[Trying to put Ann Arbor ion the television map WIHTs latest incarnation attracting viewers 'By KAREN CRASSMUCK •WtWSSfKIAl WRITEII • In the commercial television in dustry, Ann Arbor is a community <hat simply doesn't exist. • Detroit, at 1.6 million viewing Jiouseholds, is considered in the in dustry to be the country's seventh- iargest viewing market Some <670.000 homes tune in Grand Rap- Jds stations. Michigan's second .largest TV market, and Lansing stations reach an estimated 213,000 (households. But Ann Arbor's poten tial market - never really mea sured by the industry since TV sta tions haven't operated here in the Past - floats in a video "never land. Nevertheless. Chris Webb. Jerry Samons and roughly two dozen oth ers employed by Ann Arbor's sta tion W'lHT (channel 31 on the dial, channel 15 on the Columbia cable system) are determined to put the area s first commercial, indepen dent television station on the map Since its debut as a 24-hour sub scription service station in 1981, the small station on Ann Arbor’s south side has gone through a num ber of incarnations, struggling to attract viewers by achieving its own unique identity and offering the right programming “mix.” And lately, they say their viewer- ship has grown significantly. In ?,°^ mber ,985 ' an ^mated 17.000 households per week tuned in to WIHT. Station manager Christopher Webb said that last November, as many as 75,000 households per week tuned in. Eventually, he would like to have 200.000 households glued to the sta tion every week. As subscription television WIHT never really took off - unsurpris ingly. since it. like other ill-fated subscription stations, charged viewers as much as $25 to $32 a month for the service. Currently there are few-if any-surviving subscription stations around the country. On Nov. 1. 1985. WIHT went on the air as a full-time commercial independent (non-network) sta tion It offered classic movies and a mixed menu of "alternate" pro gramming — an all-encompassing term that refers to anything that isn’t mainstream network But that didn't bring in enough money To boost profits. Webb made the little station on Varsity Drive a television home-shopping channel from mid-October until mid-January of this year. He brought Jerry Samons. an Ann Ar bor native and Texas transplant, on board in September to help out as production manager. Samons. 35. quickly set himself to work transforming a large stor age room into a television produc tion studio, complete with a light ing grid, painted styrofoam backdrops, carpeted risers and five $20,000 television cameras. In economic terms, the home shopping venture was a bust too, said Webb. "We felt it would be an opportunity to generate revenues for the station," said the no-non sense. 36-year-old Jackson native. "It did But it also generated lots of expenses.” Webb said the cost of "running a retail store over a TV station" - producing four hours of live televi sion coupled with the expense of taking orders, packing, shipping and billing merchandise - quickly exceeded the station’s operating budget, a figure that Webb de clined to give. Perhaps just as important, some of WIHT s advertisers became irate that the home shopping pro gram was offering products for sale that competed with theirs, he added. Still searching, Webb recently decided to try a "general" format - combining locally produced pub lic interest shows with nationally distributed programs, films and news shows that he thinks will ap peal uniquely to viewers in Ann Ar bor and environs. Last Fall, WIHT catapulted itself into local prominence by broad casting the Carl Pursell-Dean Ba ker debate from the studio Oct. 21. Samons said it's “likely that WIHT will be doing more program ming on local political issues. He added that he is currently develop ing some one-hour live prime-time public affairs programs, soon to be announced. In addition. WIHT now airs a half-hour local events program called "The Heart of the Matter.” hosted by radio personality Lucy Ann Lance Topics “Heart" covers range from the local Chamber of Commerce to sexual assault awareness and prevention. Still, the key question is whether the station, owned by Oklahoma- based Tempo Enterprises, will be able to persuade local businesses that WIHT is watched by enough viewers to make running a com mercial worthwhile. Webb said WIHT’s 30-second commercial spots sell for between $25 and $100 apiece That price range does not include the cost of producing the ad. although Webb and Samons are quick to add that they offer flexible •package" arrangements for com mercial design and production Underwood Chevrolet. Chapman Pontiac Cadillac and other auto dealerships stand among the few local businesses who have bought commercials. The bulk of the rest of the commercial slots are occu pied by national advertisers and hard-sell "per inquiry" spots. which hawk oldies records and junk jewelry. "The challenge before us,” Webb said."is gaining credibility with lo cal advertisers who have primarily used print and radio (toadvertise). There is no doubt in my mind that TV has the highest impact of any advertising medium And our cov erage area is so broad, we offer lo cal businesses the opportunity to expand their market.” He estimates that from WIHT’s transmitter near Chelsea, a poten tial 1.1 million households within a 65-mile radius can be reached. In the frantic, fleeting world of television, an hour is a long time and a week is forever. For now, WIHT s programming lineup in cludes a combination of things. Daytime programming, with some exceptions, is heavily slanted to wards animated features for chil dren ("Zoobilee Zoo” and “Ten nessee Tuxedo”) but also for college students. "Bullwinkle." shown afternoons on WIHT, has a heavy viewing audience at the two largest universities within the WIHT transmitter’s radius: the University of Michigan and Michi gan State University, Webb said. And nightowls can still do home shopping, although it’s not pro duced locally. When the station’s awkward, mid-action cuts to commercials are mentioned, Webb and Samons admit that their technical quality leaves a little to be desired Webb said one of his goals is to create a Top, the modest appearance of Channel TVs offices on Varsity Drive in Ann Arbor belie what its owners and staff hope will be a mushrooming operation. The station claimed about 17,000 viewers a week in November 1985, and 75,000 per week a year later. Above, general manager Chris Webb (seated) and production manager |erry Samons in WIHT's new studio. At left, staff producer Diane Ferraro puts the finishing touches on a taped show. “smoother on-air look” which in cludes better integration of com mercials. “We feel Ann Arbor is a commu nity that has a story to tell,” Webb said. "And it hasn’t been told yet on television."