Spring 2007 Toledo, Youngstown, ; Erie, Pennsylvania Serving Bloomington, Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, Muncie, Indiana; Akron, Canton, , Lima, Mansfield, Lower Great Lakes chapterpresident Terry D.Peterson you came through magnificently. You will soon be receiving an receiving be soon will You magnificently. through came you President's Message We have a wonderful new group of leaders who will continue who leaders of group wonderful new a have We governors you have selected will be assuming their respective roles. starting at the June board meeting, the new officers and board of opportunity to review the ballot and cast your votes. In addition, expressed a desire to be on the board of governors. Please take this and tomixminglewithyourfellow colleagues. which I hope you all plan on attending to partyhear the nominations announcements Emmy® upcoming the about announcement Soon you will be receiving a slate of individuals who have who individuals of slate a receiving be will you Soon The LowerGreatLakes Chapter

Greeting &Salutations entries and new memberships memberships new and entries of number The Awards. Emmy® year’s this entered who you of all to thanks of round big a express Lakes chapter of NATAS, I wish Great to Lower the of officers and On behalf of the board of governors Fellow NATASMembers, requirement to the process, all of all process, the to requirement DVD the introduced we that fact the given and strong, very was  to keep the chapter moving in a forward direction with a commit- ment to excellence and added value to our membership. The chapter has undertaken a lot of major steps in the last four years and I am honored to have served as President. We still have a lot of challenges to embrace in the years to come but equally there are many opportunities that await us. One thing that is certain, the Emmy® Awards, among all the multitude of new awards which are appearing on almost a daily basis, will continue to represent the ultimate achievement in television news, program- ming & production and your chapter leadership will continue the tradition of continually raising the bar of excellence. In closing, I want to take this opportunity to personally thank the Board of Governors and officers of this chapter for your ser- vice and devotion. You all are a great bunch of professionals and you should be applauded for your contributions to our industry. Thank you to the membership of the chapter for your support, encouragement and participation. Good luck with the May Book!

"Beam Me Up Scottie"

Your friendly editor, and mostly writer, has been off and running in so many directions lately that the NATAS Newsletter has been confined to digital files. In the parlance of the popular “Star Trek” series, we’re finally beaming up Bud Ford this issue now that spring has sprung. Newsletter Editor It’s also appropriate to use the expres- sion “Beam me up Scottie” because a new Paramount produced sequel is about to go into production and the first series is now available for Trekkies everywhere on DVD. That brings us to what you’ll find in this issue – a new commentary by chapter member Alex P. Michaels on the subject of video on the internet. We’re also introducing a new feature that we hope will (if you’ll pardon the expression) flesh out some of our chapter members. Of course, that is only biographically speaking. So to kick off the “Meet the Members” feature, I think you’ll enjoy a brief glimpse into the life and times of Amanda Sackett. We’ll also have some pictures from chapter activities, the “Regional Roundup,” and as we say in the commercial/promotional world … "much, much more." I’m excited that Alex P. Michaels recently volunteered to help write some of the Newsletter stories, and I’d like to extend my deepest appreciation to him for his contributions.

Members of the Academy - Amanda Sackett …The first in a new series that looks at our colleagues by Alex P. Michaels

ho is Amanda Sackett? Amanda Sackett has been making a lot of progress since graduating from the University of W Akron in May of 2003. She is a production assistant at PBS 45 & 49 WNEO/WEAO and the producer of "Local Focus," a weekly internet series on www.pbs4549.org. "Local Focus" shines a light on the community by discovering places of interest. Amanda is also a key member of the NATAS Lower Great Lakes awards committee.

What Others Say about Amanda: Phil Hoffman, general manager of Z-TV at the University of Akron, says, "Amanda Sackett was one of the hardest working students you’d ever see. She always threw herself into her work and really tried to improve every project she was involved with. Amanda was always ready to tackle any challenge, whether it was producing a documentary or shooting multi-camera coverage of live events. She was one of the first students involved with Z-TV to leave Ohio and intern in New York City at MTV. Her professionalism and dedication re- ally caught everyone’s attention, so it was no surprise that shortly after she came back to Ohio to graduate, she was hired by WNEO/WEAO PBS 45 & 49." Joe Koskovics, who chairs the Emmy® Awards with Amanda, offered some insight into her talents. “Unfortunately, we have not worked together in a production capacity. I do consider that my loss as she is an outstanding individual with the board and awards committee. In the last two years Amanda has taken responsibility for the coordination of

judges for the chapter's Emmy® Awards commitments with the exchange chapters, while I  focused on the other aspects to the Emmy® process. She exhibits a talent to coordinate the judging panels and makes it look easy. I believe she is an asset to Channels 45/49 as she has demonstrated a solid, professional work ethic with the awards committee.” Gary Manke, first vice president of the Lower Great Lakes chapter and a principal in Storytellers Media Group, says, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Amanda on a number of occa- sions during the past year and a half … she’s a tireless worker as a governor on the NATAS Lower Great Lakes chapter board. I know her as a person who is genuine, kind, knowledgeable, and is quite fond of our business.” Amanda’s fondness for the business shows in the way she has worked on various productions. While she was at Akron University, she interned for MTV in New York. Amanda worked on " Live," "MTV News," and "Say What? Karaoke Live Weekly Finals." She assisted directors and control room personnel with live and taped programming shot in the MTV studio and on location at the MTV beach house. Don Freeman, the chief operating officer, WNEO/ WEAO, was happy that Amanda was being recognized Amanda has fun at for her talents. In addition to her duties working on "Local Focus" the Nominations at WNEO/WEAO, she also assists in production of the weekly news Party. series "NewsNight Akron."

Amanda in her own words: “For the last six months, I produced a series for our website called 'Local Focus.' I wore many hats during this endeavor. In fact I wore them all! I produced, shot, wrote and edited one piece each week. Each short “webisode” featured a person and place in our viewing area. It was a way for people and organizations to tell their stories in their own words. Working on 'Local Focus' was one of the best experiences of my career so far. I really learned a lot and it has given me confidence in myself. “PBS 45 & 49 has been a great starting point for my career. I enjoy learning all the aspects of a station. It’s a smaller station with a huge reach. Not only does our broadcast signal cover all of , but so does our dedicated staff.

It’s a great honor to work for a station that strives to put its mis-  sion in everything we do! “Being on the board of governors for the Lower Great Lakes chapter of NATAS has been very enlightening! It has put me in a network with some of this region’s most talented people. If I hadn’t been involved in NATAS at this level, I would have really missed out on an incredible opportunity. I currently work closely with Joe Koskovics on the awards com- mittee, and his dedication to this chapter is contagious! I’m hooked and really enjoy learn- ing the process of the Emmy® Awards. We have our busy times, mainly when the entries come in and we need to find judges, but I have the benefit of calling members and getting to know them! And of course, the Emmy® Awards gala is always nice.”

Amanda’s Life outside the Business: “When I have free time, I'm usually babysitting some of my nine nieces and nephews (ages one week to nine years)! I love hanging out with them! I'm the youngest of six kids and we are all very close. When I'm not doing that, I'm working out at the Riverfront YMCA with friends. I don't watch too much TV, but when I do, it's usually "Grey's Anatomy" or "What About Brian?" I listen to many types of music but mostly country, top 40 and rock.”

Where Amanda is going in the Future? “As far as plans for the future go, I’m very open-minded! I would love to continue to work in this industry. There is never a dull moment and I think with technology, it is changing every day. I’m not necessarily a “techie” but I’m willing to learn. I really like the PBS system and I would like to stay involved in it.”

