Bill Mountford was a reporter for the Weatherfield Gazette who called into the Rovers to get some details on Ernest Bishop after he was shot dead in a wages raid on Baldwin's Casuals in January 1978. He didn't want to bother widow Emily and Betty Turpin suggested he speak to Ken Barlow and Rita Fairclough as Ernie used to play the piano for her singing engagements. Betty spoke kindly of Ernie and described his death as a tragedy though she wouldn't give her name as she didn't want it to appear in the paper.