The Roswell Daily Record from Roswell, New Mexico • Page 25

25 Roswell (N.M.) Daily Record Thursday, October 26,1978 entertainment Bliss talks himself into busy retirement c. 1978 Los Angeles Herald Examiner LOS ANGELES Ed Bliss is a "script doctor" of broadcast news writing. Now retired after 25 years as a writer and news editor for CBS, and 10 years of teaching broadcast journalism at American University in Washington, D. he is in demand by networks and stations that want their reporting 1 tp sound more precise and grammatical. It is Bliss' fervent hope that someday viewers will be able to sit down before their TV sets and not hear the language mangled by phrasing like "between you and He predicts there will be others entering his field "because there are going to be people like me retiring and still interested in things to do.

and there's a demand." Bliss emphasizes that he is relatively new in this field, but those who have called him include CBS, National Public Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and individual stations. He also emphasizes that at the network level, and at many stations, the writing is topflight and the problem is simply fine-tuning the wording of news broadcasting. "But there are many small stations where the writing is abominable," he said in a phone interview from his home in Newburyport, Mass. Three shows near death as 'Morning 1 breaks ByJAYSHARBUTT AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) In mid- January, three venerable Sunday morning CBS shows "Lamp Unto My Feet," "Look Up and Live" and "Camera Three" will expire at the respective ages o.f 30.24 and 25 years.

And "Morning" will dawn. It's the name of the new 90-minute news and feature show CBS henceforth will air Sundays. It's also what CBS will call what now is the "CBS Morning News" on weekdays. The latter show, still third in ratings in its hour against NBC's the six-day "Morning" venture when it begins in 1979. But he hastens to add there's been no decision the current "Morning News" anchors will be hoisted and others installed: "When I say it's not decided.

I mean it hasn't been talked about. "I know they (Threlkeld and Stahl) are absolutely going to be involved in the Sunday operation in a big way. and that's about all I know now." He was asked if they'd shift to Sunday- show hosting. "Not necessarily, there may not "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning even be anchors." he said by phone America." also will get a new look that could include another anchor change after only a year. There've been rumors Richard Threlkeld and Leslie Stahl, who succeeded Hughes Rudd and Bruce Morton as the show's co-anchors in the fall of 1977, may depart for other duties soon.

"Well, it's possible." says Robert "Shad" Northshield. who last month became the executive producer of their show and is the guy who'll run from New York. He said he wasn't trying to be vague, "it's just that we haven't even talked about it." Everything still is in the planning stages, emphasized Northshield. 55. a respected ex-NBC News documentary, specials and "Today" producer who last year rejoined CBS, where he toiled in 1953-58.

Right now. he said, he's busy enough just trying to hire a staff, get office space and secure the gear needed for the new Sabbath show. Baseball games aid NBC ratings which he likens to the Sunday edition of a daily newspaper. "It'll have hard news, a review of the week's news, plus a lot of cultural stuff, the kinds of things you only get on Sundays (in newspapers)," said the former Chicago newspaperman. It'll also probablly have staff critics to criticize art, music, theater, movies and even TV, he added.

CBS says the Sunday effort, to regularly carry religious as well as cultural news, will be pre-empted- several times each year for "important religious specials." As for the new look of the "Morning" show weekdays. Northshield said, it "will be similar to what we're doing Sundays" with more essays, features and comment on advances or retreats in the arts. The veteran producer conceded the new look will mark a depature of sorts from the traditional straight-news approach of the "CBS Morning News." now in its 16th year. "Yeah, except that I would think that in the program, of its given 60 minutes, 40 minutes of it will be hard news." he said. "It's still going to be predominantly hard news." "I don't think there's any question that teachers in grade schools, high schools and, in some instances, college, haven't stressed grammar, haven't stressed spelling," he said.

Bliss' background in his craft is impressive. "I was fortunate to work with Ed Murrow and Walter Cronkite. I wrote for Ed Murrow and 1 suppose that gave me certain credentials." Bliss says he may spend only a few days at a network or station that brings him in to help out. "It is simply a matter of sitting down with the writers and broadcasters and going over their scripts, really sentence by sentence, a sort of one-on-one relationship," he said. Particularly at the networks and at top stations.

"These are very bright people that your work with and it's not the level of spelling and grammar you're really dealing with," said Bliss. "When you fit deadlines, for instance, you use the phrase that comes to you first and there isn't the time to think of a better phrase. In broadcasting that poses a special problem. Sentences have to have great clarity and be readily understood. There's no going back.