The Future of Cable & Satellite TV

he Lower Great Lakes chapter present- ed a lively panel discussion and audi- ence participation forum on this topic T at the historic site of great debates and internationally famous newsmakers—the Cleveland City Club—at a noon luncheon on March 19. Featured on the panel were Bill Jasso, vice president of government and media relations for

the Northeast Ohio Division of Time Warner  Cable; Bob Gessner, president of Massillon Cable; and Kevin Petersen, AT&T’s vice president and general manager for Ohio. The question and answer session was moderated by Plain Dealer television critic Mark Dawidziak. Chapter President Terry Peterson welcomed an audience comprised of movers and shakers in the Northeast Ohio cable industry, important over-the-air broadcasters, and the general public. Mr. Peterson reminded the assemblage that since our last City Club event, the chapter has changed its name from the Cleveland Re- gional chapter to the Lower Great Lakes chapter of NATAS to signify the larger geo- graphic area we serve. He thanked Jack Moffitt, activities chair, for his hard work in planning and producing the forum, and then asked the chapter board members to stand up and be recognized. In his introduction to the three pan- elists, Terry emphasized the importance of looking at the complete spectrum of television media and all the players who are involved in the many facets of delivering it to the consumer. Those of us in the industry need to look at the technolo- gies and businesses which are both competitors and partners. Moderator Dawidziak drew a few laughs with his opening remarks when he called on Bill Jasso to sum up the future of cable in two minutes. Activities chair, Jack Moffitt, jumped up to remind everybody that he’d promised the panelists as

much as ten minutes for their opening remarks. Jasso reminded the audience that Time Warner was the first in the industry to develop a two-way interactive cable system back in 1979. It faded away after a couple of years, but was resurrected in the 1990s with what they now call the Full Service Network. Today, cable systems deliver programming, telephone service and high speed computer internet access over that same wire. Time Warner has been in Northeast Ohio for 40 years, and in the Cleveland area for just about nine months since their take- over of Adelphia. He based his presentation on his belief that viewers don’t watch channels—they watch programs. He predicted that, in the next five years or so, cable will digitize almost every program ever produced on film or video and make those millions of programs available to anybody who wants it, any time they want it. Jasso said that he thought cable has a great future, and he doesn’t think satellite delivery has much of a future. Bob Gessner gave a brief history of his family owned and operated Massillon Cable system that was started by his father in 1965. In this world of mega cable systems, Mas- sillon, serving about 47,000 customers in Stark and Wayne Counties, is one of a few small cable companies in Ohio; and there are only about one thousand of the independent cable companies left in Amer- ica. However, even though they are small in the number of customers served, they still offer all the cable services of their big brothers including VOD, high speed internet connection, digital phone service, etc. Gessner told the audience that he has always tried to foster good relationships with broadcasters, and he feels they need to work together and help each other in the future, now that networks are beginning to of- fer current programming in boxed DVD sets that viewers can watch at their leisure, podcasts and downloadable programming … allowing viewers to watch programs in other media than the traditional linear format. He foresees a dramatic change in the business model of broadcasters and cable op- erators with the advent of high definition digital

transmission.  Kevin Petersen offered his view that the AT&T strategy for the future is to take advantage of fast-breaking technology, and bring it all together to make it easier for the consumer to use. Mark Dawidziak kept the question-and-answer discussion moving at a fast pace, with ques- tions for the panel ranging from why consumers should be able to buy cable channels “a la carte” … to why don’t cable operators make more of the sophisticated tech- nology they already have available to consumers … to the future of community and local access programming on cable systems. Mark observed that now your phone company wants to be your cable company and your cable company wants to be your phone company—everybody wants to be in the business of program delivery. The panel and members of the audience had a rousing good time delving into the future of cable, satellite and emerging technologies. ABC Spies a new Audience Online By Alex P. Michaels

t was my last month with Jennifer Garner. The sexy, tough-yet-vulnerable spy from ABC’s hit show “Alias” was leaving the air. I had been I with her since almost the beginning and I decided to spend as much time with her as I had left. ABC was trying a bold new viewing experience. For the last month of “Alias,” they were putting the entire show online—not just a clip or a preview, but the entire show. The catch was that there was a single sponsor and a com- mercial break that you couldn’t skip over. Video online was nothing new. YouTube existed. I had even put clips from movies and my TV show online. Everywhere video was online. The most watched clip on YouTube was two girls from Israel lip-synching “Hey” by the Pixies. More than eight million people had watched the clip. ABC was the first major network to place a complete hit TV series online. “Alias” was just the beginning. It was a two-month trial with other hit shows from ABC joining “Alias” online. "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," and "Commander in Chief" would also be available online one day after they aired. ABC would have a new income from the shows. In addition to selling commercial time, they could sell the sponsor online time as well. ABC is owned by Walt Disney and connected with Time Warner who owns America Online, so it was a natural fit. It was also a natural fit with audiences as well. The experiment worked and other networks joined ABC in placing their complete shows online. Of course, there is still the unavoidable commercial break. Yet, watching one commercial every 15 minutes or so is a pleasure compared to the nearly 20 minutes of commercials one has to endure when watching a one hour show on network TV. While audiences became thrilled and continue to grow as more and more people get faster online connections, networks complain of being left out of the loop. Take for example the hit show “Heroes.” NBC sells a sponsor a slot when the show airs at its website. There is no need to split any income with stations (affiliates) because the show is not airing over the air but online. It is only a short matter of time before a major network launches a complete online network. The network produces the show, gains sponsors and places it online. There will be no such thing as “primetime” because the audience can watch the show anytime they want to. Should this make the networks nervous that audiences will start to dwindle? Are the producers worried that they are somehow diluting their on-the-air audience by offering the complete shows online? All of these are valid concerns. When Sci Fi Channel's hit show “Battlestar Galactica” took a nine-month break between sea- sons, the Sci Fi Channel produced 10 weekly original web shows (web episodes) to let their audience follow the characters from the end of one season to the beginning of the next. The result was that the show is now renewed for a fourth season and also the order number of episodes extended from 13 to 22. Being able to satisfy an audience with a hit show is the holy grail for any network. The Internet allows the networks to reach audiences in this very busy world. Yet, the future is not yet writ- ten. It is entirely possible that Internet viewing will become a major force in the years to come. As the old saying goes, “the revolution will not be televised,” but it may be seen online.

Alex P. Michaels recently volunteered to help the NATAS Newsletter as a contrib- uting writer and editor. He is an Emmy®-winning writer, actor and director who is currently producing a police sci-fi series "Out of Darkness," which shoots in Cleveland, Ohio. For more info on Alex, visit www.prelude2cinema.com.

Processing your Emmy® Entries!

f you’ve ever wondered how 476 Emmy® Award entries are received and processed, then you’ve never delivered your entry at the eleventh hour directly to the Lower Great Lakes I chapter offices in Brunswick, Ohio. Many packages came in again this year by freight forwarders, expediters and even good old snail mail during the closing days before the deadline on February 3, 2007. But as usual, some members brought their entry forms and DVDs to the 3511 Center Road offices of the chapter, and had a chance to witness your officers and board members in action open- ing boxes, sorting and assembling each DVD with its entry form and payment Lorrie Taylor Emmy® chair, Joe Koskovics, observes that the pro- cess of submitting entries for the Emmy® Awards actually started in December, 2006, and has often been an anxious time for many of our members. Veteran broadcasters, and neophytes alike, experience the emotional rush that accompanies choosing and submitting their best efforts. Even mem- bers of the Emmy® Awards committee are often put to the test when they receive phone calls from members about the call for entries. In many respects, this is just the beginning of a process where the Emmy® committee renews relation- ships with members of the chapter. This year has been no exception. In December, the Awards committee received numer- ous phone calls concerning the move to DVD entries. These calls prompted the chapter to a special “Call-in Day” Joe Koskovics for members who wished to get more information about DVD standards, and how to guarantee that their entry on DVD would play back at the time it was being judged. However, by the time Call-in Day occurred on January 12, only a handful of our members phoned in for more information. This was a positive sign that the migration to the DVD format was going smoothly. According to Mr. Koskovics “the chapter owes a thank-you to Bud Ford, Terry Peterson, and Bob Hammer for sacrificing their time for the Call-in Day. I’m sure I speak for many when I Gary Manke say, 'Thanks for your time and energies.' Time and again, these members along with the rest of the board demonstrate what excellence means when they give up part of their business day to support the programs that Lower Great Lakes deliv- ers to members. This chapter only works when members get involved. This is something that is rarely said, but needs to be reinforced. For all of you who called and vol- Jim Stunek unteered to help, you have our sincere thanks.” The deadline for submitting entries this year on February 3 marked the beginning of a seven-month journey for the chapter. With many members of the board of governors working two shifts, we received, verified, clarified, and processed most of the 476

