GMST--Hollywood Community Channels Support Toward Third Annual 'TV Guide Awards'
Participation by Top Executives & Producers, Tighter Competition, Expanded Categories to Distinguish Forthcoming Special To Be Taped February 24 & Air March 7th
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- While verifying its role as ``the ultimate fans' show,'' the third annual ``TV Guide Awards'' will also demonstrate its ever-increasing support by the Hollywood community when it takes the stage at L.A.'s Shrine Expo Center on February 24, 2001, airing Wednesday, March 7th on FOX. The production design and demographic appeal of the show is also likely to be influenced by first-time executive producer Bob Bain, who has brought a vibrant approach to such televised specials as ``The Teen Choice Awards'' and ``The Billboard Awards.''
Reaching out to those whose business is television, the ``TV Guide Awards'' began the process this year by soliciting the opinions of 115 top executives and producers from broadcast and cable networks, studios and production companies. This expert panel -- the breadth of which testifies to TV Guide's ongoing coverage of broadcast, cable and syndicated programming -- received open nomination forms in early November and helped to tighten competition within each category by holding the first round of nominees to a dozen.
Members of this panel, and hundreds of other entertainment professionals, are expected to attend the February 24 awards show, which has been moved to the spacious Shrine Expo Center and will be further distinguished by a pre-show dinner and table seating.
``It's wonderful that Hollywood is getting behind the 'TV Guide Awards' and we are thrilled by the response so far,'' stated Janice Kaplan, executive producer of TV Guide Television. ``The upcoming show is shaping up to be our best ever and it will be in no small part due to the overwhelming support received from the entertainment community.''
A greater number of categories, which will be revealed when TV Guide publishes its ``TV Guide Awards'' ballot in its January 6 and January 13 issues will augment tighter competition in each field. Last year nearly 1.6 million people returned ballots, a number expected to grow to 2 million this year by allowing complete voting online, confirming the ``TV Guide Awards'' as the largest fan-based awards show. The ``TV Guide Awards'' balloting process distinguishes it from other shows such as the poll-based ``People's Choice Awards.''
``Our audience is very passionate about television and this is their one chance to be heard, so we don't want to rely on polls,'' says Kaplan. ``Our process is costly, but we want to ensure that every vote is counted.'' Lest anyone think their vote may fall victim to a hanging chad -- she explains that votes marked next to each nominee's name are read by high-speed scanning machines. ``It's a very exciting process. Any prediction of a winner can literally change from day to day.''
The third annual ``TV Guide Awards'' will be executive produced by Bob Bain, a veteran producer of television programming. As vice president in charge of specials at Fox, he acquired or produced over 100 specials including three ``Emmy Awards'' and four ``Billboard Music Awards.'' Subsequently, as an independent producer, he has guided the success of such awards shows as ``The Billboard Music Awards,'' ``The Essence Awards,'' ``The Billboard Latin Awards'' and ``The Teen Choice Awards,'' as well as specials for Britney Spears and *NSYNC.
Kaplan anticipates that while Bain will infuse the ``TV Guide Awards'' with a sensibility appealing to younger audiences, including the first-ever staging of musical acts during the show, he will also bring a high-tech approach to the production. ``This goes hand-in-hand with the growth of the TV Guide brand to include on screen and digital cable interactive program guides, a robust website and eBook technology. You'll see this reflected in this year's production.''
For the third consecutive year, the presenting sponsor of the TV Guide Awards will be Excedrin®, The Headache Medicine(TM). Excedrin's sponsorship package incorporates all five TV Guide media properties -- TV Guide Interactive(SM), GUIDE Plus+ Gold®, TV Guide® magazine, TV Guide Channel(SM) and TV Guide Online(SM).
About Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc.
Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMST - news), a leading global technology and media company focused on consumer entertainment, was formed on July 12, 2000 by the merger of Gemstar International Group Limited and TV Guide, Inc. The Company has four major business sectors: the Technology and Licensing Sector, which is responsible for the development, licensing and protection of intellectual property and technology; the Company's technology includes the VCR Plus+® system, the interactive program guide (``IPG'') marketed under the GUIDE Plus+® and TV Guide Interactive(SM) brands and the electronic book (``eBook''); the Interactive Platform Sector, which owns, operates and derives recurring income from advertising, interactive services, content sales and e-commerce on the Company's proprietary IPG and eBook platforms; and the Media and Services Sector, which operates the TV Guide® magazines, TV Guide Channel(SM), and other television media properties, as well as a media sales group that services all of the Company's media platforms; and the Investments & Holdings Sector, which operates a variety of businesses including the startup Television Games Network. The Company's media properties reach over 100 million U.S. homes on a weekly basis. The Company's products and services are available in over 50 countries worldwide.
The Company's services, technology and intellectual property are licensed to major technology, media and communication companies in the consumer electronics, internet, personal computer, satellite, cable television and telco industries. Licensees and customers include AOL, AT&T, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, Dish Network, Matsushita, Microsoft, Philips, Sony, Time Warner, Thomson multimedia, Zenith and others. The Company has over 140 issued U.S. patents in the general area of audio-visual technologies with more than 3000 claims, over 150 issued foreign patents, and continues to actively pursue a worldwide intellectual property program and currently has over 400 U.S. patent and over 600 foreign patent applications pending with over 5,000 claims.
SOURCE: TV Guide Group |
