the board of governors

 

  officers:

  Keith Sanders

  San Jos� State University

Vice President, San Francisco: 

  Kevin Wing

  ABC-TV/"Good Morning America"

  Kevin Wing Media                             Communications

  Cynthia Zeiden

  Zeiden Media  

Vice President, Fresno: 

  Kim Stephens

  KMPH FOX 26 

  Pamela Young

  KITV 4

  Javier Valencia

  Consultant

 national trustees:

Linda Giannecchini

KQED 9

(National Awards Chair)

Alison Gibson

Media Cool

(National 2nd Vice Chairperson)

Cynthia Zeiden

Zeiden Media

(National Program Chair)

Steve Shlisky

KTVU Channel 2  

(Alternate) 

 

 governors:

Kent Beichley

KRON 4/Pac12

Wayne Freedman

KGO ABC7 

Luis Godinez

KDTV Univision 14

Richard Harmelink

KFSN ABC 30  

(Nominating Chair) 

Pablo Icub

KUVS Univision 19

Brian Johnson

KHSL-KNVN

George Lang

The Big Picture

Da Lin

KPIX 5

Terry Lowry

LaCosse Productions  

(Gold & Silver Circle Chair) 

Sultan Mirza

KPIX 5 

(Webmaster) 

Jen Mistrot

KPIX 5

Joyce Mitchell

4 U Productions

Ross Perich

Trainer Communications

Greg Rando

KTVU Channel 2

Brenda Salgado

KGMB/KHNL, Hawaii News Now  

Sandy Sirias

KFTV Univision 21

Matt Skryja

AAA 

Stephanie Stone

KFSN ABC 30

Karen Sutton

Beyond Pix Studios

(Emmy Gala Chair)

Melanie Woodrow

KTVU Channel 2 

Alice Yu

KVIE 6

 

 committee chairs:

Activities/Programs:

  Cynthia Zeiden

  Zeiden Media 

Archives/Museum:

  John Catchings

  Catchings & Associates

  Linda Giannecchini

  KQED 9 

Awards:

  Julie Watts

  KPIX 5

Education:

  Steve Shlisky

  KTVU Channel 2 

Finance:

  Alison Gibson

  Media Cool  

Legal/Bylaws:

  Mark Pearson

  ARC Law Group 

Membership:

  Kym McNicholas

  Kymerview

 

 execUtive director:

Darryl R. Compton

NATAS 

 

44th Northern California Area Emmy� Awards

 LINK TO LOG INTO YOUR NATAS MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT

     All information is now controlled on your DASHBOARD. Log into your EmmyExpress membership account. Be sure to pay your 2015 membership dues before filling out an entry form. If you are not a paid member for 2015, you will be charged the non-member rates.     

or at (650) 341-7786.

 

VOICEOVER MASTER CLASS

 

 

Saturday, Dec. 6 

Voice One

665 Third Street (between Brannan and Townsend Streets), San Francisco

 

Registration and Refreshments at Voice One - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific

LINK TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON

 

Live Webcast - 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific

LINK TO REGISTER TO VIEW WEBCAST     

 

     As a coach to many newscasters, multimedia journalists, field reporters, weather forecasters and financial analysts, Clark is pleased to collaborate with the NATAS 

S.F./NorCal Chapter and IBEW by offering this informative and interactive voiceover class to local and nationwide members.

    This event is free for NATAS and IBEW members, $25 non-members, $5 students.

     More information at www.emmysf.tv.

 

 

     To be a member of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is so much more than simply vying for the highly-coveted Emmy� Award. 

     It's about being a part of a supportive community - the broadcast family.                    Broadcasting is a business - television news, in particular, which very few truly understand unless they have worked at a television station with a news department. 

     Newsies are a different breed. We breathe, sleep, and eat news. It is deep down in our DNA. We live it. Every day we go the extra mile to truly bring the best, most relevant stories to our viewers. We help our viewers stay safe with the most up-to-the-minute information. We investigate injustices. Our viewers rely upon us and trust us to work on their behalf each and every day. We are not going anywhere as much as online media would like to think they are taking over the world. It is our duty to stay on the cutting edge so they don't make our newsrooms extinct.  But we have to stick together. We must work hard to be cohesive in order to win at the media game. How? It is through NATAS.

     Throughout my broadcasting career, I have been on and off the Board of Governors. And this term has, by far, the strongest Governors yet, who are determined to bring great value to all of us in the broadcast industry - from San Francisco and Reno to Fresno and Hawaii. It is important to all of us on the Board to make sure we help all of you remain relevant and at the top of your game.

