CLIFFHANGERS

Pacific Bell will break new ground--in advertising--Oct. 15 when it airs the first in a nine-part “commercial mini-series.”

The company, according to a spokeswoman, is “trying to keep this under wraps,” but the campaign’s creative director-writer-producer, Robert Black, provided the storyline: Two elderly men on the phone reminisce in flashback about their lives and their one true love. The gimmick: Viewers have to wait until the last commercial to learn who gets the girl. “I’ve been of the opinion for several years that people might be ready for a continuing story that truly unfolds like a movie,” Black said.