North Hollywood : TV Academy to Fete Golden Anniversary

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will celebrate its golden anniversary in 1996 with an eye toward accomplishments in television editing, programming, commercials and--of course--the Emmy Awards.

The anniversary will be commemorated throughout 1996 with 11 events and a series of exhibits with the theme “50 Years of Excellence,” said Hank Rieger, a past president of the academy who now co-chairs the anniversary committee.

Among the scheduled events are a birthday salute to George Burns on Jan. 24; “A Night of Commercials From the Past 50 Years” on Feb. 28, and a “Best of the Emmys” program in July.

Dates for other events, including “50 Years of TV Politics, Presidents and Conventions,” are to be announced.

Come January, an exhibit of early-day broadcast equipment will be presented in the academy’s Plaza Theater lobby. Other exhibits will spotlight television costumery and animation.

The celebration will culminate with a black-tie gala honoring television’s “living legends” and the academy’s remaining charter members, Rieger said.

Rieger said he can only guess what the next 50 years will bring to the television academy. “I think you’re going to see continued growth as television becomes the major economic force in Southern California,” Rieger predicted. “It’s going to get bigger, better and more technologically advanced. But, who knows?”

One thing is for certain, though. The Emmy Awards turn 50 in 1998, Rieger said, and there’s sure to be another celebration.