ARTS /ENTERTAIN MENT HHHI ■ KMPHiW■ , .. Hi THE ANN ARBOR NEWS • MONDAY. MARCH 10, 1986 mhhi 1 y/SSSjXtX’/fSWvi'XXvX'Xr ■ B3 Ann Arbor's commercial TV station, WIHT, seeks its niche — and more viewers By IOELNYDAHL NEWS miVBION WRITER Most people familiar with Ann Arbor would agree that the city is a distinct community with its own peculiar identity. Why, then, doesn't Ann Arbor have its own television station? Why is it evi dently a mere market-appendage to metro Detroit? You may be surprised to learn that, indeed, Ann Arbor does have its own television station. It’s alive and well and — so reports would have it - thriving. Its call letters are WIHT. It resides electronically on Channel 31 and geographically just off Ellsworth Road. But WIHT has a twofold prob lem. Many potential viewers doen't know it exists; and many - be longing to one of the 37 percent of all households in Ann Arbor that, like mine, are hooked up to Ann Ar bor Cablevision (more on that problem later) - know about it but simply forget. WIHT isn’t even a newcomer to the Ann Arbor scene. It was born in January 1981, two years later be came a 24-hour subscription-ser vice station and finally, in Novem ber of last year, transformed itself into an on-air commercial indepen dent after its owners (Satellite Syn dicated Systems of Tulsa, Okla.) decided that paid television’s days were numbered. Who are the people behind WIHT? WIHT employs 17 people, about equally divided between Chelsea (where the transmitter is located) and Ann Arbor. Because the station as yet does no local pro gramming, for the most part the staff is nameless and faceless to viewers. In charge, frequently seated behind a small desk in a plain but tasteful office, is Chris Webb. As is often the case in a small company, Webb, who came to the television business from sales rather than communications or media, wears the proverbial many hats - at least three of them: general manager, sales manager, program director. Webb seems pleased with what’s happened to WIHT so far. Local re sponse, he says, has been good; not only is the station doing a profit able business, but the future looks even more promising. Back in No vember, Arbitron ratings indicated that about 17,000 households a week tuned in to WIHT; over the next 12 months, Webb hopes that number will increase to 200,000 households per week. The success of the station - both actual and anticipated - shouldn’t MONDAY Concerts •NATIONAL CONCERTO COMPETITION University Symphony Orchestra, Gustav Meier, conducting, with three winners of surprise anyone because WIHT straddles two major markets - Lansing/Jackson and metro De troit. Within the 65-mile radius of WIHT’s signal - the strength of which, by the way, makes it more powerful than some Detroit sta tions - are 1.1 million households. Its size and relative newness make it possible to establish advertising rates well below those charged by Detroit independents like WXON (20), WKBD (50) and WGPR (62), and Webb hopes the station can make inroads in Lansing and Jack- son and even pick up some national advertising. Like all independent stations, WIHT stays in business by “counter programming” - that is, by offering what the network-affili ated stations don’t offer and by of fering more familiar program ming at alternate times. Examples of the kinds of programs WIHT schedules that other stations usual ly don’t, are hobby and craft shows (“Joy of Gardening” and “Sewing with Nancy”), outdoor shows (“Fishing the West” and “North land Outdoor Journal”), old situa tion comedies (“I Dream of Jean- nie”) and rarely seen old hour-long dramatic series (“Switch” and “Route 66”). WIHT also regularly schedules wrestling (“Pro Wres tling U.S.A.” and — out of Detroit — “Bruiser Bedlam”) and locally produced sports programs (“Wol verine Basketball” and “Sports NEWS PHOTO • LARRY l WRIGHT WIHT General Manager Chris Webb says the station's future is bright. View Today” - with Bob Page and Ron Cameron). WIHT also pro grams for children, but at times when adult programming occupies other channels - from 7 to 9 in the morning and from 3 to 