entries. DVD entries were spot checked on various DVD players Bud Ford (l) and John Ban (r) that were brought in to make sure they would play back during judging sessions this spring. Among the board members who were on hand to process members’ entries were: Dennis Thatcher, Gary Manke, Lorrie Taylor, Steve Kurrent, Amanda Sackett, Bob Hammer, Terry Peterson, Bud Ford, Joe Koskovics, and Jim Stunek. Joe Koskovics' wife, Denise, and chapter administrators Dennis Thatcher Marcie Price and Jackie Symons as- sisted the volunteer team. Incomplete entry forms and other submission problems resulted in about 70 or 80 entries being held up so follow-up phone calls could be made to the entrants. Once those problems were resolved, it took another couple of weeks of data entry to complete the acceptance process for the 2006 Emmy® Award entries. Koskovics concludes, “But make no mistake, this is a very labor-intensive operation. On that reception Saturday in February, the data input and material sorting made the NATAS office seem more like a hub for FedEx. As we begin our journey through another Emmy® Awards cycle, we look for a successful judging period and the rewards that come with it.” Currently our chapter entries are being judged by the Nation- Amanda Sackett al Capital, Heartland, Suncoast, and Chicago/Midwest chapters. We expect all of our entries to be completely judged by May 4th, so that we can meet the deadline for our nominations party in mid-June. But that is by no means the end of the adventure. The awards committee has implemented a major change in the qualification process by removing the "pick-a-day" process for Outstanding Daily Newscast. Effective for the 2007 broadcast year, entrants may choose their entry from any date in 2007. Additional changes to the call are also imminent as a major review of catego- ries is underway. The awards committee is committed to provide the best and most appropriate opportunities for the awards. When asked about the range of changes, Joe Koskovics simply replied, “Our efforts should bring the Terry Peterson best of new opportunities. So stay tuned!” Tom Cochrun Goes Out On Top Veteran News Director Retired from WISH-TV

Tom Cochrun retired as news director of WISH- TV at the top of his profession after achieving the honor of twice being named “Indiana’s Outstanding News Operation” in just over three years since being named news director in August, 2003. Cochrun’s last day at the station was January 4, 2007. Cochrun took over the 24-Hour News 8 team from thirty-five-year veteran news director Lee Giles. Over the past three years, the station has seen audience growth and received numerous accolades. Besides being named “Indiana’s Outstanding News Operation” by the Indiana Associated Press Broadcast Association for the second year in a row, ratings for WISH-TV newscasts have been on the upswing in many day parts and the late news has been the number one rated news in its time period. “Leading this outstanding news team has been the highlight of my professional life,” said Cochrun. Retirement is one of those bittersweet milestones, but we will leave, blessed with good health and dreams still to reach. My wife, Lana, will practice her art and I will be able to spend more time writing. And I will know that Indiana's best television journalism will continue to be found at 24-Hour News 8.” From newspaper delivery boy to president and CEO of his own company, this Emmy® award winning broadcast veteran has been a media mogul in central Indiana for more than forty years. In 1965, he started on the air as a reporter for WERK Radio. Cochrun moved to WIBC in 1969, where he reported on politics, state and city-county government and police investigations for ten years. His television career began in 1979 on WISH-TV’s "PM Magazine." He then went on to work for NBC affiliate WTHR in 1981. While there, he worked as an investigative re- porter, documentary producer and senior news anchor. In 1994, Cochrun co-founded the Nineteenth Star and served as president and CEO and then chief creative officer. Prior to joining WISH-TV, Cochrun was the founder and principal of Masters Work Media. In his free time, he continues his work as a novelist, newspaper and magazine columnist, moti- vational speaker and broadcasting and journalism lecturer. “The leadership and stewardship Tom has provided 24 Hour News 8 will be sorely missed,” said Jeff White, WISH-TV president and general manager. “He has done a tre- mendous job of further growing and strengthening our news team and franchise. He has made a positive and lasting mark on WISH-TV, central Indiana and our industry. We wish Tom and his wife, Lana, the very best as they begin this much deserved new chapter in their life. I know they are looking forward to spending more time writing, painting and relaxing among the warm breezes and mountains of beautiful central California.” Mensa Foundation Honors CSU’S Abelman for Research into Parental Mediation against Indecency on TV, Internet and Video Games

r. Robert Abelman, director of the Media Arts and Technology Division of Cleveland State Univer- sity’s School of Communication and author of D several books on television viewing, has been honored by the Mensa Education and Research Foundation with a 2006 Award for Excellence in Research for his recent article published in Roeper Review: “Fighting the War on Indecency: Mediating TV, Internet and Video Game Usage Among Achieving and Underachieving Gifted Children.” This is the third time that Mensa (the high IQ society) has recognized Dr. Abelman with their prestigious international award for his research on gifted children and television. His work with artistically and intellectu- ally gifted children has helped improve both children’s and family programming on both commercial and public television networks. He served as a consultant to “Sesame Street,” “Barney,” “The Cosby Show,” and other popular programs. NATAS members Dianna Kall and JoAnne Piper will recall that Bob was a very effective speaker at “Creating Critical Viewers” conferences a few years ago. NATAS Newsletter talked with Dr. Abelman about his thirty- year study of children’s viewing habits. He told us how he has traced the evolution of questionable media content on television, internet and video games, and the response of parents, advocacy groups, and government agencies to what is perceived by many as too much violence, profanity, sexual language and sex being aired at times when children are watching. His article points out that public demands have forced the FCC to take action over the past two years by implementing reprimands and fines at an unprecedented rate including huge fines levied against Viacom (Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction), Clear Channel Communications (Howard

Stern’s sexual proclivities), and Fox (indecency in an episode of  “Married by America”).  Dr. Abelman said that even though parents and the public are concerned about violence and advertising on TV, over the past ten years it’s really been the indecency issue that has gotten the headlines and caused the most concern. That is true about internet and video game content, too. Therefore, his research, and the resultant article that summa- rizes it, center on parental mediation—how parents control consumption of media content regardless of the technology that delivers it. Bob told us that the V-chip has been installed in about 245 million television sets since Congress mandated the half-inch square chip be built into all TV sets by late 1998, but research shows that very few parents actually use the V-chip. Many know that the chip is in their sets, but don’t know how to actuate it—or how to use it—to block unwanted programming. The same was found to be true about available software to block undesir- able internet websites. Research reveals that a great many parents are aware of video game ratings, but few used the ratings as guidelines to control the games kids play. The children have mastered all of these new technologies, but the parents have not. Dr. Abelman said that parents talk a lot about controlling their kids' media consumption. They express really high levels of concern about too much consumption from media sources, and they think they are doing a lot about it … but when he actually measured what they were doing, he discovered their efforts to control were inconsequential. For example, many parents are aware of the rating systems that have been set up by broadcasters and producers of programs for cable networks. Abelman’s article reminds us: “… the commercial networks agreed to present a warning in front of selected programs in the 1993 prime-time lineup to facilitate parental mediation: ‘Due to some violent content, parental discretion is advised’ and was met with general dissatisfaction because the warn- ing tended to attract rather than detract young viewers.'” In 1996, new broadcast regulations encouraged the television industry to use a more informative age-related rating system that was put into effect by the end of the year, but critics pronounced the ratings hopelessly vague and inconsistent. By 1997, the ratings were revised to add symbols {V} Violent Content, {S} Sexual Content, {L} Coarse Language, {D} Suggestive Dialogue, {FV} Fantasy Violence, but studies reported inconsistent application of the symbol content ratings—especially regarding program violence, sex and adult language. Dr. Abelman writes in his article. "As television set saturation, VCR availability, channel number, cable access, and broadcast network options increased over the years … and as the entertainment industry’s promotion of inappropriate content to an underage audience became increasingly routine … over television dramatically decreased.” During our interview, Dr. Abelman told me that “lots of parents are aware of rating

