NBC Plans Emmy Extravaganza of Oscar Proportions

The Emmy Awards, which have recently become entangled in controversy over what qualifies as a miniseries, are about to become a miniseries in and of themselves.

Determined to transform the 50th anniversary of the Emmys from an awards presentation to a celebration of television, NBC will forgo the usual time-constraint concerns and expand the next ceremony into a four-hour event.

Network officials confirmed those plans, noting that one of the advantages the Oscar shows have had is their emphasis on showcasing the movie industry without worrying much about length--as demonstrated by this year’s Academy Awards, which ran nearly four hours.

“If television can’t take a night and celebrate itself without worrying about the ratings and when it’s going to get off [the air], then it’s just bogus,” said NBC West Coast President Don Ohlmeyer.

NBC and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which presents the awards, are mulling other ways to make the 50th anniversary telecast a special event. They include discussions about courting past television icons--among them Johnny Carson--to participate in the festivities.

The Emmys will also move to a new venue, with the Sept. 13 presentation taking place at the 6,000-seat Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, which has roughly twice the capacity of the Pasadena Civic, the show’s previous home. For the first time, a certain number of seats will be allocated to members of the public.

NBC has committed the entire night (7-11 p.m.) to the event. If the producers determine less time is needed, NBC will start the show later, covering arrivals and other pre-Emmy activities.

That approach represents a marked departure from the past, when producers have been pressured to bring the show to a conclusion by 11 p.m. Eastern time.

There is some irony in seeking to turn the Emmys into a celebration, since the awards process itself is again fraught with discord.

The latest dispute hinges on whether the Home Box Office production “From the Earth to the Moon,” produced by Tom Hanks, should be eligible for consideration as best miniseries. The major networks lobbied against the program’s inclusion, but the academy ruled against them. Network executives also remain agitated over HBO’s continued dominance in movie categories.

The fracas could affect future Emmy broadcasts, with the show in the final year of a contract in which it has rotated among the four major networks.

At present, the academy and the networks have yet to agree on who will televise the Emmys after this year.

Still, some television executives would like to see such differences set aside to promote the medium, which has come under fire from elected officials and watchdog groups over the last few years.

NBC’s Ohlmeyer produced the awards show twice before joining the network, including the longest Emmys ever--a four-hour affair that aired on Fox in 1987. ABC, CBS and NBC were also perturbed with the academy then for shifting the telecast to a then-fledgling network after Fox outbid them.

The Emmys drew just under 19 million viewers last year on CBS, compared to 55 million for the most recent Academy Awards.