By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Ten years ago, Henry Ford Village launched its internal cable TV station, Channel 11. Today, you can still count the full-time employees on one hand.

“The station is very reliant on its volunteers,” says TV lead coordinator, Anne Diaz-Perry. “We have one full-time staff person—myself.”

The ‘original six’
Many volunteers have offered to lend a hand here and there, but six individuals have been there from the beginning and are still going strong— they are the “bread and butter” of the thriving station.

John Backoff, June Ebert, Roy Lausman, Betty Price, Helen Quinn, and Sue Sprague live at the community and have been pitching in at the station for the past ten years.

“I came in when they started,” Lausman says. “I’ve done a little bit of  everything.”

On-the-job training
Before moving to Henry Ford Village from Davison, Lausman had little or no cable TV experience. “Anne encouraged us to take an editing course at Henry Ford Community College,” Lausman says. He also volunteered at Dearborn’s Channel 10 Cable TV station for six years.

“I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve made some new friends,” Lausman says. “It doesn’t seem like it’s been ten years.”

Ten years and counting
Recently, Diaz-Perry organized a pizza party in honor of the six volunteers. Honorees were presented with gold pins engraved with “10 Years of Star Service.” Many other station volunteers attended the event, as did Diaz-Perry and staff member Deena Gibson.

“The six volunteers who have been with us for ten years have been invaluable to me. Everyone has contributed,” Diaz-Perry says. “All are quite capable in studio production. Some have gone on to learn field production and have become producers and editors of their own material, creating packaged stories and programs for our station.

“They’ve helped to make us the ‘go to’ place for information on campus. What they’re doing is a significant service for Henry Ford Village.”