The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee • 11

The Jackson Sun, Jackson, Tennessee, Wednesday, August 19, 1981 mgM plillllllllllii the pop concerts, which have become the symphony's top drawing card. Cunningham says having an arts council in a community this size is "a jewel in a crown. There is great potential here and I feel a challenge." From previous experience in Jackson, Cunningham said he knows the people will support the arts, and he hopes to broaden that base of support, possibly into surrounding communities. "I don't come here unprepared. We've got to get to the people and get the money." The golden days of federal dollars spilling into the arts are just about over, Cunningham acknowledged.

"The federal money was fine, but I think the corporations can jump in and fill the void," he said. "The more corporations are supporting the arts, the more they are finding out how important they are to a community." Jackson Arts Council members appear delighted with Cunningham. Harbert Alexander, JAC president, said the organization was impressed with his background both in arts and administration. "He has By BILL ROBERTS Assistant Features Editor Ted Cunningham, the Jackson Arts Council's new executive director, has spent a lifetime devoted to the arts. He ran a prop business in New York that worked on such Broadway shows as "Inherit the Wind" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night." He was general manager of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for six years, and coordinated fund raising for the 800-member symphony league.

He has dabbled in the popular recording business. And now, the 60-year-old Cunningham a quiet-spoken Mason resident who exudes sincerity is taking over the top spot in the Jackson Arts Council. (Cunningham plans to commute to the JAC offices for the job. This is a return engagement for Cunningham who came to Jackson in 1973 as a consultant to the Jackson Symphony. Financed by a state grant, Cunningham helped the symphony revamp its programs and added worked with the arts and can instill enthusiasm in volunteer efforts," Alexander said.

"We couldn't pass him up with that kind of talent." Ken Keim, a JAC member on the search committee to find an executive director, said Cunningham's background and experience will help in dealing with corporate fund raising. "The man is a professional and corporate professionals should like dealing with him," Keim said. Alexander said Cunningham is taking over the arts council just as some important things are happening. The corporate fund drive is still underway and a personal fund drive is about to start. Then in the fall, a gala $25 a plate fund-raising dinner is scheduled.

"We needed somebody who could begin working immediately," Alexander said. Cunningham replaces Lendon Hamilton Noe, who served for about two years as head of the JAC. She was temporarily replaced earlier this year by Trina Jones, who also has resigned. New arts director in tune Ted Cunningham on a return engagement u. 1 "WUT engineer Herman Williams, UTM resident engineer Wesley Bell and Jerry Lacy, UTM director of development, left to right, help survey to place the station's satellite receiving dish in just the right place on campus.

Construction crews were at work this morning putting the dish in place. 4 Sun photos by Sue Aim Tonzer Roberts WLJT-TV to initiate A mural in the University of Tennessee at Martin's al Television Station, but now will serve all of West Communication Building lobby reminds visitors to its Tennessee as a community owned educational televi- new television studio of the building's past. For years sion station, it was headquarters for a state-sponsored Instruction- oca I prog ra ming Charles E. Smith to pick up a clear signal. Carswell will be restructuring WLJT from the ground up, with only himself and a part-time engineer assigned to the Martin studio.

They will be assisted by students. Last May, the state legislature, through the Educational Television Act of 1981, vowed to get out of the educational television business by 1986, eventually transferring ownership to "non-profit corporations" like the West Tennessee Television Council, overseeing local stations. WLJT is now owned by the state Department of Education. That means the four state-owned ETV stations will no longer be able to rely solely on state and federal funds to survive, leaning heavily on fund-raising drives. The first one begins Saturday at WLJT.

Before the ETV Act was passed, a state consulting firm had recommended that WLJT be taken over by WKNO, but when WKNO expressed no interest in the station, the state recognized the West Tennessee Public Television Council as its primary bargaining agent. It will probably be more than a year before the state is fully divested of WLJT because of paperwork required by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Carswell estimated. Then it will be up to the council, the license holder and Carswell to determine what is aired. Ioway to the Concord community in Gibson County. A full schedule of programs will begin at 11 a.m.

