5-22-86 Agenda & Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 LOWNWIWORORApee May 15, 1986 and printing work that's being lost to Canada. Up to 1,200 release prints per SPECTATOR SPORTS feature are being processed in Canada, 1111/ Variety reports, and the tide is growing. Wimbledon-..the Goodwill Games in Russia Grand juries are investigating General the August 3 football exhibition in Cinema Corp. again for alleged price fix- London world swimming/diving champion- ing of movie admission prices in Ohio. ships in Madrid. These and other events General Cinema paid a $750,000 fine last could be sharply affected by the -threat August in settlement of investigation in of terrorism that has curtailed vacation Indiana on competitive bidding practices travel plans for the summer of '86. U.S. on rights to show films. teams are reconsidering plans to partici- * * artici- * * * * * * * * pate in meets in Europe; officials of the NFL Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears are Despite enthusiasm for the Sony 8 mm VCR working with Scotland Yard to ensure se- format by some consumer electronic anal- curity. College teams are canceling plans ysts, other experts question the potential daily. for rapid growth of 8mm compared to VHS and the declining Beta, pioneered by Sony. The yen is becoming less competitive for Moscow is repairing and renovating many Iftemmilk imports, which will affect Sony's plans. of the sites from its 1980 Olympics for Hitachi, Toshiba, Matsushita and other the July 5-20 Goodwill Games, which more major Japanese manufacturers are jumping than 50 countries have said they will send on the 8mm bandwagon, and international athletes to compete in. The Games will be potential has been termed high. telecast to the Caribbean, Central and South America as well as the U.S. over Ted Turner's broadcasting/cable systems. The "Captain Midnight" piracy of HBO's satellite late last month has still not been resolved by the industry or govern- The Houston Astros, which lost about $10 ment officials, all concerned about the million over the past 2 years for owner incident. Experts agreed that equipment John McMullen, could move to Washington, needed to attack signal was sophisticated D.C. next season with penalty payments to and expensive (costing $60,000 or more) , the Astrodome (whose major owner is McMu and knowledgeable individual(s) were be- lenl. That price could be .about $20 mil hind incident. lion. The team might .stay, if Houston * * * * * * * * agrees to put a $500 million bond issue on the ballot for voters. The Astrodome Cable TV can no longer be content to run would be expanded by 10,000 seats (now old movies/old programs, if they are to capacity is 45,000) . The Astrodome com- gain and hold on to advertising revenues, plex generates about $500 million into the attendees at the NY Cabletelevision Ad- city's economy each year, a Universty of vertising Conference discussed. Much of Houston study found the Cleveland the expensive wiring of households has Indians are on the sales block, but an been completed, and cable stands to gain $11.5 million debt (plus millions of $$$ revenues on two fronts: ads and subscri- more in guaranteed deferred salaries) is bers. Ad revenues are put at $1 billion hindering the sale. this year, rising to $2 billion by 1990. Just as independent networks/stations are * * * * * * * * underwriting "new" programming, so will Congress is blocking transfer and upgrade cable begin to invest, and soon. of D.C. 's Robert F. Kennedy Stadiu, which would be the home of a major league base- Lottery sales in the U.S. by Canadian ball team. One alternative is for the firms are estimated at $30 million (1984) city to be awarded a 99-year lease on RFK. by U.S. postal authorities, despite the Makers of the "Louisville. Slug- fact that such sales are illegal in U.S, ger baseball bat lose about $2 on every Canadian authorities plan to amend the bat sold to professional players. The Hillerich & Bradsby Co. , however, makes Ontario Lottery Corp. Act to prevent firms up for those losses (about $250,000 a yr) from selling tickets outside province, by on sales to other teams. mail order (DM News) . LEISURE INDUSTRY DIGEST is published twenty-four times a year. Business and editorial material should be sent to LEISURE INDUSTRY DIGEST, P.O. Box 27488, Washington, D.C. 20038-7488. Telephone (202) 232-7107. Editor/publisher: Marj Jensen. Contributing editors are Jamie Thomas, Ida Simmons, John Michaels, K. Langhorne Oliver. and 'Robert Trygve Jr. Federal tax I.D. #564-44-2861. Subscription price is $95 a year in U.S., 111/1 Canada and Mexico by first class mail. Overseas air mail price is $140 a year.