The Minneapolis Star from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 2

The Minneapolis Star 2A Oct. 2, 1978 Three-way TV- channels switch will mix 9 em up ft -M ft WW9t8xi muu MM. minimi, tannin mnir i i if i -tfflTTrilT fifiyrfi ber of commercial spots local stations can sell at other times of the day. A WTCN official conceded that as an independent, the station has been in "a difficult competitive situation" regarding advertising sales during the station's daytime schedule. Presumably, NBC's daytime schedule will enhance the station's daytime sales.

WTCN also will gain NBC's strength in the early-morning and late-night time slots, when the "Today" show and Johnny Carson programs are broadcast. A 30-sec-ond, locally sold commercial on the first half of the Carson show costs advertisers about $1,000. In addition, stations affiliated with networks are paid a portion of the amount networks earn from their direct sales of commercial time. In an area the size of the Twin Cities, this compensation to affiliates is well in excess of $1 million a year. WTCN almost certainly will cancel its afternoon movie matinee and will have to move or drop "The Merv Griffin Show," a Metromedia production it has been broadcasting during prime time.

One aspect of WTCN's programing remains uncertain. The station has been heavily committed to local sports broadcasts, which are often carried during the prime-time evening hours. Channel 9's future is less certain. Swartz predicted that Channel 9 will have "no financial problem." He contends that as an independent station it can make just as much money as it has been making, but only after costly initial investments to acquire non-network programing. Channel 9's problems are compounded by the fact that Channel 11 already has rights to much of the attractive syndicated programing.

WTCN, however, might discard some of that programing. KMSP will be able to sell all the advertising time it will have during its programs, but advertising rates are much lower for programs with relatively small audiences. Swartz said it is too early to know what programs will be available. But he said that feature films and syndicated reruns will be a major part of Channel 9's programing. "We're contemplating some innovative programs," Swartz said, but he would not elaborate.

He also said the station will look (Television, from Page 1A) he said. "We were interested 'in learning what our options were." Timothy denied that NBC sought out former Channel 9 employees to ask about the station. But it has been learned that the network did contact former Channel 9 employees in at least four states. What they said might have affected NBC's choice. "They asked me to tell them about the operation and I told them the truth," said one former Channel 9 employee.

"I told them they (Channel 9 management) didn't care about news, that they weren't budgeted for news, that news was a stepchild of their operation." Timothy did say that some former Channel 9 employees, as well as other persons involved in television in the Twin Cities, initiated contact with NBC. Timothy declined to discuss what they said. "KMSP is a good station," Timothy said. "People are very fortunate in your town in that you have four very good stations." Timothy said of WTCN's management, "They wanted it, that's for sure. They were very interested in it.

It's a very, very good station. Look at any rating book and you will see it does very well in terms of attracting an audience. Metromedia is a very good broadcast operation. We made a choice between two good stations." Donald Swartz, president and general manager of KMSP, said he was surprised when he learned, on Thursday night, of NBC's choice. "I felt that Metromedia was geared for independent broadcasting.

I just didn't understand NBC's reasoning, and they gave us no reason for it (the decision)," Swartz said. Swartz hinted that he thinks WTCN won because of a "vendetta" between ABC and NBC, and that NBC, for "political reasons," wouldn't affiliate with a station ABC had abandoned. Timothy said there were no such considerations. He said one factor in the decision was WTCN's inventory of strong syndicated shows that once were popular network series. He conceded that NBC had some reservations about Channel 11.

One, he said, was that it would be "disruptive" for viewers to have to learn new habits about where to find network programing on the dial. Although WTCN has a puny news operation, Timothy said Me- Gil Amundson tromedia has a good news program at the one station where it has a network affiliate in Kansas City, where the Metromedia station is affiliated with ABC. "They (Metromedia) realize the importance of local news to a network, and indicated they will put together a first-class news operation," Timothy said. He said NBC didn't demand anything specific as to size of news staff or budget. Gil Amundson, who heads the Channel 1 1 news operation, said he probably wouldn't continue as an on-the-air anchorman after the switch.

Amundson instead is expected to take the executive position of news director. (Amundson's career at WTCN began 18 years ago. He said that the week he began work at Channel 11, the station learned that it was losing its ABC affiliation to Channel 9.) Amundson said Channel 11 will buy some new equipment for its news operation and that the size of the news staff will jump from 12 to about 60. "I'm looking for people already," Amundson said. "I've got tapes and I've been getting calls." Channel 11 will gain from the affiliation the big audiences associated with network programing.

