Classic TV: FYI (1980)

ABC, after having filled commercial space during their Saturday morning lineup with the likes of Schoolhouse Rock, decided to try something similar with their weekday afternoon soap opera block.

FYI aired three times a day, five days a week, from 1980-3, with Hal Linden (Barney Miller) as host-narrator. This was Linden's 3rd and final series for ABC, the other being the Sunday morning series, Animals, Animals, Animals. Each piece takes a minute or less, and while it was geared for adults, it proved educational and vital for teenagers, too, after they came home from high school or college.

In this bit from 1983, Hal talks about babies wearing contact lenses. Yeah, it's actually happened.......

Unfortunately, ABC stupidly ended FYI way too soon. With closing credits now compressed because the network sells more ad time, there's not enough room for reviving these short bits.

Rating: A+.