News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 53

3 LiffByls Under the Sun Dear Abby 2D Horoscopes Video Views 7D Movies 9D TV Page 12D NEWS-PRESS' FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1987 VIVA LAS VEGAS' 75th ANNIVERSARY MOVIE SCENE Movie critic Marshall Fine says, despite some missteps and clinkers, Norman Mailer's 'Tough Guys Don't Dance is worth seeing9D ABC will salute Las Vegas' 75th anniversary with a two-hour special Nov. 29 that features most of the glitzy cities' best-known headliners. That means aschmaltzfest starring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Don Rickles, Red Buttons, Wayne Newton, Engelbert Humperdinck, Gallagher, Siegfried Roy, Nell Carter and PiaZadora, right. Ah in Vv AT GULFING Cable customers will be scrambling for free channels FRANCES D. WILLIAMS Bell Tower party will ring of '50s and '60s By FRANCES D.WILLIAMS News-Press Staff Writer IME to take the crinolines, bobby socks and saddle shoes out of moth balls and get ready for one of Southwest Florida's biggest '50s and '60s party.

wouldn't be offended," Moss said. "Urgent Notice," the card reads. "Palmer Cablevision will be doing an upgrade of the technology used to bring you cablevision in NFM. In order to accomplish this upgrade, it will be necessary to unscramble channels that are normally scrambled. "Some of these channels may carry R-Rated programming.

If you are concerned about having an R-Rated product in your home during these 14 days, please contact our office before Oct. 14. We will provide you with a lockout device to insure such programming can not be viewed in your home." Fewer than 20 lockout devices were requested by the deadline. tions," he said. "We're just making the system uniform." With the new converters, all Palmer Cablevision customers in North Fort Myers will have the same channel numbers.

Channel numbers now vary in different areas. "All of the premium channels may not be descrambled the entire time," Moss said. "We have sent cards to our customers advising them that the channels could be de-scrambled from Oct. 19 through Nov. 1, but the change-over may not take that long." Moss said customers were also warned that R-rated movies are shown on some of the channels.

"We wanted to warn everyone so they Myers homes. Another 5,000 North Fort Myers subscribers already have the new converters. Palmer Cablevision serves North Fort Myers, south Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Pine Island, Bonita Springs, Naples, Marco Island and other sections of Collier County. But only North Fort Myers subscribers will have access to the free premium channels. All Zenith converters will be replaced, said Bill Moss, vice president of Palmer Cablevision, which is based in Naples.

"We are not adding or deleting any sta Palmer Cablevision subscribers in North Fort Myers may get a lot more than they're paying for beginning Monday, when the cable company's premium channels are de-scrambled and become available to anyone with basic cable. The wavy, discolored lines will disappear from Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, The Movie Channel and the Disney Channel for about two weeks, while Palmer crews change Zenith cable converters in 3,200 North Fort 'A 5 i "LLj il 0 For a quick trip back in time, get in your car Saturday and drive to the Bell Tower south of Fort Myers on U.S. 4 1 and party hardy to some good old tunes. Festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. and last until 12:30 a.m.

in the shopping center courtyard. The Fort Myers Board of Realtors, WRCC FM 1 04, Hooters and the Bell Tower are sponsoring the event with all money earned going to Outreach, a family-oriented independent drug and behavioral treatment program in Fort Myers. It a chance to strut your stuff as host Bob Daley of radio station WRCC who has more than 20,000 hits from past decades in his personal collection spins yesterdays chart busters. It's also a chance to win things like door prizes and prizes for the most Innovative costumes. There will be beer, wine an open bar and lots of food from J.B.

Winberries and the Coffee Exchange for the hungry and thirsty. The grand prizes are a color television and trips for two to Boston and Key Biscayne, which were donated by Sonesta Hotels and American Airlines. Tickets are $5 per person. "This is the third year and it's gotten bigger, better and more fun each year," said Marsha Asp, an organizer of the event. "We had 1 ,500 people attend last year and we expect a lot bigger crowd this year.

It's just such great fun." 20 bands will play on Talk about music. Up to 20 Southwest Florida bands will be showcased at Norma Jean's the hot spot on the heat strip (U.S. 4 1 in Fort Myers on Monday from 8 p.m. until closing. The Boys of Summer, Third Street Exit, Z-Bop, Sub Tropic, Person-L, 505 Band, PM, Neighborhood Watch, Sudden Heat, Formula 1, Tight, Emerson, No Left Turn, Clipse, Untouchables, Slnbad, Rock Pirate and Rough Diamond are expected to hit the stage with their hottest numbers for 20-minutesets.

There is a $3 cover charge with 1 of for flyers, VIP cards or paper handouts advertising the event, if they are presented at the door. Catch the Ink Spots The Ink Spots, a singing group with mild success in the early '50s, are singing to a sold-out crowd at Maple Leaf Estates in Port Charlotte tonight. But don't panic. If you're a Spots fan, you can still see them if you're willing to get up early and get to the Paramount Cafe at the Sheraton Harbor Place in Fort Myers. The Ink Spots will guest on Ross Mulholland's Breakfast Club for WK 1 1 a Punta Gorda-based radio station.

