Sunday, September 10, 2017

On The Air: Nightline (1979)

It started as a nightly update on the Iran hostage crisis as America Held Hostage. Since 1980, ABC's late night news magazine has been known as Nightline, and I'd imagine some people might not believe it's still on the air, considering it now airs in back of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and consequently is blacked out in much of the country.

Nightline often devotes a broadcast to one specific topic. In 1989, the subject was the threat of deregulating professional wrestling. Among the guests are the late Frank Deford and future WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano, who speaks out against his long-time employer.



This might explain in part why Albano had left the then-World Wrestling Federation, and not just to pursue an acting career. Around the time this episode aired, he was co-starring on the syndicated children's series, The Super Mario Brothers Super Show, which wasn't mentioned in the interview. However, Albano smoothed things over with Vince McMahon, and ultimately would return 3-4 years later.

Rating: A.

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