NATAS CLEVELAND CHAPTER CALENDAR

December 7th - Producers Showcase & Holiday Party at the Powerhouse Pub & Flannigan's Wake
Sponsored by Allied-Vaughn and held jointly with MCA-I Cleveland Chapter
4:30 - 6:00 PM - Producers Showcase, Networking, Hors D'Oeuvres & Beverages, Cash Bar
6:30 - 9:00 PM - "Flanningan's Wake"
Cost: $35.00
RSVP by November 29th
Call the NATAS Office at 330-273-5756

January 11, 2003 - Emmy Entry Deadline

Coming Soon: New "Perks" for Members of NATAS Cleveland Chapter!

NATAS Cleveland is proud to announce a new benefits package for members through a program offered by J & M Business Solutions called "HR To Go." When you renew your membership this year and get your new NATAS card, you will receive an "HR To Go" membership card. Just sign the card and keep it with you to benefit from new perks.

Just in time for the holidays, you'll receive discounts at Honey Baked Ham stores, Aurora Premium Outlets, Prime Outlets in Lodi. More "HR To Go" benefits include discounts on cell phone service, auto purchase, lease and service, amusement park tickets, cruises, special events, health insurance, pre-paid legal services, long distance phone service and more.

To view a full list of your benefits, log onto www.jmbs.biz and click on HR To Go. On the "HR To Go" home page, you'll click on HR To Go Network Directory and Shopping Cart. Enter a User Name and a Password, which you will find on your "HR To Go" ID card. If you have questions, call the NATAS office at 330-273-5756.

Scholarships for NATAS Members with College-bound Children or Grandchildren

The Trustees of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have created a new $40,000 college scholarship to honor our late president John Cannon. NATAS members with college-bound children or grandchildren can apply for the grant the John Cannon Memorial Scholarship. Students must be a high school senior, planning to enter a communications program at a four-year college university. The scholarship will be awarded over four years.

This scholarship is in addition to the other two $40,000 scholarships, currently awarded by NATAS. Eligible applicants may apply for both the Cannon and Trustee Scholarship, but an individual can only receive one award. The Cannon award is based on the competitive merits of the applicants. The selection process will be similar to that of the other two trustee scholarships.

To apply for the Cannon scholarship, you must provide verification of a parent's or grandparent's membership in one of the 19 NATAS chapters. Verification forms are available from chapter administrators. Applications are available from the National office and can be downloaded at www.emmyonline.org/national/scholar. Completed applications, together with verification forms, must be mailed (not faxed) to the National Office and postmarked no later than Monday, December 9, 2002.

Beachwood Studios Completes Five TV Series

Beachwood Studios has wrapped up production and postproduction services for five public television series. That represents 169 half-hour shows, which includes Hands on Crafts for Kids on WVIZ-PBS 25.

These services ranged from creating special effect show openings, writing theme music, designing sets, videotaping the shows in-studio, editing finished programs, and finally duplicating them for distribution.

In addition to Hands on Crafts for Kids, (two 13-show seasons), Beachwood Studios also completed production for Scrapbook Memories (13-show season), More Than Memories (two 13-show seasons), The Needle Arts Studio (four 13-show seasons), and America Sews With Sue Hausmann (four 13-show seasons). Locally America Sews runs Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. on PBS 45/49, Needle Arts Studio runs Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. on PBS 45/49.

Several of the shows have already committed to produce their new show seasons at Beachwood Studios through June 2003.

Sharpen Your Editing Skills With The Best

Some of the best television editors in the industry are coming to Cleveland. WKYC TV 3 will host a national editing seminar on January 24th and 25th. You'll get the chance to learn from national and network experts at The Cutting Edge Seminar.

The event, sponsored by the Utah Chapter of the National Press Photographers Association, will include presentations by NPPA Editors of the Year Brad Houston (also a former POY, now freelancing), Tressa Verna (NBC Dateline) and Shawn Montano (KUSA), guaranteed to be some of the best storytelling you'll see under one roof.