The larger the audience, the more a station can charge advertisers for commercial time. WTCN will be able to charge premium rates for the few minutes of advertising time allotted to local stations during the prime-time schedule, and for the higher num 1 nnri (7 Gyber Man takes his mm if og cars still on drawing board (Cyber, from Page 1a) aided manufacture of cars. Auto makers say computer-aided design has become an ihdispens- able tool of their trade. "Without computers, we'd never get the job done," says Bob Brauburger, chief engineer for Chrysler's technical computer instrumentation center. Both Chrysler and Ford have in-; stalled large-scale Cyber computer systems to help meet federal re-.

quirements. Volkswagen recently bought one, and Control Data says it is wooing Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) and other prospects. Meanwhile, General Motors is racing against the same deadlines, using IBM equipment. With more than a decade of ex- perimentation in the field, Chrysler has assembled one of the most elaborate collections of electronic plotters, drafting gadgets, graphics machines and data libraries in the world. Starting in January, Chrysler engineers in Michigan will share diagrams and ideas instantaneously by satellite with their counterparts at Chrysler factories in England and France.

The engineers already are de- signing, testing and redesigning component parts of cars by simu-; lating them on the computer screen. The computer saves many steps. It reduces the costly and time-consuming process of manu- facturing, testing and remaking prototype parts. It also spares de-: signers the tedium of doing hun-C dreds of drawings by hand, freeing into "all sports aspects to see if they fit into our realm of program' ing." in hood weighs 40 pounds; a graphite one weighs 15 pounds. A graphite wheel weighs 8.5 pounds: one cast in steel weighs 18.

Ford's six-passenger prototype is being designed to match today's intermediate sedans in size. But it will weigh 1,250 pounds less. And that should mean substantially improved fuel economy. Chrysler's engineers are movine in the same direction. They say they expect to slim down their fleet by 1,300 pounds a car a re duction of 30 percent from current models.

Which is where Cyber Man gets into the act. When designers want to evaluate a new seat or armrest or position for a knob on the dash board, they call on him. Taking his cues from the computer, he shuffles and squirms and stretches to determine whether drivers can be comfortable behind the wheel and can operate the controls efficiently- In fairness, it should be disclosed that there is more than one Cyber Man. And they aren't all men. Well, three of them are.

But others are women and children. Like human drivers and passengers, they come in various shapes and sizes. Chrysler engineers affectionately call the tallest man "Wilt the Stilt." The shortest man is nicknamed Steve Cauthen, after the celebrated 18-year-old jockey. If the Cyber Women have names, Chrysler officials won't reveal them. But, according to an informed source, some Cyber Women are "more shapely than others." with Griffith Carew made his angry remarks as he paused in the visitors' clubhouse, smiling only when he recalled a bet he had made with teammate Mike Cubbage.

"I told Mike that he and his wife could spend a week in Hawaii at my expense, if I signed another contract with the Twins," Carew explained. Cubbage, dressing a few feet away, said, "I thought I had a chance to collect until today. Now, I guess there's no way." "That's right," Carew replied. "What do they say in Hawaii? 'Aloha? Well, that's what you can say to that place because that's what I'm saying to the Twins. Aloha.

Good-by." LIU 9mg.tar Determined Your Health. cigarette by FTC method. them for creative work and critical decisions. At Ford's engineering center in Dearborn, for example, about 5,000 computer technicians work alongside 100 specialized computer systems. The big Cyber 176 computer at Ford operates in billionths of a second.

It can perform 15 million calculations at a cost of about 20 cents. Here's a glimpse at how it works: By using computer graphics on the video screen, a car body is divided into specific panels or sections. Engineers study the panels to evaluate new designs that call for lighter materials such as graphite and reinforced plastics. The computer predicts stress points and vibration characteristics that result when the analytical "model" of the car is subjected to simulated loads of passengers and cargo. If Ford or Chrysler were to test some new material for a car fender, the computer would apply simulated stress.

A splotch of bright red would appear on the video screen, telling the engineers where damage or failure is most likely to occur. They could rein-" force that spot or choose another" material for the fender. Ford officials say they are building a prototype vehicle that will use a graphite frame, hood, drive-shaft, suspension arms, wheels and doors. The graphite components will be as strong as steel but will weigh only a third as much, the company says. Consider a few specifics: A steel he's through like I've been used just like they've used Rod." "No nwe," Carew added.

"I've never been able to understand that man (Griffith) and I'm not going to start now. "I've done a lot of things for the organization. I've made speeches, signed autographs, tried to put people in the park. But this (Griffith's remark on blacks) is icing on the cake. It's the pits.

"Mauch is trying to build something and that man (Griffith) is constantly destroying it," he said. "It's sad to think about leaving this team because it has a great bunch of kids on it. But I'm leaving, finished. I'm not going to play for a bigot." Smg.tar Carew vows (Twins, from Page Ia) those comments angered others. Wynegar, for instance, was so frustrated after learning of the report before it was published that during Saturday night's game he punched a trash can in the dugout and broke the little finger on his right hand.

Ford, an outfielder who led the team in runs batted in with 82, said that he wants to move to another club next year. hope they trade me," Ford said. "It would be best for me mentally and physically. How can I ask for a raise, or a long-term contract for a lot of money, when I know what they're paying Rod? I feel Warning; The Surgeon General Has That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Tarmtnn Unfits- 8 mn "tar" 7 mn nirntmp. ..3 --g- a- Tareyton long lights: 9 mg.

0.8 mg. nicotine av. per.