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Start Free Trial NowTitle: Saved: TV station for Ann Arbor still a possibility
Description: A-1; WPXD
Saved TV station for Ann Arbor still a possibility By Pamela Klein BUSINESS REPORTER An Oklahoma satellite broad casting company, at the last possi ble minute, has breathed new life into the dying hopes for a commer cial television station in Ann Ar bor. Representatives of Southern Satellite Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., to day asked the Federal Communi cations Commission to transfer the construction permit for Chan nel 31 from the current Ann Arbor holder to the Oklahoma company. Today’s action saves the Wolverine-Morningstar Broad casting Co. of Ann Arbor from to tally losing permission to build the local station. The company was told by the FCC in late February that it had to transfer the permit within 60 days or risk losing it al together. Those 60 days expire to day. Ed Taylor, president of South ern Satellite, said his company plans to build and operate a sta tion in Ann Arbor from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., concentrating on local and syndicated programs. Over-the- air subscription-programming then would be offered on the chan nel from 8 p.m. to 2 a m., Taylor said. FCC APPROVAL of the con struction permit transfer should come by winter, Taylor said. If so, the station could be in operation by April or May 1980, he added. Transfer of the permit would bring to an end the 14-year cam paign of Gershom C. Morningstar — principal official in the Wolverine-Morningstar Broad casting Co. - to get a commercial TV station in Washtenaw County. Channel 31 was allocated to the Ann Arbor area in 1973 on the peti tion of Morningstar’s company. Authorization to operate the sta tion was given to the same compa ny in 1975. Thereafter followed four years of delays, prompted by uncertain financing and bureaucratic tan gles. After applying for a third ex tension to the construction permit, Morningstar was told by the FCC in February that his company could no longer build the station. Morningstar, a professional writer and former broadcasting professor, said he was glad to be able to transfer the station permit to the company like Southern Satellite. Final agreement on the transfer was made last week, he said. "WE RE DELIGHTED we can transfer this to a substantial com- pany.” Morningstar said. "They’re a good outfit. I think the community will be well served by them.” He added that 12 compa- nies had wanted to operate the proposed UHF (Ultra High Fre quency) station. Southern Satellite is a privately-held, 2 Vi-year-old com pany which began by operating a channel on an RCA satellite. "We’ve now turned the corner and are looking for reinvesting our mo ney in TV stations in the smaller communities,” said President Taylor. Channel 31 would provide local programming and syndicated shows coming from other stations via satellite connection, Taylor said. The local programs will be geared toward the college com munities, he added. After 8 p.m., the station’s signal will be scrambled and a Florida company will offer its over-the- air-subscription-television until 2 a m., he said. He explained that Wometco Enterprises Inc. of See TV, Page A-2
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Clipped 1 month ago
- Ann Arbor News
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Apr, 10 1979 - Page 1