Participants will get the chance to tour WKYC, one of the top digital broadcast facilities in the country. The studio overlooks a scenic Lake Erie, and is within sight, and a two-minute walk of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Browns Stadium and many other attractions.

The registration fee is $30 and is due by December 31st. If you are registering locally, you can email Kim Fatica at WKYC [email protected] for a registration form. Others should mail their $30 to Todd Hougaard by Tuesday, December 31. The registration fee will increase to $40 beginning January 1. Group rates are available for multiple participant. You can get forms from Todd by e-mailing him at [email protected] or (801) 536-1313.

The Holiday Inn Select has reserved 15 rooms for the Cutting Edge Seminar. The hotel is just two doors from WKYC. Rooms will be held until Friday, January 3. Call the hotel at
(216) 241-5100 to make reservations and ask for the WKYC TV rate.

The Embassy Suites is offering a promotional rate of $99. The Embassy is located just a few blocks south of WKYC on 12th Street. For reservations, call (216) 523-8000, and ask for the Cutting Edge Seminar rate.

Send Us Your Best
by Steve Goldurs, Awards Chairman

It's hard to believe, but it's Emmy time again. The Cleveland Chapter of NATAS is calling for entries for the 34th annual Emmy awards. The deadline for all entries will be noon Saturday, January 11, 2003. If you have not received a copy of the Call for Entries in the mail or at your place of business, you can download a copy from our website, www.natascleveland.org, or contact our administrators, Jackie or Marcie, at 330-273-5756.

The 34th Annual Emmy Awards Ceremony will be on Saturday, June 7, 2003 at Windows on the River on the west bank of the Flats.

There are a few changes on your Call for Entries. This came from our National Awards Committee after the Call went to press. Under the heading "Entry Errors and Omissions", please note that ineligible entries can be disqualified at any stage of the competition. In accordance with the NATAS National Board of trustees, please note on the membership application form, there are no longer regional memberships. All members are either active (currently working in television or video production), associate (working in a related field), or student. On the Emmy entry form, in really small print at the bottom where a synopsis is mentioned, please note the synopsis is desired but not mandatory.

This year, we will accept entries on both Beta and VHS. Since many stations are switching to digital formats, Beta is becoming history. Next year, we will accept entries only on VHS. This will accommodate the chapters that are judging our entries.

There is also a slight fee increase.

For many years, the Cleveland Chapter has increased fees, making our membership and entry fees the lowest in the country. We have not raised fees in more than five years. Now, unfortunately, we must.

The Board of Governors has made deep cuts in administrative costs. To balance our budget, we are forced to raise membership fees to $60 and Emmy entry fees to $75 for members and $150 for non-members. Even with these increases, our fees are still among the lowest nationally. Postage, the Emmy statuette, and printing the Call For Entries have gone up. The chapter no longer has the luxury of having our local stations produce the Emmy event. Now we must hire a producer and foot the bill for all audio, video, lighting, printing, and talent.

We know times are tight for everybody, so select your best work. The Emmy is recognized around the world as the symbol of excellence in television. Be a part of the process and get your tapes ready. If you have any questions, you can email me at [email protected] or call (216) 431-8888 X 5418.

NATAS "Team Cleveland" Goes to Seattle
by President Bob Hammer

Cleveland NATAS was warmly received in Seattle at the September President's meeting. Chapter Administrators Jackie and Marcie, traveling with President Bob Hammer, were nicknamed "Team Cleveland."

The two-day meeting covered several topics including declining membership, chapter restructuring, a new healthcare plan for NATAS members, and new awards for general managers.

Emmys: Local chapters are seeing a decline in station support for the Emmys. Less revenue is causing fewer employees to enter because they have to pay their own entry fees. The Emmy Awards dinner must be twice the dinner price in order to cover the costs. Suggested ideas to stay within or below budget: get volunteers to work the Emmys, sell program space, giving sponsors full-page ads and other recognition.

