The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 18

Tuesday. August 30, 1988 B12 The Pittsburgh Press TELEVISION Few changes expected in WPGH sale Program examines the foster care crisis Robert .4 on Sept 6. The Phantom will be found face down in his dinner, launching a contest to pick the killer from among four famous suspects. "There's no way to deduce the real killer," Greenwald says. "You just have to guess correctly." Four winners will receive a dining tour of Pittsburgh for two.

The murder is more than a publicity stunt it gives Greenwald a chance to redo a format he calls cumbersome. The new format hasn't been set, but restaurant reviews will return to "Evening" in some form. Who knows, even the Phantom could return. Death is never an obstacle on TV. WTAE'S 30TH WTAE-TV will celebrate its 30th anniversary Sept.

14 with a live TV special. The 90-minute show, hosted by Joe DeNardo and Ann Devlin, will start at 9:30 p.m. (Robert Bianco is The Pittsburgh Press TV-Radio editor.) Prospective WPGH-TV owner Michael Finkelstein won't talk about bis possible plans for the station, but, viewers should expect few immediate on-air changes. Finkelstein, who reached an agreement in principle Friday with Lorimar Telepictures to buy WPGH, owns two other independent stations in Miami and Waterbury, Conn. His stations have the same programming strategy as WPGH children's programming in the early afternoon, sitcoms in late afternoon and early evening, and movies in prime time.

"Independent stations that are successful tend to do that," Finkelstein says. Neither Finkelstein nor Alan Bell, Lorimar's executive in charge of WPGH, would comment on an Electronic Media report setting the sale price at $30 million. WPGH station manager Michael Liff has said the agreed price is well in excess of the $21.25 million Lorimar paid to Meredith Corp. in January 1987. cV I sidering a number of broadcast properties.

He bought WPGH because he liked the competitive nature of the Pittsburgh broadcast stations, and he felt the market was reviving and "receptive" to independent stations. MURDERED PHANTOM Talk about your just desserts. The Phantom Diner, restaurant critic for KDKA's "Evening Magazine," is about to eat his last. "Evening" producer Arthur Greenwald says he'll murder the Phantom fictionally, of course Finkelstein also would not comment on WPGH's affiliation with Fox Broadcasting, other than to say he's "aware it's a Fox affiliate." His Waterbury station, WTXX, lobbied hard but unsuccessfully to become the Fox affiliate in the Hartford market. The change in WPGH ownership is conditioned on a signed sale agreement and FCC approval, which Finkelstein says will take "several months at least." Until then, we're unlikely to get any definitive word on possible management changes at the station.

Finkelstein says he had been con By Kathryn Baker Associated Press Kathy, a teenager who feels unloved and unwanted after growing up in a series of foster homes, sums up the problem of foster care more succinctly than an army of experts: "I would tell the people that want to put their kids in foster care that they shouldn't do it, because they shouldn't have brung their kids into the world if they can't take care of 'em." As described in ABC's documentary "Crimes Against Children: Failure of Foster Care," airing tonight at 10, an overburdened bureaucracy is forced to make very delicate choices: Try to keep the family together and risk further neglect, abuse, even the ultimate horror of a child's death. Or break up the family and consign the child to a life of shuffling among foster homes, where abuse is not unknown. ABC previously examined the issue of foster care in 1979's "Nobody's Children." Since then, reports of child abuse have skyrocketed, and there are more unwed mothers and poverty-stricken families putting even more pressure on the system. The documentary, as reported by Rebecca Chase, uses praiseworthy restraint; the stories of abused children, wrecked families and frustrated social workers need no embellishment. Take the story of Jesse, a neglected Houston infant who was placed in a loving foster home but returned to his mother and her new husband an alcoholic with a history of child abuse after they underwent counseling.

