The
Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the
Emmy, is a
television
production award, similar in nature to the
Peabody Awards but more focused on
entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the
Academy Awards (for
film),
Grammy Awards (for
music) and
Tony
Awards (for
stage).
They are presented in various sectors of the television industry,
including entertainment programming, news and documentary shows,
and sports programming. As such, the awards are presented in
various area-specific ceremonies held annually throughout the year.
The best
known of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring
excellence in American
primetime television programming (excluding
sports), and the Daytime Emmy
Awards, honoring excellence in American daytime
television programming.
Three related but separate organizations present the Emmy Awards:
History
The
Los
Angeles
-based Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences (ATAS) established the Emmy Awards as part
of an image-building and public
relations opportunity. The name "Emmy" was chosen as a
feminization of "immy", a nickname used for the
image orthicon tubes that were common in
early
television cameras. To
complement the name, the
statuette was
designed to depict a winged woman holding an atom, which has since
become the symbol of the TV Academy's goal of supporting and
uplifting the art and science of television: The wings represent
the muse of art; the atom the electron of science.
The
first Emmy Awards were
presented on January 25, 1949 at the
Hollywood Athletic Club, but solely
to honor shows produced and aired locally in the Los Angeles area.
Shirley Dinsdale has the
distinction of receiving the very first Emmy, for Most Outstanding
Television Personality, during that first awards ceremony.
In the 1950s, the ATAS expanded the Emmys into a national event,
presenting the awards to shows broadcast nationwide.
In 1955, the National
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) was formed in
New
York
as a sister organization to serve members on the
East Coast, and help
to also supervise the Emmys. The NATAS also established regional
chapters throughout the United States, with each one developing their own local Emmy
awards show for local programming.
Originally there was only one Emmy Awards ceremony held per year to
honor shows nationally broadcast in the United States. That changed
when the
Daytime Emmy Awards, a
separate awards show specifically just for daytime programming, was
first held in 1974. Other area-specific Emmy Awards ceremonies soon
followed. Also, the
International Emmy Awards,
honoring television programs produced and initially aired outside
the U.S., was established in the early 1970s. Meanwhile, all Emmys
awarded prior to the emergence of these separate, area-specific
ceremonies are listed along with the
Primetime Emmy Awards in the ATAS'
official records.
In 1977, due to various conflicts, the ATAS and the NATAS agreed to
split ties. However, they also agreed to share ownership of the
Emmy statue and trademark, with each responsible for administering
a specific set of award shows.
Area-specific ceremonies
The Emmys are presented in various area-specific ceremonies held
annually throughout the calendar year, with each having their own
set of nominating and voting processes. Each ceremony also has its
own set of award categories, and it is not uncommon for them to
have some of the same names (e.g.
Primetime
Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and
Daytime
Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series).
Primetime Emmys
The
Primetime Emmys are
presented in recognition of excellence in American
primetime television programming. Ceremonies
generally are held in mid-September, on the Sunday before the
official start of the fall television season, and are currently
broadcast in rotation among the
ABC,
CBS,
NBC, and
Fox networks.
Some award categories presented to behind-the-scenes personnel such
as
art directors,
costume designers,
cinematographers,
casting directors, and
sound editors are awarded at a separate
Creative Arts Emmys
ceremony held a few days earlier.
Daytime Emmys
The
Daytime Emmy Awards,
generally are held in June, are presented in recognition of
excellence in American daytime television programming. The first
daytime-themed Emmy Awards were given out at the primetime ceremony
in 1972, but the first separate awards show made just for daytime
programming was not held until 1974.
Like the Primetime Emmys, a separate Creative Arts Emmy ceremony is
also held a few days earlier to honor the behind-the-scenes
personnel working in daytime television.
Sports Emmys
The
Sports Emmy Awards are
presented for excellence in sports programming.
The awards ceremony
takes place every Spring, usually sometime in the last two weeks in
April or the first week in May, and is held on a Monday night in
New York
City
.
Technology and Engineering Emmys
Technology &
Engineering Emmy Awards are presented to individuals,
companies, or to scientific or technical organizations in
recognition for their significant developments and contributions to
the technological and engineering aspects of television.
