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Footage of Naked Mile to air on public access cable channel

Those who missed the Naked Mile when it occurred on April 23 now have another opportunity to watch it on the Community Television Network, cable Channel 9, any day this week. Airing of the program has been daily since Sunday. Richard Naden, an Ann Arbor resident, submitted a home video of the run to the public access channel, which agrees to show any program submitted by an Ann Arbor resident. Channel 9 does not censor or preview any of the programs it airs. Naden said he submitted the video because he wanted to present material with "redeeming social value" and because he wanted to foster understanding. "(The program) is more human. Nobody was hurt. Everybody had a good time. There was no violence," Naden said.

"I think they should do (the run) three times a year at least. It's the happiest time I see in Ann Arbor," Naden said. Naden said he covered the run as a news event, although he said he heard the unedited version dubbed as "entertainment."

Naden said Channel 9 has aired three or four of his other programs. He said he picked the run to film because, "it's there and (Channel 9) goes into 63,000 households in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti." "Anyone can submit whatever they want to show, as long as there are no commercials, no violation of federal, state or local laws and no soliciting for funding," said Lucy Ann Visovatti, program manager for the station. "We make no judgments of the presenters' programs." Naden said he did very little editing to the tape. He said he created only four or five blackouts where "somebody's organs" would otherwise have appeared. Visovatti said that the First Amendment allows anyone to express their thoughts and viewpoints, and Channel 9 tries to reinforce this concept.

Nonetheless, some people are still worried about the participants' right to privacy. "The runners were in public and it was a public event. But there's also children watching these channels and I'm sure that people don't want their (naked) bodies being shown all over the television," said LSA senior Andrea Porter. Lieutenant Pam Whess of the Ann Arbor Police Department said that anything in the public venue could be shown on television as long as the channel's guidelines allow it. Whess said the Ann Arbor Police Department is working to eliminate the Naked Mile entirely and this is the type of evidence it could use to reinforce its argument. "Maybe people will look and say, ÔHow can this be happening in our community?'" Whess said.

Naden said he was not seeking to portray a certain message about the run when he filmed it. "Whatever message you can see, that's what was there," he said. Katie Weed, an LSA sophomore, said that if she knew this would be broadcast on television she would not have participated in it. "I don't think it's fair Ñ if you run it you know people are gonna see you Ñ but not on television all week," Weed said.

Visovatti said the Naked Mile was first televised Sunday and will air five more times this week. "Anyone who misses it can request additional replays and we try to do our best to schedule that in for them," Visovatti said. Porter said the airing of the run on television does not bother her. "People are gonna do what they want to, especially in Ann Arbor.".

Ñ Daily Mananging News Editor Jennifer Harvey contributed to this report.