You're going out over the air. "Sentences have to be shorter than a person writing for a newspaper would write. And so it's a different style. And I think it's probably a good thing to have somebody come in from the outside and go over things. It's a good refresher thing.

There are lots of things you may say to people that they already know, or just have to be reminded of that sentences are too long, or meandering, or that there are too many figures. "It is obviously most important in broadcasting to be accurate, but also not to use too many sets of figures. M. HALL for SHERIFF Pd. lor by C.C.

Republicans, lames Coll Chairman NEW YORK (AP) NBC may have been counting on a full seven-game World Series to hold onto its No. 1 spot in the networks' prime-time ratings competition. The New York Yankees won the series in six. but NBC came out on top nonetheless. NBC's strong finish for the week ending Oct.

22 was due, in part, to a big TV audienee for the series finale and a boost from the network's most popular series, "Little House on the Praire," No. 2 in the ratings from the A.C.Nielsen Co. The rating for the concluding World Series game was 35.9, representing an estimated 26.7 million homes. Nielsen says the rating means 35.9 percent of the homes in the country with TV saw at least part of the game, in which the Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers. While NBC was winning the first two places in th.e week's ratings, competing ABC and CBS were dividing the next eight spots.

NBC's rating for the week was 19.8. just a bit higher than ABC's 19.7. CBS, for the fifth week in a row, was third, at 17.8. The networks say that means that in an average prime-time minute during the week. 19.8 percent of the homes in the country were tuned to NBC.

Three of ABC's returning hit shows and one of the network's new programs were in the Top 10, among them No. 3 "Charlie's Angels" and No. 6 "Mork and Mindy." Here are the week's Top 10 shows: World Series Game 6. with a rating of 35.9 representing 26.7 million homes, and "Little House on the Prairie." 28.9 or 21.5 million, both NBC; "Charlie's Angels," 27.1 or 20.2 million, ABC; CBS Sunday Mom, Like Me," 26.1 or 19.4 million; "All in the Family." 25.9 or 19.3 million. CBS; "Mork and Mindy," 25.6 or 19.1 million.

ABC; in demand ALBUQUERQUE (AP) Albuquerque's trans-Atlantic balloonists continue to make national and international appearances three months after their record-breaking balloon flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Ben Abruzzo. Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman were special guests at the Charles A. Lindbergh Foundation benefit banquet and ball Tuesday in New York City. The evening's hostess was Princess Grace of Monaco.

1 The balloonisls also have been involved jn preliminary negotiations for an account of the Double Eagle II flight. The three are working on the deal through the William Morris Agettcyof'NewYork. "Alice." 25.1 or 18.7 million. CBS; "Three's Company." 24.9 or 18.6 million. ABC; "60 Minutes." 24.7 or 18.4 million, CBS, and "Laverne and Shirley." 24.3 or 18.1 million.

ABC. 44' KAY KEITH COUNTY CLERK Pd lor by Republicans James Chairman The things that brought us to New Mexico are the same things Bruce King is committed we're voting for Bruce At a time when most states were going from crisis to crisis Governor Bruce King brought New Mexico a balanced budget and the planning that has led to a tax rebate and permanent income tax reduction. It was Bruce King's commitment that brought the Enuironmental Protection Agency and the nation's first comprehensive strip mining bill into reality. And it was Bruce King's commitment to education that allowed us to make the biggest educational gains in New Mexico's history while also beginning the important kindergarten and vocational education programs. "We want to help make sure trie things that brought us to beautiful Hew Mexico are still auailable for our children.

And that's why we're uoting for Bruce King for Couernorin BRUCE KING Leadership for the Kind of Future New Mexicans Want VOTE FOR BRUCE You have to be very discriminating about what figures you use those that are significant and are not excess baggage." Among his assignments, said Bliss, was spending several days earlier this year "at CBS headquarters in New York. I'm interested in the fact that Dick Salant (head of CBS News) is inlrested in writing to that degree. I think it's great." Next month Bliss has an assignment in North Carolina, but he says, "I'm really not seeking this. A station in West Virginia called me a couple of weeks ago and I had to say no because I'm writing a history of broadcast journalism. You do get these calls.

