CED Digest Vol. 7 No. 49

CED Digest Vol. 7 No. 49 • 12/7/2002
20 Years Ago In CED History:

December 8, 1982:
* Norman Mayer, a 66-year-old advocate of nuclear disarmament, is shot to death
by police at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., after taking over the
structure for 10 hours and threatening to blow it up.
* Donald P. Hodel becomes U.S. Secretary of Energy, succeeding James B.
Edwards. Hodel, a lawyer and energy specialist, was Undersecretary of the
Interior prior to the appointment.
* Country-western singer and composer Marty Robbins dies at age 57 of lung and
kidney failure.

December 9, 1982:
* The federal Centers for Disease Control report a case of AIDS, or acquired
immune deficiency syndrome, in a child who had received a blood transfusion
from an adult victim of the syndrome.
* Meeting near Frankfurt, West Germany, finance officials of the United States,
Great Britain, West Germany, and France agree to increase the lending power of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by 50 percent.

December 10, 1982:
* Peruvial President Fernando Belaunde Terry announces that he has accepted the
resignation of Prime Minister Manuel Ulloa Elias. The president then announces
that Fernando Schwalb Lopez Aldana will replace Ulloa in January.
* Representatives of 117 sovereign nations sign the United Nations Law of the
Sea Treaty during a conference held in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Of the 23 nations
that sent representatives to the meeting but do not sign, the U.S. is the most
outspoken in its opposition to that part of the act calling for a global
authority that would determine who could mine metals under the high seas and
how much they could remove.
* Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Berezovoy and Valentin Lebedev land safely after a
record 211 days in space.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: Gandhi

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
Retail Exposure Plays Key Role In Motivating Video Disc Buyer

Strong retail visibility is a critical factor influencing consumers' actual
decision to buy a video disc player, an RCA survey showed today.

In the latest survey of video disc owners, 43 percent said their initial
exposure to the product was in a retail outlet, according to Stuart Gray,
Division Vice President, Program & Market Research, RCA VideoDiscs.

He said 24 percent of the respondents admitted that their purchase was made on
impulse. "These people said their decision to buy was made after they had
entered the store and seen the retail display," Mr. Gray said.

Asked why they wanted the product, Mr. Gray said the largest percentage (67%)
said it was because a video disc player "lets you watch what you want when you
want." Other reasons cited, in order of popularity, included: "alternative to
television," "provides parental control over entertainment for children," and
"an inexpensive way of owning and collecting movies and other favorite
programs."

Overall product satisfaction, at high levels to begin with, continues to
increase with each survey, particularly in the case of selection and
availability of discs, he added. Of those surveyed, 59 percent cited the large
catalog selection as the reason they bought a video disc player. Another 42
percent cited ease of player operation.

Mr. Gray said, "We continue to see that cable television is not a competitive
problem in marketing video disc players, since VDP owners are more likely to
subscribe to cable -- both basic and pay -- than the general population. The
VDP owner also continues to be much more likely to own a video cassette player
than the general population (19% vs. 5%)."

Corroborating earlier surveys, Mr. Gray said the latest wave showed that the
video disc player is geared more to families with children than the video
cassette recorder, which continues to be more of a single, male-oriented
product.

Although available at retail for less than six months, "On Golden Pond" was the
most widely owned feature film among the respondents in this survey, followed
by "Casablanca," "The Black Stallion," "Airplane!," and "The Muppet Movie."

The top non-features owned included: "Disney Cartoon Parade, Vol. 1," "Star
Trek -- The Menagerie," "Jane Fonda's Workout," "Charlie Brown Festival, Vol.
11," and "Star Trek -- City On The Edge Of Forever."

December 11, 1982:
* A chemical tank explodes in Taft, Louisiana forcing the evacuation of more
than 20,000 local residents.
* Robbers take at least $9.9 million from a New York City armored car service,
the largest robbery to date in U.S. history.
* "Mickey" (CED) by Toni Basil becomes the No. 1 U.S. single.