     Activities Chair Cynthia Zeiden holds monthly panels and networking events - with the who's who in not only broadcasting, but also technology - in order to create the best, exclusive opportunities for our members, to ask the questions and learn about the latest media trends both online and on television. 

    Zeiden has also been working for a year to bring new Master Classes to our membership. 

    This month's class will help you improve your voiceover skills. On Dec. 6, Elaine Clark, the owner/founder of Voice One in San Francisco and the author of the best-selling voiceover instructional book, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is, is holding a seminar in person and online for NATAS and IBEW members. 

    Last month, KGO-TV ABC7 reporter Wayne Freedman offered a Master Class on storytelling. And, there are many more Master Classes in TV Production and Post Production to come in 2015 that are free to NATAS members.

    Off Camera Editor Kevin Wing has taken this newsletter to a whole new level -better than it has ever been. It is an amazing newsletter that offers insight into the latest happenings within our industry, features on our fellow NATAS members and photographs from recent networking events. If you decide to let your membership lapse, you will lose touch with what is happening around you.

    As for the Emmy� Awards, it is definitely the greatest perk. Whether you decide to enter or not, the event is a must-attend. Emmy� Awards Chairperson Karen Sutton and Awards Chairperson Julie Watts, who served for several years in the capacity that Sutton now holds, have created perks with Nespresso coffee bars, champagne tasting, silent auctions, and more.

    Our team, led by NATAS San Francisco/Northern California Chapter President Keith Sanders, is working on even more perks as well from online shopping deals to a brand news state-of-the-art mentor match program. It's all to come in 2015. And you don't want to miss out. 

    To renew your membership, it is half the cost of a new one. So, don't let it lapse. It is not only an investment in your future, but it is a tax write-off as well. 

 

Renew Membership!

 

     The accolades continue to roll in for Stephens, the popular and highly-respected news anchor at KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno, where she has helmed the station's highly-rated Great Day! morning newscast for the past 11 years. 

Fresno anchor receives state honor Kim Stephens proudly accepts the state resolution plaque from state Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) at the KMPH studios Nov. 28.

     In November, Stephens, whose television career has taken her from the East Coast to the Bay Area and, in 2003, to Fresno, was inducted into the Silver Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her more than 25 years of contributions to the television industry. Since the inception of television in the Bay Area and northern California in 1948, only 240 television professionals have been inducted (since 1986) into the Chapter's distinguished group, and Stephens is one of them. 

     On the morning of Nov. 28 -- the day after Thanksgiving -- Stephens was surprised live on the air during Great Day! when state Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno), walked into the studio to present her with an official resolution from the California State Assembly, recognizing her many years of television contributions and her timeless involvement to the Fresno community.

     "I am profoundly honored that Assemblyman Patterson and his staff initiated this," Stephens says. Patterson represents the state Assembly's 23rd District, which encompasses portions of Fresno and Tulare counties. He is also a former mayor of Fresno and a former broadcaster.  

     Stephens says her KMPH colleagues knew about the big surprise, but were sworn to secrecy. 

     "I love surprises, but it's difficult to surprise me on Great Day!," Stephens says. "I'm always looking at the rundown, so instead, my co-workers snuck around behind the set and pulled this off perfectly. I really appreciate all the covert work to make this a delicious surprise."

     Stephens, of course, is no stranger to the Chapter. She has been serving on the Chapter's Board of Governors as a Governor representing the Fresno market. Last summer, she began a two-year term as Chapter vice president representing Fresno. 

   

      To say that John Catchings has had one helluva exciting and interesting career in radio, television and video production - and all while living and working in his hometown of San Francisco, one of the greatest cities in the world -- is a serious understatement. It's a travesty, really.

      The man has done it all.

      But, more importantly, Catchings has not just done it all, he's done it all extremely well.

      Not to embarrass him, but that's an understatement, too. And, yes, a travesty.

      Catchings, who, in 2002, was inducted into the Silver Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, is a rare breed. Known in the business for his success as a radio and television producer and manager and the owner of a very successful production company, Catchings and Associates, Catchings simply knows how to take charge and get things done. He is also known for his "attention to detail".

      In the 1960s, his San Francisco broadcasting career began in radio. He worked for a couple of radio stations and then, one day, in 1966, he was hired by San Francisco powerhouse KFRC to do the news. By the early 1970s, ABC Radio took serious notice and hired Catchings away to work in management at KSFX.

      Catchings never intended to get into the television side of the business. In fact, it almost didn't happen. He felt at the time that radio was the more "immediate" broadcast medium between the two. But then, one day, he was invited to work a couple of weeks at the assignment desk at KGO-TV Channel 7 to see if he liked it, and by the end of those two weeks, he got the surprise of his life: television had lured him in.

