New TV Academy Leaders Could Bridge Emmy’s East-West Rift

In the May 26 issue of TV Guide, soap opera producers decried the manner in which Daytime Emmy Award nominees are chosen and how easily it can be manipulated. “The entire process is unfair,” said Ed Scott, executive producer of CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” “but I don’t expect anything to change until certain people drop dead.”

That offhand remark has actually proved somewhat prophetic. Less than four weeks later, John Cannon, the longtime president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, who was in his 80s, died of a heart attack on a trip to Germany, fueling speculation that his New York-based operation and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood could be reunited after a bitter split nearly 25 years ago.

Both groups still hand out Emmy Awards despite being under separate leadership. Under terms arranged in 1977, the West Coast academy presides over the prime-time and Los Angeles-area Emmys, while supervision of Emmys for daytime, sports, news and documentary programming--along with chapters in 18 other cities and international awards--fell to its New York counterpart, which has been dogged by charges of voting impropriety and abuses throughout its history.

Insiders have said that Cannon essentially ran NATAS as a personal fiefdom. Since his death on June 22, talk has heated up about joining the academies, potentially bringing more order to the ceremonies originating in New York, long the subject of complaints that have threatened to tarnish the Emmys’ luster.

In fact, concern regarding procedures at the national academy, or NATAS, prompted the Sports Emmys to be discontinued entirely for a stretch in the 1980s, under criticism from CBS and NBC over methods employed to select winners. Around the same time, the major networks ceased televising the Daytime Emmys, before network officials succeeded in forging a tentative accord under which the West Coast group helped administer the awards while NATAS staged the dinner honoring soap and talk stars in New York. In recent years, those awards shifted to prime time and have become a steady ratings attraction.

Michael Brockman, who oversaw daytime and children’s programming for CBS during that period, was instrumental in persuading the two academies to cooperate on the awards.

“It was motivated primarily to get the telecast back on the air,” Brockman said, adding that the Daytime Emmys needed to “solve the perception of mistrust [about the awards]. . . . There were some questions about whether the voting procedures were fair and equitable.”

Some of those issues still linger, with grumbling that certain programs garner more nominations than they otherwise would by getting people who work on the show and their friends to become Emmy voters.

Moreover, participants in the News Emmys continue to question the configuration of panels determining who wins as well as their credentials.

Network news executives have muttered about the handling of the News Emmys for years. They even discussed dropping out altogether in the 1980s, according to one executive who spoke on condition of anonymity. Still, the networks decided to stay, the executive said, because the Emmys still possess high public recognition and staff members enjoy winning them.

Many complaints have centered on the erratic way in which news categories are structured--often pitting completely opposite types of programs against each other--as well as the secretive judging. NBC News was stunned one year when its exclusive, highly praised live coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall wasn’t even able to secure a nomination.

Executives say the categories have made more sense in recent years and NATAS has attempted to improve the judging; however, many remain puzzled by who ends up sitting on panels. One recent group judging “breaking news” entries consisted of a producer from an ABC newsmagazine, a lighting director from a local New York station, a CNN executive, an MTV producer and three staffers from Fox News Channel.

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Although a power struggle precipitated the initial divorce of the academies--and Cannon’s stewardship helped maintain the rift--the dispute has also centered on such Emmy procedures. The West Coast academy relies on judging panels from within a candidate’s particular peer group, meaning actors and writers choose winners in their categories, and the same holds true for craft awards.

In the case of NATAS, critics say such protocol wasn’t observed. “There didn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to their decision-making,” said Susan Simons, who served for 10 years as the West Coast academy’s representative helping coordinate the Daytime Emmys and is now an agent at the Irv Schechter Co. “They do not care who they put on a panel. They would have teachers judging children’s programming.”

Given that Cannon strongly resisted uniting the academies, his death has renewed discussions about such efforts, though few anticipate it will happen quickly. Beyond the fact NATAS needs to settle on a new leader, the other academy is preparing for an August election to choose a new chairman, officers and board of governors, and the expectation is any official action will probably follow that process.

Thus far, there has been contact between the two academies, with representatives of both attending a memorial service for Cannon in New York last week. Though each side is proceeding cautiously, officials see obvious areas of cooperation, from negotiating their broadcast deals with the major networks to fund-raising to selected events.

“It’s time to open the discussions about strategic alliances moving forward, and common goals and problems,” said Jim Chabin, president of the West Coast academy.

That said, there doesn’t appear to be a great sense of urgency on the part of NATAS, whose elected chairman, Stanley Hubbard, stressed the organization is “in very good hands” and has appointed a search committee to begin looking for a new president in the wake of Cannon’s death.

Regarding the prospect of reunification, he stated little has been decided but added, “If anybody has a proposal, we are always willing to listen. . . . We’re all thinking about what does the future hold.”

Hubbard, who has been chairman for a little more than three years, said his personal feeling is that “it’s very sad that the split-up ever happened” but that he wasn’t privy to the hard feelings that prompted the breakup. Asked about criticisms of the way awards were administered, Hubbard said, “I’m not qualified to comment,” saying those were questions for staff members, whom he called “really dedicated, sincere people, with the highest ethical standards.”

Given Cannon’s level of control, however, insiders say the national academy has been provided a much-needed opportunity to get its house in order--to realign its management, reexamine its finances and instill greater credibility in its awards.

“I would like to see [the leadership] really make a commitment to bring these organizations together as quickly as possible,” said Nicki Goldstein, a past president of the New York chapter.

Though both organizations have experienced their share of discord, the eastern academy clearly has much work to do mending fences internally as well. In May, two members of the New York chapter filed lawsuits against the organization, with Ted Faraone, a public relations executive and former officer, contending he was slandered by national academy officials, while communications consultant Lucille Luongo filed a breach-of-contract action stemming in part from work she did as executive producer of the New York Emmys.

Tom O’Neil, an Emmy historian and author of the book “The Emmys,” is also among those advocating reunification, publicly suggesting that Candice Bergen--whose father, Edgar Bergen, was the academy’s founding president in the 1940s--help facilitate the process. A spokeswoman for Bergen said the former “Murphy Brown” star--a five-time Emmy winner herself--has no interest in getting involved.

Nevertheless, O’Neil sees a merger as inevitable. “It’s insane for two organizations to bestow the same award . . . and [to have] two organizations bestowing one award two different ways,” he said.

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Lowry reported from Los Angeles and Jensen from New York.