Our last CD player routinely started, as others have described, if there was a power blip and the stereo amp and CD player were left powered on. Our new one doesn't do this--so far.

Many clock radios have a backup 9-volt battery which is there specifically for backup so they won't lose their time and alarm settings if the power goes off.

Having whatever electrical unit plugged into a decent surge protection power bar helps too--if the power just flickers, the electronic units usually don't go down.

Old TV's: last summer, I threw out our family's very first TV (purchased in 1961, I was five) over my mother's protests. She said there was a charity that would take "used appliances". "Mom," I said, "this isn't a used appliance, it hasn't worked for fifteen years and unless Zenith has a museum it's just cluttering up the basement..."
she did not on the occasion retrieve it from the curb.

W-O