Are You Out There, Ross?

By Janice Castro

NOW THAT ROSS PEROT IS BACK IN THE RACE, SUBSCRIBERS TO the PRODIGY computer- network service want to know when he will go on-line. Since August, Prodigy has been running an electronic town meeting in which Bill Clinton and George Bush chat with its 1.75 million subscribers. Members have flooded the candidates with more than 150,000 questions. Clinton answered 50 queries, all in a folksy tone, signed "Sincerely, Bill Clinton." Bush, who signs his more formal electronic notes simply "President George Bush," has replied to only about 25 queries so far. Neither side, though, has been willing to answer one of the most popular questions: "If you win the election, will you stay on- line?"