WORTH NOTING ON TV

SATURDAY

Hostages (HBO, 8-9:45 p.m.): Over a two-year period in the mid-'80s, six men were kidnapped and kept in Lebanon for four years or more, under oppressive and sometimes brutal conditions. Their names became known worldwide: Terry Waite, Frank Reed, Terry Anderson, John McCarthy, Tom Sutherland, and Brian Keenan. Using research done in six countries over an 18-month period, and sometimes using actual news footage, this `HBO Showcase' drama explores how the six survived by building on both their friendship a nd their individual resourcefulness. The production also depicts the struggles of the women who campaigned - against governmental indifference and bureaucratic resistance - for the hostages' final release.

Carlos Salinas talk (C-Span, 10:30-11:30 p.m.): The President of Mexico gives the Boyer Lecture at the American Enterprise Institute. SUNDAY

The Right Time With Tom Jones (VH-1, 2:30-3 p.m): One of the most engaging ways to learn about pop music - and especially to put its catchy currents into some kind of perspective - is to hear its history discussed by musicians. And when they sprinkle their talk with performance, the format is at its best. In the weekly six-part series premiering here, singer Tom Jones is the main talker, but during each episode he brings in two or three artists to demonstrate the style being described - performers like Daryl Hall, Joe Cocker, Al Jarreau, and the Chieftains. Produced by the independent British network ITV, the show has an understandably Celtic bent that enriches the mix as it leads you through key pop periods, from Celtic-country to spirituals and gospel to `pure pop.'

Please check local listings for all programs