Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, September 22, 1994                   TAG: 9409230100
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ADWATCH

Titlexi: "Good One"

When: Starting Wednesday on more than 100 radio stations statewide

Text: With hoedown music in background, twangy announcer says:

"Here's a real good one for you. Seems like in Virginia, they got this senator who folks saw at some pretty wild shindigs down at the beach. You know the kind where the drinks are stronger than root beer and they take refreshment through their noses. Well, he said he didn't do anything wrong, but he admitted to conduct not fit for a Senator; and, boy, we're havin' a time figurin' what that could be!

"So, anyway, the other party comes up with an opponent. Only problem is they get themselves this colonel who a lot of folks ain't real comfortable with. I mean if you're into lyin', destroyin' evidence, taking a few goodies on the side. Well, as I said, he pretty mean scares folks. So, there's gotta be somebody else, and there is. Marshall Coleman was a pretty fine attorney general. He can fight crime. They know him, like him and he just might be the one."

Then, Coleman says: "This is Marshall Coleman. We'll keep the light on for you."

What's the Message: Coleman uses a folksy touch in an attempt to fan dissatisfaction with incumbent Democratic Sen. Charles Robb and Republican Oliver North. The punch line - "We'll keep the light on for you" - is cribbed from Motel 6 pitchman Tom Bodett. The message: Coleman will welcome home voters who get fed up when the mud starts flying between the two major party candidates.

Factual Matters: The ad misrepresents Robb's admission that he socialized with women in situations inappropriate for a "married man." Robb has maintained that his social life had no effect on his official duties as governor from 1982-86 and that he never knowingly socialized with drug users. Anson Franklin, Coleman's campaign manager, maintained it was "fair game" to attribute Robb's confession to accusations about drugs. "We don't claim that to be a direct quote. We think it's accurate."

Keywords:
POLITICS