NTA Cleveland Chapter News - November 2003

REMINDER: Insurance and Discounts Available for Cleveland NTA Members

John Hancock Insurance is offering NTA members and their family members up to age 84, long-term care insurance. If you already have John Hancock Insurance, you are now entitled to an additional discount on existing policies, as well as new ones.

Interested members should call 1-866-EMMY-LTC or email: EMMY.LTC@verizon.net

Students Will “Tell the Story” at National Convention

The first-ever national convention for scholastic broadcasters will be held January 8 – 10, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. Sponsored by Student Television Network, the three-day event is specifically designed for teachers and students in broadcasting.

Co-Sponsors include: The National Television Academy Foundation, RTNDF: The Foundation for Electronic Journalism, and The University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication. For convention information, registration and hotel forms visit: www.studenttelevision.com

Deadline Approaching for Student Award of Excellence

Students currently enrolled in high school and who are working on a project, sponsored by the school, are eligible to apply for the Award of Excellence. All entries must have been originally broadcast, cablecast or webcast, between February 1, 2003 and January 31, 2004.

Award categories include News; Arts & Entertainment/ Documentary; Public Affairs/Community Service/Public Service; Sports; Technical Achievement and Writing.

Last year, 41 students from around the country received the Student Award of Excellence and were honored at regional ceremonies in the spring. Trophies were presented to the winners’ high schools during a national ceremony in the summer in Washington, DC.

For more information and application, visit www.nationalstudent.tv.

The Cleveland NTA wants to know what's new in engineering gear behind the scenes. What's on the cutting edge of "making" the finished product. If you are an engineer or videographer and have a knack for what's "in", we want to hear from you.

Share an article in upcoming editions of the newsletter with your colleagues about the latest gadgets to hit the market.

Send your ideas to news@ntacleveland.com.

In recent years local television broadcasters have had a long comfortable ride on the “Deregulation Train.” During this period many governmental regulations have been scaled back. As a result, broadcasters have enjoyed a longer renewal on their broadcast licenses, a cutback on the necessity to conduct exhaustive community ascertainment surveys and the virtual elimination of any requirements to produce low-yielding public affairs programming.

But now there appears to be a change at the station. The Re-Regulation Train is now boarding.

The catalyst, it would seem, was the recent and highly controversial decision by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) allowing large media companies to increase the number of local TV stations they may own. Immediately after the FCC’s decision was made public, political forces from both the left and the right combined to call for a repeal of that ruling and a re-examination of the current state of local broadcast regulation.

Consider these recent developments.

On July 23rd, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps called the license renewal process a “farce.” He said broadcast stations are given what amounts to “automatic license renewals” without any consideration as to whether they are serving the public interest. Since that date, the Federal Communications Commission has formed a Localism Task Force and has initiated a series of public hearings in various communities across the country to determine if broadcasters are indeed serving their communities.

On July 30th, Senators John McCain, Russell Feingold and Richard Durbin introduced legislation requiring broadcasters, among other things, to provide a minimum of 2 hours per week of candidate-centered or issue-centered programming during an election period. The prospects for passage of this bill look good.

On October 22nd, the Alliance for Better Campaigns, a government watchdog organization, released a study that concluded local TV stations devote less than 0.5 percent of the broadcast day to local public affairs programming. The organization’s president called for a “more robust and clearly defined public interest standard” for broadcasters.

These events all signal the possibility of a return to more broadcast regulation and a higher public service standard for local broadcasters. That in turn would impact many of you at the local level.

The most obvious impact would be the need to produce more local programming. News departments would deploy its producers and talent to the production of issue-oriented programming. During election season, they would be under added pressure to provide stronger coverage of the political campaigns and to somehow make it interesting. (Remember local stations now compete against cable networks that are not under the same public service mandate).

Furthermore, station management would need to replace revenue that is “lost” in the switch to these mandated public service initiatives. Sales departments would be challenged to find sponsors for these local public affairs programs or uncover other revenue-producing alternatives.

