TV academy chairman set

Dick Askin will be the next chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences -- the organization that presents the Emmy Awards -- running unopposed for that office in the election scheduled for next month.

The academy’s current chairman, Bryce Zabel, said in May that he would not seek a second two-year term, saying he wanted to devote more time to his writing and producing career. Sources within the academy’s board of governors said there was also some question as to whether he would have enough support to defeat Askin, who had announced his candidacy a week earlier.

The window for additional candidates to run closed with a board meeting Wednesday. The election will be held Aug. 20, with new officers and governors to be installed in October.

Askin is the president of Tribune Entertainment, which distributes such programs as “Mutant X” and “Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda.” That unit is part of Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times. He has stated that encouraging leading TV companies to participate in the academy will be among his priorities.

The nonprofit group has more than 11,000 members and is in solid financial shape thanks to an eight-year, $52-million broadcast deal for the Emmys, roughly doubling the networks’ previous commitment. Although the chairman plays a leading role in steering the academy, the position is elected and voluntary, with a paid president overseeing day-to-day activities.

-- Brian Lowry