The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 63

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1988 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR D-12 McFerrin dazzles small Circle audience Lack of production is matter of bucks Vry Steve Hall By JILL WARREN STAR STAFF WRITER With what appeared to be the greatest of ease. Bobby McFerrin dazzled a surprisingly small crowd at Circle Theatre Wednesday with his astounding vocal gymnastics. Despite his numerous Gram-mys. his television exposure (it's McFerrin's voice you hear introducing The Cosby Show and the mass critical approval he's earned for his albums and live performances, McFerrin's fans numbered only 700 at this show. Why more people didn't purchase tickets is a question we can't answer, but McFerrin never let the size of the crowd which he often studied and mingled with under bright house lights affect his performance.

McFerrin's style is so delightfully upbeat that it's hard to imagine anything could distract him. Whether he's singing a Bach invention, a Beatles cover or a scintillating demonstration of what scat is all about, the joy of spontaneous creation Is cleary evident in McFerrin's entire being. Dressed casually in black Levis and striped shirt, McFerrin ambled onstage with just a Perri- Bobby McFerrin The bespectacled singer offered two songs from his recently released Simple Pleasures album, including his inventive cover of Suzie and his own Drive, the latter of which was a highlight of the almost 90-min-ute performance. McFerrin, explaining how he once helped tune a child's plastic Mickey Mouse guitar, told fans that he turned the off-key experience into the song Thinking About Your Body. He asked for a female volunteer to come onstage and dance while he sang, and fan Denise Grissom obliged with graceful jubilation, Though he skipped Drive My Car, a Beatles song he covered on the new album, McFerrin offered an incredible rendition of Blackbird that ended with the sound of a bird in flight.

He later invited a choir of fans to the stage and instructed them to sing various parts. "Pay close attention," he said with a FUJIYAMA bleak House of Japan NOW FEATURING COMPLETE LUNCH MONDAY thru FRIDAY WITH FAST AND EFFICIENT SERVICE COUPOII NOT VU0 FOR LUNCH 2 FOR 1 SPECIAL CHOICE OF DINNER MENU I (UP TO A VALUE OF PURCHASE ONE DINNER AT REGULAR PRICE, AND RECEIVE A SECOND DINNER OF EQUAL OR LESS VALUE FREE VALID FOR A PARTY OF TWO CREATE-A-BOOK PERSONALIZED CHILDREN'S BOOK STORE presents grin, "because I'm making this up as 1 go along." They did, and the result was incredible. It sounded like the sort of layered African melodies you'd expect to find on a Lady-smith Black Mambazo album. McFerrin's guests appeared as pleased with the result as did the rest of the audience. McFerrin closed the show with his famous condensation of The Wizard of Oz, during which he sang snippets of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, re-created the twister that carried Dorothy to Oz, and Included the many songs and great moments that led to Dorothy's victory over the wicked witch which McFerrin re-created by spritzing himself with Perrier.

He returned to the stage to face a resounding ovation and sang an inspired, soaring version of The Star-Spangled Banner. When fans pleaded for a second encore. McFerrin sweetly obliged with the Mickey Mouse theme and invited everyone to join along. Concert canceled A June 21 concert by Billy Ocean, scheduled to take place in Market Square Arena, has been canceled, according to Sunshine Promotions. Sunshine stated that no reason was given for the cancelation, but advised ticketholders to return tickets to place of purchase for refund.

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Eye examinations are available by an independent Doctor of Optometry. ly shown program is Ag Report, produced five days a week at the WFYI studios and airing early mornings at 45 to 50 stations across the nation. Ag Report is produced by Meridian Telecommunications Services, WFYI's for-profit communications subsidiary that also does video and audio work. About 45 percent of the station's budget comes from MTS, program underwriting and on-air auctions; 12 percent from the national Corporation for Public Broadcasting: and the rest from subscribers. Currently WFYI and WFYI-FM (90.1) have about 33,000 subscribers.

Other topics Meek touched on in a far-ranging interview: Bloomington's WTIU (Channel 30). Meek estimated that about $20,000 to $30,000 of possible WFYI subscriptions "leave this market for Blooming-ton. They counter-program us and if I was them, I'd do the same," he said. Meek doesn't think Comcast's dropping of WTIU will ever repeat itself with WFYI: "The uproar would be sufficient in a very short time to have them begging us to put our signal back on." Competition from cable. With Superstation TBS carrying National Geographic specials and WMCC (Channel 23) airing Smithsonian Treasures both which originated on PBS how long will viewers stay loyal to WFYI when they can pick up similar fare elsewhere? "We haven't been Impacted yet, but I can see the day when we will be," said Meek.