5 in the afternoon. WIHT’s greatest gift to Ann Ar bor viewers, however, may be its stunning schedule of “classic” movies at 10 o’clock in the morning and late at night. And I mean “classic” as in “old” - the kind of bass, 4;30-8:30 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres; 3200 Boardwalk, across from Briarwood at 1-94.996-0600. •T.R.’s Happy hour, 3-8 p.m., with complimentary taco bar; 2065 Goifside, near corner of Clark and Goifside. Ypsilanti, 434-7230. Ohio. 419-531-2046. LIBERACE 3 p.m., Premier Center, 33970 Van Dyke, Sterling Heights, 1-978-8700 or 1-978-3450. •RECITALS Carla-Maria Rodrigues, 6 p.m .; Suzanne Sheppard, piano, 8 p.m., both at Recital Hall, School of Music, 1100 Baits, 763-4726. SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY BIRD OF PARADISE Bill Heid Trio, 207 S. Ashley. 662-8310. KNIGHT’S BAR AND RESTAURANT (See Mon. listing) •MOUNTAIN JACKS Herbie Russ, saxophone. 300 S. Maple. 665-1133. NECTARINE BALLROOM High Energy Dance Party with DJ Roger fare real movie buffs crave but sel dom get. During the week of March 16, for example, you can catch “The Amazing Adventure ” (1936, Cary Grant), “Call It Murder” (1934, Humphrey Bogart), “Coura geous Dr. Christian” (1941, Jean Hersholt), “Of Human Bondage” (1943, Leslie Howard, Bette Da vis), “The Rage of Paris” (1938, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), “The Lit tle Princess” (1939, Shirley Tem ple), “Reefer Madness” (1938, Dorothy Short) and “It’s a Wonder ful Life” (1946, James Stewart). And that’s only a partial list. Right now, however, Chris Webb’s primary concern is pro moting the station - building up viewers before making a huge commitment to programming. Al though WIHT is capable of produc ing in-studio programming, the station has no plans to do so imme diately. As Webb said, “You need to walk before you run.” By this summer, Webb hopes to have a once-a-week local show which would have three parts, a look at local government and com munity issues; a segment focusing on what’s happening in the area; and an interview with a local guest of special interest. Webb is also thinking about producing a five- minute community calendar and a show featuring employment oppor tunities in the area. Ironically, WIHT is probably not as well known to viewers in Ann KIOSK Theater “GOING FORWARD, GOING BACK" Staged reading, 7:30 p.m , Rehearsal Room. Ann Arbor Civic Theater, 338 S. Main St .662-7282. “THE MISER” Performances 2 and 8 p.m.. Meadow Brook Theater, Oakland University, Arbor as it is to those in surround ing communities. Although cable companies in Jackson. Dearborn, Monroe, and Oakland County carry WIHT, Ann Arbor Cablevision doesn’t. For one thing, says Webb, the local cable company changed hands recently and the new owners have had higher initial priorities than adding another station - es pecially since in order to pick up WIHT, the company would have to make room by dropping one of the channels it now carries. If you have cable, the only way you can pick up WIHT is to disconnect ca ble and use either “rabbit ears” or an outside antenna - trouble to which few viewers are willing to go Webb, however, doesn’t seem dismayed by the situation. The new cablecasting owners have been re ceptive, he says, and although no firm date has been set, he believes that Ann Arbor Cablevision will add WIHT soon. When I called Ann Arbor Cab levision to find out what plans, if any. the company has to add WIHT, General Manager Ron Har mon was very reluctant to discuss specifics. He said the company will “make a decision in a couple of weeks.” I went so far as to ask if they didn’t have an obligation to carry Ann Arbor’s only local sta tion. No comment WIHT seems to be in a “Catch- 22” situation: it can’t think of de veloping local programming until it increases its viewers; yet the best way to increase the number of viewers - getting the station on cable - seems closed unless WIHT can show that there’s a local need and interest to be filled. I’ll keep you posted. )oel Nydahl leaches writing for the English Composition Board at the University of Michigan.