The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 26

C-2 Town Talk, Alexandria-Pineville, Friday, December 19, 1980 tMASH'- Reruns Saving Grace of TV? f' vS- were out, so we had to draw a line through the "TV Set Of column. Wednesday was the last day of our Nielsenship. It is also the worst TV night of the week, a night invariably introduced by my wife as, "A crummy TV night, tonight" We read until 11, then watched a "MASH" rerun. I felt I'd let the TV industry down and had squandered my chance. I realized tha in our week as a Nielsen household, we watched hours of TV, way below our average.

Of those 19 hours, 16 hours were spent watching "MASH," football and pay TV. Come to think of it I did help the TV industry. Sunday, we went to the mountains to cut firewood, so the sets were off again. I was beginning to despair of my rare chance to let the TV industry know of my viewing preferences. Sunday night changed things a full five hours of tube watching.

It began at 8, with a rerun of "MASH," followed by the remainder of a Walter Matthau movie. Then, "Archie Bunker's Place." At 8:30, my wife watched "One Day at a Time," while I fed the dogs and watched "Conspiracy of the Yagyu Family," a Japanese soap opera. Then came "Pride and Prejudice" on PBS and the last part of an Ingmar Bergman movie on pay TV. (In between, there was a lot of channel switching, which you're supposed to record, but we didn't) On Monday, there was "Monday Night Football" "MASH" and a pay-TV- movie. On Tuesday, we By Peter J.

Boyer AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES It arrived in he mail last week: "Here is Your Personal Nielsen TV Viewing Diary. Your household is one of many thousands across the United States invited to be a part of Nielsen TV ratings." The TV slave's dream. "We believe you will enjoy this survey week, knowing that your Viewing Diary will be a definite help to the TV industy. This may be one of your few chances make your viewing ireferences known." We received two diaries, one to be kept by each TV set We were asked to provide information about persons likely to be viewing our two sets age, race, languages spoken and such, and whether the head of the house was male or female. We got stuck on that, so we skipped it The fun began.

The diary ran for seven days, Thursday through Wednesday. Each das was broken into 15- minute segments. We were asked to draw a line hrough the times our sets were off and to list the programs, station number and call letters when the sets were on. Thursday was easy, because neither of us were home until 11 o'clock. I was taking a pal out to dinner to pay off a baseball bet and my wife was Christmas shopping.

I watched a MMASH" rerun for 20 minutes and marked it in our diary. Friday was easy, too. We watched a basketball game on pay-TV until "Dallas" came on. Then a "MASH" rerun and to bed Saturday was a little tougher because we were home in the morning. We watched the Ohio-Stae Michigan game, and had to record it in both diaries since we had it on both sets (so I wouldn't miss anything while eating breakfast).

We went to a football game during the day, and then to a party, so the TV was off for the rest of the day. PREGNANCY REFERRAL SERVICE "You're Not Alone" CALL 487-4810 Tonight In The Village Dr. Spock to Film Series on Children air, while nobody is at home, and airthematleasure. "The viewer now has the ability to recreate prime time to fit his' CENU MEDIA VILLAGE MERCHANTS SALUTE THE SALVATION ARMY 6-8 When John Hartford Isnt playing the banjo, he likely can be found riverboating. Hartford is best-known for his 1967 hit "Gentle on My Mind," but he's still not sure of the song's message.

(AP Photos) John Hartford Remains Puzzled Over Message own schedule," Markim said. "It's the ultimate in freedom. The TV set has been the master and we have been the slaves. That set has Tomorrow ARTS said, you be here at 9 o'clock or you wont get to see this wonderful RED RIVER CRAFTS program weVe created for Now we've taken back freedom of choice for ourselves. 0 WINDOW SHOPPING WINNERS AWARD 6:30 TUBA CHRISTMAS CONCERT 7:00 "No longer do we have to do what the programers in their ivory towers say we've got to do." Videodiscs LP records that play movies threaten to take much if not all of that medium away from the "ivory towers" of commercial network programers- By Kenneth R.

Clark United Press International NEW YORK (UPI) Dr. Benjamin Spock, who helped a generation of mothers raise their babies, now is out to help those babies raise their own, but this time he's doing it with television. The world famed baby doctor who, in the past 25 years, has spread the gospel of child rearing through more than 33 million books on the subject has signed on with Video Corporation of America to do his thing for the library of the '80s a library as likely to hold videotape casettes as books. Spock on the home screen, guiding panicky new mothers through such crises as cradle cap and potty training, is one of several features now being sold by Video Corporation's VidAmerica division for the burgeoning new home video market Other casettes, on the market or yet to come, will be aimed at improving the golf stroke, building the body or maybe even fixing the plumbing and, according to VCA President Alfred Markim, it's all in the cause of liberation. Not only can the television viewer now buy his own specific programs, such as Spock, to be played at will but he also can record network programs off the "From the monetary standpoint it was great and gave me a lot of exposure," he said.

"But I've liked getting out and developing my own stage show. "It would be nice to go back and do a weekly show now. I've got it easy now; what I do is to my liking." His stage show is a one-man performance emphasis on spontaneity. "All my shows are different because I make it up as I go," he said. "I try to make it spontaneous.

It's like holding a bridge hand. The order you play your cards depends on what you play first; if the audience likes it you have a clue what to do next" Although Hartford's music is heavily laced with a bluegrass feel, he doesn't like to label it. "It's John Hartford music. Or riverboat music. Or country and riverboat music," he said, MacARTIlUR in time, but Markim said Hollywood need not worry about a depression and he is not worried about competition from the discs.

"Hollywood is in the business of making movies and the public ape-tite for them is insatiable," he said. wmm Tftr- TTli 1 Creotive Catering meM NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Thirteen years after winning two Grammy awards for "Gentle on My Mind," John Hartford remains puzzled over the song's message. "I can't describe the message," the slender, soft-spoken Hartford said in an interview. "Songs like that are supposed to mean different things to different people.

Dinah Shore said it was the most chauvinistic song she ever heard." The song is a vivid, sensual story of fond remembrance. Inspired by the movie "Dr. Zhivago," Hartford wrote the song in 20 minutes and won Grammy awards In 1967 for best country song and best folk song. Hartford and Glen Campbell have been close friends ever since Hartford appeared for more than two television seasons on the j'Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" in the late 1960s. Campbell, in fact one of the dozens of artists who recorded "Gentle on My Mind." "I can't say enough nice things about him (Campbell)," Hartford said over a breakfast "He's the greatest singer I've been around.

With all due respect to Sinatra, he cuts 'em all "And he's a great musician," Hartford said. "I've seen him sit Stevie Wonder, Merle Haggard and others and he blew 'em all away." Hartford, 42, a banjo player, guitarist and fiddler, has mixed feelings about no longer being on a regular network television show. Weather Report You get the up-to-date weather report each day in The Town Talk. "Specializina in the Pertonnl Tntith" Open House Holiday Parties Ph. 445-0446 Yolonde Pinckley ELKS ILOILDGE MENS DOWN JACKETS J5195 ff the cowboy store Ho IMS MEN'S mm JEANS BLUE DENIM BEST SELECTION IN CENU LADIES' WESTERN BLOUSES Reg.

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