Ron Darling Contracts FNV Fever in 1986

[G-Fafif]

Before he was on SNY, Ron Darling was "special guest" on FNV -- Friday Night Videos, that is. (The "FNV" bit never really caught on.)

For those of you who went to bed early in the 1980s or perhaps weren't yet born, this was NBC's answer to MTV. It began in the summer of '83 and became video wallpaper by late 1986, which is when Ronnie joined that week's casual hosts, Bob Costas and Ahmad Rashad.

Lots of talk about the '86 Mets, lots of meandering, some uneasy introductions of Van Halen videos, in three parts. Found via Neil Best.

Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The only thing I remember about Friday Night Videos is that it was the reason that, initially, David Letterman was only on from Monday through Thursday.

[ashie62]

Does Costas age?

[Valadius]

MTV is the most irrelevant channel on the tube today.

[ashie62]

And I thought it was the YES Network

[MFS62]

Does Costas age?[/quote:hh3oq2t6]
Relax.
No Dorian Gray stuff going on.
My wife told me he dyes his hair. I guess its obvious to even a casual woman viewer.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

For those of you who went to bed early in the 1980s or perhaps weren't yet born, this was NBC's answer to MTV. It began in the summer of '83 and became video wallpaper by late 1986, which is when Ronnie joined that week's casual hosts, Bob Costas and Ahmad Rashad.
[/quote:8k4dy1fh]

You ain't kidding. Is anything less rock n roll than Bob Costas and Ahmad Rashad telling you how to rock?

FNV in the early years was my only outlet for the whole emerging video scene (we didn't get cable). Somewhere I have a videotape with "Rock the Casbah" and Peter Schilling's "Major Tom" recorded off that show when they were new.

[metirish]

WOW, talk about campy and uncomfortable...Rashad and Bill Murray sat behind home plate for game 7?......wankers