May 2007 ff amera The CNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences www.emmysf.tv San Francisco/Northern California Chapter DURST TO HOST FROM “ANTS” TO “ZEBRAS” EMMY® NIGHT, THE SECRET WORLD OF EMMY® NOMINATIONS MAY 12th By Bob Goldberger By Keith Sanders, Emmy® Show Producer Will Durst, one of America’s top political sati- rist, will host the 36th North- ern California Area Emmy® Awards. It’s also possible that THE SHOW itself could become a casualty of his irreverent style of humor. Later Durst will be reunited with one of America’s most Fresno Nomination Party, April 12th at the Smokehouse, beloved politicians, former Gov. Samuel Belilty is ready to open the announcements. San Francisco Mayor It was a tough year for kangaroos and el- Willie Brown. Will and ephants— not a single Emmy® nomination between Willie will present some them. But the vulture made up for it, bagging major Emmy® award catego- two nominations on his own. Deciding the number ries to close the event. Both of nominees and winners in each Emmy® category men co-hosted the talk show “Keepin’ It Real with this year was a bit reminiscent of touring the zoo Will & Willie” on local AM station KQKE. for your Northern California NATAS chapter’s Three additional presenters from smaller mar- awards committee. It’s all part of a process called kets have been recruited to round out the field of “blind scoring,” and it may be the fairest system 18. Dan Dennison is currently news director at around. continued on page 3 KHNL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Honolulu. Previously he’s worked in the same position at KSBY-TV in San Luis Obispo, California, KHON-TV in Honolulu, EMMY® PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE Hawaii, and KOAA-TV and KRDO-TV in Colorado THURSDAY, Springs, Colorado. Prior to becoming a news direc- MAY 24, 2007 tor Dan was the long-time Western Slope Bureau 7 - 9:30 P.M. Chief for KUSA-TV in Denver, Colorado. He’s a 3- time Emmy® winner in the Heartland chapter. DOLBY LABS Sarah Johns is News 4 Weekend Anchor and SCREENING ROOM Reporter at KRNV in Reno, Nevada. She grew up in 100 POTRERO AVE Auburn, California and originally moved to Truckee SAN FRANCISCO Meadows to attend the University of Nevada. She was “discovered” when she made an on-air appear- FREE ance on News 4 Today as a journalism student. REFRESHMENTS Sarah served as an anchor and reporter for the ABC affiliate in Idaho Falls, Idaho from 2001 to NETWORKING 2004. She’s been recognized three times by the Q&A WITH PRODUCERS continued on page 2 MORE INFORMATION: www.emmysf.tv Off Camera, May 2007, page 1 EMMY® NIGHT Dan Dennison Sarah Johns Anne Makovec continued from page 1 video crew. Governors Wayne Freedman and Society of Professional Journalists with two awards Terry Lowry have worked with me to recruit an in Business and Consumer news reporting and an amazing lineup of presenters. Trustee Alison award in Feature reporting. Gibson has organized and produced the vital Anne Makovec anchors “The Morning News” scholarship presentation. Governor Terri Maria on KION 46 in Salinas/Monterey. She came to the Amos is organizing the entertainment and dinner market in 2004 as a reporter, but was soon pro- for our famous after-party. President Lynn moted to weekend anchor and then launched a new Friedman leads the committee and helps us cut morning broadcast last fall. Before coming to show time wherever possible. California, Anne anchored a morning show in Eau Terri Maria Amos declared “Emmy® Event 2007 Claire, Wisconsin and reported for a cable news is just a few days away, and we’re making the program in the Atlanta, Georgia market. Her jour- preparations so that it’s a night to remember. We’re nalistic roots are in radio however. She reported for taking care to make sure you can find your seat five years in the mid-west before making the jump quickly once you arrive for dinner at the to TV. Exploratorium.” Lance LeDrew of Glow Lighting and The Emmy® event committee is busy making his team are setting up the ambience and Maureen final preparations. A recent site survey at the Kelly, Knight’s Catering will once again Palace of Fine Arts and the Exploratorium was serve appetizers and dinner in elegant style. Former attended by over a dozen committee members and governor Adam Housley, Fox News Correspondent, vendors with one purpose in mind: to create yet will be providing his family’s Century Oak Wines another great show. for the dinner. Plus the band Masterpiece is ready Governor Deanne Moenster-Poitras has to get you on your feet to dance. Best of luck for all designed the set and John