Bill Clinton's sax solo on 'Arsenio' still resonates MEMORABLE MOMENTS

4. Johnny Carson's sign-off as host of NBC's "Tonight Show." Forget Bette Midler singing "One More for the Road" and all the other show-biz tears shed during Carson's final week. What makes this count is what it represented and was part of: the World War II generation passing the torch of leadership to baby boomers. That's right, just like George Bush and Bill Clinton -- or hundreds of similar transfers of power.

5. And, finally, there's the local TV scene. If all politics really are local, then the arrival of overnight ratings in Baltimore and the related move by anchorwoman Sally Thorner from WMAR (Channel 2) to WJZ (Channel 13) has to make this year-end list.

In one week in October, Baltimore went from a relatively sleepy to a highly competitive TV market. That can mean both good and bad news. Stations can become consumed by ratings and do anything to get them -- which could leave local TV news worse off. Or stations can improve the quality of their product to try to win new viewers -- which could mean better local television.

My bet is that 1993 is going to be a year of much change, with Baltimore broadcasters paying much greater attention to viewers. Channel 13's promise of a new 5 o'clock newscast featuring Thorner is one of the developments that makes me believe next year at this time local television is going look a lot better.