Saturday with Something Spectacular with Steve Allen. The new station will mean few changes to the Lexington operation, which will remain a transmitting station, but it will gain the capacity for local color broadcasting. Viewers, however, will notice that WLJT will no longer be affiliated with WKNO except when some cable companies continue to air it when WLJT is signed off. Jackson Cablevision's Tom Kreager said the cable company will automatically switch to WKNO, Channel 10, when WLJT, Channel 11, has "dead time," but that it is up to the local cable opertator how programs will be handled with WKNO. WLJT is viewed in parts of Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi.

Kraeger sees WLJT's local programming as a bonus for his company's 13,500 cable subscribers in Madison and McNairy counties. "From what I'm reading about, it looks good. I'm excited to see them talking about their new plans and I think we're all going to enjoy a lot of good programming," Kreager said. Rowlett said Golden Circle residents only have to direct their housetop antennas to the Law Road tower near Jackson p.m. Aug.

27, will focus on the coming UTM Pacers football season and discuss recruiting practices. The home football opener with Troy State Unver-sity Sept. 12 is expected to be videotaped for viewing later. It is the beginning of a programming adventure for newly-selected station manager Bob Carswell, who sees the station as becoming more responsive to its viewing area. "I think it's going to be able to present a more localized feeling in programming," said Carswell, who came to Martin Monday from his job as program manager for WTCI-TV, Chattanooga's public television station.

Though Carswell doesn't see many programs being produced locally, he sees the station as a forum for area experts and guests while continuing to provide high-quality Public Broadcasting Service programs. UTM basketball and football contests, as well as UTM Vanguard Theater productions, may also be aired. "We've got a reservoir of cultural assets on this campus," said UTM Chancellor Charles E. Smith. "We have unlimited potential.

I would eventually hope we would be able to produce things to be picked up by the newtwork, but our primary goal is to serve the people of this The chancellor stressed that the station is not a mouthpiece of the university, but that the institution wants to give its broadcasting students "hands-on" experience and, in turn, provide cultural resources to the community. As local programs are added, PBS programming will continue, officials say. Shows to be retained include Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, The Electric Company, Nova, Austin City Limits, Evening at Pops, Masterpiece Theater, Dick Cavett, Captioned ABC News, McNeilLehrer Report, National Geographic Society specials, Soundstage, Washington Week in Review and Wall Street Week, he said. Shows to be added are The Best of Walter's Place, a do-it-yourself course in upholstering, home security and clock repair; The Appalachian Experience, spotlighting Appalachian writers; The New Politics, examining Tennessee politics as it has been affected by the media, advertising, pollsters and consultants in recent years.

Until Saturday, WLJT will be operating on a limited schedule from 6-10 p.m. as construction crews connect a 23-foot satellite receiving dish on the UTM campus and move a relay tower from Gal- By SUE ANN TANZER ROBERTS Sun Reporter MARTIN Jackson Symphony Orchestra concerts, professors pondering the economy and the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival may soon come into your living room as WLJT-TV begins local programming here. For 12 years, WLJT has operated virtually devoid of local programs, depending solely on WKNO-TV, Memphis' community-owned public television station, to beam its programs by microwave to the Lexington-based WLJT. Of the state's six educational stations, WLJT was the only one without locally generated programs. "No one pushed it in West Tennessee," said Darrell Rowlett, state assistant education commissioner who has helped get the station going.

"They have been at the mercy of what WKNO was showing," said Jerry Lacy, University of Tennessee at Martin's development director who has also been working with the station. Beginning at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the station will air the first half-hour, locally produced show, an interview with UTM athletic director Ray Mears and head football coach Lynn Amedee on The UTM Pacer Sports Show. The program, to be repeated at 6:15 We have unlimited potential' "If there are good things going on, we need to show them, but if a bad situation is concerning the people, we need to offer them ways the problem should be approached," Carswell said. "You can't program for just one person.

You have to reflect your audience. If the people don't tell you they like the show or don't like the show, you're running on your own," he added. Rowlett said he was not sure how much money it will take to run the station this year, but WLJT's budget last year was $213,447. If the station is approved by CPB, it is assured Rowlett said. Planners propose row fa eel iff Hospital see outpatient service competition i ty su rg ery center op posed i m- Working with downtown property owners, Tennessee Valley Authority architects and planners came up with proposed restorations for a row of buildings on West Lafayette Street from Nando Jones Dry Goods Store to Smith Furniture Co.