Not long afterward, before a social worker could get the obviously battered 2-year-old out of the home, he was admitted to the WTAE eulogy of Rooney a warm portrait By Robert Blanco EYE ON THE NEWS Rebecca Chase Praiseworthy restraint hospital in a coma. Jesse's former foster mother, Sharon Wil-kens, recalled visiting him at the hospital in hopes he could hear her. "We told him that we loved him, and that he hadn't done anything wrong, and that we were very sorry. We thought his new parents were going to be able to love him, too." Jesse never came out of the coma. On the other side are families torn apart by hard times and back together only after years struggling through red tape.

Some foster parents seriously abuse the children they are supposed to care for. One Chicago child was tortured to death by her foster parents after her case was lost in a bureaucratic maze and the couple moved her illegally to North Carolina. There also are stories of social workers strapped by lack of resources, but the documentary concludes with more uplifting stories, most of them based on successful local programs. special outside sometimes made hearing a problem, but it was never more than a minor inconvenience. WPXI's retrospective clip made the most extensive use of old film, including some Rooney home movies.

The clips would have been even more enjoyable had the station identified who was on camera. In other news: We saw much too much Wednesday of Mitch Green, the ex-boxer who got in a street fight with Mike Tyson. He was on WPXI at 5:30 p.m. calling Tyson a "homo and a sissy," and on KDKA at 6 accusing Tyson of kissing another man "on the mouth." Does name-calling really deserve that much attention? I usually like Jenny Ferguson's WPXI reports. But she ended two interviews last week with Eugene Coon on Monday and Kevin Mellott on Wednesday with a hushed stand-up in their office, while they sat in the background pretending to ignore her.

It's not grand-theft auto, but it is an unnecessary bit of stagy artifice. The Pittsburgh Press Some random notes made while watching last week's local newscasts: The news was dominated by the death of Arthur Rooney with all three news divisions presenting special tributes to the Steeler owner. WTAE's newscasts and special were less somber in tone than those done by the other two stations. Watching WTAE was like attending an Irish wake, with friends sitting around telling humorous stories about their departed loved one. It's solely a matter of personal taste, with no reflection on the news judgments exercised by the other two stations, but I preferred the WTAE approach.

The station certainly put together the best retrospective tape on Rooney. While KDKA's and WPXI's tapes skimmed over the bad years of the '50s and '60s, WTAE used a 1964 interview to remind us of Steeler attendance problems (13th out of 14 teams) and the criticisms leveled at Rooney for being too cheap and too willing to lose. The criticism made Rooney's 1964 insistence that "this team will never leave Pittsburgh as long as I have anything to do with it" all the more touching, particularly when compared to the legalized blackmail sports owners indulge in today. WTAE's 10 p.m. special was exhaustive and, at a solid hour without commercial breaks, a bit exhausting.

But it repeated very little material from the newscast and included a wonderful series of interviews by Myron Cope with sports-writers and former Steelers, plus some nice reminiscences from Sally Wiggin and Stan Savran. KDKA's best moment was John Steigerwald's interview with Terry Bradshaw, and I liked Patti Burns' efforts to comfort the guests. Shooting the TONIGHT'S HIGHLIGHTS The Big Easy" (1987) Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin. A homicide detective falls for an assistant district attorney Investigating suspected departmental corruption. (R, 1 40 min.) HBO, 8 p.m.

"Vera Crux" (1954) Gary Cooper, Bud Lancaster. Mercenaries take up sides In the Mexican War. (2 hrs.) TBS, 1h20 p.m. "Hooaiera" (1986) Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper. A former college coach must overcome resentment from an Indiana farming community's residents and his own team when he takes over as head of the high-school's basketball squad.

(PG, 1 54 min.) MAX, 10.30 p.m. TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN A teenage wrestling star overcomes the objections of his girlfriend, coach and father to reach out and help a disadvantaged black family. HBO, 4:30 p.m. U.S. OPEN TENNIS Opening Rounds, from Flushing, N.Y.

(L). USA, 7 p.m. PIRATES BASEBALL Pittsburgh at Cincinnati Reds (L). KDKA, 7:30 p.m. BASEBALL St.

Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves (L). TBS, 7:35 p.m. ANY FRIEND OF NICHOLAS NICKLEBY IS A FRIEND OF MINE A young boy's life is changed when a mysterious man (Fred Gwynne) enters the town proclaiming he's Charles Dickens. DIS, 8 p.m. ASK THE QEX VEE-JAY3 Viewer call-in with vee-jays Thorn Downing and Joe Negri.

WQEX, 9:30 p.m. ABC NEWS SPECIAL "Crimes Against Children." An In-depth look at the current state of the foster care system In the United States, exploring charges that the system Is understaffed and collapsing under the weight of its own caseload. ABC, 10 p.m. SUMMER SHOWCASE Navy officers talk tough to inner-city kids; a man's fight against ocean dumping: women behind bars. Connie Chung is host.

NBC, 10 p.m. P.O.V. "Gates of Heaven" (1978) The proprietors and patrons of a pet cemetery are interviewed in this sometimes humorous examination of American values concerning business, the family and death. WQED, 10 p.m. RADIO ZIHSiII tLIIPSJ a.

Plttsblirgh Pirates CinCjnnatj Reds 9 10 5 News U.S. Open Three Diamonds MASH IWKRPin Cheers I MASH News ABC News Win. Lose I Who's the I Full I Moonlighting ABC News Special News Cheers Nightline H'wood Cincinnati or Draw Boss? House SQuares People's The Wheel ol Tirst Neils NBC Jeopardy! Entertain. Matlock In the Heat ot the Summer Showcase News Best ol Carson Oavid Court Judge Fortune Edition News Tonight Night Letterman "Mister Sesame Street Reading MacNeil Lehrer Business World of Nova Connections P.O.V.: "Gates of Heaven" MacNeil Lehrer Off the air Rogers Rainbow Newshour Report Survival Newshour Motor- Golden Years ol Sesame Street I Mister Doctor East Elizabeth I The QEX News I Business East Ooctof I Oft the air week Television Rogers Who Enders Vee Jays Report Enders Who Bev Hills Brave I Dating Newlywed I Angle Bosom Tari All in the Movie: "Title Shot'' Morton Downey Jr. Hit Squad All in the "Story pj Louis Teens Slarr Game Game Buddies Family fm1 living "Circle Living by B.J.

Way Light- 700 Club Getting Together Ron Who Shall Teach Our Focus on Power Light- Living by House Square the Word Robinson Home music Hembree Children the Issues Conn, music the Word Dennis "Duck Double Brady Dilf'rent Facts ol Family I Facts ot Movie: "lace" Part two. Bel I INN News Love Late Show SCTV Menace Tales Dare Bunch Strokes Life Ties Life Newhart I Conn. Cartoons Gospel Sing Out Aerobics Championship Seren. With the Movie: "Drums in th Deep South" Movie: "The Bandits" Video Bravo Music America Wrestling Singers Angels sPecial I "Ivan Terrible, Parti" Great Detective Golden I Brush Travel World ol Met I Movie: "Day After fte Far I Prime I Comedy Hitler Cent. Age ot TV Strokes Magazine Survival Minister Break Movie: "Forever Amber" I Movie: "Night World" Movie: "Forever Amber" Movie: "Night World" Movie: "Forever Amber" Cont.

