Green light given area TV station y By Pamela Klein BUSINESS LABOR REPORTER Construction of a commercial television station for the Ann Ar bor area could begin next fall, ac cording to the Oklahoma company which will own the business. On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission granted a construction permit for Channel 31 to Southern Satellite Inc. of Tulsa, a satellite broadcast ing company. That FCC action puts the long- discussed station the closest to reality since the idea was first pro posed 14 years ago. In 1973, after years of campaign ing for the project, the Wolverine- Momingstar Broadcasting Co. of Ann Arbor was granted permis sion by the FCC to build the sta tion. Numerous delays followed in obtaining financing and meeting deadlines, and the FCC finally de creed in February that the local firm would not be allowed to build the station. Wolverine-Morningstar was told it must transfer the construction permit or risk losing authorization for the station. In April, Southern Satellite applied for that permit. JACK MANN of Southern Satell ite. who will head the local opera tion, said the company was “very, very pleased” to receive the FCC go-ahead “After so many years of talking about this, it looks like Ann Arbor is finally going to get its sta tion,” Mann said. The company is finalizing or ders on the necessary equipment, he added, and anticipates begin ning construction on the station in the fall of 1980 The station will be built on a 30- acre site in Lyndon Township near M-52 and North Territorial Road, the same site proposed by the Wolverine-Morningstar Co., Mann said. Southern Satellite will spend about $1.5 million for the initial hardware required to put Channel 31 on the air. he added “And that doesn't count our legal fees, pre- operational costs or programming costs." Mann said. Mann, formerly with ABC-TV, said he has hired a program direc tor and will be hiring a chief engi neer for the station shortly. He said he would be in Ann Arbor aft er January to handle arrange ments and construction on the sta tion. See Channel 31. Page A-5 dies