The plans are part of the Town-lift project, headed by a local organization with technical assistance from TVA. The drawing above, which also includes Louis Betty's Shoe Shop and Harlan Insurance Agency, was presented along with proposed facelifts for Kisber's and the Church and Lafayette Building presented at a Town-lift meeting today. For Kisber's, the planners recommended a chemical cleaning and new awnings across the front, bearing the store logo. For the Church and Lafayette Building, bought recently, by Jackson National Bank, a cleaning to show off the yellow brick, the installation of uniform dark glass windows and the enlargement of the recessed entrance were suggested. On the West Lafayette block, the planners recommended chemical cleaning to remove paint and get back to the natural brick.

Their drawings also showed bricked-in windows opened up and new coordinated awnings and wood-panel fronts and which has the authority to issue tax-free revenue bonds, will not act on the loan request until the center is approved. The public hearing allows the health improvement association staff to hear opinions on the project. The staff will make a recommendation on whether to accept the project to the 41-member board of directors. The board will vote on the project on Sept. 28 and forward its recommendation to the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission, which meets Oct.

28. Freeman said if Medical Facilities is granted the certificate at the October commission meeting, the center may be ready by October 1982. In another public hearing Tuesday night, Freeman said Jackson-Madison County General Hospital is seeking to add a cardiac catheterization service. Cardiac catheterization involves injecting a dye into a patient to trace blockages in the heart. If a blockage is found, a tube would be inserted to circumvent it.

Freeman said if the laboratory can get enough patients, the hospital could eventually perform open-heart surgery. Currently, patients are transferred to hospitals in Memphis and Nashville for the catheterization and the surgery, he said. Freeman added that a question has arisen as to whether the hospital should be applying for a certificate for the new service or for the service and new surgery. The new service would cost $725,000 and would be funded by the hospital, he said. The hospital's request will be voted on by the board and the recommendation forwarded to the state Health Facili Sun photo by lorry Atherton By JANET BREAZEALE Sun Reporter Jackson hospitals are opposing a request by a Nashville firm to build a center to perform one-day surgeries, a health group official said today.

Jim Freeman, assistant director of the West Tennessee Health Improvement Association, said administrators from Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, Jackson Specialty Hospital and Parkway Hospital presented a statement during a public hearing Tuesday claiming the Jackson Surgery Center would be a duplication of services Medical Facilities Inc. has applied for a certificate of need to operate the surgery center in Jackson, Freeman said. He explained half of the center would be owned by Medical Facilities and the other half by the physicians staffing it. The administrators claim the center would take away patients from the three hospitals' outpatient surgeries, Freeman said. The types of surgeries to be performed at the center would depend on what types of doctors staff it, but could be obstetrics-gynecological, orthopedic and ear, nose and throat surgeries, Freeman said.

He said several persons also spoke in opposition to the center. Freeman said one woman was opposed to the center because the physicians may perform elective abortions. He said Medical Facilities does not make the decision on whether the center offers abortions, but the doctors at the center do. The firm states in its application the center would cost about $1.9 million and would be financed by Jackson's Health and Educational Facilities Board, Freeman said. The center would be located on Coatsland Avenue near Skyline Drive.

Freeman said the Health and Educational Facilities Board, V- TVA planner John Smalling explains proposed restorations. out the renovation work is up the owners. "We're hoping to do something very near to (the TVA design)," said Wesley Forsythe of Nando Jones Store. "I think if everyone works together, there will be a lot better, lasting effect than if we all did the work individually," said Van Harlan, whose insurance agency is included in the plans. doors installed.

Restoring the buildings to the original finish and appearance is "the least expensive approach you can take," said TVA planner John Smalling. This way, they won't require painting or remodeling every few years. The TVA plans were done at the request of the business owners interested in improving the appearance of their stores. Whether to carry ties Commission for its meeting Oct. 28..