I "Hazel ITalher Tone Rifleman I Big Valley Remington Steele I Crazy Like a Fox 1 700 Club Straight Celebrity Remington Steele Paper Chase Knows Ranger Tak lCnels Newsday Newswatch Showbiz I Inside Money- I Crossfire PrimeNews Larry King Live News Money- Sports NewsNight Today Politics line I line 'nP' Legends of World Baseball I Tractor Sports Inside Sports Surfer Classic Summer I Volleyball: Men's Pro I Water Skiing: Nation- Sports Inside Running Class Wrestling Pull Look PGA Tour Center Magazine Beach Tournament al Championships Center PGA Tour Racing Movie: "The Fantastic World of DC. Cover Up Toley Easy Cagney Lacey I Movie: "DouWetske" I Cagney Lacey MacGruder Loud Collins" Square Street You Can I Monkees I NICK I Dennis Finders I Don't Just You Can't Double Room for I Mister Ed My Three I Donna Laugh-In I Car 54 Monkees I Ann Room for Mister Ed Do That Rocks Menace Keepers Sit There Do That Dare Daddy Sons Reed Sothem Daddy TiinT "aTady Leave It Laverne Alice Carol Andy Baseball: St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves Movie: "Vera Cruz" Movie stones Bunch to Beaver Shirley Burnett Griffith Nashville Now New Fandango You Can Crook and Video I Nashville Now New Crook and video I You Can I American Nashville Now Country Be a Star Chase Country Country Chase Country Be a Star Magazine "Chain I Bumper I Dance Party USA Cartoons U.S. Open Tennis: Opening Rounds Riptide Alfred Riptide Edge ol Reaction Stumpers rr1 Hllcnc" Wl9t" Barnaby Jones Hawaii Five-0 T.J. Hooker S100.000 1 Barney Evening I Entertain.

Morton Downey Jr. News Benny Hill Baretta The Pyramid Miller Magazine Tonight Street "Edison I Donald Kidscene I Video- Movie: "The Karate Kid" Any Friend ol Nicho- Movie: "Chidy" Ozzie Movie: 'The GJas Bottom Twins Duck polis lasNickleby Harriel Boat Movie To Climb Movie: "La Bamba" Movie: "Legal Eagles" Movie: "The Big Easy" Tidy Endings Tanner Movie Cent. a Ml. I Li! Movie: "The Glass Bottom I Movie: "Nice Girls Don't Movie: "Superman li" Movie: "Superman IV: The Movie: "Hooslerj" Movie Boat" Cont. Explode" Quest tot Peace" I Movie: "Hot Shot" Caroline I Movie: "The Harlem Globetrotters on I Movie: "Back to School" I Showtime Coast to Coast I Gleason I Movie: "Kam- Gilligan't Island" I Hill Movie: "The Garhaoe Pail Kids Movie" Movie: "Like Normal People" Movie: "Critical Condition" Movie: "Richard Pryw Here and NOW" RODOCOp pirn 3 p.m.

WTAE (1250) Phil Musick: George Rush, author of "Confessions of an Ex-Secret Service Agent." 8 p.m. KDKA (1020) Mike Levine: Matthew Lesko, author of "Government Givaways for Entrepreneurs." 7 p.m. WQED-FM (88.3) San Francisco Symphony: Kurt Masur conducts an all-Beethoven program. 7:15 p.m. KDKA (1020) Pirates Baseball: Pittsburgh vs.

Cincinnati. 10 p.m. WQED-FM (89.3) New York Chamber Music Society: The Emerson String Quartet begins its complete cycle of the Beethoven String Quartets. 11 p.m. KDKA (1020) Mike Pintek: Pollster Tony Casale talks about his search for people who attended Woodstock 20 years ago.

Midnight WDUQ-FM (90.5) Sidran on Record: Willie Ruff is guest. Midnight WMYQ-FM (96.9) Classic Trax: Bob Soger's "Night Moves." Midnight WWKS-FM (106.7) Compact Disc: Rick Astely's "Whenever You Need Somebody." Midnight WDVE-FM (102.5) Flower Hour: Eric Clapton is featured. CABLE MOVIES "La Bamba" (1987) Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales. A fact-based account of Ritchie Valens' (1941-59) rise to rock music stardom. (PG-13, 1 48 min.) HBO, 5 p.m.

"Superman II" (1980) Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder. While saving Paris from a nuclear explosion. Superman unwittingly frees three powerful villains w'io were originally imprisoned by his Kryptonian father. (PG, 2 7 min.) MAX, 8:50 p.m. "Cindy" (1978) Charlaine Woo-dard, Clifton Davis.