No advertisements have been out. Thre is just a demand. "The smaller stations obviously have the problem more than anyone else. They have a greater need, and it's gratifying that there are news directors who are concerned about writing." Bliss thinks there is "a problem getting good news writers" for TV in general. "Yes.

absolutely," he says. But he also thinks the overall quality of networks news reporting "is very high." As for most sports announcers and their use of the English language, Bliss has quite a different view. "The grammar in sports reportng is said. Distributed by The New York Times News Service Not for use in Santa Monica, Torrance and Long Beach, Calif. Sale 19.00 9.00 It has been said that the classified ad section gets of the readers attention.

Because of this and the great bargains you will find, we decided to place Miller Waldrop's Warehouse Clearance ad in this manner. Read every word of it. This may well be what you are looking for in furniture. This is a once a year sale that we clear out all of our used merchandise or slightly damaged merchandise and all of that merchandise that will not match anything else or has been sold away from its group. All the merchandise listed below will be at cost or below cost and I guarantee you the best prices will be on these closeout merchandise.

Sale starts at 9:00 Friday morning until 5:00 Friday afternoon. We will be open again at Saturday morning at 9:00 and closing at 5:00. This is a two day sale at our old warehouse location 222 East Third. Bring your pick-ups and money, we are not kidding around; we want to clean our warehouse of all the furniture listed below. 1.Regular size Stanley Ole Headboard in Antique Red and White Recommended Retail $109.95 Sale O.UU 2.

Twin size Stanley Ole Headboard in 2 Antique Red and 3 White A A A Recommended Retail $109.95 Sale 30.UU 3 Stanley desk chair yellow AQ A A Recommended Retail $89.95 Sale J.UU 4 Dixie dining room chair dark pine finish Recommended Retail $65.00 Sale 5. Twin size Dresher brass and red velvet headboards. Slightly damaged Recommended Retail $84.95 6.Lane oak coffee table A A A A Recommended Retail $219.00 Sale J.UU 1 Mersman fruitwood finish coffee table Recommended Retail $139.95 8.Mersman fruitwood finish coffee table Recommended Retail $159.95 9 Isenburg end table fruitwood finish Recommended Retail $149.95 10.Kenwood bar stool Recommended Retail $69.95 Sale ll.DeSoto bar stools 1000 Recommended Retail $49.95 Sale 1 J.UU 12.2 Hallmark swag lamps i A A A Recommended Retail $49.95 Sale 1 J.UU 13.Texas swag lamp i A A A Recommended Retail 64.95 Sale 1 J.UU U.Gold leaf regency table damaged i A A A Recommended Retail $74.95 Sale 1 J.UU 15.Tell City cigarette table damaged A A Recommended Retail $49.95 Sale J.UU IG.Fruitwood finish Vaughn nite stand Recommended Retail $89.95 Sale J. 17.Vaughn hutch top fruitwood finish AQ A A Recommended Retail $119.95 Sale HO.UU IS.Tell City maple duxberry chair A A A A Recommended Retail $89.95 Sale J.UU 19.0utdooi coffee table Sale Sale 49.00 59.00 59.00 19.00 9.00 Sale J.UU 149.00 195.00 179.00 Recommended Retail $27.00 20. Odd white dresser, mirror Recommended Retail $49.95 21.4 Twin size white headboards Recommended Retail $79 95 22.Oak dresser and mirror Recommended Retail $329.95 23.Oak Dixie chest of drawers Recommended Retail $419.95 24.Oak chest of drawers by Dixie Recommended Retail $389.95 25.Fruitwood finish Lane nite stand "7 A A Recommended Retail $189.95 Sale J.UU 26.One group of 0000 oil paintings Sale J.UU 27.Large gold mirror frame Sale 28.Two Kenwood bar stools fi Recommended Retail $22.95 Sale J.UU 29.Odd Isenburg mirror i A A Recommended Retail $49.95 Sale 1 J.UU 30.We have several odds and ends pieces four feet by six feet area rugs.

Odd Roman Shades. Accessory pieces. Day bed coverlets. Rug samples. All from one to five dollars.

We have not listed all the merchandise but some of the better bargains. So, if you don't see anything on here that you might need, come down because there is a good possibility that we could have what you are looking for. Because of the nature of the sale there will be a ten dollar delivery charge for each item requiring delivery. Now that you have read all of this, I would like to congratulate you on your fine reading ability as my dictation, I am sure, has much to be desired! See you at the warehouse 222 East Third Friday and Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00. 9.00 Paid by Bruce Kina fw Governor Committee, Sablrw reasutci Mark Waldro.