National is embarking on a countrywide study evaluating the division of markets by chapter with the possible outcome, being a market adjustment for the Cleveland chapter. The study is being done clinically and globally not historically. They are looking at penetration and all kinds of demographics

The Daytime Emmy proposed to split off Drama and Children's. There would be a new Children's programming Emmy Awards. In the September 9th issue of Electronic Media, there was an ad for 9/11 to 9/11. Future ads will be in Good Housekeeping. This is to raise awareness and raise the perception of the Emmy awards. Other possible ads will run in Teen People, People Espanol, GQ ad Esquire for sports Emmys. Other chapters are encouraged to do the same type of ads within local publications in their regions.

Membership: There's an effort to reinvent membership to regain positive cash flow and professional pride in the organization. NATAS wants membership to be more than winning a statue. The development of a Regional VP to be the contact person in the market could energize the chapters.

Healthcare: A proposal for a new member health dental and optical insurance plan was presented. NATAS has always had a 10% discount with Mutual of Omaha for catastrophic coverage, however very few take advantage of the plan. The new plan will be like an HMO. It would be transferable to all 50 states and have extensive coverage. The coverage will be optional and require membership in the Academy. Still under discussion are the implementation and whether the coverage would be mandatory or individual option. Obviously, members who work for TV stations probably have coverage with their employer. However every year our membership, made up of individual or freelance members is increasing, and this would be a tremendous benefit.

TV Exec. Says Stations Don't Need Help From Government to Provide Responsible Political Coverage
by Kevin Finch
Cleveland NATAS Board of Governors

Michael Fiorile is on a mission to get the word out about the good things television does.
He wants to remind people about the political debates stations produce and air and the news coverage of political issues they provide.

Fiorile is the President and CEO of Dispatch Broadcast Group, the Columbus, Ohio-based parent company of Cleveland Chapter member WTHR-TV Indianapolis. But these days, he also represents most TV stations in America, as Chairman of the Television Board for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

Fiorile and NAB are leading the charge to stop Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) and other lawmakers from adding more regulation of broadcasters' political content and taxing stations to pay for political ads. "What Senator McCain forgets is the amount of public service time we broadcast in the communities we serve," says Fiorile. "He's interested in giveaways. We don't want to sign up for that."

Specifically, the McCain-Feingold-Durbin bill would require TV stations to give up two hours of free airtime per week to allow candidates to discuss issues. The bill would also require commercial TV stations to turn over 1% of their gross revenues to the government to create a fund that would pay for campaign commercial vouchers. Candidates for federal office (US Senate and House, as well as President) could use those vouchers to buy political ads on those same TV stations.

The NAB's legislative point man, Jim May, says those vouchers could create huge logjams as stations air government-subsidized political spots for at least two candidates in each congressional race, as well as for a senate seat and the presidency. "We could find ourselves very easily providing time for all these candidates and having almost no time for commercials. It becomes an extraordinary burden on stations that are already providing a significant amount of time" to cover campaigns, May said.

That "significant amount of time" is part of Fiorile's mission. He wants to get out the message that broadcasters are being responsible, that they provide time in newscasts to cover candidates and issues, as well as time they schedule for debates. Fiorile's TV stations, including WTHR, broadcast debates this season, which he says were not ratings disasters. "Our numbers were pretty darn good for those days," he said. "There was more (viewer) interest than there's been in a long time."

The NAB stresses that not counting political debates and other political coverage, radio and TV stations in America last year, provided free public service air time and aired telethons that added up to $9.9 billion in public service time. That's the message Fiorile might take to Congress next year if and when the McCain-Feingold-Durbin bill is called before the Commerce Committee. Fiorile has already testified in Washington on digital television but he may be back for this issue. "Somebody (representing NAB) will, if not me," he says.

The NAB is confident the bill, requiring TV stations to give up two free hours of airtime per week, will be introduced again. The new chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee next year is John McCain. As committee chairman, McCain will control the agenda and can make sure the bill will get a good hearing. Some observers say that doesn't mean he'll get it passed. Still, the NAB is taking the senator and his bill seriously.