World War ll-era Harlem is the setting for this updated version of "Cinderella," which finds its heroine dreaming of attending the lavish Sugar Hill Ball. (1 37 mm.) DIS, 8 p.m. mts TONIGHT'S TELEVISION 63-AEROBICS SHOW Ross Shater talks with convicted murderer Jeffrey McDonald, whose story was profiled in the movie "Fatal Vision." 1230 2 THREE'S COMPANY 4 NIGHTLINE 7,10 DIAMONDS 22 MOVIE "The Story of Louis Pasteur" (1936) Paul Muni, Akim Tamlroff. French scientist Louis Pasteur discovers cures for rabies and anthrax and develops a process for sterilizing raw milk. (2 hrs.) 40 LIGHTMUSIC 63-VIOEO SPECIAL 1230 2-DIAMONDS 4-HOLLYWOOO SQUARES LET-TERM AN Comic Richard Lewis; singer Nancl Griffith.

40 LIVING BY THE WORD 53-tTALIAN NEWS 63-BRAVO (English) 4 HIGH ROLLERS 7, 10 NIGHT STALKER 40 GETTING TOGETHER 53-BIZARRE 63 BRAVO (Spanish) 1:30 2 MOVIE Desire" NEY JR. Issues in psychiatry. 40-WHO SHALL TEACH OUR CHILDREN? 53 BOB NEWHART 63 MOVIE "The Bandits" (1967) Robert Conrad, Jan-Michael Vincent. Run out of town by vigilantes, three rowdy cowboys head for Mexico. (2 hrs.) 10u30 2-NINETOFIVE 16 BUSINESS REPORT 53 INN USA TONIGHT 11:00 2,4,6,7,9,10, 11 NEWS 16 EASTENDERS 22 HIT SQUAD 40-FOCUS ON THE ISSUES 53-LOVE CONNECTION 11:30 2,7,10 U.S.

OPEN TENNIS HIGHLIGHTS 4-CHEERS 6,9,11 BEST OF CARSON Patrick Swayze; A. Whitney Brown. 13-MacNEIL LEHRER NEWS 16DOCTORWHO 22 ALL IN THE FAMILY 40 POWER CONNECTION 53-THE LATE (1982) David Naughton, Marilyn Jones. A Hollywood law student, moonlighting as a coroner's aide, becomes obsessed with solving a series of bizarre murders. (1 20 min.) 6 LATER WITH BOB COSTAS Part one of interview with Larry King.

9 NEWS 11-SUPERIOR COURT 63-JAPAN DIGEST 8 IRONSIDE 9 DR. GENE SCOTT 10 NEWLYWED GAME 11 4100,000 PYRAMID 63 LEARNING JAPANESE 2:30 2 NIGHTWATCH 9 DR. GENE SCOTT 10 DATING GAME 11 NEW8 40 DEAN I MARY 63-BLACK CLOUDS (Pollth) 300 6 FALL GUY 10 NIGHTWATCH 40 100 HUNTLEY STREET 1:30 63 GREAT LOVES (Polish) 4O0 6 MORE REAL PEOPLE 40-KAV ARTHUR I ftOO 4 MOONLIGHTING David's desire to learn about fatherhood leads him to consider hapless Herbert as a Lamaze partner. (Repeat) HEAT OF THE NIGHT A murderous escaped convict and his girlfriend take Althea and a young boy hostage. (Repeat) Conclusion of "Blood and Orchids" Kris Kristofferson, Jane Alexander.

13 CONNECTIONS: AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF CHANGE A look at the evolution of explosives. 930 2 BASEBALL (Cont.) 16 ASK THE QEX VEE-JAYS With Thorn Downing and Joe Negri. 40-RON HEMBREE 1030 4-ABCNEWS SPECIAL "Crimes Against Children" SHOWCASE "Gates of Heaven" 16 NEWS 22-MORTON DOW Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. (Repeat) 16 ELIZABETH After romancing the aging queen, the young Earl of Essex plans to remove her from the throne. 22-MOVIE "Title Shot" (1979) Tony Curtis, Richard Gabourie.

