-day cattle drive over 250 square miles of ranchland, rising with them at 4 a.m. and sharing their long, hard workdays. The film is well-shot filled with insights into the life of a cowboy and stirring pictures of the wide-open, beautiful country in which they spend their working lives. The action is punctuated with interviews with cowboys and Jennings' sitting around campf ires and singing his songs with only his acoustic guitar for accompaniment. FOREIGN FILMS Another worthwhile cable offering to viewers this weekend is coming up at 9 p.ra Sunday.

It's the debut of the weekly International Film Festival on TNT, hosted by Roddy McDowell. The series opens with Akira Kurosawa's samurai black comedy, Yojim-bo, starring Toshiro Mifune. In addition to airing some of the best in foreign films, McDowell will have well-known American filmmakers on to discuss the films before and after they air. Already scheduled to appear within the next month on the series, dis- cussing their favorite foreign films are Martin Scorcese and Roger Cor-maa On Feb. 11, Scorcese discusses the relationship between Bcrtrand Ta-verniers Coup de Torchon and his own film, Taxi Driver.

On Feb. 18, Ingmar Bergman's Cries and Whispers will air and Cor-man will discuss it Tomorrow night's New Kids on the Block concert is the most sought-after ticket in town and Nashville radio holds the only hope left for desperate Kids' fans and their parents. Murfreesboro's Murphy Center is officially sold out for the New Kids show, but contemporary-hit station WYHY-FM (107) still has at least a dozen tickets. Rock n' roll WKDF-FM (103) has a only few, but is making the most of them with an "outlandish stunt" competition today for a trip to the concert with morning man Carl P. Mayf ield and his family.

Demand for tickets to see the teen-ybopper band seemingly knows no bounds. "You would not believe it; people have called us left and right hundreds of calls," said Y-107's Scott Baker. "We've had parents calling up here and insisting that their children have won tickets and asking when they can pick them up." One of the several ways to win New Kids tickets from Y-107 has been to call the station after hearing two of the teen group's songs in a row. "Youngsters will call 1 8 times a day wanting to know when the next New Kids song will be played," Baker said. "Our switchboard operator is wanting to quit." Today during Gary Jeff Walker's afternoon show, Y-107 will announce the grand prize in a drawing from among about 20 previous winners of New Kids tickets a pair of backstage passes and a chance to meet New Kids in person.

Also, harried parents will be given a chance today to develop contest fever. "What we're going to do is solicit calls from parents telling us why they need to have one night away from their kids," Baker said. About five sets of tickets will be given away to parents with the best reasons for needing an evening sans children. Tomorrow morning comes the real scream-inducer for New Kids fans the last remaining pair of front-row tickets and backstage passes. "Coyote McCloud will award them on the morning show," Baker said.

"I'm not certain how he's going to do it but I'm sure it will be something totally wild and crazy. It wont be normal." Rockin WKDF-FM (103) doesn't play New Kids on the Block records, but a little matter of format-jumping A good Scout isnt enough to keep Mayfield out of the action. "I love those New Kids," Mayfield said with what seemed, over the tele-phone, to be a straight face. "Actually, I can't walk by my daughter's bedroom without hearing them" Today at noon at 'KDFs Second Avenue South studios, the person who does the most outlandish stunt will come away with tickets to the show and the chance to see it with May-field, his wife, Becky, and daughters Jennifer, 13, and Ashley, 7. "The deal is you and your kids go with Carl and his kids to see the New Kids," Mayfield said.

"Our radio station programs more to the parents than to the New Kids fans." WLAC-FM (106) morning guys Phil Valentine and Terry Hopkins spent yesterday morning broadcasting from inside a dumpster outside the station's Music Circle East studio. The stunt a "show of disgust over the Metro City Council's inability to solve the landfill crisis," drew about 60 people to the dumpster with an offer to trade an 'LAC T-shirt for a sack of garbage. Pillowtalk is hitting the hay, at least temporarily. Dick and CG. Riser say they're looking for a "more amiable home" for their 10 p.m-mid-night musictalkpoetry show after pulling it from WRLT-AMFM because of disagreements with new management there.

Watch out morning-radio stars, David Hartman may be after your job. The former host of ABC-TVs Good Morning America has had pre liminary discussions with radio pow-ers-that-be about starting a nationally syndicated morning show, according to Hollywood Reporter's Rich Brown. Stations could benefit financially by ditching their high-priced morning personalities for a show like Hart-man's, but would suffer from the lack of local color and content Brown's "industry observers" theorize. fx i in i i i mi i. in i u.m .4 pearances plugging the station and its personalities, promotions and music.

"You've got to make a statement and I make a statement" he said. I Turn to PAGE 7D, Column 1 A ft IK i 4r ,4 if uWnini i a David Manning sets his sights on WSIX style, radio empire 1 Sandy Miller, who lives in Franklin, has worked in the office of Dr. OA Couch for 20 years. She's also a busy mother. Interviewed by Max York.

I grew up in Nashville and graduated from Hillsboro in 1967. 1 took my LPN training at Vanderbilt I worked at Vanderbilt a year and a half, in the Coronary Care Unit I enjoyed -that I've been here 20 years. If like a family here. You get to know the patients and you get THOMAS GOLDSMITH Staff Writer In the early '80s, David Manning was selling ads out of a radio station lobby, using the guest telephone. "I wasn't even selling radio spots I was selling direct mail coupons sent out with a big 'KDF logo," WSK-AMFM (98-980) kingpin Manning recalled at the station last week.

"I would sit in the guest lobby and use the phone and, if a guest wanted to use it I had to wait" In the early '90s, Manning, the new chief operating officer of WSLX7. MANNING owners Capstar Communications, is deep in plans to build a national broadcasting empire around the success of WSDC He gets to use whatever phone he wants now, including the car phone in his scarlet Ferrari. His flashy clothes and out-front image have won him the name "Hollywood." "I don't wear button-down collars; my hair might be a tad long," Manning said. "But what I can do is radio. I LlLi hsu general manager David Manning, ngnt, dresses 10 me nines to promote his station in a commercial appearance with morning man Gerry House.

to like them. I enjoy meeting people. I have two children. Allison is 1 1 and Max is seven. I'm a Girl Scout leader.

I will be involved in that at least as long as my daughter is interested. I was a scout until I was a senior. We enjoy sports. My husband, Mitch, and the children1 enjoy going to Vanderbilt football and basketball games. Max plays soccer and basketball.

We've just gotten back from Disneyland. That was fun. My life outside this office is centered around my kids. I enjoy-being a mother. We waited five years to have children.

Now we enjoy them. can get people to work with me in ways that are hard to beat" Among the general public Manning is probably Nashville's best known broadcasting exective. That's because of his repeated television ap- 4.