Mayne Designs is the talented nominees! building it. Governors Wayne Philippo and Gary All Emmy® ticket information is available on- Schultz are working with former governor John line by clicking the “2007 Emmy®” graphic at Murray to set up numerous technical details with www.emmysf.tv. the Palace of Fine Arts, the remote truck and the MEET THE GM’S JESSICA AGUIRRE After more than seven years WED. 5/16 ABC7 as the primary anchor at KGO (ABC 7) in San Francisco, Jessica Aguirre is moving on. Both Aguirre and KGO de- clined to discuss the move, Meet th GM’s I 2/8/06: Tim McVay, KTVU 2; Mark Antonitis, KRON 4; Valari Staab, ABC 7; Ron Longinotti, CBS 5; but Aguirre had been open Valari Staab, ABC 7; Marcela Medina, KDTV 14; about the station notifying her Doug Harvill, KCBS; Mickey Luckoff, KGO. some weeks ago that it would Last year’s NorCal RTNDA event Meet the not renew her contract when it General Managers was so successful that they expired at the end of the year. have invited them back for Take II. Find out what’s She would like to remain in the Bay Area. in and what’s out in Bay Area broadcasting, and how Aguirre joined KGO as weekend anchor in 1998, these leaders are planning to lead the market into and quickly moved to the weeknight 6pm and 11pm the future. Ask your questions, and get the answers newscasts in 1999 when the station failed to reach on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 from 7 to 9 p.m. at a contract agreement with then-anchor Terilyn the ABC Broadcast Center. Light refreshments and Joe. networking at 7 pm with the panel starting at 7:30 pm. More information at www.norcalrtnda.com Off Camera, May 2007, page 2 FROM “ANTS” TO “ZEBRAS” THE SECRET WORLD OF EMMY® NOMINATIONS continued from page 1 since none of us ever finds out Here’s how blank scoring works. All which fictional category title of our entries are shipped to other represents which category, but I’d NATAS chapters around the country bet the committee nominated all where they are judged by a minimum of the entries from either 24, or of six outstanding peer television the 22’s and above. And since the professionals. As the score top two scores are so high, and so sheets from each category are re- close, both would be awarded an turned to the accounting firm of Emmy® statue. Spalding & Company in San Fran- The accountants than merge in cisco, the accountants tally the the Spanish panels. i.e. if alligator scores and assign the highest ten and buffalo turned out to be the numbers in that category a generic, same category in English and meaningless title, based on the Spanish, each having two nomina- theme chosen for the year. This tions and one winner. On nomina- year’s theme: animals. tion night the category will show The first category named “ant,” four nominations and on Emmy® the second “bat,” and so on, through night the category will have two Page from Blind Scoring Session the alphabet until “zebra.” Then it winners. For that reason, don’t starts over again with “ape” and be surprised if there are more “bear” through “zygodactyl” (it’s dual winners this year than you’ve allegedly a breed of dinosaur). This seen in previous years. year for the first time the Spanish This year’s record entries, 930 language entries were judged sepa- yielded 257 nominations, 28%; rately by Spanish speaking peer 607 nomination certificates were judges. When you add the 30 panels presented to 406 individuals. of Spanish entries to the 63 catego- Three of the 63 categories did not ries you have a total of 93 blind San Francisco Nomination Party at the received nominations. scores, so some of the category Museum of Craft and Folk Art We’ll all have to wait until names became pretty obscure, such Saturday May 12th to learn the as “quahog,” ”ibex,” and “nilgai.” names of the winners, but there You’ll have to Google them on your are some clear leaders already as own to verify they’re real animals. far as the number of nominations When the awards committee met goes. In San Francisco, in early April to rank the scores, all KNTV (NBC 11) received 38 they ever saw were sheets of paper nominations, the most of any with an animal name at the top and a station in our region. KPIX (CBS column of numbers in descending Sacramento VP, Thomas Drayton 5) isn’t far behind, with 30. In order beneath. Committee members hands out certificates at the River City Sacramento, KUVS (Univision Brewing Company look at the numbers in each category, 19) leads the pack with 11 nomi- having no idea what category it really is, and decide if any of the scores is high enough to war- nations, followed by KXTV (ABC 10) with nine.