ocmast

 

May 2013

   

Emmy 2013 Banner  
In This Issue Of "Off Camera":
Emmy Awards Gala Finds New Date, New Venue
2012-13 Emmy Nominations
New, Stricter Rules For Emmy Acceptance Speeches
Tagged, Social Networking Site, Is Emmy's Top Sponsor
Watts Winery Exclusive Wine Sponsor At Emmys
Silent Auction Makes Serious Noise
"Bay Area Backroads" Host, Jerry Graham, Dies At 79
Stephen Tuttle, Former KRON Producer, Dies At 66
Engelhaupt New Chief Technology Officer At KQED
Perez Anchors KUVS Evening Newscasts
KITV Expands 6 p.m. News
$16,000 In College Scholarships Available
Gold & Silver Circle Profile: Kate Kelly
Online News Forum Event Attracts National Attention
"Soundbites": KTVU's Frank Somerville
"THe Health Reporter"
Mobile DTV
TV A Go Go...
Serve Your Chapter
Emmy Judges Needed
Article Headline
Daytime Emmys In June
Who's Watching TV, Anyway?
Corrections & Clarifications

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Off Camera

Kevin Wing, Editor 

 

the board of governors

officers:

Keith Sanders, San Jos State University, President

Kevin Wing, ABC-TV/"Good Morning America," VP San Francisco

Christian Anguiano, KUVS 19, VP Sacramento

Richard Harmelink, KFSN ABC 30, VP Fresno

Justin Fujioka, KITV 4, VP Hawaii

Terri Russell, KOLO 8, VP Reno

Mike Garza, KXTV 10, VP Smaller Markets

Kym McNicholas, PandoDaily, Secretary

Terry Lowry, LaCosse Productions, Treasurer

Javier Valencia, Consultant, Past President

 

national trustees:

Alison Gibson, Media Cool

John Odell, CCSF, Emeritus

Cynthia Zeiden, Zeiden Media (Activities)

Linda Giannecchini, KQED (Alternate) (Museum)

 

 governors:

Brent Ayres, Comcast SportsNet

John Catchings, Catchings & Assoc. (Museum)

Janice Edwards, Edwards Unlimited

Karen Todd Griffin, KRNV 4

Scott Humber, Hawaii News Now

Mistie Lackey, KOVR CBS 13

Valerie Landes, KRCB 22

Da Lin, KPIX CBS 5

Ronald Louie, KTVU Channel 2

Sidney Milburn, KITV 4

Karen Owoc, The Health Reporter

Jim Parker, KPIX CBS 5

Bob Redell, KNTV NBC Bay Area

Gary Schultz, KGO ABC 7

Matt Skryja, AAA

Sandy Sirias, KFTV Univision 21

Kim Stephens, KMPH Fox 26

Karen Sutton, Stanford Video

Julie Watts, KPIX CBS 5

Ken Wayne, KTVU Channel 2

Justin Willis, KSEE 24

Pamela Young, KITV 4

Patty Zubov, Platonic TV

 

committee chairs:

Craig Franklin, (Awards)

Mark Pearson, ARC Law Group (Legal/Bylaws)

Sultan Mirza, KPIX CBS 5 (Marketing)

Steve Shlisky, KTVU Channel 2 (Education)

James Spalding, Spalding & Co. (Finance)

 

execUtive director:

Darryl R. Compton, NATAS 

 

Congratulations, Emmy� Nominees!

     You're invited to the 42nd Annual Emmy� Gala on Saturday June 15.  The members of the Emmy� Event Committee have outdone themselves this year. There will be more entertaining activities than ever before, including an espresso bar, a wine tasting and a silent auction. 
Sanders      We will be located at a very special venue: the Hilton at San Francisco Union Square. We needed the largest hotel on the West Coast to house all the festivities this year. Many of your favorite TV personalities will be presenting, plus you'll see special vignettes showing some of the best of television clips from over the last 50 years.
     If you've never been to an Emmy� gala, this is the one to attend. If you've attended before, welcome back. I promise it will be one of the best shows you've ever seen.     
     Join us on Saturday, June 15th at 6pm. You could walk away with an Emmy statuette in addition to some diamonds! Read more details below!
 
Keith Sanders
President
San Francisco/Northern California Chapter,
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
 
 
Emmy Awards Gala
June 15 In San Francisco
"Past, Present and Future"
Sponsors To Treat Attendees With Royal Treatment
By Craig Franklin and Julie Watts
Emmy Gala Committee 
  
       Congratulations to all of our Emmy
nominees! It's time to get out your gowns and brush off your tuxes for the Emmy� Awards Gala on Saturday, June 15th at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel.
 
hILTON_COMBO_0512134
  
      The theme of this year's gala is "Past, Present, and Future." Story clips from the past 50 years will add a touch of nostalgia to the evening, while NATAS student scholarship winners will be there to mark the future. And of course, the "present" will be represented by all the Emmy� nominees and recipients.  
 
eMMY_PRESENTERS
 
       You want more nostalgia? This year's presenters will include many long-time TV talents, including Rigo Chacon, Nancy Osborne, John Kessler, Suzanne Saunders Shaw, Beth Marney, and retiring reporters Rita Williams and Ysabel Duron. Wayne Freedman will also wax nostalgic about his 51 Emmy awards, now that he has vowed to no longer enter.

      The stage will also be graced by Joel Hernandez and Jacquelyn Ngongoseke, this year's Mr. and Ms. Emmy. The pair will hand Emmy statuettes to the winners as they arrive on stage.

      And now, you can wave "Hi Mom" and get a response, thanks to social media company Tagged.com, our marquee Emmy Show sponsor, which is sponsoring a LIVE, interactive webcast of the Emmyshow. To keep things humming along, on-stage acceptance speeches will be limited to 30 seconds and one speaker this year. Those who receive multiple Emmy statuettes will be invited to give their remaining speeches on the backstage red carpet, where they can effuse at length for a second webcast, provided by Snappy TV. Speeches from both webcasts will be archived and available for re-posting to social media.

     But wait, there's more. This year, Steve Padis Jewelry featuring Forevermark will sponsor a fabulous Emmy Pre-Show Reception from 6 to 6:45 p.m. Guests will enjoy complimentary passed appetizers, espresso drinks provided by Nespresso, and wine tasting compliments of Watts Winery, our Emmy

Night Wine Sponsor.   
      Domain Chandon will also set up a "bubbly bar" in the reception area, allowing winners to celebrate and non-winners to commiserate for a small donation to benefit the NATAS Scholarship Fund.

 

     Also benefitting the scholarship fund is a silent auction with some fabulous deals. This year's offerings range from an evening of fine dining and entertainment in San Francisco to an in-home organizing session and gift basket provided by NEAT Method. http://www.neatmethod.com.   

     And, if you don't walk away with an Emmy�, you could walk away with diamonds! Forevermark Diamond Earrings and a Double Magnum of Padis Napa Valley Cabernet ($5,000 value) will also be auctioned off, courtesy of Steve Padis Jewelry. All auction and raffle purchases are tax-deductible.

     This year's event promises to be grander than ever!

Many of the party perks will continue throughout the evening as recipients make their way to the Red Carpet. Guests are invited to enjoy the Silent Auction, Bubbly Bar, Cash Bar, and complimentary Nespresso coffee drinks all night long.   
    Buy your tickets early!

 

   

 
  Tagged logo

 
 Padis_Forevermark logos
Snappy TV logo_051113
Watts stack logo

Nespresso stack logo

Chandon logo  


Nominations Announced For 42nd Annual Northern California Area Emmy Awards
KNTV NBC Bay Area Leads Total Nomination Count With 27;
Hackney, Ysip, Kovaleski Top Individual Nominations
  

      The 42nd Annual Northern California Area Emmy Award Nominations were announced May 1.

      The Emmy Award is presented for outstanding achievement in television by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). San Francisco/Northern California is one of 20 chapters awarding regional Emmystatuettes. Northern California is composed of media companies and individuals from Visalia to the Oregon border, and includes Hawaii and Reno, Nevada.

      Entries were aired during the 2012 calendar year.

      This year, 674 English and 115 Spanish entries were received in 60 categories. English and Spanish language entries were judged and scored separately. A minimum of five peer judges from other NATAS chapters scored each entry on a scale from 1 to 10 on content, creativity and execution. Craft categories were judged on creativity and execution only. The total score is divided by the number of judges. The mean score is sorted from highest to lowest in each category. The Chapter Awards Committee looks at blind scores (not knowing the category) and decides on the cut-off number for nominations and recipients. The results are tabulated by the Chapter's accounting firm, Spalding and Company.

