On the first day of the last year of this millennium CNN-TV aired a program which is destined to catapult this network into the #1 Rating in Television for all 1999. The title of its 'show' tells it all: "COUNTDOWN TO THE MILLENNIUM BUG."

I predict CNN's total audience during the remainder of the year will far surpass the TV Ratings of the OJ Simpson Trial, the Clinton- Lewinsky Affair, the Clinton Impeachment, and yes, even the Desert Storm Victory over Saddam Hussein.

I predict "COUNTDOWN TO THE MILLENNIUM BUG" will arrest the minds and sentiments of billions worldwide -- as the program addresses the looming catastrophe menacing mankind - not seen since the biblical episode of Noah's salvation from God's wrath.

I predict "COUNTDOWN TO THE MILLENNIUM BUG" will rivet world attention on the looming Y2K Bug uncertainty, simply because CNN is deliberately orchestrating a dramatic series á la Hollywood in order to build suspense and foster rising emotion as the year rushes to the Millennium. The first "chapter" in the "COUNTDOWN TO THE MILLENNIUM BUG" series began at 10:30PM on January 1, 1999.

Uncharacteristically for a News station, there was background music throughout the entire 30 minutes of fast-paced drama. Hollywood's Oscar Winning Director, Steven Spielberg would have been envious of the emotionally stirring show - as it created an environment of high-tension.

The 30-minute program embodied a series of rapid-fire interviews of Y2K experts defining the problem - followed by comments of spokesmen of major affected industries. Here is an account of the first chapter in this melodramatic TV-thriller.

Following are some of the more poignant commentary by industry spokesmen:

• There will be power blackouts… but unknown as to severity and locations.
  
  
• There may be widespread paralysis of traffic light systems - causing automotive grid-lock.
  
  
• Some airport traffic controllers confessed, neither they nor their families will travel by air during the Millennial changeover period.
  
  
• Fully 1/3 of all U.S airports have not yet started to address the Y2K problem.
  
  
• KLM Airlines - the flagship of Holland - emphatically stated it will ground ALL flights on January 1, 2000.
  
  
• Gasoline production may shut down, because millions of non-compliant imbedded computer chips will not have been replaced in oil refineries and petroleum transmission pipelines.
  
  
• Major American companies like American Express and Citibank are contracting software firms in India in an attempt to beat the unpostponable deadline. It seems India has the largest concentrated source of computer programmers in the world. Moreover, programmer labor in India is just a fraction of the cost of comparable US technical help.
  
  
• U.S. Military forces readiness will be subject to Y2K adverse effects as most modern day military ordinance, defense systems and communications are totally dependent on computer control. Even the Pentagon is worried. (This might embolden the perennially obstreperous Saddam Hussein).
  
  
• Some individual family heads interviewed in northern California said they were already stocking up on long-term storable food supplies for 3 to 6 months.
  
  
• Dr. Edward Yardeni, chief U.S. economist for Deutsche Bank , warned some banks may well go belly up as the world plunges into severe recession, precipitated by the dire ramifications of the Millennial Menace. Although many banks will probably be Y2K Bug compliant in time, there will be others in the financial communication chain which will not be. Consequently, those not Y2K compliant could well "contaminate" those banks fully compliant. In a recent statement, Fed Chairman confirmed this in a nationally televised Congressional meeting.
  
  
• Cardiac patients worldwide with heart-inserted Pace-Makers (computers) may suffer serious consequences.
  
  
• No one may be certain as to the degree of disruption of public services of transportation, communication, mass water and food supply distribution.
  
  
• Alpine-Air Food plant, a manufacturer of long-term storable food said its plant is running 21 hours per day - 7 days a week to keep up with burgeoning demand. While their sales in 1997 were a little over $2,000,000, it exploded to $30 million in 1998. And the BIG demand will be this year.
  
  
• The U.S. Red Cross warns everyone to have minimal emergency supplies of food, water, ready cash and a flashlight.
  
  

In the last 30 seconds of this TV-thriller (ironically, on the most internationally known news network), all background music abruptly halted. A prolonged silence was broken by a solitary, very loudly ticking grandfather clock…. TICK…TOCK…TICK…TOCK…TICK…TOCK…TICK…TOCK…

I venture to say CNN-TV will continue this spell-binding thriller series throughout the year… perhaps even increasing its viewing frequency as mankind rushes toward the M-Day. And you may bet your bottom dollar other television networks will soon launch their own Y2K-Thrillers.

LEGEND HAS IT that one day a man was walking in the desert when he met Fear and Plague. They said they were on their way to a city to kill 100,000 people. The man asked Plague if he was going to do all the work. Plague smiled and said, "No, I'll take care of only a few hundred. I'll let my friend Fear do the rest."

vronsky 6 January 1999