Fishing for a nationwide audience

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- From sea to shining sea, Mike Whitehead teaches

boating enthusiasts the tricks of the trade that they might not otherwise

learn.

Whitehead hosts a nautically themed television show that covers topics

from fishing to purchasing luxurious yachts. The show appears every week

on cable-access stations in Costa Mesa, Long Beach and Newport Beach --

right now, anyway.

But last month, the 41-year-old Costa Mesa resident signed a contract

with the Sunshine Network, a Florida-based cable company that has about

4.5 million subscribers. Whitehead doesn’t mind going outside the Golden

State to reach viewers. Programming is scheduled to begin next year.

“We sent out some promotional tapes and the television executives

liked it,” Whitehead said. “We’ll keep filming out here and I think

people out there will enjoy the program.”

Call Whitehead the Bob Vila of boating. Well, not exactly, but he

would like to have as many viewers as the onetime “This Old House” host

someday.

Whitehead began his water-themed creation back when he was teaching

sailing classes at Cal State Fullerton. He and his friends thought about

producing some sailing videos, but the concept crumbled.

“We didn’t want to get stuck with 50,000 tapes,” he said. “Doing a

television show was a more direct way of getting to people.” It wasn’t

easy at first -- especially financing the product. Whitehead estimates it

costs between $10,000 to $30,000 per episode, and advertisers were hard

to hook. In 1995, the first episode hit cable and the phone began to

ring.

People enjoyed the 30-minute program filled with segments on boat

designs, history and fishing trips. The show educated as much as it

entertained, and advertisers began to sign on. Now, about 75 percent of

the show is funded by ad dollars.

Although the show is produced quarterly, the recent addition of a

Florida flagship station will mean a monthly schedule.

Whitehead added a Web site -- who doesn’t these days? -- which has

received thousands of hits. He gets some crazy requests like why doesn’t

he spruce up the show a la Baywatch.

“Some people want to know if the harbor contains salt water or if

Balboa Island is really an island,” he said. “We have a pretty good

knowledge base and what we don’t know, we will research.”

When Whitehead isn’t working on the show, he skippers the Isla

Mujures, a tour boat anchored near the Cannery Restaurant. He also

consults new boat owners, who purchase expensive yachts but don’t get

behind the controls.

It looks like Whitehead’s life is going full-steam ahead.

“I can’t ask for a better job without being out on the water all the

time,” he said. “My goal is to attract a nationwide audience. More people

own boats now more than ever. That’s a good sign.”

FYI

The Boathouse TV Show can be seen every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on Ch. 3

in Costa Mesa and Ch. 39 in Newport Beach. The show’s Web address is o7

www.boathouseTV.com.f7