Channel 99 hits airwaves

Kirk Baird

Friday, Feb. 2, 2001 | 9:17 a.m.

As part of a unique service, residents of Sun City Anthem, a local retirement community for adults 55 and older, have a new local-access cable channel.

Sun City Anthem Channel 99, a 24-hour station designed to keep residents informed of community happenings, began broadcasting Jan. 1.

Since all homes in the Del Webb development have been pre-wired for the channel, any resident with basic cable can receive its broadcast. The channel is available only to residents of the community, which also includes Anthem Country Club and Coventry Homes at Anthem.

For now the channel essentially serves as an electronic bulletin board service, featuring community-service notices that repeat every 90 minutes. But as the channel develops and takes off, the idea is to include a variety of programming, such as cooking, fitness and computer programs.

"We're still toying with it," said Christine Lampione, communication coordinator for the Sun City Anthem Community Association, which is funding the channel.

As part of Lampione's job, she is responsible for disseminating information about the community to the residents, which she does through a website, monthly newsletter and Channel 99.

The channel's "studio" consists of some video editing equipment and three monitors in her office, which is located at the Sun City Anthem Center. (The center doubles as offices for the community, as well as a place for the residents to meet for classes. It also features a weight room and an indoor swimming pool.)

Currently the channel is limited to what Lampione calls "a broadcast version of the (community) newsletter -- but with the most up-to-date information available."

But once the community association purchases a $6,000 camera later this year, Lampione said she plans to quickly learn how to use it and will go out into the community.

"I'll be scouting out events and human-interest stories, and work with the editing and filming of it," she said.

Additionally, there are plans to involve residents in the channel, in terms of production -- provided they have the necessary experience -- as well as the content.

The new programming, as it's implemented in the coming year, will be intermingled throughout the day, along with the listing of community events.

Eventually the channel will offer four types of programming: association news, such as board and committee meetings; special events, such as volunteer fairs, blood drives, and parties; community classes, such as bridge, the hiking club and other specialty courses, as well as fitness classes; and cooking shows, which will feature the chef of Trumpets restaurant, located in the Anthem Center, as well as daily restaurant menu updates.

The idea for the station, which so far has cost a little more than $35,000, began two years ago, said Sean Ross, public relations associate with Del Webb Corp. Based on the success of similar channels at two other Del Webb properties -- one in Georgetown, Texas, the other in Lincoln Hills, Calif. -- the plan was to offer the same service to Anthem residents, who number nearly 2,000.

After negotiating with Cox Communications for several months, a contract was signed last year making Sun City Anthem the first single-family home community in Southern Nevada to offer its own channel, Ross said.

Even though the channel has only been on for a month, he said there are already signs the residents are tuning in. For example, when a new community driving range opened recently, 150 residents turned out, even though the only pre-publicity for the opening came via Channel 99.

"It's a great testament to show that people are watching," Ross said.

Such people as Jerry Faucett, a Sun City resident.

Gathered around a small table playing poker with other community residents, Faucett seemed to echo the general feeling that the channel was good for the community.

"Not only does it have information about the clubs, but the contact numbers, too," he said. "It's informative."