systems, but rarely use ratings as a guideline to control video games played or TV shows  viewed. You would think that parents would have firm rules based on a philosophy or ideology that guides how they control their household viewing. However, his article refers to a 1999 Kaiser Family Foundation study reporting that 18% of parents are unaware of the ratings system, and only 40% of all parents reported actually use ratings to guide their children’s viewing. Dr. Abelman in a 2001 paper reported that only 24% of parents used ratings to restrict their children’s viewing of objectionable program content. The methodology of Dr. Abelman’s study used sampling from a pool of 720 households with children ranging in age from 6 to 15. Participating parents were selected who had children in the 2nd, 5th and 8th grades from 15 different elementary and intermediate schools in an area around a mid-sized Midwestern city. The pool included school-labeled academically average students; achieving, intellectually gifted students; and underachieving, intellectually gifted students. His research focuses—as the title of the paper suggests—on gifted children, both achieving and underachieving. The results of his research reveal that what parents do to control TV viewing, video game playing or internet interaction is dictated by the type of child they have. If their child is intellectually gifted, the parents think he or she has the right skills to navigate the internet while putting into effect the rules the parents have in place. By the same token, if the gifted child has an affinity for video games, parents feel that even though the game may be vio- lent, it is not the violence that attracts their child, but rather it is the intellectual exercise and the challenge of mastering the game that gets their child involved. Dr. Abelman found that parents of gifted overachievers are more concerned about television than the internet or video games. They think TV programming is a huge waste of time, and a distrac- tion from homework or other activities that can positively stimulate or intellectually advance their progeny. On the other hand, par- ents of gifted underachievers are more concerned about the time spent playing video games because they feel their child is lazy, easily distracted and easily influenced by bad stuff in some of the games. And parents of average kids worry more about the impact of the internet on their children because many don’t understand

what the internet is about.

  Dr. Abelman told me that parents feel helpless to control the content of media consumed by their children. Most are clueless about the rapidly expanding technology and how to control their children’s con- sumption of content delivered by cell phones, text messaging, iPods and other omnipresent devices. This, coupled with the perception that the entertainment industry is constantly pushing the edge on indecency and violence, makes the problem of monitoring and control- ling media consumption seem overwhelming to most parents. Now, more than ever, parents need to take advantage of the tools for managing their children’s media consumption. Dr. Abelman told me that parents need to understand that what drives their children to consume certain media is their individual cognitive ability. That ability is innate, intui- tive and even to some extent genetic. But cognitive ability can and should be nurtured. A bright kid is a bright kid, but to develop intellectual ability, needs to be supported by a stimulating learning environment and challenged to take risks. Dr. Abelman concluded our interview with the observation that “as technology gets more sophisticated and interactive, the brain is developing a new way to learn.” With every generation since the 1970s, there has been a brand new technology, so the brain is evolving (to deal with them) as are the strategies by parents and teachers who are fighting the war on indecency through mediation of TV, internet and video game content.

Toledo Video Production House Charging Headlong into Service for the Hearing-Impaired

Rodney Franks has been deaf for 47 of his 51 years. The Perrysburg auto industry finance employee and UT student depends on the words displayed on the bottom of his TV screen to “hear” the audio on the program. “It makes me more sensitive to other people. I don’t feel I’m in a small world anymore.” Allied Media Group is the only video production studio in the Toledo area that creates closed-caption- ing on programs for Rodney and other hearing-im- paired viewers. Allied Media started doing closed-captioning on programs they were producing for existing clients, but they found television stations and other program producers needed to have programs captioned before they could legally go on the air. Now, Allied Media Group is

charging headlong into the growing closed-captioning business, fielding clients from across the country, and tapping into a $2.7 billion dollar nationwide industry. Allied Media’s first closed-captioned program was the pre- recorded Sunday Catholic Mass for the Catholic Diocese of Toledo for broadcast on WTOL-TV. “It made sense to reach out to the hearing impaired this way,” said Marsha Rivas, who oversees ac- commodations for people with disabilities for the Diocese. The Sunday Catholic Mass has been captioned since August of 2005. But starting January 1 last year, the Federal Communi- cations Commission has basically required that all programming must be closed-captioned. There are a few exceptions, including some types of live broadcasts, and programs airing between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. “Most of the companies doing post-production closed-cap- tioning are clustered on the east and west coasts,” said Phil Ma- riasy, president and founder of Allied Media. “But a lot of people prefer to work with a team that’s ‘in their backyard’ so to speak. We’re that team.” Steve Israel, director of operations at WTOL-TV, was looking for someone to close-caption their annual "Spring Se- vere Weather" program a couple of years ago, and discovered Allied Media just a few blocks away. “We hate to send a tape off to someone we don’t know. It was a relief to find someone so conscientious and close by.” Mariasy has been in television for 20 years. Allied Media has grown through production of TV commercials and corporate and informational videos for clients like the Toledo Museum of Art. Video production will probably remain his company’s core business. However, the need for closed-captioning is growing, and Mariasy says his company’s new emphasis on captioning offers much more

than financial rewards.  Local Focus on PBS 45/49 Website

hannel 45/49 invites you to find out what's happening in your own backyard. The station website, www.pbs4549.org, features the video program "Local Focus." Visi- tors can find hidden treasures like the paint-your-own pottery “All Fired Up” or C take a trip on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Rich, vibrant video stories are added weekly. It is the mission and purpose of NETO, Inc. and PBS 45 & 49 to see that the powerful medium of television is used to teach, illuminate and inspire. While visitors can sit back and watch the unique cars at the Canton Classic Car Museum in Canton, Ohio from their computer, the video at "Local Focus" will invite users to get out and discover the richness of the antiques there. The station has contracted a com- mercial firm to ensure the videos play smoothly as if one was watching the clips on a TV. There is something for everyone in the community and "Local Focus" brings that to life. Amanda Sackett is the PBS 45/49 production assistant who has put a lot into bringing the community to life with the very informative "Local Focus" series. Sackett is responsible for producing, shooting and editing the Web series. "These clips are intended to pique view- ers' interests about unique local topics," she said. "My hope is that after people watch it, they'll be motivated to learn more about each feature." Sackett uses a non-narrative style to enable the people in each video to tell the story. The "Local Focus" series was added to the website’s video-on-demand upgrade that includes every locally produced program the station has created in the last 10 years; all of the Instructional Television series ever produced; community events hosted by other non- profits; and continually updated promos for general audience programs. In just seven months, the number of monthly hits on www.pbs4549.org has grown 585%. The average number of minutes spent viewing grew 53%—a definite sign that visi- tors enjoy what the station has to offer.

KAREN HENSEL DOUBLE WINNER FOR WISH

The spring of 2007 ushered in two memorable months for Karen Hensel, WISH investigative reporter who was hon- ored in March by American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT) as one of the 2007 winners of an esteemed Gracie Allen Award®.

