EX-NBC BOSS TINKER FETED FOR ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS

In the opening salvo of a weekend-long entertainment industry barrage against substance abuse, an Entertainment Industries Council salute to former NBC-TV chairman Grant Tinker--hosted and attended by television executives--set the tone Thursday night for the crusading to follow.

The gala dinner, co-chaired by General Electric Corp. chairman John Welch and American Athletics Foundation chairman Paul Ziffren, combined a missionary zeal against drugs with some old-fashioned flag-waving.

Tinker was low-key during his brief remarks to the glittering audience (who paid as much as $10,000 per table to attend) at the Sheraton Premiere ballroom. After thanking those he needed to thank for the second Nancy Reagan Award--given for conspicuous service toward the controlling of substance abuse in this country--Tinker acknowledged the fight against drugs was “a crucial one.”

“Thanks to the people who are making noise about it--and I guess that includes me--there are people in America who are finally awake to the terrible threat of substance abuse in this country,” Tinker said. In what some perceived as ironic timing, the Sheraton’s servers brought fresh bottles of champagne to the 600 diners as Tinker spoke.

The ex-NBC chief, who said the gala “was a very pleasant thing for a guy out of work,” admitted to a slight case of “post-chairman depression,” adding that consulting work and charitable causes will be his new priorities. Tinker resigned from his NBC post Sept. 1, concluding a five-year stint that saw the network move to the top spot in the Nielsen ratings.

Tinker also brought the drug issue to the forefront of his network, getting such NBC stars as Bill Cosby, Don Johnson and Daniel J. Travanti to tape public-service announcements, and including drug abuse issues in his network’s prime-time entertainment programming.

During his speech, Tinker took time to praise the work of the council, a consortium of entertainment industry executives who are active in social issues of the day, and Phoenix House, a nonprofit, bicoastal drug abuse services agency that will share part of the dinner’s proceeds.

In remarks preceding Tinker’s speech, council chairman Thomas Cole said the dinner “celebrated (Tinker’s) dedication to the future of our society,” a point underscored by the subsequent series of NBC anti-drug clips and public-service announcements, all produced during Tinker’s reign.

The awards extravaganza also included performing stints by singer/dancer Rita Moreno, singers Jack Jones and Sam Harris (who contributed a Las Vegas-y patriotic medley), and emigre comic Yakov Smirnoff. It was produced by Gary Pudney.