European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 8 the stars and stripes tuesday october 29, 1991viewers turning off tvs to protest programs by the los Angeles times today is a turn off the to Day for thousands a perhaps millions a of viewers who plan to protest network programming by Reading Bowling knitting eating a anything but flicking the a a on Button of their television sets. Refusing to watch they say will Send the message that they Are sick of current programming trends that they believe focus far too much on sex and violence. If they done to speak up if they done to grab the attention of network programmers under pressure to hang onto an audience increasingly lured to Cable to and Vars proponents of the one Day Boycott predict that Fiill frontal nudity blood splattering violence and televised executions will soon become the Norm. Conceived by a 30-year-old Delaware homemaker and supported by a wide ranging coalition of Media watchdog groups the a Attim off Day is being publicly ignored by the networks none of which had any official comment on it last week. A basically we do not believe there will be any effect a said Peter Christanth Opolous president of the network television association which represents All three major networks. But Abc Abc lbs and Fox Are in for a big sur prise said Vicki Riley the homemaker and Mother from Wilmington del., who first came up with the National Quot turn off the to Day plan 14 months ago. A a in a expecting at least 6 million people to turn off their sets a said Riley who Heads concerned citizens for Quality television and is chairing the a turn off coalition. The other groups involved Are the new York based morality in Media the Michigan based americans for responsible television the Georgia based Christian film and television commission the Illinois based National coalition against television violence the Washington based National Christian association and the Mississippi based american family association. A a we re All concerned in some Way with the Content of to a said Brian Sullivan director of to monitoring for the National coalition against television violence. Quot my group is particularly concerned with the glamorized look of violence on to but All the organizations Are concerned about this being a loud and Strong message to networks that to Consumers want and deserve More diverse Quality  a the vast wasteland is now a toxic wasteland a said Terry Rakolta founder and president of americans for responsible television. It is a message she re Peats frequently throughout the Eastern United states where she is constantly on the stump these Days speaking out against sex and violence on television particularly during Early prime time on All four networks. Rakolta said selection of today As a turn off Day was purely arbitrary. She estimated that the newsletters and networking of the seven organizations alone will reach a minimum of 700,000 people. Riley incorporated her concerned viewers for Quality television shortly after Rakolta founded americans for responsible television and first tried her turn off Day in Delaware on sept. 7, 1990, As a statewide protest. It Drew at least 5,000 supporters she said. The network associations Christanth Opolous said that studies conducted by the Roper organization and researchers at University of California Santa Barbara indicate that the majority of americans viewers support the networks treatment of sensitive and controversial subject matter. In an aug. 5 letter sent to More than 7,000 advertising specialists the network television association cited those and other studies conducted during the past 10 years that show that less than 1 percent of the viewing Public approve of Boycott tactics Christanth Opolous said. Dinkins to mix business pleasure on German trip Man powered record Mark Brela an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics when he a not cavorting on water sets a world record for human powered hydrofoils sunday on the Charles River in Cambridge mass. His Craft covered the 100-meter course at a Speed of 21.375 Mph bettering the previous Mark or 17.641. Brela 32, is with the Massachusetts Institute of technology. By the new York times new York a mayor David n. Dinkins said sunday that he has accepted an expenses paid invitation to attend a Tennis tournament in Munich Germany in december. He added that he would also use the trip to explore economic opportunities for new York City in Central Europe and to visit a memorial to germans who defied the nazis. A promoter of the tournament the Compaq grand slam cup invited the mayor to Munich and will pay for his airfare and hotel accommodations As Well As that of a guest and two aides said Jennifer Kimball a spokeswoman for Dinkins. The mayor an unabashed Tennis enthusiast has invited Claire Shulman the Queens Borough president to be his guest but she has not yet responded. Both the mayor and Shulman have been negotiating with the . Tennis association Over its request to expand the site of . Open tournament in Flushing Meadows Queens. The mayor announced plans in february for a $150 million expansion of the National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows Corona Park the site of the . Open since 1978. The Usta is a member of the International Tennis federation which sanctions the Munich tournament but Kimball said the Tennis portion of the trip was for pleasure and is not connected to those negotiations. The trip is tentatively scheduled from dec. 10 to 15. Dinkins said that by itself the Tennis tournament did not warrant a trip to Germany. A i would not go to Munich Only for that purpose a the mayor told reporters. A a in be directed my staff to look at other things we might  Kimball said Dinkins and his aides have focused on two major concerns. She said the first centers on the Pursuit of economic opportunities in Germany a topic that Dinkins Hopes to broach with the mayors of Munich and Berlin among others. The second part of the trip which Kimball described As far More solemn might involve outings to the White Rose memorial and the Dachau concentration Camp As Well As meetings with German jews. Trial starts for 4 youths charged with killing tourist for dance Money new York apr four teen agers charged in the fatal stabbing of a Utah tourist on a subway platform were part of a marauding gang of muggers who wanted pocket Money for a night of dancing a prosecutor said monday. Testimony by relatives of Brian Watkins was scheduled to follow opening arguments in the Case in state supreme court. Among those scheduled to testify was his sister in Law Michelle Watkins. Watkins 22, of Provo Utah was killed the night of sept. 2, 1990, when he and his family were attacked in the subway by eight Young men. A a you re about to learn about the tragedy visited on a family from Provo Utah by a band of marauding teen agers whose motives were no less trivial than to finance a night of dancing a said assistant District attorney Thomas Schiels. The attack was a was Savage As it was Swift a Schiels said. The family was not in the courtroom As the trial got under Way because they Are witnesses. The family was headed for dinner in Greenwich Village when the muggers jumped them and one robber slashed the pants pocket of the father Sherman Watkins. When his wife Karen interfered she was beaten to the ground. Brian Watkins was stabbed As he rushed to help his Mother. The family was in new York for the . Open Tennis tournament an event they attended every year. They have filed a $100 million wrongful death suit against the City. The defendants All 19, Are being tried in two groups of four. The Man accused of stabbing Watkins Yuli Gary Morales is in the second group to be tried later. All eight Are charged with felony murder and face life in prison if convicted. The men told police they were seeking victims to get Money to go to a nearby dance Hall but did not intend to kill anyone. Defense attorney Dana Hana who represents Emiliano Fernandez told jurors evidence will show that a the innocent were arrested along with the  he said Fernandez was not present at the robbery and said he Only told police he took part because they said they would let Nim go if he made a statement Hana insisted his client was a lied to and tricked by police. But Schiels said police did not trick the defendants and said evidence will show that the Orange razor knife used to slash Sherman Watkins pants and buttocks was found in Fernandez a pockets when he was picked up by police. The other three on trial monday were Pascal Carpenter Johnny Hincapie and Ricardo Nova fantasia videos stolen by Driver Detroit a a Man hooked up a trailer loaded with $1.7 million Worth of videocassettes of the Disney him fantasia and drove off a Svi hours before the real Driver showed up the Fri said. Federal. Agents continued searching sunday for the thief but had no leads said Fri spokesman Hank Glaspie. The 49,000 tapes were stolen wednesday from video International amp associates inc., a Disney distributor near Detroit Glaspie said. The tapes were new recordings of fantasia an animated film originally released in 1940 and scheduled for re release nov. 1. The stolen Container was bound for Cincinnati Glaspie said