 

The Big 610 An old KFRC promotional, from 1966, featuring Catchings and colleagues.

     For the next 13 years, he worked at KGO-TV in a number of news and sports management roles, even serving as acting news director in 1990.

      Then, throughout all of the 1990s, he worked a block away, at KPIX Channel 5, also in an upper management role.

       By the 2000s, Catchings decided it was time to try going into business for himself. And so, he formed his production company.

       More on Catchings career later, but first, let's go back a bit to when it all began.

       Born in San Francisco, Catchings is a third-generation San Franciscan and is the oldest of three brothers and two sisters. He grew up near Balboa Park, in a neighborhood now called Mission Terrace. Then, it was off to Ocean View and, finally, the Excelsior District. A graduate of Archbishop Riordan High School, Catchings went on to City College of San Francisco.

       By the time he was there, Catchings was already working in broadcasting, doing fill-in work at KMPX Radio. 

       "I filled in for quite awhile, then went to KNBA in Vallejo," Catchings says, reminiscing. "Then, I went to KBRG, which was at the tail end of playing classical music at that time. I did the news in the morning. Then, I went to KMPX one more time."

With David Crosby, in 1973

       That was early 1966.

       But then, something really big happened. As in The Big 610.

       Catchings was hired at KFRC Radio, and began working for those famous San Francisco call letters. Exciting times.

      "I was assignment editor, reporter, sports guy. I did special projects," Catchings says. "I did a talk show called Focus, featuring a mix of entertainment folks. I had nothing to complain about. I always felt fortunate that I got paid to do something that I loved doing."

      Then, there was the music.

      "We began with the Parade of Hits," Catchings says proudly. "We invited listeners to call in and vote for their favorite songs of all time. That was such a popular thing that we blew out the phone lines. We compiled the votes and counted down the top 300 hits of all time. We were The Big 610. In those days, we played anything that was popular. We even had groupies."

       Catchings, like everyone else at KFRC, rode that huge wave of popularity. With the arrival of the 1960s San Francisco sound and the "Summer of Love", KFRC became one of most popular AM radio stations in the country. It was the place on the Bay Area radio dial where, at that time, "the hits just (kept) on coming."

        "The whole time I was there, I'd have to say that we had just the greatest staff. Many of whom became lifetime friends. Such as John Motroni and Ron Naso. And Tom Saunders from KFRC's competition, KYA. It was a pretty exciting time."

    

A conversation with Mike Wallace

    "One of the things I learned at KFRC was to pay attention to detail," he adds. "At the time, there was a reason for everything we did on the air. I always wanted to know the reason, because when you understand why, you do it right. I adapted that style of doing things, and it paid off."

       In 1972, Catchings left KFRC when he was hired away by ABC Radio.

       At KSFX, which was originally KGO-FM, Catchings was the director of programming and operations. He was originally hired as a producer, then was promoted to the management position. 

      In 1975, after a decade in radio, Catchings switched gears and decided to start what would be the first incarnation of his production company.

  

With San Francisco's pride and joy,  Robin Williams. This photograph was taken backstage at KPIX's north studio, where Williams filled in as host for David Letterman on "Late Show with David Letterman".

        Then, one day, in 1977, Pete Jacobus approached Catchings with an idea. Jacobus was, at that time, the news director at KGO-TV.

       "He asked me to come to work for him at Channel 7 as an assignment editor," Catchings says. "By then, I'd had a number of offers in Los Angeles to do radio there. But Pete asked me to give TV a shot for a couple of weeks to see if I would like it. I ended up staying."

      The following year, in 1978, it could be said that Catchings had his first run-in with San Francisco history as far as television news was concerned.

      In November of that year, former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White resigned because he wasn't earning enough money as a supervisor to support his young family. White tried to get his job back by rescinding his resignation, but San Francisco Mayor George Moscone refused. Catchings invited White to appear on the 11 p.m. news to talk about the resignation controversy with anchor (Fred) Van Amburg (Silver Circle, 1988).

      Hours after leaving the studio, White went to City Hall and assassinated Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

      Another big story for Catchings happened to be the so-called "Golden Dragon massacre", the name of which came from the restaurant where tragedy and fate came together one night in the late 1970s.

     "Back then, we used to make daily beat calls before our 11 p.m. news," Catchings says. "I got leads for stories all the time because I cultivated contacts and sources."