December 12, 1982:
* Employees of Chrysler Canada Ltd. vote to ratify a new contract, ending their
38-day strike.

December 13, 1982:
* A strong earthquake strikes Yemen (Sana). More than 2,800 persons are killed
and many villages are destroyed.

December 14, 1982:
* Garret FitzGerald is elected prime minister of Ireland, after the Labor Party
agrees to accept a coalition with his Fine Gael party.
* Spain opens its border to the British colony of Gibraltar, ending a 13-year
blockade.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
At The Ronald McDonald House, Tony Bennett And Walt Disney Cartoon Heroes Bring
Christmas Early to Afflicted Children

Tony Bennett sang Christmas carols and Mickey and Minnie Mouse entertained
today at a special Christmas party for children and their families at The
Ronald McDonald House.

The party was sponsored by RCA VideoDiscs.

On behalf of RCA, Mr. Bennett presented The Ronald McDonald House with a stereo
video disc system and a video disc, "A Tony Bennett Songbook," and Mickey Mouse
proffered a complete selection of Walt Disney video disc albums.

In making the presentation, Mr. Bennett said he hoped the new home
entertainment system "would bring many hours of joy and relaxation to the
families who are here now and to those who will follow in the months and years
to come. They say 'laughter is the best medicine,' and Walt Disney is the best
doctor of laughs that I know."

Thomas G. Kuhn, Division Vice President, RCA VideoDiscs, said, "RCA is very
happy to be able to help the brave children and their families at the McDonald
House. A gift of Disney video discs will have an ongoing appeal to all of the
special kids at The Ronald McDonald House."

The Ronald McDonald House in New York, one of 43 internationally, is a
temporary home-away-from-home where families of children being treated for
cancer, leukemia, and other serious diseases can reside while the child
receives treatment at a nearby children's hospital.

Vivian Harris, President of the New York residence, said: "Although some
hospitals provide limited live-in accommodations, parents just can't be at a
child's bedside 24 hours a day. At a Ronald McDonald House, the parents have a
place to rest and let their other children lead as normal a life as possible.
Children being treated as outpatients can often stay at the House, too."

Families pay a minimal $10 a day to stay at the House. Families who can not
afford to pay anything stay free of charge.

The Walt Disney video disc albums presented to The Ronald McDonald House by
Mickey and Minnie Mouse included: "Disney Cartoon Parade' Vols. 1, 2, 3, and
4," "Dumbo," "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," "The Love Bug," "Old Yeller," "The
Absent-Minded Professor," "Mary Poppins," "Escape To Witch Mountain,"
"Candleshoe," "The Bears And I," "The Great Locomotive Chase," "The Apple
Dumpling Gang," and "The Shaggy Dog."

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Dec 2002 18:24:34 -0800
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Tom Howe <tom@cedmagic.com>
Subject: CED's in West Central Washington

Hello All:

Yesterday I visited a number of thrift stores to the North of Portland, Oregon
in central Washington. This area has always been better for thrift store
collecting than Portland due to its rural/suburban nature. There used to be an
awesome Goodwill As-Is store in Tacoma that had CED players every time I
visited it. I used to go to that store last and buy enough video game stuff to
completely fill whatever space was left in the car, not knowing that in a few
years with the explosion of the Internet, 1980's video game equipment would all
but disappear from thrift stores. But CED's can still be found, as three stores
on the circuit each had 20-50 discs stacked adjacent to the audio LP bins. It
helps if people buy these thrift store CED's, as it encourages the stores to
keep putting them out, and the disc labels have a tendency to get beat to death
if they remain in the store for too long. Here are the addresses of the three
Goodwill stores with CED's:

Olympia, WA:  4512 B Lacey Blvd. SE

Puyallup, WA:  12007 Meridian E.

Tacoma, WA:  3121 S. 38th St.

--Tom
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