Kevin Finch is Executive Producer, Special Projects & News Co-Brands at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis and is a member of the Cleveland Chapter, NATAS Board of Governors.

Emmy Boycott By Big Four???

The four major networks are threatening to boycott the annual Primetime Emmy Awards and may even launch competing awards shows.

Sources at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) said the organization is close to reaching an agreement with HBO to move the ceremony to the pay-cable channel as early as next September.

The new deal, which caught the entertainment industry by surprise, would keep the awards show on HBO for at least five years.

Industry experts say the move would shut the awards show out of nearly 70 million U.S. homes that don't subscribe to HBO. But ATAS sources say HBO would probably unscramble its signal that night, allowing basic cable subscribers to watch the show on the other networks.

Reportedly, HBO would pay the academy a license fee of $10 million a year, cover the estimated $5 to $6 million production cost of the show and commit as much as $1 to $2 million to market and promote the telecast.

In the current format, a different broadcast network buys the air rights to telecast every year for about $3.5 million. Under those terms, FOX was expected to carry the show in 2003.

Make Your Deadline With Ease

NATAS members will get a discount when they attend the 2002 Airborne TV seminar in Indianapolis, Sunday, December 8th. "Teamwork on A Deadline" will allow photographers and reporters to attend breakout sessions and get a critique of their work from award-winning television professionals.

Headliners include: Jonathan Malat, a two-time winner of the National Press Photographers Association, Photographer of the Year from KARE, in Minneapolis, MN;
Mike Shub, award winning reporter from WJZ in Baltimore, Shawn Montano, NPPA Editor of the Year from KUSA in Denver, CO; and Debora Potter of the NewsLab in Washington, DC.

Advance registration for NPPA and NATAS members is $40; non-members, $50; students, $25. Reporters, producers or other news people accompanying an NPPA member, can pay the NPPA rate. TV stations that send five or more news staff,
pay only $35 per person.

For registration forms and more information, log onto nppa.org/workshops/airborne.
You may also call Steve Sweitzer at [email protected] or call (317) 921-8561.

From the Editor: Cynthia Barnes

I am excited about being the editor of your Cleveland NATAS newsletter. Since it's yours, we need your ideas.

We will distribute the newsletter via email, bi-monthly. You will see stories about your station, upcoming seminars and workshops, and national and regional news from NATAS. You will get to know your board of governors so that we can forge a working relationship with all members and interest new ones.

This newsletter is for you. We hope you enjoy the first edition. Email your ideas to [email protected] for the next edition.

Regards,
Cynthia Barnes

Spotlight On NATAS Board Members

Frank Strnad, Board Trustee

Board Trustee Frank Strnad has an extensive history in broadcasting. His most recent position was Operations Manager at WVIZ-TV/Channel 25, starting there in 1968, and retiring 30 years later.

Frank's celebrated career has won him numerous awards and honors, including a National Emmy Award for directing. He has served several terms on the Board of Governors of the Cleveland NATAS chapter; Vice President of the chapter three times, President, and five two-year terms as the National Trustee for the chapter.

Accolades were bestowed again on Frank in 1994 and 1996. First, he was inducted into the NATAS "Silver Circle" in November of 1994. The award honors people who have been in television for 25 years or more and have contributed to the enrichment of the industry in Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio market. In November 1996, he was inducted into the National "Broadcaster's Hall of Fame", recognizing people who have made notable contributions to the development of the television industry and have promoted the furtherance of the art of broadcasting.

A graduate of Michigan State with a B.A. in Communication Arts, Frank worked as a television director at Michigan State University, a TV director and production coordinator for news and public affairs programs at WMBD-TV in Peoria, IL, and as a television producer/director and executive producer for nationally-distributed children's and community affairs programs at WMVS-TV in Milwaukee.

Frank lives in Strongsville and is an avid tennis player, runner and cyclist. He and his wife Pat, have three children and eight grandchildren.