Gold & Silver Circle induction, 2002 (Left to right) Jack LaLanne (Gold Circle), Wayne Freedman (Silver Circle), Elaine LaLanne (Gold Circle), John Catchings (Silver Circle), Lucille Bliss (Gold Circle, sitting), Rosy Chu (Silver Circle), David Meblin (Gold Circle), Barbara Rodgers (Silver Circle), Don McCuaig (Silver Circle). Missing: Bill Schechner (Silver Circle).

     One of Catchings' sources told him that there had been a break in the Golden Dragon massacre case. The update: that San Francisco police knew that the weapons used by the suspected killers had been dumped in San Francisco Bay.   

     "It was a big story, but we needed to confirm this before we went on the news with it," Catchings recalls. "So, I called Joe Freitas, who was the district attorney (for San Francisco) at the time. I called him at home. Van was on the other line, listening. I told Joe we were going to go on the air at 11 with the latest. Joe had this long pause, then denied it. I said we were still going to go on the air with the news. We went back and forth, then he said we'd harm the case if we went on the air that night with it. Well, we didn't want to harm the case, so we compromised."

     The compromise? Realizing the competitiveness of television news, Freitas told Catchings that he would give them an exclusive by telling him where divers would be searching in the waters the next morning and that KGO-TV's cameras could be there, exclusively.

     "I wanted a reporter and camera there so that we could document the whole thing," Catchings says. Then, at the district attorney's press conference later that day, the latest developments in the case were revealed, but Catchings had asked Freitas that it be mentioned that Channel 7 held off on airing the news at the request of the district attorney.

     "And, Van was there! On scene! Everyone was wondering why he was there," Catchings recalls. "It was a big deal. And, so it was, we broke the story at 5 p.m., with all the film from that morning, the graphics we'd made, and everything else."

  

Family time With wife, Lynn Jimenez, and Bentley

   Soon, Catchings was promoted from assignment editor to the executive producer of the 11 p.m. newscast. Remaining in that position throughout the 1980s, he briefly became acting news director, then left the station after being wooed by KPIX and its news director, Harry Fuller. The reason Catchings became acting news director at KGO-TV was to temporarily fill the vacancy left by Fuller.

     "I became director of sports programming at Channel 5," Catchings says. "We did a lot. 49ers telecasts, 49ers pre- and post-game shows, and I EP'd the preseason football telecasts. We also did Bay to Breakers telecasts and A's games, Bank of the West tennis and Cal football games."

     In a short time, Catchings was promoted to be KPIX's director of station operations.

     "I really had fun there, too," he says.

     Catchings decided he could rent out the KPIX north studio from time to time to bring in extra revenue for the station and its studio crew. 

     "We rented out the studio all the time. It worked out great," Catchings says.

     In the mid-1990s, Catchings got wind of the fact that CBS was looking to send late-night star David Letterman on a cross-country tour for his show.

     "David Letterman was at the height of his popularity at that time," Catchings says.

     Catchings thought it would be great to bring Letterman's show to San Francisco for a week. CBS brass eventually came to San Francisco and Catchings gave them a tour of the Palace of Fine Arts as an excellent venue for the show.

     Catchings' idea worked, and Letterman and his production crew originated his show from there for a week. 

     By 2000, it was time for Catchings to leave. "When you stop having fun, it's time to do something else," he says.

     So, that year, Catchings left KPIX to start his award-winning, full-service production company, Catchings and Associates. His video production company is very successful. 

     "I thought I'd start something new, by combining consulting and production," he says.

     He began consulting for Tech TV, which, by then, was being led by Fuller, a longtime fan of Catchings.

     Today, Catchings focuses on television and video production for corporate, government and non-profit clients.

At work, with  Bentley

     "I've been working in broadcasting and production since 1964," Catchings says. "Fifty years. These days, I'm more inclined to work on projects that interest me. I'd rather do things that I like to do, like working with non-profits, which is very rewarding.

     Catchings has another milestone coming up: his 25th wedding anniversary, in March. He married Lynn Jimenez, in 1990. Her name and voice are very familiar to Bay Area radio listeners of KGO Radio. 

     "We love to travel," Catchings says. "Local and around the world. We love Australia, Fiji, Bali, Maui and Spain. We love Monterey, and Sonoma. We like to walk a lot, and enjoy wine tasting and dining out."

     Today, the couple resides in the city's Richmond District with Bentley, their Havenese. At one time, the breed was the national dog of Cuba.

     Catchings enjoys giving back, hence, his long-tenured devotion and loyalty to the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, of which he has not only served on the Board of Governors, but is also co-chairperson of the Chapter's archives and museum committee.

     What are the keys to Catchings' success?