Then on the morning of April 4, Hensel and the WISH I-Team 8 were honored with a Peabody Award from the University of 's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication for outstanding work in investigative journalism. Both awards were for superior writing, production and programming for her I-Team 8 investigative series “Command Mistake,” about the safety of U.S. Military helmets currently being used in Iraq. “Karen goes anywhere a story takes her and this one took her all the way to Iraq. There, she and photographer Eric Miller displayed great courage in gathering the information that would become this award-winning series,” said WISH-TV news director Kevin Finch. “We at 24-Hour News 8 are all very proud of the quality of the story and its profound impact on the U.S. Military overseas as well as Hoosiers back home.” “It is a blessing to work for a TV station that believes in in- vestigative journalism making a difference,” said Hensel. “We knew American troops were dying more from roadside bomb blasts than bullets. When the troops didn’t feel they had the necessary equip- ment to survive, we traveled 12,000 miles and to three continents to get answers. This is proof that when used correctly, television can be powerful and affect change.” Hensel is one of thirty-five recipients of the 66th Annual Peabody Awards. The winners were chosen by the Peabody board as the best in electronic media for 2006. The series was photo- graphed by Eric Miller and edited by Doug Moon. This is Hensel’s third Gracie and her second Peabody. Hensel has received numerous other awards for her out- standing journalism including the Peabody; the first Robert Wood Johnson Medical Peabody; four Emmy® awards; a national Emmy® nomination; RTNDA’S National Edward R. Murrow; two Regional Murrows; Scripps Howard Awards; Gabriel Award; two Iris Awards; and she was named Associated Press reporter of the year. Hensel will receive her Peabody Award on June 4 at a lun- cheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and the Gracie Allen Award® at a June 19 luncheon in New York City’s historic Tavern on the Green. has been promoted to the general the to promoted been has news director for the past ten years, Fox8 Easterly, Greg press: virtual to go we as news breaking here’s at And Cleveland. WJKW, sales and WJW in was he that to prior nati where he worked in sales, and Cincin from 1997 in 8 Channel to back came He years. ten past the for Cleveland in Fox8 at GM been adelphia, Pennsylvania. Renda has ing Company station WTXF in Phil eral manager of the Fox Broadcast April to become president and gen of end the at station the leaving be ager Mike Renda at Fox 8/WJW will Biggest Loser.” reminiscent of the reality it’s show say “The Some Win.” To In “Weigh porated into their newscasts called new feature this year that is incor appointment. the Fox8 camp is delighted with his ing “superb,” so the rank and file at describe his managerial style as be arrived in the '90s. His employees shooting and editing style when he a faster-paced, more contemporary news in the Cleveland market with TV of look the changed Easterly Renda. replacing post, manager’s rsdn ad eea man general and President a started Toledo in WTOL ------Regional Roundup

sity. The stations have a paid, pro owned and operated by the univer are stations The City. Jefferson and Columbia serving affiliate CW and NBC the KOMU/TV8, Station TV commercial their on working School of Journalism, he has been Missouri world-renowned the in Missouri. As part of his education University of Missouri in Columbia, winner, is currently enrolled at the scholarship chapter Lakes Great Emmy® Awards Show and a Lower dent volunteer at last September’s news director for WISH-TV’s WISH-TV’s for director news as Finch Kevin Jeff named White manager general and dent sion studiofortheschool. proposal to fund the start-up televi a wrote he where Ohio, Falls, grin Chagrin Falls High School in Cha as an outstanding 2005 graduate of Series. Luby distinguished himself World the cover to Detroit in was KOMU’s SAT truck last fall when he the from chair, scholarship Lakes Great Lower Scott, Sandy called Ryan students. graduate and ate undergradu are producers and anchors substitute and weekend fessional staff, but some reporters,

Ryan Luby, who was a stu a was who Luby, Ryan In February, WISH-TV presi  ------24-Hour News 8. Finch served as a senior member of “The combination of WTHR’s news management team for Kevin’s well rounded news nine years. As executive producer background and his exten- in charge of special projects and sive knowledge of central news co-brands, he was respon- Indiana makes him an ideal sible for the planning and produc- candidate to lead 24-Hour tion of all long-term news coverage News 8 and WISHTV.com,” and news coordination with the said White. We are also for- station’s radio, newspaper and tele- tunate to have someone who is so vision partners; website; and cable well respected by his peers.” weather channel. Finch joined WISH-TV in Finch has been honored August 2003 as the assistant news with numerous awards for his director and has been instrumen- outstanding work. He is a recipi- tal in the station’s recent success. ent of a national Edward R. Mur- 24-Hour News 8 has been named row award, two regional Emmy® “Indiana’s Outstanding News Op- awards, national Emmy® nomina- eration” for the second year in a row tions, CASPER awards and several and the only station to ever receive first place awards from the Indiana “Indiana’s Outstanding Weather Associated Press and Society of Pro- Operation.” Both were awarded fessional Journalists. by the Indiana Associated Press Finch holds a master's degree Broadcast Association. 24-Hour in public affairs reporting from the News 8 also produces the number University of Illinois at Springfield one rated late newscast. and a bachelor's in radio-television “I am thrilled to have this from Murray State University. He opportunity to lead one of the best and his wife, Ann, have two teen- news organizations in the country,” aged children. said Finch. “I follow in the footsteps of two legends in broadcast journal- ism—Lee Giles and Tom Cochrun— and I will work hard to maintain their high standards while we serve Pete Kenworthy joined News- our television viewers and website Channel 5 as their new Akron bu- users of central Indiana. I have reau chief, effective April 2. Pete enjoyed the past three and a half comes to WEWS from Buffalo, New

years at 24-Hour News 8 and look York, where he was morning anchor  forward to an exciting future.” at WKBW. Prior to that, Pete Before joining WISH-TV, worked at KWTX in Waco, Tex- as. Pete will supervise the day-to- possible option and a shared ser- day operations and news coverage vices agreement. Parkin owns no of the Akron Bureau. In addition to other television stations, and their his administrative duties, Pete will business interests up to now have also report Akron area news. been internet ventures such as streaming media and mobile pro- gramming. The Youngstown-based station will become the platform for “ideas to marry new media, such as Youngstown TV – the Internet, with television,” Todd It's All Shook Up! Parkin, chairman and chief execu- Ownership of three Youngs- tive of Parkin Broadcasting, said in town stations is in the process of a news release. changing. Last November, Pied- If a shared services agree- mont Television announced they ment is agreed to between the new had a deal to sell CBS affiliate owners, some station operations will WKBN-TV, Channel 27 and co- be consolidated, usually resulting owned WYFX-LP, the Fox affiliate in staff reductions. WKBN-TV has operating on channel 62, to New kept its news and weather sharing Vision Television headquartered partnership with WKBN-radio after in , Georgia. That deal was they sold it to Clear Channel Com- completed last month. munications. In early February, Parkin The Youngstown Vindicator Broadcasting, based in Los An- reports that Dave Trabert, WYTV geles, announced that they had general manager, said it is busi- reached an agreement to acquire ness as usual until the deal is Chelsey Broadcasting Co., owner consummated, but he’s excited that of WYTV/33, Youngstown’s ABC the station will be affiliated with a affiliate that also has the rights to company with experience in such broadcast MyNetwork. Although areas as the Internet. owned by Chelsey, the station is managed by Barrington Broadcast- ing. The FCC must approve the deal, and that could take until early summer. Jennifer Boresz reports from The Business Journal in Toledo that WTOL hired a new

Youngstown has reported that Par- reporter, Tim Miller, in January.  kin advised the FCC that they are Miller comes from WATE in negotiating with New Vision for a Knoxville, Tennessee. Also, Andi Cleveland, Joy worked in Birming- Roman has been promoted to As- ham, Des Moines, and Sioux City. sistant News Director. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas.

