Rudy Miller

On Aug. 1, most Americans had never heard of Saddam Hussein, thought Kuwait was a dot on the map, and Iraq -- well, weren't they the guys we were rooting for in that war against Iran?A day later, Iraq invaded Kuwait, Mr. Hussein was being compared to Hitler and American troops were on their way over there, putting the United States on the brink of war.And just as quickly, most Americans rallied behind their president. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed in early August supported sending troops to the Persian Gulf; in the next couple of weeks support grew.

1977: Rudy Miller hired by WBAL to report on the weather.1978: Leaves to become an environmental reporter at KRON-TV in San Francisco.1980: Rejoins WBAL as an anchorwoman.August 1988: Begins negotiations with management for a contract to replace the three-year pact that expires at year's end.Dec. 31, 1988: Contract expires; she agrees to continue working on a month-to-month basis while negotiating a contract.June 26, 1989: Ms. Miller is told by the station to accept the terms of a new contract or be fired.

Mike Hambrick, the former dark-haired WBAL-TV news anchor with the rapid, machine gun-style delivery, was described as "a hot property in the anchorman business," when he first arrived in Baltimore in 1975. "We had a lot of talent in the newsroom then. People such as Spencer Christian and Sue Simmons and Bucky Gunts. They all went on to New York," said Hambrick in an interview the other day. "It was a Camelot-like time for me. Baltimore was a great place to work and live," said the Mount Pleasant, Texas, native who was a 15-year-old high school student when he first broke into broadcasting as a 75-cents-an- hour disc jockey at a local radio station in his hometown.

The Baltimore Sun Co. has bought Maryland Family Inc., which publishes Maryland Family and Fifty Plus magazines. The acquisition is part of The Sun's effort to start up or buy publications that serve targeted audiences.Maryland Family was founded and is owned by local television newswoman Rudy Miller and Baltimore businesswoman Sylvia Shapiro. They have published Maryland Family magazine since 1990 and Fifty Plus for the past year. The magazines circulate 125,000 copies through a combination of subscriptions and free distribution in supermarkets and other locations.

Sally Thorner, co-anchor of the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on WMAR-TV (Channel 2), began maternity leave yesterday and will not return to the air until the end of June, a station spokeswoman said.To fill in for Ms. Thorner, weekend anchor Mary Beth Marsden will move to the 5 p.m. weeknight newscast and former WBAL-TV anchor Rudy Miller will become weekend anchor.Ms. Marsden will work alongside Stan Stovall on the early evening newscast until Ms. Thorner's return, said WMAR spokeswoman Maria Velleggia.

Alliance Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Baltimore Sun Co., yesterday launched Ooh, Baby magazine, a semi-annual publication targeting expecting parents and the parents of toddlers.The publication is part of The Sun's strategy to diversify its revenue and readership by starting or buying publications that serve targeted audiences.In February, Alliance Media bought Maryland Family Inc., which publishes Maryland Family and Fifty Plus magazines.Ooh, Baby, a 48-page free publication, is being circulated today in Baltimore and five suburban counties, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard.

David J. Barrett, vice president and general manager of Hearst Corp.-owned WBAL-TV and radio stations WBAL-AM and WIYY-FM, was named yesterday to the newly created position of deputy general manager of broadcasting for Hearst.Mr. Barrett will assume his new responsibilities immediately but will continue to oversee Hearst's Baltimore broadcast properties until a successor is chosen, which he said will take four to six weeks.The company will first look within its own ranks to replace Mr. Barrett but also will consider other candidates, he said.

On the airwaves yesterday the talk was of war -- and not just during the news broadcasts."I floated a couple of other topics," said WCBM radio talk show moderator Rudy Miller, "but all anyone wanted to talk about was the war."Allan Prell, John Lofton, Ron Smith and other talk show hosts throughout the area and country encountered the same phenomenon. The prospect of war in the Persian Gulf was on everyone's minds and everyone's lips. The "war watch" was what WBAL's Ron Smith called the situation several times during his broadcast.

Here's some unusual truth-in-programming: "The purpose of television is to sell things." And, "it is not fundamentally an art medium."The statements are from, respectively, producers Dennis Potter ("The Singing Detective") and Steven Bochco ("L.A. Law," "Hill Street Blues," etc.), as heard in one of the more intriguing segments of tonight's edition of "Edge."The breezy cultural magazine show on PBS, hosted by Robert Krulwich, turns the attention of its fifth outing to the workings of media.

Harbor Hospital Center had a gala reception to mark the completion of Phase II of its modernization project. The reception gave more than 450 business and community leaders a first-hand look at the progress thus far.They were greeted by many of the hospital's doctors and trustees, such as Mr. and Mrs. L. Barney Johnson, he's president of the Hospital Center; Dr. and Mrs. Shahid Aziz; Dr. and Mrs. Max Baum; Donald Borst, president of SCM Chemicals; Herbert...