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Paley Center Looking at Creating TV Awards Show; Emmys Challenger?

Mar 4, 2010  •  Post A Comment

The Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) has appointed a committee to explore the idea of creating an awards show , the Center has announced.

The committee will be led by Steve Mosko, president of Sony Pictures Television; Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and chief executive of the Fox Networks Group; and Dick Lippin, chairman of the Lippin Group..

Most press reports are characterizing the effort as a potenial rival to the annual awards show put on by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) that’s better known as the Emmys. Here’s a link to the account of the announcement by the Los Angeles Times’ Company Town blog. We chose it because it’s written by Joe Flint, who worked for the Paley Center for three years prior to joining the Times.

And, indeed, there is no question among industry insiders that the Paley effort is one meant to challenge the broadcast of the Emmy accolades. The Times’ piece noted that ATAS had no immediate comment about the Paley Center awards plans.

Word of the the Paley effort, led by Mosko, was first reported by Variety in December [NOTE: some articles in Variety are now behind a firewall for their subscribers.] That article noted other efforts that had been made in the past that attempted to challenge the Emmys: "In 2001, CBS joined with the American Film Institute to create an awards showcase, but the low-rated exercise lasted on TV for only a short time. Other made-for-TV awards of limited duration have included the American Television Awards and TV Guide Awards on ABC and Fox, respectively."

That article also said, "A Paley rep, meanwhile, confirmed the org is looking into producing a spesh honoring TV programs ­ — but dismissed talk that it would serve as a rival to the Emmys."

And today, Variety, in a story entitled, "Paley Center moves forward with its Emmy killer," says about Mosko and Lippin: "These are guys who know a thing or two about the TV Academy — but are no longer involved with that organization. In other words, there’s quite a bit of backstory attached to their motivations here. Mosko once headed up the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences Foundation, while the Lippin Group handled all of the TV Academy’s press — including the Emmy Awards — for more than a decade. But Lippin and ATAS parted ways in December."

Here is the complete announcement the Paley Center made about forming the committee to look at creating the show:

/New York, March 3, 2010—Steve Mosko, president of Sony Pictures Television, Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and CEO of the FOX Networks Group and Dick Lippin, chairman and chief executive of The Lippin Group have been appointed co-chairs of the newly-formed The Paley Center for Media Television Awards Planning Committee, it was announced today by Frank A. Bennack, Jr., chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Paley Center for Media. Mr. Vinciquerra serves as a co-chair of the Los Angeles Paley Center Board of Governors and as a Trustee of the Paley Center in New York. Mr. Mosko and Mr. Lippin serve on The Paley Center Los Angeles Board of Governors.

“The formation of this planning committee is to explore the opportunities that we believe exist to create an awards program or franchise of programs,” Pat Mitchell, president and CEO of The Paley Center for Media,” stated. “We are very fortunate that a portion of Mr. William S. Paley’s funding of our institution envisioned awards as a way to recognize excellence and innovation in programming and to celebrate the best in the media business. We are also fortunate to have among our Trustees and serving on the Board of Governors in Los Angeles, the top executives from broadcast, cable, advertising and digital media companies, and with their enthusiastic support, we are in an excellent position to create a new and exciting awards program.”

“The committee will be comprised of a diverse group of highly experienced industry professionals that have been involved in virtually all of the areas associated with developing and producing television awards programming,” Mr. Mosko stated. “We will look closely at what is in the best interests of our industry and the public and make our committee members an integral part of our discussion and planning.”

Mr. Vinciquerra added, “The economics of television and our industry have changed radically in the last few years. So too have the tastes of the television viewing audience. Our goal will be to marry the benefits that can accrue to our business by showcasing its content in the best ways possible while making our awards programming highly entertaining and appealing television.”

The Paley Center for Media, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, leads the discussion about the cultural, creative and social significance of television, radio and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public.# 

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