WSEE in Erie, Pennsylvania, has been undergoing some major EDR Media, a nationally- changes over the past six months recognized media development and including a new website with a new production company, partnered design, all new graphics, stingers with Public Radio station WKSU and lots of streaming video of news to provide production services, stories and video bios for the sta- including video and audio, that tion personnel. As part of an overall was switched live as it happened interior transformation of the sta- on November 17 for a webcast on tion, the newsroom will be moved .org and folkalley.com from down to the first floor according to the 40th annual Kent State Folk news director John Christianson. Festival on the campus of Kent WSEE is a CBS affiliate and feeds State University. CBS Network programs by satellite The webcast featured perfor- to the Caribbean along with locally mances by the Sparrow Quartet, with produced weather forecast pro- Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck; grams specifically about the various and by Bearfoot, from Anchorage, island communities served. The Alaska. The program was encoded WSEE forecasters who are featured at the time of production, and is now in these cut-ins are Ray Petelin, archived for on-demand viewing at Kelly Curran, and Joey Stevens. www.wksu.org, www.folkalley.com, and www.edr.com. Marcia Owen, EDR’s COO had this to say about the scope of the production: “We are very excited Joy Benedict joined News- to be able to showcase EDR’s web- Channel 5 on Friday, March 16, and casting capabilities in a scenario will be reporting for "Good Morning that combines both entertainment

Cleveland." Joy has been an Akron and education. This webcast dem-  bureau reporter for WKYC for the onstrates the power of the web last two years. Prior to coming to to deliver targeted program- ming to a large, widespread audi- Brian Wilkes did a weather pre- ence. Those who view in real time sentation to a group of troubled can share in the immediacy of this Indianapolis Public School youth. event. And folk music lovers can en- Reporter Derrick Wilkerson will joy the program on-demand, when emcee an event for Warren Town- the time is convenient for them.” ship Schools. And Fox 59 had a group of employees participate in the Race for the Cure. Funds raised help the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Program Brenda Michaels reports from and screenings and follow-up care WXIN/Fox 59 in Indianapolis that for underserved women. with spring’s arrival the station is Fox 59 had a contest to pick in the midst of a public awareness a traffic reporter for their website, campaign that addresses commonly Traffic.com. Kyla Williamson was held misconceptions about young the winner; she began reporting people in a series titled: "The Whole traffic on Monday, April 23! Truth: The Top Ten Myths About WXIN/Fox 59 staffers were Young People." This campaign will recognized by the Indiana Asso- run through the rest of the year. ciated Press Broadcasters Asso- Fox 59 is also part of a collab- ciation with the following awards: orative effort with federal agents to Russ McQuaid and Matt Purkes, offer fugitives from justice a second first place in spot news coverage chance. The Fugitive Safe Sur- for the "Talbott Street Fire"; Kim render Program gives people with King and Jamie Suiter, first place warrants an opportunity to turn in enterprise story for "KKK Cards"; themselves in, get legal representa- Julie Loncich and Jamie Suiter, tion and appear before a judge in a second place in enterprise story church setting. for "Online Dating"; Jamie Suiter, Jim O'Brien, weather anchor second place in feature story for for "Fox 59 Morning News," and "Garage Sale"; Kara Brooks and Shonda Russell, Fox 59 community Marvin Carter, second place in con- affairs manager, were a part of the tinuous coverage for "Pike Crash"; American Lung Association's kickoff Michael Moely and Matt Purkes, for the 1st Annual Lungs in Motion second place in general news for Walk. Cheryl Parker, co-anchor of "Hauser Wins State"; Jamie Suiter,

"Fox 59 News at 10," emceed the honorable mention for feature/en-  Salute to Families annual breakfast terprise videography for "KKK at the Colts Complex. Meteorologist Cards." Bob Donaldson, co-anchor W G T E - T V , of "WXIN/Fox 59 News at 10," was the PBS station in elected president of the IAPBA for Toledo, introduced the year ahead. Flowers aren't the "Business 360," a only thing blooming this spring in locally produced Indiana! weekly business seg- ment that premiered Monday, March 19 with host Kristine Hoffman interviewing Vicente Fox, WEWS/Newschannel 5 former President of Mexico. sports director Chris Miller accept- WGTE was the only televi- ed a new position as principal an- sion station granted an exclusive chor with Comcast Sports Network sit-down interview with Fox. For- in Washington, D.C. Miller joins mer President Fox discusses global Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic's issues with Hoffman, including "SportsNite" desk as an anchor for NAFTA, immigration, and his career the 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. news in the business world as president programs Sunday through Thurs- of Coca-Cola Mexico & Latin Amer- day. He will also work alongside ica. Part one of this interview was the Washington, D.C. - telecast on March 19, and the sec- region's teams, providing viewers ond part aired March 26. The "Busi- with complete coverage of local ness 360" segment examines timely sports stories. business topics and technological Chris had been with WEWS trends with national and regional for five years, guiding the station’s business experts. The segment airs sports department through the on Monday and repeats the follow- roller coaster ride that is Cleveland ing Friday during the PBS "Nightly sports. His last day was February Business Report" at approximately 28. An Emmy® nominee and recip- 7:45 PM. ient of the Associated Press Award WGTE-TV continues its policy for Best Sports Program, Miller also of presenting prominent local speak- worked as a college football sideline ers on topics that relate regionally reporter for ESPN from 2000-2001 to important PBS special programs. and in 2003, he became the first On Monday, April 9, at 7:00 p.m., sideline reporter for College Sports Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, executive vice

Television. president for health affairs and  dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Toledo, spoke to an audience from the Toledo area brought WKBN television to the at the station’s studios on “Early valley. Williamson lived until age Diagnosis and Prevention of Cardiac 96 and passed away in 1996. Disease in the New Millennium.” The event was held in con- junction with the WGTE-TV broad- cast on April 11 of the documentary: "Fat: What No One is Telling You." John Carroll University, in The event is part of WGTE's "Take the University Heights suburb of One Step" health initiative which Cleveland, has been renovating encourages participants to take one their television studios to upgrade step toward cardiovascular the old analog equipment to digital. health. Work began this year and is sched- uled to be completed next month. With all television production and transmission switching to digital not later than 2009, Sister Mary The family of the founder of Flannery, chair of the Communica- WKBN Broadcasting in Youngstown, tions Department, explained to the the late Warren Williamson, Jr., campus editor of the Carroll News, donated $5 million last fall to “It is priority number one because Youngstown State University for of the FCC regulation; and number construction of a new building to two because it will allow us to teach house the business school. The many updated courses.” The digi- building will be the cornerstone of tal technology will be used to teach expansion under their centennial courses in webcasting, podcasting master plan to commemorate YSU’s and creative media arts. Station 100th Anniversary next year. The manager Joe Madigan said, “We Williamson family has supported have been working to do this for the university’s business college for several years, but other priorities over two with previous gifts pre-empted us.” totaling almost $2 million. Sr. Flannery concluded, “We Warren Williamson, Jr., know this will make our education built WKBN-AM in 1926 in his here more attractive than it already Youngstown home. The station is. This is the digital age; what can was one of the first in the nation to I say?”

broadcast local football games. As  the radio station grew, FM trans- mission was added and eventually WISH-TV news director, Kev- my job and consider myself lucky in Finch, announced on March 29 to work for a station with such a that Gene Rodriguez will join Mike wonderful reputation and a staff of Corbin to anchor 24-Hour News 8’s excellent journalists.” weekend newscasts at 6:00 p.m., Rodriguez began her broad- 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. cast news career in 1996 at WRBL- "We're glad to have Gene in TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, this new role. She brings energy and Georgia, where her reporting was enthusiasm to the anchor desk while honored with the Georgia AP 1997 maintaining her passion for getting Best Newscast and Pacemaker the story right," Finch said. Award. In 1998, Rodriguez moved Rodriguez came to the station to Roswell, New Mexico as the as a general assignment reporter in Southeast Bureau Reporter for April 2003. In October 2003, she KOAT-TV. Less than two years lat- began field anchoring for WISH-TV’s er, Gene was promoted to anchor/ "Daybreak," providing early morn- reporter at the main newsroom in ing coverage of breaking news. In Albuquerque. February 2006, Rodriguez moved Rodriguez earned a BA degree to early evenings to cover the city- in Communications from Berry Col- county beat, covering government, lege in Rome, Georgia. She is active business, economics and cultural with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters institutions. She also has used her program and serves as a director on bilingual skills to report on WIIH the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indiana. Indianapolis board. Rodriguez said, “I am looking forward to this new challenge. I love