"The Discovery Channel and other clones of PBS are looking at programming successful for us in the past and saying, 'If PBS can draw an audience with that, why can't We have to do a better job of tying up the rights to shows in this market for a longer time." Good Evening, the lacklusj ter replacement for Prairie Home Companion hosted by Noah Ad ams, formerly of All Things Considered. General managers in other markets are complaining about Good Evening's performance and threatening to drop it. Meek said WFYI-FM has rti ceived few calls, pro or con'; about the show, which costs WFYI-FM a little less than the $3,000 fee for PHC. I Said Meek: "I'm withholding judgment. I'm disappointed with the show so far, but I don't imagine Garrison Keillor was that great when he first started Prairie Home, either." Future plans.

Expect to see a series on local and statewide political races. Meek: "It's not great television, but it's nec; essary television." Blink you'll miss it I Fox Broadcasting's seven sta tions and 117 affiliates including WXIN (Channel 59) will begin carrying a 90-second nightly news report June 6. The newscast originating from Fox's New York station will air locally at 10 p.m. nnr7n BUD 9-14 BUD LIGHT 7.77 24 cans .3 rfTuTKAT BEER 24 cans Saturday, May 1 4 Jig 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Gemini autograph sessions following show Children's photo I.D.'s made by the National Child Safety Council MUSIC REVIEW Artist Bobby McFerrin Where Circle Theatre When Wednesday er and a cordless mike in his hands to open the evening with a selection of seemingly impromptu vocalizations, one of which he directed at latecomers and based on the phrase "How do you find your seats in the dark?" His four-octave range never sounded taxed, and he accompanied himself by tapping lightly on his mike, rapping a hand on his chest, scraping the mike against his scruffy cheek, emitting a series of throat clicks and, on occasion, by turning the crowd into a choir. McFerrin has a marvelously convincing way of getting his fans to do and say the craziest things. With a mere wave of his hand they repeated the most complex scat rhythms he could devise, and later sang along (and did the appropriate hand motions) for The Itsy Bitsy Spider. When some fans were reluctant to join the latter, McFerrin chas-" tised them saying, "Don't be so hardcore grownup come on!" INDIANAPOtlS-MARION COUNTY CHAPTER 4 1M4 locations and is not good with any other ofler. MUST BE PRESENT AND SIGN THIS COUPON VAUD MAY 12ttl THRU MAY 18th, 1Mt Frank Meek's detractors sometimes say he lacks vision, but for the WFYI (Channel 20) general manager, it all comes down to dollars and cents.

"I don't ever envision us as a national programming production center," said Meek. The reason? The 18-year-old public television station would have to overcome significant financial hurdles to produce three or four national PBS programs annually, as Chicago's WTTW does every year. For example: For years, Meek has knocked about the idea of producing a series on auto racing, a theme well-suited to Indianapolis. "We're still looking at it, but the rights on the film and tape are obnoxious," he said. "With the Hulman family getting more and more involved in broadcasting, it's becoming more difficult." The Hulmans are instrumental in Tel-X, a service which controls footage of activity on the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this May and is selling it to TV stations for $17,000.

The stations can no longer film the track themselves. "To do the series right, we'd probably have to come up with $300,000 to $400,000," Meek said a hefty chunk of change for a station whose budget Is about $3 million annually. WFYI is also hampered by Indianapolis being the headquarters of only one major corporation, Eli Lilly and Co. Even Lilly can't do much corporate underwriting; because of a longtime Lilly Endowment guideline, the endowment does not generally fund mass media projects. "Ell Lilly himself questioned the wisdom of spreading your shot too widely." said communications director Susan Conner.

"The feeling was, you should try to put your money where it will make a difference within the areas you've already specified." The endowment has funded such projects as the Oscar-nominated civil rights documentary. Eyes on the Prize, and a special film on the Masters of Disaster championship chess team from Indianapolis. "Typically we get Involved post-production, rather than seed money," said Conner. "For (the series) DeGrassl Junior High, we funded teaching guides." So WFYI has to scramble for funds a little harder than even another public station In a similar-sized market. Cincinnati's WCET, since Cincinnati's the home of Procter and Gamble and other corporations.

"We usually have to get three or four underwriters to their one, for a program," said Meek. When WFYI can come up with the money, the results are impressive. Its handful of nationally-distributed programs over the past decade Include an Emmy-nominated production of Beverly Sills with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and a critically-praised ISO performance with pianist Andre Watts. WFYI rents a videoaudio truck from Opryland U.S.A. to do such remotes.

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