TV & VIDEO - Aug. 4, 1988

From the “Price of Celebrity” file: About 3,600 townspeople of St. Marys, Ga., were crestfallen to learn that Willard Scott, the avuncular weatherman for NBC’s “Today” show would not be in their town next week to broadcast the weather and sign copies of his cookbook. The problem? A hoax, it would appear. Martha Newsome, head of the regional Tourism Council, said that a woman identifying herself as an NBC coordinator came to St. Marys and made arrangements for Scott and a TV film crew. But NBC denied ever hearing of the woman, who checked out of a local hotel Tuesday. What first gave Newsome a clue all was not quite kosher? The bogus coordinator asked her to have cars donated to her personnel while they were in town--a bit much for a 3-minute weather report.