FOND FAREWELLS – IN MEMORIAM

ALICE WESTON: 1911-2007 First Lady of Cleveland Television

Cleveland television broadcasters are celebrating the life of broadcast pioneer and Silver Circle® honoree Alice Weston who

passed away Tuesday, January 9 at the home of her daughter Susan Ruffing in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. She is also survived by another daughter, Sara Walters who resides in Chicago, two grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She earned the sobriquet of “First Lady of Cleveland Television” by making history as the first woman to host her own television show in Cleveland. Alice launched her television career on Valentine’s Day in 1948 on WEWS with a magazine format show entitled “Distaff.” Back then, there weren’t many sets turned on during the day, and she told Romona Rob- inson in a TV interview “I did a TV show before I even saw one. I was scared to death!” A graduate of the University of Michigan with a journalism degree, she first used her reportorial skills writing stories for the women’s page of a Detroit newspaper, then went on to host a radio show for women in Motown. When her husband, Arthur Schowalter, was transferred by his company to Lorain, Ohio, she decided to check out the opportunities in fledgling television. She found that WEWS was willing to give her a shot at doing what es- sentially amounted to a cooking show. She hated to cook, but wanted to get a foot in the door of this exciting new medium, and at the time that was the only way for a woman to host her own show on TV. WEWS decided that Schowalter was not a marquee name, and in what was a common practice in 1940s show biz, her TV surname became Weston. In 1950 the show was moved to WXEL (now WJW) where Alice got a better time slot and more money, and more importantly she was able to expand the format of the program to use her interviewing skills with a variety of guests beyond the home-making experts who dominated her earlier format. She included film, TV and recording artists such as Annette Funicello and Andy Williams in her daily programs. And Alice went beyond popular con- tent to tackle issues of importance to women such as a program that discussed alcoholism among women entitled “The Lonely Sickness.” The program won a Golden Microphone Award from McCall’s Magazine, but Alice was more pleased by the fact that many women viewers joined Alcoholics Anonymous following that broadcast. In 1959 Alice started commuting to to host a new daily variety show “Lun- cheon at the Ones” produced at WIIC. The program attempted to reach a more diverse audience with guest celebrities such as Pablo Casals, Grace Kelly and Milton Berle. Ms. Weston moved into the PR field in the mid sixties, and in 1967 went to to finish a master’s degree in broadcasting. She returned to Cleveland television in 1968 on the new UHF station licensed to Lorain, Ohio – WUAB-TV. Her new title was “Public Service Director”, but she preferred to be known as the “Ambassador” to the Lorain community. Over the next 26 years she was seen on Channel 43 in a variety of community and public affairs programs including “Lorain Conversations,” “43 AM” with co-host Linn Sheldon, and as senior correspondent on “The Ten O’Clock News." In 1994 Weston left WUAB to spend the final years of her almost half century career

at WKYC reporting on the activities of Senior Citizens.  Alice Weston became a charter member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle® when she was inducted in the first class of 1991 along with Jim Breslin, Virgil Dominic, Tom Haley, Don Perris and Ernie Sindelar. She was honored by the Press Club of Cleveland when she was installed in their Journalism Hall of Fame, and her name is also emblazoned in the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Alice Weston was not only the First Lady of Cleveland televi- sion, she was a lady in every demonstrable way – respected for her professionalism both on camera and off -- and very much beloved for her caring and giving nature by all of those who were blessed to know her. Ron Jantz, who worked with her at both WUAB and WKYC, observed that “Her legacy will be that she was a friend to everyone.” And history will show that she was mentor to many. Romona Robinson, who started her Cleveland television career eighteen years ago at WUAB, remembers that Alice so inspired her when they first met they have remained friends over the years. Romona sat with Alice on the last night of her life and tried to let her know “what an inspiration and delight she had been to me, and to all of those who knew her.” We have been informed that she will be interred in the city of her birth -- Holland, Michigan, and a memorial service will be held later this spring.

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL NSTV WINNERS

n April, the Lower Great Lakes chapter announced that The Foundation of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sci- ences named national and regional winners of the National I Student Awards for Excellence. Each of the National winners —chosen from 600 high school entries—received a crystal pil- lar engraved with a replica of the Emmy® Award, at a ceremony in New York City at the new Hearst Tower on Tuesday, May 1. The event was attended by 300 television industry leaders, includ- ing the National Television Academy’s Board of Trustees. Lower Great Lakes Trustee Bob Hammer and his wife, Sandy, were in the audience.

National winners of this year’s NSTV Awards, known as the “Student Emmy® Awards,” came from Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, , Tennessee and Ohio’s Amherst Steele High School who won the National Award for best sports program “Girl Among Boys - A Three Part Series,” a different look at sports as girls challenge boys at the varsity level of high school sports programs. Av Westin, Executive Director of The Foundation, said “The production values this year were very high, approaching professional grade while the journalism and storytelling was compelling and technically excellent.” Regional awards in the Lower Great Lakes chapter area went to students from Am- herst Steele High School in Amherst, Ohio; Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio. Representing Amherst Steele: Emily Brumenschenkel produced, directed and edited the Regional and National winner for best program in the Sports Category: “Girl Among Boys.” That’s Emily in the hockey face mask playing goalie against the Steele varsity team to find out if she could com- pete with boys. She stopped a few shots on goal and the guys were amazed. So instead of lobbing them in, the pucks started flying faster and faster, but she hung in there and commanded a lot of respect from the team for her skill and determination. She put on the pads to work out and practice with the football team, and put her wrestling techniques from elementary school to the test with the varsity wrestling team. The coaches and team members were very helpful during practice games and the shooting. She did a great job collecting and including a lot of nat sound and an over-all terrific job editing the three programs in the series. Emily was also the regional winner in the Writing category with a ten minute documentary entitled “Steele Soldiers.” She wrote this with Billy Richter. Brumenschenkel came up with the idea to report the story of three recent graduates of Steele who were serving in Iraq. Emily is academically a top student who is also very involved in the theater, and just spent her spring break doing clean-up work and reconstruction in New Orleans.

t Steele only seniors work on the programs submitted in the NSTV awards. Tiffany Dziak was a double winner with “Steele Spotlight” in the “Arts and

Entertainment” category and “Protect Yourself: A Public Service Campaign” in  A the Hubbard Family Public Affairs/Community Service/Public Service cat- egory. Kayley Kosik had the Regional winner “Daytime Curfew” in the News category. Steele students earning Hon- orable Mention include: Tealla Scrofano for “Artists at Work” in the Arts & En- tertainment category; Anthony Karhusz for “My Space…Anybody’s Space” in the Documentary category; Kayla Pijor for “Lessons from Three Lives” in the News category; Giuliana Montagnese for “Teen Suicide: A Public Service Campaign; Billy Richter for “1st and 10” in the Sports cat- egory and Tealla Scrofano for her “Story Writing Composite” in the Writing category. Mark Lowrie is in his sixth year as the student advisor at Amherst Steele. The TV production program will celebrate its 15th year this October.

t Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, the student win- ner is Stephanie Wyland for “BDTV Newscast” in the News category. Earning Honorable Mention were Brad Gray A for “Brad Gray-Sports” in the Sports category and Kristin Lucero for “It Takes More Than the ABCs” in the Hubbard Family Public Affairs/Community Service/Public Service category. The Ben Davis HS program is now in its fifth year, and is part of a Career Center serving students who are fed into Ben Davis High from ten different schools. The curriculum is designed to teach the students the five basic components of television broadcasting: camera, audio, lighting, writing and editing. Diligence, discipline, effort and team building activities and strategies are given strong emphasis. The Director of Television Broadcasting at Ben Davis is Dennis Goins who created BDTV in 2002. Since then the cur- riculum has graduated many students who have gone on to study communications in college. This is the third consecutive year that

