Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 18, 1995 TAG: 9508180028
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SARASOTA, FLA. LENGTH: Short
After becoming host of the 15-minute ``Camel News Caravan'' on NBC in 1949, Swayze developed into one of the first popular TV personalities.
The show, sponsored by Camel cigarettes, was the forerunner of the modern newscast. It replaced a straight newsreel format with live shots, interviews and commentary.
Swayze, who was host for seven years, was known for the opening line ``hopscotching the world for headlines'' and the carnation in his lapel.
During the 1950s, Swayze held other broadcasting jobs, serving as a panel member on the NBC quiz show ``Who Said That?'' and master of ceremonies of a children's educational show, ``Watch The World.''
After Camel News folded in 1956, Swayze went to work for Timex and was featured in its commercials for 20 years.
The ads showed the watches being subjected to various kinds of abuse only to emerge intact. Elephants stomped on the watches in one commercial, and another showed a watch strapped to the pontoon of a plane landing in water.
A Wichita, Kan., native, Swayze began his career as a reporter with the Kansas City Journal Post.
by CNB