Journalist in Space Roster Pared to 40 : Semifinalists Named for Western, North Central Regions

The second round in the selection process for the first journalist to travel in space wrapped up today with the announcement of 16 more national semifinalists.

Finalists from the Western region and the North Central region were announced today.

That brought the total of national semifinalists to 40, with eight from each of five regions. Among the previously announced semifinalists was Walter Cronkite, former CBS-TV anchorman.

5 Finalists to Be Picked

The journalist-in-space project will narrow the list to five national finalists.

The eight finalists from the Western region are:

-- A. Blaine Baggett of Los Angeles, executive producer for KCET-TV.

-- Timothy T. Ferris of Hollywood, free-lance journalist.

-- Michael W. Gold of San Rafael, Calif., contributing editor for Science 86 magazine.

-- Richard Hart of San Francisco, reporter for KPIX-TV.

-- Thomas J. (Jay) Mathews of Pasadena, bureau chief for the Washington Post.

-- Lee N. McEachern Jr. of Greenbrae, Calif., reporter for KGO-TV in San Francisco.

-- Charles W. Petit of San Francisco, reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.

-- Peter M. Rinearson of Seattle, reporter for the Seattle Times.

The finalists from the North Central region are:

-- Theresa M. (Terry) Anzur, a reporter for NBC-TV News in Washington.

-- Joan M. Esposito, a reporter for WLS-TV in Chicago.

-- Paul G. Hayes, a science reporter for the Milwaukee Journal.

-- Hal Higdon, a free-lance writer from Michigan City, Ind.

-- James J. Klobuchar, a columnist for the Minneapolis Star and Tribune.

-- Caroline T. (Terry) Marotta, a free-lance journalist from Winchester, Mass.

-- Paul H. Recer, the Houston Space Center correspondent for Associated Press.

-- Barbara M. Stanton, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press.

Selection of the first journalist to fly on the space shuttle was delayed by the Jan. 28 explosion of the shuttle Challenger that killed seven people.

No timetable has been set for the remainder of the selection process, project spokesman Jack Bass said.

He said officials should be making a decision on the selection process schedule within the next month.

National Selection Panel

A 15-member national selection panel will interview the 40 regional nominees, review their applications and select five finalists.

After physical examinations and interviews, National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials will select a journalist for the space mission and a backup.

The journalist’s flight had been scheduled for Sept. 27, but all shuttle flights have been suspended while the Challenger accident is investigated.

The national semifinalists were selected by five regional panels composed of professional journalists and faculty members with experience as professional journalists. They were chosen from 100 regional semifinalists selected in April.

The Assn. of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communications, which is coordinating the selection process, received 1,703 applications for the program.