Re-regulation would also unleash a new tidal wave of paperwork on station administrative staffs. Stations with little or no production capability would have to “gear up” or “outsource” their public service obligation. Public affairs departments would become increasingly more active in identifying community needs and then charting a course to address those needs.

In other words, we will all be busier. But…would the ride on the Re-Regulation Train be a good ride? Ultimately I believe yes, because at minimum, re-regulation would force local broadcasters to become what they need to become – more local. In the final analysis, the most powerful weapon local broadcasters have is their “local-ness.” Any element that serves to strengthen the ties to the local community, would ultimately help that television station better compete in the so-called 500-channel universe.

All Aboard!

Richard Sullivan is President of The t.v.guru (info@thetvguru.com) and Publisher of TV Marketing Weekly (www.thetvguru.com)

NTA Scholarships Available for Students

Graduating high school seniors planning to major in communications at a four-year university must apply by December 9th for a National Television Academy scholarship.

Each year, the NTA awards two Trustees $40,000 college scholarships to high school students pursuing careers in television or a related field. The scholarship awards may be used for tuition, books, living expenses and other related costs. Application forms are available from the National Television Academy website or from the local office of any NTA chapter. Students’ College Board scores are also required with the application. The scholarships are distributed over a four-year period with $10,000 awarded prior to the first year of study, and three additional awards of $10,000 granted in subsequent years. To be eligible for continuing awards, each recipient must demonstrate satisfactory progress toward a degree and remain in a communications-oriented program.

Relatives of NTA officers, trustees and relatives of NTA employees, are not eligible for the two $40,000 Trustees Scholarships, but can apply for the John Cannon Memorial Scholarship. Children or grandchildren of NTA members, who will be entering college next September and plan to major in communications or a related field are eligible for the John Cannon $40,000 grant. The scholarship honors the memory of John Cannon, president of the NTA for 25 years. The Cannon award is based solely on the competitive merits of the applicants and the criteria for selection is similar to the criteria currently used in the selection of the two Trustee Scholarships. Those applying for this scholarship must provide verification of a parent or grandparent's membership in one of the 19 NTA chapters. Completed applications, together with verification forms, must be mailed, NOT FAXED, to the National Office and postmarked no later than February 1, 2004.

Applications for the Cannon Memorial Scholarship and the verification form are available through the Pacific Southwest Office at nataspsw@cox.net, or by visiting
www.emmyonline.org/national/scholar. You can also get information on the Trustees Scholarship at www.emmyonline.org/national/scholar.

“This is a big win for retailers who want to provide a dynamic shopping experience to their customers,” says Peter Vrettas, EDR’s CEO. “A shared passion for quality, exceptional customer service, and a commitment to continual innovation formed the basis for this partnership,” commented Adam Brotman, President and CEO of PlayNetwork.

EDR Media is based in Beachwood Ohio. PlayNetwork is in Redmond, Washington.

From the Editor: Cynthia Barnes What Stands Out? It comes around every year, just like the Holidays – Call for Entries. Maybe you began 2003 with “Emmy-driven” stories on your mind. The emotional, tug-at-your-heartstrings story that screams for Kleenex; the all-out investigative piece that leaves the viewer in awe and exposes the scandalous behavior of a high-ranking official; the informative Joe and Jane Six-pack story where they will say that’s me, or a story that helps tear down walls and mend fences. What do you think stands out of the work you’ve done since January 1st? What will appeal to the judges? The judges will make their call early next year. The time is now for you to make yours. Whatever your selection, submit what you know is your stellar work. Of course, a win is the goal, and perhaps for you, the icing on the cake. However, should these five words, “The Emmy Goes To …, not include your name, know that you entered your best, and that the cake is still sweet. Good Luck Cynthia Barnes, Editor

Send news articles and comments to news@ntacleveland.com.