     "In doing what we do, we meet a lot of interesting people in all walks of life,
he says. "We tell stories that cover just about any subject imaginable. To tell the story accurately, you have to take time to listen and understand it. As a result, you're always learning. Every so often, situations arise where you can apply that knowledge. At which point, someone will say "how do you know that?". And, my answer is always the same, "we did a story on it".  

 

 

 

     The highly emotional five-month long TV campaign fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ended Nov. 9 with a record amount of money raised for St. Jude. 

     The 11th annual KMPH FOX26 Dream Home Give-A-way, live from the KMPH FOX26 studios in Fresno, raised $1,075,100! And, a Clovis man won the Dream Home - a brand new $425,000 De Young Properties home built in Clovis. The state of the art home boasts 3,500 sq. feet, 5 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms.  

     In every newscast for 5 months, KMPH promoted the dream home. Kim Stephens reported from the Memphis hospital sharing stories about cutting edge technology, and how children and their families are treated at no cost to them, thanks to the $100 Dream Home tickets viewers buy each year. She also shared the story of a little boy in the Central Valley who received life - saving treatment at St. Jude for a brain tumor. He is now cancer free.

    The Dream Home Giveaway is always a technically challenging broadcast live from both the call center at the KMPH studio, and the Dream Home. Kim Stephens and Kopi Sotiropulos co-hosted the event for the 11th year. Jim De La Vega reported live from every room of the home during the 2 hour live broadcast from 5-7 p.m. Once all of the tickets were sold, around 6:30pm, the phones continued to ring as people made donations to the hospital knowing they could no longer qualify to win the home or any of the other $1000 prizes.

   The following morning on Great Day, Stephens and Sotiropulos interviewed the Dream Home Winner live on the Great Day set. He says he plans to move his family into the home before Christmas!

   The Great Day staff is still trying to catch up on sleep as this crew is always the one to do this live broadcast Sunday night and then turn around for their Monday morning shifts - many of whom start at 1 a.m. 

 

      Kim Stephens is an anchor at KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno, and is vice president, representing Fresno, on the Board of Governors of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She is also a 2014 Silver Circle inductee. 

     2014 is nearly in the history books, and a new year is less than a month away.

      Your monthly publication, Off Camera, is always aspiring to create new ways to keep you informed, and to bring you more each and every month.

      With the beginning of 2015, Off Camera will launch two new recurring series, Back in the Day, and A Day in the Life.

      Back in the Day will feature profiles of television professionals who once worked in television in the Chapter coverage area, which includes the San Francisco Bay Area, all of northern California from Fresno to the Oregon border, Reno and Hawaii. The series will also spotlight the history of television within our Chapter. 

      Our first Back in the Day profile will be with Bob Jimenez, who anchored and

Bob Jimenez

reported at KRON in San Francisco from the late 1970s through all of the 1980s, at a time when the station's newscasts were known as NewsCenter 4. Jimenez is perhaps best known from his KRON years as anchor of the San Francisco station's weekday afternoon Live At 5 newscast.

      Back in the Day will debut in the February issue of Off Camera and will be written by a rotating staff of contributing Off Camera writers. 

      A Day in the Life, reported by Off Camera Editor Kevin Wing, will feature television professionals currently working within the Chapter's coverage area, offering a personable, exclusive, inside glimpse of each

Frank Somerville

featured person's day, from the time they start their day to the end of their work day.

     First up to be featured, and appearing in the January edition of Off Camera, will be KTVU's Frank Somerville, one of the Bay Area's longest-tenured news anchors. Joining KTVU in 1992 as a co-anchor for Mornings On 2, Somerville assumed the co-anchoring duties of the station's flagship newscast, The Ten o'clock News, in 2008. He also anchors KTVU's 5 and 6 p.m. broadcasts each weeknight.

    Off Camera strives to bring you more each and every month. We hope you will enjoy reading Back in the Day and A Day in the Life in the new year, and will continue to enjoy our regular features such as Gold & Silver Circle Profiles, Soundbites, The Health Reporter and The Yoga Corner, along with everything else we bring you to stay on top of what's happening throughout our Chapter. 

 

 

     The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and the Television Academy announced today that Jeopardy! game show icon, Alex Trebek and Yahoo Tech star, David Pogue, will host the 66th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy� Awards which will take place Jan. 8 in Las Vegas.
    This event marks the ninth consecutive year that the Technology and Engineering Emmy� Awards have been presented during CES and the first time the two Academies have merged their Engineering Awards ceremonies. The reception and presentation will take place in the Bellagio Ballroom at the Bellagio in Las Vegas beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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