Regional Emmys
There are 20 total regional chapters located across the United
States that conduct regional awards to recognize excellence in all
the regional
television markets,
including
local news programs and other
locally-produced shows. Nineteen of them are chapters of the
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, while the Los
Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences acts as the
regional chapter serving the Los Angeles area. The Regional Emmy
Award is 11.5 inches (29 cm) tall with a base diameter of
5.5 inches (14 cm) and weight of 48 oz (1.4 kg), as
opposed to the Prime Time Emmy, which stands tall with a base
diameter of and weight of 88 oz (2.5 kg).
| Regional chapter |
States in region |
| Boston / New England |
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont;
Most of Connecticut |
| Chicago / Midwest |
Parts of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin |
| Heartland |
Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma; Parts of Wyoming |
| Lone Star |
Texas; Parts of New Mexico |
| Los Angeles (ATAS) |
Los Angeles only |
| Lower Great Lakes |
Parts of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania |
| Michigan |
Michigan |
| Mid-America |
Arkansas, Iowa, and Missouri; Parts of Illinois and
Louisiana |
| Mid-Atlantic |
Deleware; Most of Pennsylvania; Parts of New Jersey and
Ohio |
| Nashville / Midsouth |
North Carolina, Tennessee |
| National Capital / Chesapeake Bay |
Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. |
| New York |
New York; Parts of Connecticut and New Jersey |
| Northwest |
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington |
| Ohio Valley |
Kentucky and West Virginia; Parts of Indiana and Ohio |
| Pacific Southwest |
Most of Southern California; Parts of Nevada |
| Rocky Mountain / Southwest |
Arizona and Utah; Most of New Mexico and Wyoming; Parts of
Southern California |
| San Francisco / Northern California |
Northern California and Hawaii; Parts of Nevada |
| Southeast |
Mississippi and South Carolina; Most of Alabama and
Georgia |
| Suncoast |
Florida; Parts of Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia |
| Upper Midwest |
Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota; Parts of Nebraska and
Wisconsin
International Emmys
The International
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presents the
International Emmy Award to the best television programs produced,
and initially aired, outside the U.S. There are fourteen program
categories for the International Emmy Awards: Arts Programming;
Best Performance by an Actor; Best Performance by an Actress;
Children & Young People; Comedy; Current Affairs; Documentary;
Drama Series; Interactive Channel; Interactive Program; Interactive
TV Service; News; Non-Scripted Entertainment; Telenovela; and TV
Movie/Mini-Series.
The awards are presented at the International Emmy Awards Gala.
Held each year in November at the Hilton Hotel, New York City, the
Gala attracts over 1,200 television professionals, who gather to
celebrate excellence in television and network with their
peers.
The three
Interactive categories are awarded in a separate ceremony held
during MIPTV in Cannes .
Student Emmys
High school and college students can submit productions to their
region's charter and receive recognition in the categories of News,
Arts & Entertainment, Documentary, Public Affairs/Community
Service/Public Service, Sports, Technical Achievement and
Writing.The school or after-school program attached to the students
then receives a plaque with the name of an adult advisor and the
student film-makers. Up to one-hundred students are allowed to be
attached to an award.
From there, a "blue-ribbon" panel judges the winners from each
region and awards the National Student Television Award for
Excellence.
However, in 2009, this program was suspended at a national level
and competition went on only regionally. Per the NationalStudent.tv
website: "Partly as a result of the recent severe downturn in the
nation’s economy, corporate and personal grants and donations that
provided National Student Television (NSTV) with funds to conduct
our annual competition have not materialized. There is no money to
continue our operations."
Other Emmys
- National TV newscasts and documentaries
- Business and financial reporting
- Public Service - for public service announcements and
programming to "advance the common good"
- The Bob Hope
Humanitarian Award - awarded by the Academy Board of
Governors
- The Governors Award honors the achievements of an individual,
company or organization whose works stand out with the immediacy of
current achievement. It is the highest award presented by the
Academy.
See also
References
- BBC Learning English | Emmy awards
- Emmys For Dame Helen/The Sopranos - Reality TV |
Photos | News | Galleries
- 37th International Emmy Awards
|
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