     KNTV NBC Bay Area received the highest number of nominations with 27, followed by Comcast SportsNet 24 and KPIX 5,with 22 each. KUVS Univision 19 topped the Spanish contest with 18 nominations. There is a tie for the highest number of individual nominations at seven with Brian Hackney of KPIX 5 and Jeremiah Ysip of The Filipino Channel. Tony Kovaleski of KNTV NBC Bay Area was next with six nominations. A total of 415 indiviuals received nominations.

    The Emmy� statuettes will be presented at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square on Saturday, June 15. The black-tie event will be webcast live this year by Tagged.com. Snappy TV will webcast a second channel with recipient interviews.

    Tickets for the event are $135. Television Academy members receive a $10 discount, at $125. Ticket prices wil increase $10 after May 31.

    The no-host reception begins at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom, Parlor A. Dinner and the awards presentation will take place in the Grand Ballroom, Parlor B, at 7 p.m. A Recipient Celebration will be held in Parlor A after the awards are presented.

 

    Link to NOMINATIONS Press Release

 

Tickets

$145 per person - NATAS members $135 per person

Additional $10 discount if purchased by May 31st

 

To sit with friends - reserve a table of 10 for $60 per table

Additional $10 discount if purchased by May 31st

 

E-Tickets will be sent to you - no check-in - go directly to reception.

 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

 

CLICK TO RESERVE A TABLE FOR 10
 

Just Sayin'...
New, Stricter Rules For Emmy� Acceptance Speeches
Congratulations, 2013 Emmy� nominees on behalf of the NATAS 42nd Annual Emmy� Gala Awards Committee! This year's Gala promises to be one of the best ever, featuring a few procedural changes aimed at speeding up the evening's program. So, before you start planning your acceptance speeches, please note the changes:


DESIGNATED SPOKESPERSON:  No matter how many people are named on your entry, only one pre-designated spokesperson will be allowed to speak on-stage on behalf of your entry, should it win. All of the nominees on the entry are invited to join the spokesperson on stage and receive their EMMY� statuette.   Please email the name of your entry's spokesperson by May 24th to [email protected].

 

NO SPOKESPERSON: If no spokesperson has been pre-designated by May 24th, no on-stage speech will be given.  If the pre-designated spokesperson does not attend the gala, no on-stage speech will be given.  If there is no spokesperson in a category, the presenters will announce the winning entry and move on to the next category.  The award recipients in that category will proceed directly to the reception area to collect their Emmy� statuette.
 

ONE SPEECH PER NOMINEE: Each spokesperson will be invited to give only one on-stage speech regardless of the number of awards they receive. You may submit your name to speak on behalf of as many entries as you are nominated, but after you give your first on-stage speech (regardless of the category), the microphone will be cut when you walk onstage to accept your remaining awards.

  

30-SECOND SPEECHES: A strict 30-second time limit for on-stage speeches will be adhered to this year, but not to worry...

  

BACKSTAGE SPEECHES: Thanks to our live back-stage webcast, everyone will have the opportunity to thank Mom, Dad, Susie the Intern, Fido and anyone else they didn't get to thank on stage. Everyone nominated on a winning entry (including the spokesperson) will be invited to give a speech on the red-carpet backstage. As in the on-stage speeches, these red-carpet speeches will be webcast live and archived for re-posting on social media, texting, tweeting, embedding, emailing and sharing with anyone and everyone in your life. If you can't make it to the Gala, be sure to check out our first of its kind dual webcast at http://2013awards.emmysf.tv featuring simultaneous onstage and backstage programs -- sponsored by Tagged.com and SnappyTV.

  

Don't forget to submit the name of your spokesperson, pronunciations for each name on your entry, and any foreign language translations on entries to [email protected] before May 24.

   
 
Social Networking Site, Tagged,
Is Emmy Gala's Flagship Sponsor
Company Providing Live Stream Of Awards Show, Acceptance Speeches
By Kym McNicholas
Chapter Secretary
 
      The second most-engaging social network in the world is our first-ever flagship sponsor for the 2012-13 Emmy Awards for the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 
      It's not Facebook.
      It's not Twitter.
      It's not LinkedIn.
      It's a company called, Tagged. And this social network is sponsoring not only the live stream of the award show itself, but also the simulcast stream of the acceptance speeches, as well as the availability of individual clips of the speeches to share across the web after the event.
      You're probably wondering what, or who, is Tagged? You may have seen the "Tagged" sign along Battery Street. It's located smack-dab in the middle of KPIX 5 and KGO-TV ABC 7 in San Francisco. But, I would be willing to go out on a limb and say you've probably never used the site. You're busy. You simply connect with your existing friends and professional contacts on Facebook and LinkedIn. Tagged is geared towards the 'time-rich' and is designed to help its users meet new people and make new friends.
     Tagged, founded in 2004 by Greg Tseng and Johann Schleir-Smith, is more than just the sixth largest social network in the United States, with more than 300 million users in 200-plus countries. It's actually a social discovery platform with more than 5 billion page views per month. It created and leads in that space. People use Tagged to make new friends, flirt, date and play social games designed to make new connections. One of its most popular games is PETS, with more than 500,000 daily active users who trade and exchange other user profiles in a competition to "own" the most profiles (or pets). It's just a fun way for people to engage and get to know new people.
    Tagged was one of the first social networks to become profitable in 2008, and has been ever since, making money in three ways: virtual currency and micropayments, subscriptions, and advertising. "Profitable" is not something you hear everyday anymore in Silicon Valley. Sometimes when I'm covering the start-up scene, I feel like we're back in the dot-com boom days, where every company is simply focused on user acquisition. This company is a real business.
    Tagged has 150 employees working out of its Battery Street office. They've managed to create a culture that's helped attract top talent from companies such as Apple and Google. Their chief customer officer, Tish Whitcraft, was recently named one of the most influential women in Bay Area business.
    I recently visited the Tagged offices on Battery Street, and discovered why it was named one of the top ten places to work by San Francisco Business Times.
    Take a look:

    http://video.pandodaily.com/2Qm/crunches-kegs-and-code-in-taggeds-san-francisco-playground/

   Tagged half page ad_051113
  
Diamonds are Forevermark...
Raffle Ticketholders Could Win Diamond Earrings, Padis Wine

Raffle Ticket Holders Could Win Forevermark Diamond Earrings

and a Double Magnum of Padis Wine at the Emmy� Gala

   

    Steve Padis Jewelry featuring Forevermark is the exclusive sponsor of the 2013 Emmy� Gala Reception. However, in addition to their fabulous additions to this year's reception (noted above), Steve Padis Jewelry is also donating a pair of 1.05-karat Forevermark Diamond Earrings and a Double Earrings Magnum (3L) Bottle of Padis 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to be raffled off at this year's Emmy� Awards Gala. The earrings and wine have a total value of $5,000. Padis_Forevermark logos

      Specializing in fine jewelry for nearly 40 years, Steve Padis Jewelry is one of the most trusted names in the industry. Family-owned and operated, Padis Jewelry has three locations in the San Francisco Bay Area.

      Steve Padis Jewelry is known for its high quality, responsibly sourced diamonds. They are among a select group of top-level jewelers in America chosen by De Beers to sell its exclusive Forevermark diamonds. Forevermark is a diamond brand produced by De Beers, the world's largest mining company and distributor of diamonds. Each Forevermark diamond comes with a promise, that it is beautiful, rare and responsibly sourced.

      Raffle tickets can be purchased the night of the Emmy� Gala: $20 for 1 ticket, 3 tickets for $50 (third ticket 1/2 off), and 7 tickets for $100 (get two tickets free). Your donation is tax-deductible, benefiting the NATAS TV Academy Scholarship Fund.

      The winner of the diamond earrings and double magnum Grand Prize will be announced during the Emmy� Awards ceremony, and you must be present to win!

Padis ad 
Watts Winery To Let Vino Flow In Abundance At Emmys
Lodi Family Winery Makes Big Splash As 2013 Gala's Exclusive Wine Sponsor
       Watts Winery, a family-owned winery based in Lodi, is about to make a big splash at this year's Emmys in San Francisco!
      Watts is the exclusive wine sponsor for the 2012-13 Northern California Area Emmy Awards, to be held June 15 at the San Francisco Hilton in Union Square. The winery is such a big supporter of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, it is also the exclusive wine sponsor for this year's Gold and Silver Circle Induction Luncheon, to be held in October in San Francisco.
      The Watts family has been growing grapes for four generations. Their vineyards enjoy a unique microclimate near the Mokelumne River. The winery is, of course, dedicated to quality. Much hard work and dedication goes into every bottle of wine they produce. Watts Winery has built a reputation for producing some of the finest grapes in the California wine indusry.
      The family, for years, had been providing grapes to the best-known wineries in California. That's when they decided it was time to make their own wine, with their own label. Their very first wine was a 1999 Old Vine Zinfandel.
      Today, Watts Winery offers many different varietals of award-winning wine.
      Currently, the winery produces a 2011 Yellow Swallowtail Chardonay, a Blue Swallowtail Red Blend, a 2011 Rosado, a 2010 Montepulciano, a 2011 Upstream Malbec, a 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2010 Cabernet Franc.
      The San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is very pleased to welcome Watts Winery to this year's Emmys!
Watts ad halfChandon ad half  Snappy TV ad half
  
From Napa Valley Wine Tasting To Chocolate
Something For Everyone at Emmy� Awards Gala Silent Auction June 15
  

 

  

By Patty Zubov

Chapter Governor

 

      Imagine wine tasting with friends in the Napa Valley. Or, how about pampering yourself with a luxurious day at a spa? Want to attend an iconic musical revue? If that doesn't catch your fancy, how about dining at a fine restaurant, or cooking up your own meal with the right tools? Got a sweet tooth? What do you think about indulging in assorted, decadent chocolates for dessert, while watching an expert organize your living and work space?

     One or more of these experiences can be yours if you're the high bidder at this year's Emmy� Awards Gala Silent Auction. Proceeds benefit the NATAS TV Academy Scholarship Fund.

     To date, below is a list of the silent auction items to be featured at the June 15 Emmy� Awards Gala:

 

NEAT METHOD - Featured in Vogue, the NEAT Method organizers are NAPO-certified and ready to teach you the tricks of the trade to help you lead a more organized life! This auction gift includes NEAT's favorite organizing items from The Container Store as well as THREE hours of organizing services. Total value: $500.

http://www.neatmethod.com/

 

SENSPA SAN FRANCISCO - $100 gift certificate and four skin care items. Total value: $204.

http://www.senspa.com/services 

 

WATERFRONT RESTAURANT - Pier 7 Embarcadero, San Francisco - Gift Card for dinner for two. Total value: $200.

http://waterfrontsf.com/ 

 

GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE COMPANY - All About Ghirardelli gift basket. Total value: $180.

http://tinyurl.com/csc9xtl

 

HALL WINES NAPA VALLEY - Artisan tour and tasting for four at HALL Rutherford Winery in Napa Valley. Total value: $160.

http://www.hallwines.com/

 

YAN CAN COOK ITEMS - Martin Yan's China Cookbook (Autographed by Chef Yan), Ultimate Chinese Home Chef Knife, 2 sets of lacquer chopsticks, Yan Can Cook apron. Total value: $145.

http://yancancook.com/

 

"BEACH BLANKET BABYLON" Musical Revue - Two tickets, rear Cabaret or rear balcony. Total value: $120.

http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com/

 

LE COLONIAL French Vietnamese Restaurant, San Francisco - gift certificate. Total value: $120.

http://www.lecolonialsf.com/

 

     Deadline for businesses to donate additional items and services for this year's Emmy� Awards Gala Silent Auction is May 17. Call (415) 777-0212 or email [email protected].

     The San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences wishes to thank our generous donors.

     Happy bidding!

Jerry Graham

KRON's Popular "Bay Area Backroads" Host, News Anchor, Dies At 78

     

By Kevin Wing

Chapter Regional Vice President, San Francisco

 

        Jerry Graham, the very popular first host of KRON Channel 4's Bay Area Backroads from 1985 until his retirement in 1993, died of a heart attack April 29 at his Santa Cruz home, one day before his 79th birthday.

      Graham, a Santa Cruz resident since 1995, put himself on the Bay Area map with his award-winning TV series, Bay Area Backroads, which featured Northern California's hidden gems. KRON produced the series for 28 years.Jerry Graham

      "The concept was that we live in this great spot, but we're all in such a hurry, that we drive by things without looking and don't even notice what's around us," Graham told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008.

      Graham was born Gerald Granowsky on April 30, 1934,  in Indianapolis. He changed his name for professional reasons at his first television job as a staff announcer for TV stations in Evansville, Indiana, and Binghamton, New York. He received his bachelor's degree in radio-TV production from Indiana University.

      Eventually, Graham moved from Binghamton to New York City, where he worked as a radio news writer for Metromedia's WNEW. After rising through the ranks at the station, Graham bought and ran his own radio station, WGRG, with partner David Gordon. He returned to WNEW in 1974 as general manager, then hosted the TV show, Pacific Currents, on KPIX in San Francisco. He also anchored weekend newscasts for KRON and was general manager at radio station KSAN (today's 107.7 The Bone).

Throughout his career, Graham maintained a strong sense of humor. He even got demoted for having an on-air laughing attack in Binghamton, a fact his son, Jefferson Graham, says doesn't surprise him.

     "He liked to laugh ... the fits continued for years," Graham says of his father. "There were many instances where the laughter was contagious, and we just laughed and laughed, uncontrollable, with tears, falling on the floor."

Once he moved to Santa Cruz, Graham wrote eight travel guidebooks with his wife Catherine Graham, including Bay Area Backroads, More Bay Area Backroads and Bay Area Backroads Food and Lodging Guide.

    "It was terrific in the sense that we could each write a section, then edit each other's work," says Graham's wife, Catherine Graham. "We called the books our first babies. We couldn't remember who came up with what line after a while."

    Even when Graham became well-known for his work on Bay Area television, he always remained humble, says Bob Klein, the executive producer of Bay Area Backroads.

    "In the Bay Area for a while, he was it, he was the anchor," Klein says. "But, it wasn't like people were running up for his autograph, It was like, 'Hey, Jerry.'"

    Graham was known in Santa Cruz for his television column for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, which he wrote in the early 2000s.

    "He was loved in the community, and he loved Santa Cruz," Jefferson Graham says.

    In addition to teaching English as a second language at the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz, he also played basketball every Sunday in Santa Cruz and tennis twice a week at the Chaminade. Over 6 feet tall, he won a gold medal with his basketball team, the Nor Cal Sharks, at the California State Senior Olympics in 2009.

    "His local team was important to him," Catherine Graham says. "It was going to the church of basketball."

    A lifelong dog lover, Graham took his 5-year-old dog, Chicolini, to the park every afternoon.

    "I am a cat person who married a dog person," wrote Graham's wife, also a Sentinel columnist, in an article published Aug. 4, 2002. "Before we met, Jerry went public with his disdain for felines on Pacific Currents, with a segment called 'Why I Hate Cats."

    After meeting in 1984 in San Francisco, the two married in 1986, continuing to build a strong relationship throughout their 27-year marriage.

    "He started this thing just recently where every morning, he'd sing a song I didn't know," Catherine Graham says. "We'd gone through at least 100, and he still had more in his head."

    Jefferson Graham visited his father last weekend for an early birthday celebration. Graham would have turned 79 on April 30.

    "I was sitting with him on Saturday and Sunday morning, and he was reading the Santa Cruz Sentinel," his son says. "He read it every morning."

    Catherine Graham had planned to take her husband out for a pedicure on his birthday, May 1, as well as bake him "fudgy" brownies.

    Graham decided to retire at 60 to help raise his daughter, Lily Graham, now 22. While he had a long and prolific career, Graham always put his three children first, his wfe says.

    "I just had to go through his wallet for filling out paperwork, and it's crammed full of pictures of Lily," Catherine Graham says. "I don't know how they all fit in there."

    And while his family was of utmost importance, Graham always knew how to connect with anyone, Jefferson Graham says.

    "He was Jerry Graham, always the smartest, smoothest guy in the room. The one who could start a conversation with anyone and make it interesting, and have them laughing and enjoying the company."

    Graham is survived by his wife Catherine, daughter Lily, and sons from his first marriage, Jefferson and Jez.

    In lieu of flowers, Graham's family requests donations to the Volunteer Center.

    No funeral services are planned, but a memorial celebration to honor Graham's life is pending.

 

(The Santa Cruz Sentinel contributed to this report.)

Stephen H. Tuttle

Former KRON-TV News Producer, Writer Dies At 66

 

      Stephen H. Tuttle, a veteran Bay Area television and radio broadcaster who rose to become a news producer and writer at KRON-TV in San Francisco, has died.

      Tuttle passed away April 23 at his home in Maxwell, Iowa. He was 66.Steve Tuttle

      Born in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 1947, to Arthur and Margaret Tuttle, the family eventually moved to the Bay Area. Tuttle was raised in San Mateo, attending Meadow Heights Elementary School, Abbott Junior High School and Hillsdale High School. He also attended the College of San Mateo. Tuttle graduated with a degree is broadcast arts from San Francisco State University.           
      However, it was at the College of San Mateo where Tuttle discovered his career love: broadcasting. He began his career working in the news department of KSFO Radio in San Francisco. From there, he moved into television, where he embarked on a successful 25-year career, working as news producer and news director. In addition to KRON, Tuttle also worked at stations in Salt Lake City, Portland, Wichita, Davenport and Des Moines. Tuttle relocated to the Midwest in 1985. It was there that he met and married his soulmate, Jean McGuire. They lived in Totehyll, Iowa.
     Tuttle is survived by Jean, his wife of 23 years; a daughter, Jen Christensen, and son-in-law, Brian Christensen, of San Mateo; two sons, Adam Tuttle of Santa Barbara and Ben Tuttle of San Francisco; two grandchildren, Jack Christensen and Owen Christensen of San Mateo; a brother, Rich Tuttle, and sister-in-law, Susan Tuttle, of San Rafael; a nephew, Alex Tuttle of Jerusalem; and his dogs, Boomer and Punky.
     Steve Tuttle's family says he was a loving husband, son, brother, father and grandfather. They say they will miss his humor and daily emails. Tuttle found joy in renovating his small Iowa farm. Although a fourth-generation Californian, Tuttle loved Iowa very much.
     Services were held May 1st in San Mateo. A celebration of his life will be held this summer in Maxwell, Iowa.
     Cards and remembrances can be sent to Jean McGuire, 31267 645th Ave., Maxwell, IA 50161.
Moving Forward At KQED
Engelhaupt Named Station's New Chief Technology Officer
  
      Michael Englehaupt has been named KQED's new chief technology officer. In his new position, Englehaupt will be a chief architect as KQED moves to increase regionally-focused content and distribution across multiple platforms, including mobile, tablet, Internet and broadcast.
      Englehaupt will oversee KQED's combined technical areas of television and radio engineering, television operations, IT and enterprise systems, and the engineering and facility management operations for KQED Public Television and Radio, KQEH (known as KQED Plus, Silicon Valley), KQET in Watsonville and KQEI Public Radio in Sacramento. Englehaupt began reporting April 1 Donald W. Derheim, chief operating officer and executive vice president.
     "As KQED continues its path to becoming the premier 21st century public media organization, we recognize the need to think comprehensively about all of our broadcast, Internet and IT operations," Derheim says. "At a time when the methods people use to consume media are rapidly changing, KQED plans to be at the forefront, which requires the ability to adapt rapidly. With Mike, we know we have someone with passion for our particular work and has core strengths in KQED's key services."
     Englehaupt joins KQED from KPIX/KBCW in San Francisco, where he was director of broadcast operations and engineering. He is a 35-year broadcast technology veteran with a career encompassing all aspects of television and radio technology operations for CBS, ABC and NBC stations in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. He has extensive experience in studio and remote engineering/operations in radio and television, from analog legacy-based systems to HD and IP-based multi-platform systems and workflows. Englehaupt has implemented large-scale projects, including the rebuild of WLS-TV in Chicago, the relocation of KABC-TV to a new broadcast center in Glendale and the rebuild of KPIX/KBCW in San Francisco.
     During Englehaupt's tenure, he was responsible for technology operations of two television stations, as well as daily management and multi-year strategic planning and implementation of a multi-tenant 160,000 sq. ft. facility. In addition, he oversaw transmitter operations on Mount Sutro and managed IT expansion to support 400 workstations and 120 servers.
     "This is a very exciting opportunity for me," Englehaupt says. "I am a long-time fan of KQED and its mission to provide quality news, entertainment and educational content to Bay Area consumers. KQED is both a locally and nationally recognized brand, and I'm thrilled to be part of the team tasked to innovate and implement new technologies and workflows and build a stronger organization that will benefit our community for generations to come."
New Co-Anchor Duties At KUVS
Promotion For Viviana Perez -- Co-Anchors Station's 6 and 11 p.m. Newscasts
       Viviana Perez is getting a promotion at KUVS Univision 19.

      Perez is the new co-anchor of the station's 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. She began her new gig April 25.

      She joins Jairo Diaz Pedraza as co-anchor Noticias 19 a las Seis and Noticias 19 a las Once.

  Viviana Perez    Perez graduated with honors from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton with a degree in communications and obtained her masters degree in journalism from Miami University. She also studied French at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

     "We are excited to have Viviana Paez as our new evening anchor and we are thrilled to see her move up in our organization, as we strive to promote from within", says Steve Stuck, vice president and general manager and director of sales.

     "Viviana is involved in our community and dedicated to serving Hispanics in Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and surrounding areas."   

    "Viviana P�ez is an excellent communicator with outstanding and extensive experience in journalism. She has demonstrated professionalism, energy and creativity in our morning show, A Primera Hora, says news director Pablo Iacub. "Viviana will bring a new dynamic to our broadcast."

    The Emmy Award-winning Perez joined Univision as an intern in our Network Despierta America program, and in 2004, she was hired by Univision 23 Miami. In 2005, she was promoted as anchor of the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Univision News in New Mexico. In 2007, Perez joined the Univision 19 team as weather anchor and news reporter for the A Primera Hora morning show.   

KITV Expands 6 p.m. Newscast To One Hour

        KITV, the ABC affiliate in Honolulu, has expanded its 6 p.m. newscast from 30 minutes to one hour. The new 60-minute format began April 22. Brandi Higa, the station's former morning show producer, is producing the expanded newscast. Anna Gomes is executive producer.

Chapter Preparing To Honor Talented College Students

$16,000 In Scholarship Monies Up For Grabs; Application Deadline May 31

By Steve Shlisky
Chapter Education Committee Chairperson
  
     It is time to honor talented college students with scholarships, and this year, $16,000 is available from the San Francisco/Northern Califonia Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
     Deadline to apply is May 31.  

     The Chapter is sponsoring a total of seven awards: five $2,000 scholarships and two $3,000 scholarships. Each award is named for former NATAS members who have honored the Chapter.

     The following four awards are memorial scholarships:

     The Peter J. Marino, Jr. $2,000 Award, recognizing production;
     The Sheldon "Shelly" Fay Award, recognizing videography;
     The Kenneth Sloat Langly Award, recognizing writing;
     The "Miss Nancy" Besst Award, recognizing an outstanding graduate student. 

 

     Three additional scholarships are also available:

     The Rico Chacon Reporting Scholarship; and for a third year, two $3,000 scholarships, underwritten by George Lang of The Big Picture, will be awarded to one outstanding graduate and one undergraduate student. 

 

     These scholarships memorialize two former Bay Area television journalists who worked with Lang at KGO-TV: Jerry Jensen, who co-anchored News Scene from 1969 until his death in 1984; and Steve Davis, an anchor/reporter for more than 20 years in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

     Scholarship applicants must be actively engaged in a collegiate-level curriculum in one or more areas of the television industry. They must attend a college in northern California (Visalia to the Oregon border), Hawaii, or Reno, Nevada.

     All entrants submit a sample of their work, their transcripts, an essay, and a letter of recommendation from their professor or dean. All entries are screened by a panel of judges culled from the NATAS Education Committee. The committee meets to decide the recipient in each category. The committee can either award, or not award, a scholarship for each category.

     In 2012, there were many outstanding entries; five out of seven possible scholarships were awarded to students.

     There were no outstanding entrants for the the Kenneth Sloat Langly Writing Scholarship or

Shelly Fay Videography Scholarship. 

 

     If you know of any qualified college students, please let them know about these scholarships, or share the following link: http://emmysf.tv/graduate.html

     The scholarships will be presented during this year's Gold & Silver Circle Induction on October 19 at the Parc 55 San Francisco Wyndham Hotel.

     For more information, visit http://emmysf.tv/silver-circle.html 

 

     The Chapter awards the scholarships to encourage individuals who demonstrate leadership and talent in advancing the artistic, cultural, educational and technical qualities of television.

          

Silver Circle Profile: Kate Kelly 

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       One pleasant San Francisco afternoon, people watchers sitting around drinking coffee along the city's fashionable Maiden Lane in Union Square take admiring glances at Kate Kelly as she strolls down the famed alley. Wearing a head-turning pink blazer and black slacks, she's on her way to an interview - to be interviewed, actually.

       Kelly is right at home in San Francisco. That's not surprising. Not only is she a Bay Area native, she's been a very familiar face on TV screens here for a long time.

       How long? To some, it seems like yesterday that Kelly arrived at KPIX's Battery Street studios for her first day on the job. That day was Jan. 1, 1984.

       Nearly three decades later, she is achieving something few people in the business can say they've accomplished: lasting, at the same television station, for almost 30 years.

       The Emmy Award-winning Kelly has practically done it all in her years at the Bay Area's CBS station. In addition to being a reporter, she's also anchored nearly every newscast at KPIX. Several months after she arrived there, she began co-anchoring the weekend evening newscasts with Doug Murphy. Kelly has also anchored the station's 4:30 and 5 p.m. newscasts as well as its 11 p.m. broadcast, with the legendary Dave McElhatton.

       Kelly has also covered nearly every major Bay Area story, from Pope John Paul II's visit to San Francisco and the Loma Prieta earthquake to stories of every scope.

       Inducted into the Silver Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2005, Kelly grew up in Belvedere, in Marin County. Her mother passed away when she was a young girl. Her father sent her to San Domenico School, a Catholic girls' school.

       Kelly graduated from Stanford University in 1979, and her career immediately took off. After graduation, she was hired as an anchor, reporter and photographer at KRCR-TV, a station in Redding that, at that time, had dual affiliations with ABC and NBC.

       "I did everything there," Kelly recalls. "I shot, wrote and edited my own stories. I swept the floor. Everything."Kate3

       Kelly remained in Redding for one year before moving on to a larger market - Austin, Texas - and a new station, KVUE. There, as an anchor and reporter, she remained three years, and, during that time, the station won the United Press International and Associated Press honors for Best Newscast in Texas, three years in a row.

       In late 1983, the Bay Area appeared on Kelly's career horizon, and it was time for her to return home to her native San Francisco. KPIX came calling. Kelly answered, and by November of that year, she was back home. She began at KPIX on Jan. 1, 1984, as a general assignment reporter. "Joe Fonzi and I started on the same day," Kelly says of her first day on the job with her then-sportscaster colleague (Fonzi is now across the Bay at KTVU in Oakland).

       In a matter of months, Kelly was promoted to the anchor desk, sharing weekend anchor duties with Murphy.

       Kelly's career was not only taking off, but she had become a critically-acclaimed television journalist before she was 30 years old.

       In 1984 - the year she started at KPIX - Kelly was named Outstanding Young Journalist by the Society of Professional Journalists. More accolades would shower upon her in the years ahead. While Kelly's career at KPIX prospered as a reporter, she was also prospering as an anchor in what was then the nation's fifth-largest television market. Management took notice, and in 1987, Kelly began anchoring the station's 11 p.m. newscast on weeknights, sharing the desk with McElhatton.

       Two years later, on Oct. 17, 1989, the Bay Area was hit by the Loma Prieta earthquake.

       At the time the quake hit, Kelly was in the area near San Francisco's famed Lefty O'Doul Bridge, near present-day AT&T Park.

       "I saw an 18-wheeler rocking back and forth on the bridge," Kelly recalls.

Kelly and her photographer were dispatched back to the station's Battery Street studios. But, along the way, the quake's wrath was clear.

       "People were coming out of the Ferry Building," she says. "There was dust in the air, and hunks of concrete were falling all over. All we could do was race back to the station. We did the news from the newsroom desk. It wasn't pretty, but we got the information out. You realize how small your community is when you have a natural disaster. Such a different world."

      "We were on the air through the night and into the next morning," Kelly explains. "I remember leaving the station the next morning at 5 a.m. I had been on the air from 1 to 6 a.m., sharing the latest developments with our viewers. Then, Dave and Wendy (Tokuda) took over the next day."

      Following hers and the station's earthquake coverage in the days and weeks to come, Kelly's anchoring duties expanded to include the 5 p.m. newscast weekdays, with McElhatton, in addition to her 11 p.m. responsibilities.

      Kelly remained on the weeknight anchor desk until 1999, when she shifted gears to strengthen KPIX's morning newscast with co-anchor Ken Bastida. The following year, she returned to the anchor desk on the 4:30 and 5 p.m. newscasts weekdays.

      Through her nearly three decades at KPIX, Kelly has covered practically every kind of news story. Among the most notable examples of her unique storytelling, Kelly reported on the devastating Oakland Hills firestorm in 1991 and the visit by Pope John Paul II to San Francisco and the Bay Area.

      "It was the Pope's first tour to the U.S.," Kelly says. ""We went to Rome, got on his plane, and came back to the Bay Area with him. The Pope would then come out of first class, and talk with all of us journalists on the plane."

      Kelly has also covered numerous stories about AIDS, including Ward 5B at San Francisco General Hospital - the AIDS ward.

      On the flip side of her reporting, Kelly has flown with the Blue Angels during a Fleet Week appearance over San Francisco Bay.

      In January 2005 - at the beginning of her 22nd year at KPIX - Kelly launched the first of the Bay Area Jefferson Awards, a weekly tribute to volunteers performing outstanding public service in the community. Working together with the National Institute for Public Service in Washington, D.C., along with a local committee of non-profit representatives, KPIX accepts nominations, then selects Bay Area award recipients. Kelly's contributions to the station's Jefferson Awards coverage led the station to be recognized with an Emmy Award for community service. Kelly and the station have also received the Good News Award for their series by the Northern California American Women in Radio and Television organization.

     "I'm so proud to be a part of these Jefferson Awards," she says. "We do 52 stories a year. We shoot each story in a day. Because they're long-form stories, it's not a same-day turnaround."

     Kelly enjoys telling the stories of those she spotlights for the Jefferson Awards.

     "We profile people in the Bay Area who do outstandingly as volunteers in public service," she explains.

     During her years at KPIX, Kelly has had many stories affect her personally, such as the California Burn Relay, begun by the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. Ruch was an 8-year-old Southern California girl who died from burns she received in a backyard barbecue accident in 1970.

     "For me, for 20 years, covering the relay was one of the most touching stories I could do," Kelly says. "I was really honored to be a part of that. The firefighters, they're all heroes, and they're doing it for the kids. And then, you meet these kids who overcome incredible hardships.

     In addition to her Emmy honors and other accolades, Kelly has also been honored by the Radio Television News Directors Association and the California Teachers Association.

     The Marin County native is "very proud" to have spent nearly three decades on Bay Area television.

     "I've been so fortunate to have a career where I can live and do this job in the town I grew up in, get married, and raise kids here," Kelly says. "I'm very grateful."

     To work in San Francisco and the Bay Area is something very special to her.

     "This city was founded overnight with the Gold Rush," she says. "And, because of that, we have all had to learn to get along from the get go. You feel very proud to work here, and live here, and that's how I feel, that I am a part of this fabric that is the Bay Area."

NATAS, Center For Investigative Reporting

Online News Forum Draws Local, National Interest

 

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      The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) partnered with the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) and several San Francisco Bay Area TV stations to discuss online/mobile news at the Online News Forum, held April 13 at KGO-TV ABC7 in San Francisco.

      The forum was also webcast live, drawing interest from viewers around the country.  

      The first part of the event featured presentations from a panel of experts, who showed examples of how different news organizations integrate their content into their online/mobile presence. The second part of the event was the forum itself, featuring an in-depth discussion of new technologies, like HTML5, potential ad revenues, online/mobile audiences and a question-and-answer session for live attendees and online viewers.

      Barbara Rodgers, of Comcast and formerly of KPIX in San Francisco, was the event moderator. The panel featured Jonathan Mitchell, vice president of news at KNTV/NBC Bay Area in San Jose; Janice Gin, associate news director at KTVU Channel 2 in Oakland; Brian Shields, online news manager at KRON 4 in San Francisco; Meghann Farnsworth, senior manager of distribution and online engagement at the Center for Investigative Reporting; Jim Parker, director of operations for CBS local digital media at KPIX in San Francisco; and Rachel Schwartz, senior online news producer at KGO-TV ABC 7 in San Francisco.

 
Soundbites

  

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Soundbites is a new Q&A-style feature introducing you to the people of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. If you missed our big debut last month, not to worry. We're here every month! Off Camera editor Kevin Wing regularly features a one-on-one interview with a broadcast professional working on-air or behind-the-scenes. If you would like us to consider someone for a future Soundbites column, please let us know by dropping us a note to the email address at the end of this month's spotlight.

 

This month, take a few minutes to get to know KTVU Channel 2's Frank Somerville, co-anchor of the Oakland station's 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts. Somerville is not only a veteran broadcast journalist, he's a veteran at his Jack London Square studios, a place he has called his professional home since 1992.

 

"I began my career at KFTY Channel 50 in Santa Rosa in 1982. I've worked in Minneapolis and Rhode Island. I have two girls, one of whom is adopted. And I mention that ONLY because I try to promote adoption as much as I can. My wife, Donna, is from Philadelphia, and she used to work in TV, producing for Phil Donahue and Joan Rivers. Her brother, Jay Wright, also happens to be the head basketball coach for the Villanova Wildcats. I've been a vegetarian (no meat, fish or poultry) since I was 12, because I don't like to kill animals. And I've won five Emmys and five Mark Twain Awards.

 

You're a Bay Area native. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Berkeley.

 

Do you have siblings? If so, are you the oldest? Youngest? Middle?Somerville_1 

I have one brother who lives in New Jersey. I am the oldest.

 

When did you first realize, and at what age, that you wanted to work in television news?

True story. I was at UCLA and was looking through the course catalog. I saw Communications 10. I thought the class looked stupid, but my roommate said, "Take it, it's an easy 'A'". So I did, and from that first day in class, I knew that broadcasting was what I wanted to do.

 

Who has inspired you in your career? As a person?

I don't necessarily have a person who inspired me, but I do have two quotes that I live by. The first is this one: "The true nature of a person is how they treat someone who can give them nothing in return." That's the kind of person I try to be. The second quote is: "Chance favors the prepared mind." I'm a big believer in that.

 

Before KTVU, where did you work before?

I started at KFTY Channel 50 in Santa Rosa. Then, I went to KSTP in Minneapolis. From there, it was on to WJAR in Rhode Island.

 

As a journalist, every day at work is different from the one before it. Can you describe a "day in the life of Frank Somerville"?

When I get up, the first thing I do is pour a sugar-free Monster drink over ice and sit down and read the Chronicle and the Tribune. I still subscribe out of principle and because I like having an actual paper in the morning. Then, I either go work out with weights or go to train in Krav Maga. When I get home, I go online and check for updates on stories. Then I watch KTVU Channel 2 News at Noon while I get ready for work. It's important that I go in to work, prepared and up to speed with what's going on that day. Once at work, I write leads and teases for the 5 p.m. newscast, and go over scripts up until I have to go out on the set. After the 6 p.m. news, we generally do teases. After that I have some free time to eat, and sometimes, my family will come in for dinner. Either that or I'll go to the gym for extra cardio. Then it's back to work preparing for the 10. When I get home, the house is quiet and I go online again, reading the New York Times and checking for updates. I also look for interesting stories or other things that I can post on Facebook. Then I get in bed and read a book until I fall asleep. Right now I'm reading about what it's like living in the slums of India. I just finished a book about what it's like to live in North Korea. I only read non-fiction because I want to learn something from everything I read.

 

What are your favorite types of stories to report on? Your least favorite?

My favorite stories are the ones that make a difference in someone's life. My least favorite are stories about something bad happening to a child.

 

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Haagen-Das chocolate chocolate chip.

 

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Giving people information that they didn't know before or that might affect their lives. Telling people a story that they will care about or will talk about or that might move them to take action. That gives me real satisfaction.

 

Do you have any mentors, and if so, who? Who do you look up to?

I don't really have a mentor. But I do find myself constantly thinking, "What would Fred Zehnder do in this situation?" Fred was the news director who hired me. And quite honestly, he's probably one of the top ten best news directors in history. Yes, he really was that good!

 

What do you do to relax? What hobbies and/or activities are you involved with?

I train in Krav Maga in Berkeley. Krav Maga is what they teach soldiers in the Israeli army. It's basically how to win a fight. There are no rules. You just do whatever you have to do. The classes are very difficult and the training is as real as it can be. And at 55, I take real pride in being able to hang with people half my age. To relax I wash my car. Nothing makes me happier than a clean, shiny car. And I have to admit, I watch (the late) Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting. He was the guy who said, "we don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents." That guy's voice was so soothing.

 

What do you like most about working at KTVU?

It's a great station. Always has been. Always will be. Enough said.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years? 10 years?

In five years, I'll be doing exactly what I'm doing now. In 10 years, I'll probably just be retiring.

 

Who is your favorite television journalist? Is there anyone in the business who you emulate?

I've always thought Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and especially Ted Koppel were the best. I also admire Lara Logan from CBS News and 60 Minutes.She's someone who talks the talk, and walks the walk, and by that I mean she's reported from some very dangerous places around the world, and I find that very impressive.

 

Who is your favorite author?

Mark Bowden. He wrote Blackhawk Down and Killing Pablo.

 

New York Times, or USA Today?

Both. I read the Times for news but you have to admit USA Today has a great sports page.

 

Personality-wise, are you more of a goof than you are serious?!

Both. I can be as goofy as anyone, but I am also very serious about what I do.

 

If you could do it all over again, is there anything you would change about your life?

Not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone and try things.I spent too many years thinking, "I'll do that tomorrow".The problem is tomorrow never came. Now I'm not waiting around until tomorrow, I'm doing things today!

 

Any words of wisdom for the next generation of broadcast journalists?

If this is really what you want to do, don't let anyone convince you to try something else. I remember once at a conference listening to a speaker say "for those of you who want to be on air, forget it, become a producer, because that's where the jobs are". I thought that was the stupidest advice I've ever heard. What's the point of being a producer if you really want to be a reporter? So don't be afraid to try. Yes it's tough, but if you don't try, you'll never know if you could have made it.

 

Somerville_2You and your wife, Donna, have been together a long time. You proposed to her in a very interesting way, live on TV. Please describe.

I always told her I would surprise her and she never believed me. I did it live by satellite when she was a producer on Donahue. I set up a fake interview with Phil and then in the middle the camera panned over to her. She had a mic on because I told her we might have extra satellite time and that way I could talk to her during the break. She was completely fooled. Thank god she said yes.

 

Cal, or Stanford? (Haha)

Go bears! Need I say more

 

Favorite vacation destination?

We just went to Paris last year. We walked everywhere. It was amazing. In fact I still haven't looked at the pictures from the trip, because seeing them will make me miss Paris too much.

 

During your career, has there been a story that you've "owned" that, up to now, has defined who you are as a journalist?

I don't really have a story that I've owned. But I covered my share of interesting stories. I've witnessed two executions at San Quentin. I've flown with the Blue Angels and threw up mid-flight. I've flown in a B-29 flying fortress. And Mario Andretti has driven me around Sears Point "at speed" in a 2-seater Indy car.

 

What's the most favorite thing about your job? Least favorite thing, if anything?

I really get fired up when there is breaking news and I get to tell people about it. I also find that telling people's stories, helps ME keep things in perspective.It's hard to be really upset about a scratch in your car, when you just reported on a family who's child was killed. This business constantly reminds me of what's important. And what's not. My least favorite thing is seeing the media lose perspective. There's no reason Scott Peterson should have gotten that much national coverage. There's no reason Anna Nicole Smith's death should have gotten that much attention. And there's no reason we should be helping to make stars out of people like Kim Kardashian. I think that's a shame.

 

Favorite music? What's in your iPod (if you have one) or collection of CDs? Favorite TV show (besides The Ten o'clock News)? Favorite movie?

I've got a real mix. I like the 60's and 70's, especially soul music, like Earth Wind and Fire, the Spinners, the Temptations and the Four Tops. I also like Michael Jackson and Prince, and the Commodores. Music like that with a beat gets me fired up. My favorite movie is Dirty Harry.

 

Wine tasting, or a cold bottle of beer?

I can't stand wine. Never developed a taste for it. It's either Coors light or Bud light over ice with lemon.

 

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

I put an exploding cigarette tip in my boss' cigarettes when I was a dishwasher at Martino's caf� in Berkeley. She told me when it went off that it scared the hell out of her. And she knew right away that I did it. I'm sure glad she had a good sense of humor

 

From a journalistic standpoint, how would you prefer viewers to see you?

I want viewers to see me as someone who cares, who's passionate about what he does, who's fair, who doesn't have an agenda, and who's the same on the air, as he is off the air.

 

Favorite spot in the Bay Area?

Memorial stadium. Rain or shine, with the Bears stomping all over the Oregon Ducks, USC, or Stanford.

 

What do you like about social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus? Does it help bring in new viewers?

I started a Facebook page for Ch. 2 and I like it because for me it's a creative outlet and it gives people a chance to know more about who I am and what I care about. My posts are about things that are real, that I think people will find interesting. An example would be a poem I posted recently that a 12 year old who lives in east Oakland wrote, talking about what life in the neighborhood is like. Here's a sample. "I'm from a place where people and even kids do drugs and use guns. Just for fun. Where I'm from it's retaliation. Like playing Grand Theft Auto on a Playstation." That's the kind of post that I think is worth someone's time. The kind that generates real responses. And I read them all.

 

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Stay tuned: Tom Vacar, KTVU Channel 2's Emmy Award-winning consumer editor, joins us in the June edition of Soundbites.
  
If you would like Off Camera to feature someone in Soundbites (even yourself!), please send an email to Kevin Wing, Off Camera editor, at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Health Reporter

 

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Karen Owoc and The Health Reporter will be back in the June issue of Off Camera. Watch for her latest column next month!

 

All It Takes Is A Plug-In?
Sinclair Broadcast Group Preps 10 Stations For Mobile DTV
 
By Michael Malone
Broadcasting & Cable    
     
      Several television markets around the country are gearing up for Mobile DTV. Some say it's the latest wave of the future.
      Sinclair Broadcast Group is preparing 10 of its stations for Mobile DTV.
      Consumers in these markets will receive over-the-air content from the stations by adding  plug-in adaptor to their smartphones and tablets.
      The stations signing on for this are: KEYE-TV in Austn, Texas; WBFF in Baltimore; WKRC in Cincinnati, WKEF-WRGT in Dayton, Ohio; WLOS in Asheville, North Carolina; WPGH in Pittsburgh; KUTV in Salt Lake City; WPEC in West Palm Beach, Florida; and KDNL in St. Louis.
      WSYX-WTTE is Columbus are already broadcasting over-the-air content to Mobile DTV.
      "As local broadcasters who serve our communities every day, we witness firsthand the value our content and services provide to millions of viewers and businesses," says Mark Aitken, vice president of advanced technology at Sinclair and chairman of the ATSC A/153 Mobile DTV standardization activity.
     "The pace of technology makes it imperative for broadcasters to continue to lead in serving our communities," Aitken says. "Broad adoption of Mobile DTV, as a part of our local broadcast television offering, is the next step."
     Sinclair, a founding member of the Mobile500 Alliance, has agreed to commit a certain number of its Fox affiliates to operate within the Mobile Content Ventures' Dyle initiative.
     Sinclair has been growing its local TV footprint considerably, spending well over a billion dollars in the past 18 months on acquisitions.

 

TV A Go Go...

New Beginnings And Opportunities Around The Chapter

       

        Angie Sheets joins KCRA-TV in Sacramento as managing editor. Sheets leaves KPIX in San Francisco, where she has been serving as morning executive producer. Her new position reunites her with KCRA-TV news director Lori Waldon. Before Waldon moved to Sacramento, she was KPIX's morning executive producer, and later, managing editor. Sheets was promoted to her current KPIX position when Waldon received her managing editor promotion.

 

      Julie Luck, anchor/reporter at KRON in San Francisco from 2001 to 2005, has joined WFMY in Greensboro, North Carolina as news anchor. Luck began anchoring the station's 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts April 25. From 2005 to 2012, Luck was news anchor at WGHP-TV in Greensboro.

       

      Chris Manson is leaving KSEE-TV in Fresno as news director. Manson's position was eliminated following Nexstar's acquisition of crosstown rival KGPE-TV. Nexstar now has an interesting duopoly with ownership of two major network affiliates in the same market. It appears Chad McCollum, news director at KGPE-TV, will oversee both newsrooms.

 

      Tom Bell has been hired as news director for KOVR in Sacramento. He leaves WOAI-TV in San Antonio, where he has served as news director for the last five years. Bell has also been a news director in Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Detroit. The move to California brings Bell closer to his daughters in San Francisco and Los Angeles (daughter, actress Kristen Bell, recently gave birth to a daughter). Bell replaces Cameryn Beck, who left KOVR earlier this year to become news director at KTVK-TV in Phoenix.

 

     Kelly Creffield joins KPIX in San Francisco as a director. Creffield leaves the same position at KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

 

    Tescily Maguire joins KITV in Honolulu as a producer. Maguire begins her new position June 3. She leaves WBKO in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where she worked as a reporter and producer. Previously, she also worked as a producer at KVVU in Las Vegas.

 

    Brenton Awa joins KITV in Honolulu as a reporter. Awa was previously a reporter with KGMB and KHNL.

 

    Rachelle Antonio joins KPIX/KBCW in San Francisco as producer. Antonio previously worked at KCRA in Sacramento.

 

   William Bonilla has joined KDTV in San Francisco as a sports anchor. For nine years, he was the 6 and 11 p.m. sports anchor at KFTV Univision 21 in Fresno.

 

    Wendy Topletz joinsKPIX 5 in San Francisco as a writer. She leaves Dallas, where she was a producer at KDAF-TV.

    

   Got a new gig? Get a promotion? TV A Go Go (formerly On The Move) and Off Camera want to know and help you spread the word! Please drop us a line at [email protected] and let us know! And congratulations!

 

Interested In Serving Your Chapter?

SF/NorCal Is Looking For Nominees For Board of Governors Seats

 

      Have you ever thought about serving on the NATAS Board of Governors? Your local Chapter is now looking for a few good members. Guiding the present and future of our San Francisco/Northern California Chapter, Governors provide the timely and necessary activities for members' professional development.

      The Board discusses and votes on matters of importance to the Academy Chapter. You can thank our present Board for presenting what will prove to be an exciting Emmy Awards show in June. The Board also arranges the many forums, scholarships, television museum and activities you see often covered in Off Camera.

      As the parliamentary governing body overseeing the functioning of each of the local chapters, the Board of Governors is entrusted with administering the local Chapter chartered by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and for safeguarding the integrity of the Emmy� and the Emmy� Awards process. Governors are elected by the general membership of each local chapter from its members in the local television community and serve a two-year term. Officers and trustees are elected by the board and serve a two-year term.

     Richard Harmelink, nomination chairperson for NATAS San Francisco/Northern California's governors' nominating commitee, is tasked with finding members to run for board seats. Harmelink is asking members to think of individuals who would make a great Governor. If you or someone you know would like to become a Governor, here a few things to keep in mind:

 

Governors are members in good standing of NATAS;

 

Governors attend monthly board meetings, either in person or by phone. Meetings are two to three hours long on the second Saturday morning of the month;

 

Governors participate in at least one of our many committees;

 

Governors act as a feedback conduit to the television community on matters affecting the chapter and community;

 

Governors actively serve on at least one committee or sub-committee.

 

Please send your possible nominee names and contact information to Harmelink at [email protected]

 

  
Can You Help Us?
Call For Judges To Screen Emmy� Entries From Other NATAS Chapters
        The San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences thanks individuals who have stepped forward to volunteer their time as a peer judge for regional Emmy� Awards from other NATAS chapters around the country.         
      Darryl Compton, executive director of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter, says more judges are still needed to assist in screening a variety of categories from other chapters.
      "We expect quality judging of our award entries from other chapters," Compton says. "We need to return the favor by judging their entries."
      Please email Compton at [email protected] with your areas of expertise. He will assign you categories to judge at work or home, on your desktop or laptop. Judging is conducted online. If you have any questions, please call Compton at (650) 341-7786.
      Thank you in advance for volunteering.
  
34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Recipients Announced in New York
      The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is announcing the winners of the 34th Annual Sports Emmy� Awards in New York City.
      Winners in 34 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst were honored.
       The awards were presented by a distinguished group of sports figures and television personalities including Cris Collinsworth (sports analyst for NBC's Sunday Night Football); Ato Boldon (event analyst, NBC's XXX Summer Olympics); Ernie Johnson (host of Inside the NBA on TNT); Greg Anthony (Turner/CBS College Basketball studio analyst); Harold Reynolds (MLB Network studio analyst); Greg Amsinger (studio host, MLB Network); Bill Ripkin (studio analyst for MLB Network's "MLB Tonight"): Curt Menefee (host, "FOX NFL Sunday"); Erin Andrews (studio host, FOX College Football);Melissa Stark (host, NFL Network); Rich Eisen (Host, NFL Network "NFL Total Access"and "NFL GameDay Morning"); Lisa Salters (sideline report, ESPN); Tom Rinaldi(reporter, ESPN); Jeremy Schaap (reporter, ESPN); Ian Eagle (play-by-play announcer, CBS); Tracy Wolfson (reporter, CBS Sports); Wladimir Klitschko (professional boxer, former Heavyweight Champion); and Joe Namath (Super Bowl Quarterback & Professional Football Hall of Fame Member).    

      The Sports Emmy� Award recipients were chosen by a Blue Ribbon Panel of industry peers. The awards recognize outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2012 calendar year.

      For Official Sports Emmy Awards photography, visit: http://www.bryan-brown.com

A detailed listing of all awards is below as compiled by the independentaccountancy firm of Lutz and Carr, LLP.A list of winners for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards is also available on the National Television Academy's website at www.emmyonline.tv.

  
Daytime Emmys Set for Mid-June In Los Angeles
Entertainment Creative Arts Recognized June 14; Daytime Entertainment June 16
    
      The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced that the 40th Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts
Emmy�Awards will be held June 14 at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles.
     The Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards honors the crafts behind the many shows that grace the Daytime genre.
    "Just as this year's broadcast will be a major 40th Anniversary celebration, so will our evening of honoring the Daytime Creative Arts nominees," says David Michaels, senior executive director of the Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards.
    "We are planning a 'grand gala' event this year for Creative Arts to honor the incredibly talented unsung heroes behind the scenes without whom there would be no Daytime television shows on the air."
    The 40th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy� Awards broadcast will follow on June 16, live from the Beverly Hilton. The show will be telecast by the Turner Broadcast Network on HLN.

    Game show icon Monty Hall and legendary producer Bob Stewart will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the ceremony.

    The 40th Annual Daytime EntertainmentEmmy Awards is a presentation of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in cooperation with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Some U.S. Households Not Watching TV? Really?
"Zero TV" Homes Worry Broadcasters; Families Say "They've Had It" With TV
By James Weitze
The Associated Press
  
      Some people have had it with TV.
      They've had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don't like timing their lives around network show schedules. They're tired of $100-plus monthly bills.
      A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and satellite TV service, and don't even use an antenna to get free signals over the air. These people are watching shows and movies on the Internet, sometimes via cellphone connections.
      Last month, the Nielsen Co. started labeling people in this group "Zero TV" households, because they fall outside the traditional definition of a TV home. There are 5 million of these residences in the U.S., up from 2 million in 2007. Winning back the Zero TV crowd was one of the many issues broadcasters discussed at their national meeting, called the NAB Show, which took place last month in Las Vegas.
      While show creators and networks make money from this group's viewing habits through deals with online video providers and from advertising on their own websites and apps, broadcasters only get paid when they relay such programming in traditional ways. Unless broadcasters can adapt to modern platforms, their revenue from Zero TV viewers will be zero.
      "Getting broadcast programing on all the gizmos and gadgets - like tablets, the backseats of cars, and laptops - is hugely important," says Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters. Although Wharton says more than 130 TV stations in the U.S. are broadcasting live TV signals to mobile devices, few people have the tools to receive them.
      Most cell phones require an add-on device known as a dongle, but these gadgets are just starting to be sold. Among this elusive group of consumers is Jeremy Carsen Young, a graphic designer, who is done with traditional TV. Young has a working antenna sitting unplugged on his back porch in Roanoke, Va., and he refuses to put it on the roof.
      "I don't think we'd use it enough to justify having a big eyesore on the house," the 30-year-old says.
      Online video subscriptions from Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. -- which cost less than $15 a month combined -- have given him and his partner plenty to watch.
      They take in back episodes of AMC's The Walking Dead and The CW's Supernatural and they don't need more, he says. Young doesn't mind waiting as long as a year for the current season's episodes to appear on streaming services, even if his friends accidentally blurt out spoilers in the meantime. With regular television, he might have missed the latest developments, anyway.
      "By the time it gets to me to watch, I've kind of forgotten about that," he says.
      For the first time, TV ratings giant Nielsen took a close look at this category of viewers in its quarterly video report released in March. It plans to measure their viewing of new TV shows starting this fall, with an eye toward incorporating the results in the formula used to calculate ad rates.
      "Our commitment is to being able to measure the content wherever it is," says Dounia Turrill, Nielsen's senior vice president of insights.
     The Zero TV segment is increasingly important, because the number of people signing up for traditional TV service has slowed to a standstill in the U.S. Last year, the cable, satellite and telecoms providers added just 46,000 video customers collectively, according to research firm SNL Kagan. That is tiny when compared to the 974,000 new households created last year. While it's still 100.4 million homes, or 84.7 percent of all households, it's down from the peak of 87.3 percent in early 2010.
     Nielsen's study suggests that this new group may have left traditional TV for good. While three-quarters actually have a physical TV set, only 18 percent are interested in hooking it up through a traditional pay TV subscription. Zero TVers tend to be younger, single and without children.
     Turrill, says part of the new monitoring regime is meant to help determine whether they'll change their behavior over time.
     "As these homes change life stage, what will happen to them?"
     Cynthia Phelps, a 43-year-old maker of mental health apps in San Antonio, Texas, says there's nothing that will bring her back to traditional TV. She's watched TV in the past, of course, but for most of the last 10 years she's done without it. She finds a lot of programs online to watch on her laptop for free - like the TED talks educational series - and every few months she gets together with friends to watch older TV shows on DVD, usually "something totally geeky," like NBC's Chuck.
    The 24-hour news channels make her anxious or depressed, and buzz about the latest hot TV shows like Mad Men doesn't make her feel like she's missing out. She didn't know who the Kardashian family was until she looked them up a few years ago.
    "I feel absolutely no social pressure to keep up with the Joneses in that respect," she says. For Phelps, it's less about saving money than choice. She says she'd rather spend her time productively and not get "sucked into" shows she'll regret later.
    "I don't want someone else dictating the media I get every day," she says. "I want to be in charge of it. When I have a TV, I'm less in control of that."
    The TV industry has a host of buzz words to describe these non-traditionalist viewers. There are "cord-cutters," who stop paying for TV completely, and make do with online video and sometimes an antenna. There are "cord-shavers," who reduce the number of channels they subscribe to, or the number of rooms pay TV is in, to save money. Then, there are the "cord-nevers," young people who move out on their own and never set up a landline phone connection or a TV subscription.
    They usually make do with a broadband Internet connection, a computer, a cellphone and possibly a TV set that is not hooked up the traditional way. That's the label given to the group by Richard Schneider, the president and founder of the online retailer Antennas Direct. The site is doing great business selling antennas capable of accepting free digital signals since the nation's transition to digital over-the-air broadcasts in 2009, and is on pace to sell nearly 600,000 units this year, up from a few dozen when it started in 2003.
    While the "cord-nevers" are a target market for him, the category is also troubling. More people are raised with the power of the Internet in their pocket, and don't know or care that you can pull TV signals from the air for free.
    "They're more aware of Netflix than they're aware over-the-air is even available," Schneider says. That brings us to truck driver James Williams. The 31-year-old satisfies his video fix with an iPhone. He often sleeps in his truck, and has no apartment. To be sure, he's an extreme case who doesn't fit into Nielsen's definition of a household in the first place. But he's watching Netflix enough to keep up with shows like Weeds, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Sons of Anarchy. He's not opposed to TV per se, and misses some ESPN sports programs like The X Games. But, he's so divorced from the traditional TV ecosystem, it could be hard to go back.
    It's become easier for him to navigate his smartphone than to figure out how to use a TV set-top box and the button-laden remote control.
    "I'm pretty tech savvy, but the TV industry with the cable and the television and the boxes, you don't know how to use their equipment," Williams says. "I try to go over to my grandma's place and teach her how to do it. I can't even figure it out myself."
  
Corrections and Clarifications
       In an article published in the April edition of Off Camera spotlighting the upcoming honorees of the 2013 Governors Service Medallion, it is necessary to correct and clarify the information written about one of the honorees.
       Steve Shlisky, a veteran producer/writer/editor at KTVU Channel 2 for the last 33 years, taught at San Francisco State University for one year, in 1998. He is not currently teaching there.
       Although KTVU and KICU-TV Channel 36 are now a duopoly, Shlisky was never employed by KICU prior to his joining KTVU in 1980.
       The editor regrets the error, and apologizes for any confusion and inconvenience this may have caused.

Contact Information:

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
San Francisco/Northern California Chapter
Darryl Compton,
Executive Director
4317 Camden Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403-5007
Phone: 650 341-7786 or 415 777-0212
Fax: 650 372-0279
[email protected]

 

The name "Emmy�" and the graphic image of the statuette, are registered trademarks of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.