Organized crime elements conspire to murder the heavyweight boxing champion during a title bout. (2 hrs.) 40 GETTING TOGETHER 53 MOVIE Conclusion of "Lace" (1984) Bess Armstrong, Brooke Adams. A young woman goes on a vindictive search for her real mother. (2 hrs.) 63-MOVIE "Drums in the Deep South" (1951)James Craig, Guy Madison. When the Civil War breaks out, good friends at West Point take opposing sides.

(2 hrs.) 6:30 4-FULL HOUSE Jesse's latest girlfriend is strongly attracted to Joey. (Repeat) DRAW 6 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES 7 WHEEL OF FORTUNE 9-CHEERS 11 ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT Jodie Foster. 13-WORLD OF SURVIVAL 16 EASTENDERS 22-ALL IN THE FAMILY 53-FACTS OF LIFE The girls go to Fort Lauderdale for spring break. Part one. 63 DATE WITH THE ANGELS 8:00 4-WHO'STHE BOSS? Without telling her father, Samantha arranges a date with a 15-year-old child prodigy.

(Repeat) Matlock defends a dance instructor accused of murdering his benefactress. (Repeat) 7, 10-SUMMER PLAYHOUSE "Further Adventures," starring David Bowe and John Scott Clough as mismatched, struggling photographers. 13-NOVA Prfcfile of self-taught Closed Captioned (BW)- Black 4 White (L) Live 4:00 2,7,10 OPRAH WINFREY Keeping passion alive in a marriage. (Repeat) 4-M'A'S'H 6 GERALOO Women who are compulsive pleasers. 8 WORLD OF DIS-NEYConclusion of "Flight of the White Stallion" 11-PEOPLES COURT 13 MISTER ROG-ERS NEIGHBORHOOD 16 MOTORWEEK 22 BEVERLY HILLS TEENS 40-THE FLYING HOUSE 53 DENNIS THE MENACE 63 CARTOONS 4:30 4 WKRPIN CINCINNATI 11-THE JUDGE 13-SESAME STREET 16 GOLDEN YEARS OF TELEVISION "The Buccaneers" 22 BRAVESTARR 40 CIRCLE SQUARE 53 OUCKTALES 63 GOSPEL, MUSIC I 5:00 2-OONAHUB Chil dren's allergies.

(Repeat) 4 CHEERS 6 $100,000 PYRAMID 7- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES 9- THREE'S COMPANY 10- SUPERIOR COURT 11- WHEELOF FORTUNE 16 GOLDEN YEARS OF TELEVISION "Mr. and Mrs. North" 22 DATING GAME 40 LIVING BY THE WORD 53-DOUBLE DARE 63-SING OUT AMERICA 5:30 4-M'A'S'H 5- WIN, LOSE OR DRAW 7-JEOPARDY 9, 10-PEOPLE'S COURT 11 FIRST EDITION 13 READING RAINBOW "Keep the Lights Burning;" visit a Maine lighthouse; p-in-the-bottle art. (Sopeat) 16SESAME STREET 22 NEWLYWED GAME 40 BETTY JEAN ROBINSON 53 BRADY BUNCH 6:00 2-NEWS 4,6,7,9,10, 11-NEWS 13 MacNEIL LEHRER NEWS 22-ANGIE 40-THE WAY HOME 53 DIFF'RENT STROKES 63 CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING 6:30 6,9, 11-NBC NEWS 10 CBS NEWS 18 MISTER ROGERS 22-BOSOM BUDDIES 40 LIGHTMUSIC 53-FACTS OF LIFE 7.00 4ABC NEWS 6 PM MAGAZINE TIES 10 LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE 11- JEOPARDY 13 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 16 DOCTOR WHO 22-TAXI 40700 CLUB Soviet spying in the United States. 63-SERENDIPITY SINGERS 7J0 2 PIRATES BASEBALL Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (L) i mi.