MavOn A I- iS-zr DEDE SMITHNews-Press Erwin Cochran, program director of radio station 3WQ, gets ready to spin another tune in the studio of the Southwest Florida soul station. SW Florida radio station is, Saturday and will air every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. On Sunday, the network will introduce a new show, "Reed's Top 20 Countydown," which will be broadcast every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.. "Our targeted audience is the 29 and older age group, but 'On The Beat' is a show designed to attract the younger set," said Wade Scaf 3WQ's general manager. "On The Beat" will feature rap, hip-hop and current dance tunes.

But it's the old songs by artists like the Supremes, the Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Chuck Berry, and other established Motown greats that are attracting a rapidly expanding listening audience. "The owners felt there was a real void for that kind of music in this area," Cochran said. "That's why we're here and that's what we're doing. Filling that void." See SOUL, page 4D By FRANCES D. WILLIAMS News-Press Staff Writer They call it the "Heart and Soul of Southwest Florida" but its real name is 3WQAM1350.

And it's not a space ship or a robot. It's a Fort Myers-based radio station playing only Motown, soul and gospel. It is also the only station in South west Florida with an urban contemporary format where 75 percent of the music is on the black charts and 30 percent is Top 40 tunes. Erwin Cochran, 22, is program director for the station. "I would have to say on paper the station serves the black community, but we like to think we're serving everyone," Cochran said.

"It's for people who like the Motown sound and that's not limited to color." The 1 station, which broadcasts from dawn to dusk each day, Give kids a charge plays 53 minutes of music each hour via a satellite feed from Dallas. The other seven minutes of each hour are used to broadcast local commercials and public service announcements. The music is transmitted from Dallas by the Satellite Music Network on a contractual basis. It is received by a satellite dish outside the small wooden studio off Canal Street and transmitted from the station's tower. Cochran said the receiving areas for the station's signal reaches as far north as Tampa and as far south as Naples.

"We currently have two locally produced shows," Cochran said. "We have Eddie 'EG' Grimsley doing a gospel show 'Spirtual Time' from 6 to 9 a.m. on Sundays, and Tony Borne doing the 'Carribean Hit reggae, calypso and island-oriented music, from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon." He said a new locally produced show "On The Beat" with Kerry Johnson begins It's 'Good Morning America' from SW Florida today Fickle Floyd threatened Southwest Florida, causing LOTS of us to rush out and buy things like food, water and batteries. We can drink the water and eat the food and we could use the batteries.

Or we could donate them to "Toys for Tots" a program organized by the Lee County Detachment of the Marine Corps League, which provides new toys to less fortunate children. "We just think all those batteries could go to good use," said Bob Roberts, operations manager for WDCQ AM 1 200 the man behind the batteries idea. "They could make some little children very happy at Christmas." There are 56 drop-of fs for the batteries (or toys) with all fire stations and First Florida Banks involved in the collection. Bluegrass band to perform The Shady Grove Band, a bluegrass band of finest caliber, will perform at Bluegrass Central at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The four-member group out of North Carolina, recently recorded their second LP entitled "On The Line," and completed their fourth month-long European tour. Bluegrass Central is on the northwest 2ITT! wii'f if Wt, ir fe By FRANCES D.WILLIAMS News-Press Staff Writer 1 1 fi na Beck Sago in the soap "All My Children," Kenn Meeker, who plays Rafe Garretson in "One Life to Live," Bill Greenwood, an ABC news correspondent and several ABC executives will be at the station in honor of the occasion. "We've been working with the producers of 'Good Morning America' since last spring to secure the appearance of Spencer Christian," said G. Sue Peters, WEVU's program director. "The folks from GMA were anxious to return to the Southwest Florida area to originate their show and this was the perfect opportunity." A "Good Morning America" crew arrived Thursday night to set up for Christian's broadcast, which will be fed livevia satellite from the posh Naples resort hotel.

During the program this morning, cameras will zoom in on folks building sand, castles on the beach. "Good Morning America" is co-hosted by Charles Gibson and Joan Lunden from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. 74 Spencer Christian of ABC's "Good Morning America" will broadcast the national weather live from the Ritz-Carlton on Vanderbilt Beach near Naples this morning as part of WEVU-TV's grand opening celebration. The Bonita Springs-based station, which has been on the air since 1974, moved their studio across U.S.

41 into luxury quarters at the Bonita Bay Executive Center. "This is a very important time for WEVU," said Ray Karpowicz, president and general manager of the station. "We'd like to thank everyone for their support over the years. This move will enable us to improve ourservice and our product" Karpowicz said the station will host an invitation-only celebration from 7 to 10 p.m. today.

Candice Earley, who plays Don corner at the intersection of Union Street and I Central Avenue (catty-cornered across from the Lee County School Board in Fort Myers) Tickets are $6 for the concert. Call 332-3382 for concert information. 1 i .1: Li i you have entertainment news worth ABC sharing with our readers, call 335-0396 or write to Gulfing, P. 0. Box 10, Fort Myers, WEVU-TV has been working with "Good Morning America" since last spring to secure Spencer Christian's Southwest Florida appearance.

Fla. 33902. Deadline is noon Wednesday for Friday's column. Please include a daytime telephone number. iM Mil 'Mb Ah.

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