Advertising: Been Lonely Too Long

He is one of Madison Avenue's most enduring -- if not hardest-working -- characters: the Maytag repairman. Billed as "the loneliest guy in the world" because the company's products supposedly never break down, he has been portrayed by actor Jesse White since the Iowa-based appliance maker launched the campaign 21 years ago. But next month, at 70, White will hang up his never used tool belt. He will be replaced by actor Gordon Jump, 56, who portrayed radio-station manager Arthur Carlson in the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati. But White is not all washed up. Like many corporate superstars before him, he will remain on the payroll as a consultant.