TELEVISION - April 27, 1994

Sanders to Leave Channel 2: Hosea Sanders, one of the few local black male television news anchors, is leaving KCBS Channel 2. Sanders, who has been a weekend anchor since 1986, said he will become a weekday morning anchor at ABC affiliate WLS-TV in Chicago after his current contract expires in July. He will also be doing occasional news reports for ABC News. He is leaving in the wake of charges by employees and community leaders that KCBS has discriminated against minorities and women in the newsroom. Los Angeles Urban League President John Mack said of Sanders’ departure: “This is a great opportunity for him. But it is also an indictment of KCBS and other network-owned stations in this city that they have failed to hire a black male anchor on a regular basis. It makes the point that racism is alive and well in too many newsrooms. The ‘good old white boys’ running the newsrooms just aren’t willing to be fair and just in this regard.” Sanders said management had not talked to him about renewing his contract. As far as his relationship with management, he said, “Generally, people who are satisfied with their jobs don’t entertain other offers.” Station management declined to comment.

* Remembrances of Nixon: Following today’s coverage of former President Richard Nixon’s funeral, NBC News will rebroadcast part of John Chancellor’s 1971 “A Day in the Life of the Presidency” report on the Nixon White House. The footage appears on “Now With Tom Brokaw & Katie Couric” at 9 p.m. On Friday, PBS’ “Talking With David Frost” will be devoted to segments culled from 28 hours of interviews Frost conducted with Nixon in 1977. Also on Friday, KCET will repeat the PBS “American Experience” program “Nixon” from 9 p.m. to midnight. And on Tuesday at 9 p.m., cable’s A&E; will premiere “Nixon on Nixon,” a new “Biography” program produced within the last year, in which the former President gives a personal account of the many trials and tribulations of his political career and private life.

* Talkers Silenced: In deference to the national day of mourning to observe Nixon’s funeral, nascent cable talk show channel America’s Talking has canceled Los Angeles auditions scheduled for today for an unknown talent to host a one-year talk show. However, the auditions will take place as planned on Thursday and Friday, at the Century City Shopping Center & Marketplace. Audition hours will be extended both days from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

THE ARTS

Happy Birthday: Popular lexicographer-musicologist-conductor-composer Nicolas Slonimsky celebrates his 100th birthday today with a musical celebration for invited guests at the downtown Museum of Contemporary Art. That follows on the heels of Sunday’s fete at Irvine’s Severin Wunderman Museum. A longtime Los Angeles resident, the Russian-born Slonimsky will also be saluted this weekend on KUSC-FM’s “Sundays at Four” series.

Taper Shows Recognized: As the Broadway awards season gets under way, two former Mark Taper Forum epics, “The Kentucky Cycle” and “Angels in America,” are among the nominees for outstanding Broadway play from New York’s Outer Critics Circle. The other nominees are “Broken Glass” and “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.” Nominated for the Broadway musical award are “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public,” along with last season’s “Blood Brothers” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” . . . In other awards news, Anthony Hopkins has been tapped to host this year’s Tony Awards, June 12 in New York.

QUICK TAKES

Looks like David Letterman can throw a good party even away from home. The guests he’s lined up so far for his May 9-13 visit to Los Angeles are Michael Keaton, Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, Ray Charles, Magic Johnson, Billy Crystal, David Copperfield and, in what CBS says is its first public appearance together since 1974, the music group Traffic. . . . Speaking of Letterman, he will join ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, Discovery Communications founder John Hendricks, and CBS President Howard Stringer in receiving the first Foundation Awards from the International Radio and Television Society on May 10. The new awards recognize “individuals who have built a foundation for great success in their careers and enriched our industry as a whole.” . . . Talk-show host Joe Crummey has joined the on-air staff at KMPC-AM (710), which is changing to an all-talk format May 9. Crummey had hosted talk programs at KFI-AM for about 5 years. He will now be heard on KMPC from noon to 3 p.m. . . . Walt Disney Pictures will stretch the rubber children’s toy “Stretch Armstrong” into a live-action film character, for a movie to be released next year. Also to be featured: Stretch’s similarly elastic dog Fetch. . . . “I Love You,” the favorite song of purple preschoolers star Barney, has spawned a lawsuit by Washington state music publisher Jean Warren, who claims she owns the rights to the song. Barney’s creators say they paid an Indiana woman, Lee Bernstein, for the rights in 1992. But Warren says she bought the rights from Bernstein in 1983, so the Barney folks paid the wrong person.