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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 26, 1994                   TAG: 9401260155
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

NORTH PLANNING CLINTON-STYLE SENATE RACE

Few U.S. Senate candidates have both Larry King and Ted Koppel wooing them for television appearances when they open a campaign. But they're not Oliver North.

The former Marine lieutenant colonel and first-time Republican candidate - he of Iran-Contra fame - officially will begin his Senate bid Thursday. That's 12 or so hours after he previews his challenge to Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va., on King's cable television show, and one day before he appears with Koppel on ABC's "Nightline."

In between, in Virginia, North will do the standard fly-around, but with a twist: At each of four stops, he'll make an eight- or nine-minute stump speech before bands of loyalists and then leave without taking a single question from the news media.

"It worked for the last guy who tried it," said North spokesman Mark Merritt, referring to President Clinton's strategy of going directly to voters through alternative media channels. "It's vogue."

Not many statewide candidates can command appearances on national television, noted Kathleen Hall Jamieson, dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, "but if you can, it's a great strategy, and it saves money."

"It's a way to get around the media changing the agenda of the event," she said.

Not until Friday afternoon will North field questions from local reporters. But even then, the interaction will be minimal. He'll probably be sitting at his estate in rural Clarke County. Television reporters will hook up via satellite. Newspaper and radio reporters will have to call on the telephone.

"Ollie knows he'll have to get through the regular media and speak directly to voters," Merritt said. "The Washington Post has been anything but friendly to Ollie North. Just look through the clips of the last seven years. It's always taken a liberal bias against Ollie."

Republican consultant Roger Stone said that although North "ultimately will have to submit" to examination, the chance to "shape initial impressions" in a controlled setting can be quite effective.

As national security adviser to then-President Reagan, North became a celebrity - and a hero to many conservatives - through his part in the guns-for-hostages exchange that became known as the Iran-Contra affair. He later was convicted of three felony charges for lying to Congress about his role, but the convictions were overturned on appeal.

The Senate race promises to be one of the most-watched and most-expensive campaigns of the year. His national television appearances, Merritt said, will allow North to reach potential financial backers across the nation. He's already received more than $1 million in contributions.

North is being challenged by Reagan administration Budget Director Jim Miller. The Republican nomination will be decided at a convention this summer.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB