Call for Entries - 2003-2004 Science & Technology Emmy Awards

The National Television Academy has published its Call for Entries for the 2003-2004 Science & Technology Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology. The Call is available in PDF format. Please click here to download. Deadline for entries is August 31, 2004.

Four categories are available for entry:

Category 1 - Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology
for the Synchronous Enhancement of Original Television
Content

Category 2 - Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology
for the Non-Synchronous Enhancement of Original
Television Content

Category 3 - Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology
for the Creation of Non-Traditional Programs or Platforms

Category 4 - Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology
for the Creation of Video Games

Trustees Meeting Held in June

Cleveland Regional Chapter Trustee Bob Hammer attended the NTA Trustees meeting on June 4th and 5th in Los Angeles, California. The Trustees spent the two days reviewing the NTA Constitution and By-laws, as well as the organization's finances.

The Trustee Award Presentation and Dinner, honoring Mr. Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and CEO Timer Warner Inc., was held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on June 3, 2004. Leading government officials and television industry executives from around the world attended. CNN’s Larry King hosted the event and introduced actress Amanda Bynes who presented Mr. Parsons with the award.

The national NSTV award winners were also honored at the event, along with NTA scholarship winners and the John Cannon scholarship winner.

First Annual Networking Night at the Carnival

NTA Members - Mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 23, 2004 for the largest networking event the Greater Cleveland communications community has ever seen! NOCA – Northeast Ohio Communication Affiliates, which is comprised of 17 professional communications organizations – will be hosting Networking Night at the Carnival at the Tower City Amphitheater on the east bank of the Cuyahoga River, across from Jacobs Field.

WFYI Names New Vice President of Audio Services and Station Manager

Richard Miles, an accomplished member of the central Indiana public broadcasting community for nearly two decades, has been selected to serve as WFYI’s new Vice President of Audio Services and Station Manager for WFYI Public Radio 90.1 FM (Indianapolis’ NPR affiliate).

“Richard brings a tremendous skill set to this position,” said Lloyd Wright, president and CEO of the WFYI TelePlex. “His strong background in public broadcasting, will allow us to identify new ways in which WFYI can integrate its radio and TV services in an effort to better serve the central Indiana community.”

In his new role, Miles will oversee all operations for WFYI Public Radio and Indiana Reading and Information Services (IRIS) - a statewide service that provides Indiana’s print impaired citizens with free around-the-clock readings of their daily paper, via a touch-tone phone.

Most recently, Miles served as program manager for the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunications Service (IHETS). In this capacity he was responsible for creating a program schedule for IHETS’ new lifelong learning service, IDEAS! The service airs as part of WFYI Public Television’s overnight schedule and can be seen 24/7 on WFYI Digital Channel 20.3.

Since 1999, Miles has held the position of program director for both WFYI Public Television (PBS) and WTBU - Butler University’s Public Television Station. He also played a key role in helping implement a 1999 groundbreaking joint operations agreement between WFYI and WTBU.

Miles was associated with Butler University’s Telecommunication Arts Department for more than a decade. From 1993 - 99, he served as general manager and program director for WTBU Public Television. Prior to that, he was program director for WAJC Public Radio and served for five years as an instructor and academic advisor in Butler’s Telecommunications Arts Department.

A graduate of Butler University, Miles holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Radio-TV. He currently serves on the board of the National Educational Telecommunications Association, and is a member of the Broadcast Education Association.

In Memorium - Neal Van Ells, 79

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Alana Baranick pays tribute to one of the best known Cleveland station managers - Neal Van Ells - who passed away April 20.

WFYI Public Television Produces Indiana’s First Live Datacast

Through the wonders of today’s emerging digital technology, WFYI Public Television can link Indiana’s classroom computers with real-time interactive fieldtrips that will redefine the way our children learn in the future. In an age when television audiences are just getting acquainted with high definition television pictures and the concept of multicast broadcast channels, WFYI Public Television is exploring new ways in which this digital technology can be harnessed to enhance Indiana’s classroom experience.

On March 25, WFYI Public Television, through a unique collaboration with Triveni Digital and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, presented Indiana’s first LIVE datacasting demonstration to an audience of public broadcasting leaders from throughout the nation. The event was part of the 6th annual Video Development Initiative/South East University Research Association Technology Conference at the IUPUI University Conference Center. The Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System and Harris Corporation lent their technical resources to the project.

Audience members watched enthusiastically as Rick Crosslin, School Liaison for Science Learning at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, hosted a live interactive preview of the museum’s Dinosphere exhibit. Originating in real-time from the museum, Crosslin’s presentation was relayed to the IUPUI Conference Center auditorium via a laptop computer. By utilizing the additional bandwidth that HDTV affords broadcasters, WFYI is able to datacast or narrowcast a live stream of data (video presentations, graphics, lesson plans and interactive activities) directly to any classroom computer, home PC or wireless laptop in real-time while simultaneously maintaining its digital broadcast signal to the central Indiana community. The recipient needs only an inexpensive datacasting receiver and antennae.

“By exploring new aspects of digital technology, WFYI Public Television can transform classroom computers into gateways for real-time educational adventures,” said Lloyd Wright, President and CEO of the WFYI TelePlex. “Datacasting will engage children in the learning process and challenge them to chart their own course of discovery.”

Datacasting allows each computer user to customize their learning experience by affording them the opportunity to select from an array of computer-based activities that can be used in concert with a particular unit of study. As part of the discovery process, students can choose from a series of online video presentations, interactive exercises or link to related Web resources. Teachers will no longer be confined to traditional lesson plans, instead integrating real-time datacasting events into their classroom studies.

“WFYI Public Television and the state of Indiana will be joining the ranks of many other public television stations nationwide in providing data delivery as a service to their communities. Wireless PCs are the rage - broadcasters have been wireless from their inception. Now that many TV stations are broadcasting in digital ones and zeros, moving content to targeted PCs via the station airwaves is happening now,” said Mark Rushton, Regional Manager, Triveni Digital. “We see this service enhancing the leaning experience for children and professionals nationwide.”

WFYI Public Television connects central Indiana citizens with educational programming of the highest caliber, in a commercial-free environment. For more information on WFYI’s programming and educational services, visit wfyi.org.

Cox Communications and MTV name Leah Haslage Choose Or Lose News Correspondent for Cleveland

Cox Communications and MTV have selected Leah Haslage as the grand prize winner from the Cleveland area for the Cox/MTV News Correspondent Search Contest, as part of MTV’s “Choose or Lose: 20 Million Loud” voter mobilization campaign.

“Cox is excited to have a local MTV news correspondent to represent the youth in Cleveland during the presidential campaign process,” said Kevin Haynes vice-president and general manager of Cox Communications Cleveland. “Leah will ensure that the voices of young people in Cleveland are heard.”

Haslage will travel to New York City later this month for training with the MTV News team in preparation for covering the 2004 election for the youth in Cleveland. Auditions were held at Parmatown Mall in February and more than 30 prospective correspondents auditioned to show Cox and MTV why they would be the perfect election correspondent.

Cox selected ten local finalists from the Cleveland area, and then collaborated with MTV to choose Haslage as the grand prize winner. Haslage, of Parma Heights, is 21 years old and is a full-time student at TRI-C West. She is studying theatre and communications, and hopes to pursue a career in entertainment.

“I’m excited about having the opportunity to report on local politics. My goal is to encourage others my age to get out and vote. They need to know their vote matters,” said Haslage. “Thanks to Cox and MTV, I have an opportunity to educate youth on the benefits of getting involved in government,” she added.

Throughout 2004, Haslage will have the opportunity to create her own written and video news pieces related to voting and the upcoming presidential campaign for possible use on media including COX45, cox.net/cleveland, MTV and MTV.com.

To view a video clip of Haslage’s winning audition, please click on the link: http://www.cox.com/cleveland/media/winner.wmv

About Cox Communications
Cox Communications (NYSE: COX), a Fortune 500 company, is a multi-service broadband communications company with approximately 6.6 million total customers, including 6.3 million basic cable subscribers. The nation’s fourth-largest cable television provider, Cox offers both analog cable television under the Cox Cable brand as well as advanced digital video service under the Cox Digital Cable brand. Cox provides an array of other communications and entertainment services, including residential Cox High Speed Internet, Cox High Definition Service, Cox Digital Video Recorder (DVR) service, and commercial video and data services via Cox Business Services.
Focused on exceptional customer service, Cox Communications Cleveland operates in the cities of Broadview Heights, Brooklyn Heights, Fairview Park, Lakewood, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township, Parma, Parma Heights, Rocky River and Seven Hills. For more information about Cox Communications Cleveland please visit www.cox.com/cleveland.

About MTV’s “Choose or Lose”
Originally launched in 1992, “Choose or Lose” is MTV’s comprehensive pro-social campaign to inform young adults about the political process, voice their most urgent political concerns, compel leading Presidential candidates to address those concerns, and mobilize massive numbers of young adults aged 18-30 to register and vote. In 2004, MTV’s “Choose or Lose” on-air and off-air programming will include regular news segments, issue-based specials, candidate interviews, primary and convention coverage and grass-roots events, and will culminate with an election night wrap-up. 20 Million LOUD! is a national campaign of hundreds of organizations, including MTV, that aims to mobilize more than 20 million young adults age 18 to 30 to vote and be a deciding factor in the 2004 presidential election. Throughout the year, 20 Million LOUD! partners will conduct a series of high-profile, high-impact events on television, online and in communities across the country.

MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV2, mtvU, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, and Spike TV, as well as The Digital Suite from MTV Networks, a package of thirteen digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.

NewsChannel 5 Recognized for Excellence In Electronic Journalism

The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) recently announced WEWS had won two prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow awards for excellence in electronic journalism. NewsChannel 5 won First Place for both “Best Newscast: Live On Five” and “Spot News Coverage: Cleveland Blackout”. WEWS was also recognized by the National Headliner Awards and won Third Place for its Blackout Special “Power Crisis”.

“It’s an honor, but not a surprise, to have our work recognized in this way,” said WEWS News Director, Lynn Heider, “We are in good company. I see some of the nation’s best stations represented on these lists. We thank our viewers for demanding the best from us.”

RTNDA received 2,680 regional large market entries and gave 517 awards to stations in 13 categories ranging from overall excellence to spot news coverage and investigative reporting. It is rare for a station to win two First Place Edward R. Murrow Awards. “What an outstanding accomplishment,” says WEWS Vice President & General Manager Ric Harris, “This type of recognition validates the importance of our On Your Side journalism and the positive impact that NewsChannel 5 has in this community.”

RTNDA has been honoring outstanding achievement in electronic journalism with the Murrow Awards since 1971. Regional winners automatically become eligible for the national awards competition, which will be judged in early June. The National Headliner Awards program, founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry.

WEWS NewsChannel 5 is owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company, which operates 20 daily newspapers; 10 broadcast television stations; four TV networks, Home & Garden Television, Food Network, Fine Living, Do It Yourself; and a TV programmer, Scripps Productions. The company also operates United Media, a worldwide syndicator and licensor of news features and comics, and the Scripps Howard News Service. Scripps operates 31 revenue-producing Web sites, including hgtv.com, foodtv.com, diynet.com and comics.com.