Ben Davis students have won NSTV awards for their entries.  rom North Canton, Ohio, Hoover High School’s Erik Essig is a Regional winner in the Documentary category for directing the program “Pieces of Paradise: Rebuilding Bay St. Louis.” According to Valeta Drake, who teaches the Broadcast Journalism F course to twenty-two Hoover seniors, this award winning documentary grew out of a school and community effort to raise funds to help the victims of Katrina last year. The Hoover students and North Canton community adopted a high school in Bay St. Louis and sent over $10,000 to help with reconstruction efforts. But they were curious about how their teenage counterparts were adjusting in the aftermath of destruction. All of the national news organizations were covering the Katrina recovery story from an adult point of view. A Hoover TV crew decided at the end of March last year to go down to Bay St. Louis to shoot a documentary about the survival and re- building from a teen viewpoint. They wanted to tell a story about how Mississippi high school seniors coped with finishing their final year of high school; if they could find jobs to earn money to go to college, and how they were surviving with their families during the rebuilding. Seen here are the students who comprised the documentary team that traveled to Bay St. Louis when they stopped by CNN on the way to Missis- sippi. The crew consisted of Ms. Drake’s Journalism students who did the report- ing and Tom Wilson’s Video Production students who were the shooters. The resulting documentary aired on Time Warner Cable and on their Channel 11 website in May of last year. Also, Hoover student Mike Campanizzi earned an Honorable Mention for his entry “HVTV News Compilation” in the Technical Achievement category. Some twenty video pro- duction high school seniors produce a daily seven minute news program broadcast every morning to the school and three times a day to the North Canton community. Tom Wil- son, Valeta Drake and Tom McCarty who teach the broadcast courses at Hoover are all professional broadcasters who take their own experiences and try to replicate that in the classroom. Their goal is not to introduce students to video and broadcast journalism, but to take them to the next level of being competitive and capable of producing the entire pro- gram themselves. So, on a daily basis, students do it all from start to finish, and they are held to the highest technical and ethical standards of the industry. Tom Wilson is student advisor at Hoover.  ow in its fifth year, the National Student Television Awards for Excellence is part of the National Television Academy’s nationwide ongoing commitment to educating N the next generation of broadcast journalists. Winners were selected in a two-step process with judges first naming regional winners in each of the National Televi- sion Academy’s 19 chapter regions. From these regional winners, the seven national winners were chosen by a blue ribbon panel from the television industry (many multiple Emmy® Award winners) and academia, including two former executive producers of network news magazine programs; a former executive producer of an arts and entertainment magazine series; a former network news senior producer; a former network field producer; a network documentary producer; a network technical manager and technical director; a post-production technical director and long-form editor; a former producer of sports personality profiles; a university professor of journalism and four previous recipients of the National Student Television Award for Excellence. Student producer/writer teams from around the nation sub- mitted entries in seven categories: News; Arts & Entertainment, Cultural Affairs; Documentary; Public Affairs/Community Ser- vice/Public Service; Sports; Technical Achievement; and Writing. All entries were originally broadcast, cablecast, or webcast within the eligibility period from February 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007.

BSU’S Jim Shasky to be Honored with NATAS Board of Governors Award

On Wednesday, April 25, the Board of Governors of the Lower Great Lakes chapter of NATAS unanimously voted to honor Jim Shasky, Instructor of Telecommunications at Ball State University, with the prestigious and seldom conferred Board of Governors Award for his significant contributions

to education in the field of television. The award will be presented to Mr. Shasky at this year’s Emmy® Awards Show to be held Saturday, September 8, at the glamorous new Hilton Garden Inn ballroom in downtown Cleveland. Jim Shasky came to Ball State in 1997 after 15 years in New York and another 15 years in Los Angeles directing Jerry Lewis telethons and other high-profile television shows, including one of the most successful newsmagazine programs in TV history, "PM Magazine." He directed live coverage of Richard Nixon's impeachment hearings, pursued stories for CBS, and founded his own production company with "Tron" writer Bonnie MacBird. As a faculty producer at Ball State, Shasky received a 2005 regional Emmy® Award in the public service announcement category for "Even Experts Make Mistakes," which addressed gun safety. He also won Best in Category - Short Form - for his documentary “Cell Block Scholars” at the national 2007 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Media Festival. His winning program was selected from 50 short documentaries entered in the faculty division. He was recognized with that award in Las Vegas on April 20. Shasky is the advisor for the student-produced Emmy®-winning news show "Connec- tions." In total, students, faculty, and staff from Ball State’s telecommunications program have won 18 regional Emmy® Awards and 50 nominations since 2001. "James Shasky is among our best faculty when it comes to providing immersive learning experiences to our students," said Nancy Carlson, telecommunications department chair. Jim Shasky brings more than experience and knowledge to the classroom, he also brings a library of hundreds of videotapes. "Students have many detailed questions and to be able to actually show that student, on demand, a visual piece that answers their concern revolutionizes the learning curve," Shasky said. So he dubbed dozens of video clips to a series of DVDs for use in the classroom. Now a few DVDs give him quick access to examples of how news stories can be produced. Shasky has a great sense of humor, and some years ago he talked John Worthen, the retired president of Ball State, into appearing in a film "How I Trained John Worthen" written from the perspective of Worthen's dog. Worthen's acting career already included the scene shown here of him groveling and clutching at Shasky's leg while the director filmed him from above. The clip was used in a fund-raising video sent to Ball State alumnus David Letterman. Shasky's specialty is telling the stories of normal people instead of celebrities. And the president of a university—his own boss—was the perfect subject. Shasky has a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University. NAB REPORT By Joe Koskovics

At NAB 2007 a ban- ner reads: “Are You Ready?” Well many broadcasters and engineering directors may be scrambling to make the switch to digital broadcasts, but there were a great many products to grab their atten- tion in between the booths that showcased HDTV products at this years show. One of the key things I noted was how IPTV had invaded NAB. Of course this is only a logical extension of the digital conversion. When stations execute their digital plans, IPTV may become an- other way stations can extend their brand. And there were many opportunities to explore the revolution, and evolution of television. There were many new announcements that will impact the way television stations deal with their workflow and delivery beyond the expected equipment from Sony, Panasonic, Grass Valley, and the rest of the exhibitors who were clamoring for the attention of this year’s attendees. Apple had many major products being demonstrated on the show floor. Final Cut Pro 6, a choice of many independent edi- tors now appears ready for prime time with a May 2007 release. Add to the mix a new server based news solution, and you have a serious contender in the software management arena. Sony demonstrated the innovations in their post products, as did Avid. Newtek reinforced their LightWave 3D product, and demonstrated a new member to their Tricaster family. All, very impressive, and all geared for some part of the HD screen or the On-Demand screen of the Internet. Finally, Adobe has developed improvements into their Flash product, and a new version of Actionscript. For anyone who has followed the success of YouTube and other video sites, the one common thread has been the ease and functionality of the former Macromedia Flash product. With the announcement of Flash CS3, stations will have greater creative control over their Internet product. In brief, this years NAB can be described as the merger of repelling opposites. The large, crisp, and clear images of HD with the flexible, on demand convenience of Internet Video. And with that it was quick to see that what happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay in Vegas. Smart broadcasters after returning from NAB will pay close attention to both delivery models, and merge these opposites into a unified delivery of their brands.

LOWER GREAT LAKES CHAPTER PR & WEBSITE COMMITTEE Bud Ford, Chair Alex P. Michaels Duane Pohlman Amanda Sackett Steve Kurrent Jennifer Boresz Terry Peterson Lorrie Taylor Marcie Price, Publisher

Send your news tips, commentaries, leads, articles or suggestions to: Bud Ford, NATAS Newsletter Editor [email protected] or call: 216-767-0331 (land) 419-297-3843 (cell)