Camera
April 2006
ff
www.emmysf.tv
EMMY® NOMINA
NOMINATION TION P ARTIES
PARTIES
Thursda
sdayy, April 20th
Thursda
AFFILIATION
AFFILIA
San Francisco
Hunan Restaurant
924 Sansome St.
Sacramento
River City Brewing Company
545 Downtown Plaza
San Jose
Tied House
65 N. San Pedro St.
Fresno
Campagnia Restaurant
1185 East Champlain Dr.
Reno
Peppermill Casino
Fireside Lounge
2707 South Virginia Street
APPLE COMPUTER TO BE HONORED AT THE EMMYS®
Apple Bartlett McConnell
Apple Computer Company will
receive special recognition at this
year’s Emmy® show.
The Cupertino-based company,
celebrating its 30th anniversary, will
be honored for its major technologi-
cal advances, including the iPod,
iTunes, QuickTime and Final Cut Pro.
NATAS officials said the recogni-
tion fits in with the Emmy® 2006
show’s theme of “breaking new
ground.”
“We all knew it had to happen
someday, when computers and
television would finally converge,”
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
San Francisco/Northern California Chapter
LANDS
LANDS
TION
Come join the party in
San Francisco, Sacramento,
San Jose, Fresno or Reno.
THURSDAY, APRIL 20th
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. FREE
refreshments, No Host Bar.
The 35th Annual Northern
California Area Emmy®
Award Nominations will be
read at 7:30 p.m.
All nominees will receive
a Nomination Certificate,
suitable for framing.
We hope you will be able to make
one of the parties, the nominations
will not be posted on our website
until the following day.
On Friday, April 21st the complete
list of nominations will be posted at
www.emmysf.tv
Cannon Cannon Tenenbaum Kornbluth
said Stewart Heller, chairman of
the chapter’s Emmy® Committee.
“Thanks to the genius of the people
at Apple Computer and to the
creativity of a new generation of
television visionaries, that time is
apparently now.”
“Apple offers unique hardware
and software solutions to the indus-
try,” added Keith Sanders, Emmy®
show producer. “iPods using iTunes
are showing us the future of broad-
casting. G5s loaded with Final Cut
Pro have become the new industry
standard NLE platform. Apple has
Off Camera, April 2006, page 1
Can 9pm News Surviv
News Survivee
By Bob Goldberger
Four years after severing its
partnership with NBC and going
independent, KRON 4 in San Fran-
cisco is about to become a network
affiliate again — sort of. KRON
signed a contract with upstart
MyNetworkTV, a new division of
Fox Television Stations, Inc., that is
producing two hours of Latin Ameri-
can-style prime-time soap operas
Monday through Friday, with high-
lights-from-the-week shows on
Saturday. One of its biggest selling
points is the cost of the soaps—
nothing. MyNetworkTV provides 12
hours of programming per week, free
of charge. The network and local
affiliates divide up the commercial
continued on page 3
Sbrocco Hahn
truly broken new ground with these
achievements.”
An Apple executive is scheduled
to attend the Emmy® show to pick
up the award. The Emmy® 2006
show will be held Saturday, May 20,
at the Palace of Fine Arts in San
Francisco. Nominations will be
announced at locations throughout
the chapter on Thursday, April 20.
Meanwhile, more presenters have
been announced for the show.
Joel Bartlett and Joel
McConnell will represent ABC7 in
San Francisco.
continued on page 2
EMMY® PRESENTER
PRESENTERSS BOARD A
BOARD WARDS TEN
AW
MID-CAREER GRANT
MID-CAREER GRANTSS
After years of drought, there is a downpour of mid-
career grants for the NATAS Northern California chapter.
This year, the board received applications from 10
chapter members for the $500 annual grants.
Smith DaMonte LaCosse Lowry At their March meeting, the governors voted to raise
continued from page 1 the program expenditures from $2,000 to $5,000 this
year and award all 10 grant applications.
Brent Cannon and Laura Garcia-Cannon will take
“I’m ecstatic there was so much interest in the mid-
the stage on behalf of NBC-11 in San Jose.
career grant program this year,” said chapter president
Henry Tenenbaum of KRON will also announce
David Mills. “I’m also pleased we were able to fund all
some Emmy recipients.
the applicants. This is the type of expenditure we can
Josh Kornbluth and Leslie Sbrocco will carry the
afford when we have as many members and as many
KQED flag.
Emmy® entries as we did this year.”
Randy Hahn, the San Jose Sharks announcer from
The mid-career grant recipients include two from San
Fox Sports Bay Area, will help hand out some Emmy®
Francisco, one from Sacramento, five from Fresno, one
statues.
from Monterey and one from Redding. They are:
Jennifer Smith of KXTV in Sacramento and Wendy
San Francisco
Damonte of KTVN in Reno have also been tapped.
Maria Leticia-Gomez of KDTV for a BAVC Avid
And our longtime announcers Fred LaCosse and
editing class
Terry Lowry will be on hand.
Eric Wise of KBWB for a BAVC after-effects editing
They join the list of presenters announced last
class
month. Those are Rita Williams and Lloyd LaCuesta
Sacramento
of KTVU in Oakland; Jeanette Pavini of KPIX in San
Suzanne Phan of KCRA for an AAJA executive
Francisco; Dan Adams of KXTV in Sacramento; Jenni-
leadership seminar
fer Brice of KSEE in Fresno; Monty Torres of KMPH in
Fresno
Fresno; Joe Hart and Sarah Johns of KRNV in Reno;
Jeffrey Cook of KGPE for an NPPA TV storytelling
Esmerelda Montenegro of KSMS in Monterey; Melissa
seminar
Cabral of KSHL in Chico; and Patranya Bhoolsuwan of
Christine Park of KFSN for a class at Cal State
KRCR in Redding.
Fresno
This year, a record number 829 Emmy® entries were
Luis Ramentas of KFSN for one-on-one voice
submitted in more than 60 categories.
training lessons

CONCERT DEBUT WRAPS Faith Sidlow Sores of KFSN for a class at Cal State
Fresno
Matt Skryja of KSEE for a Spanish class
IN LONDON, P
LONDON, ARIS
PARIS Monterey
Esmeralda Montenegro of KSMS for the NAHJ
2006 convention
Redding
Lily Jamali of KRCR for an NPPA TV news video
seminar
The program is set up where one $500 grant is
awarded in four different geographic areas. In recent
years, not all the grants were awarded because of a lack
of applicants.
The money is given to chapter members who are
seeking to further their TV careers by taking classes or
seminars, attending conventions or utilizing other avail-
Pictured in photo L to R: Pianist David Harper, Exec. Prod. Judy able opportunities.
Flannery, Baritone Vladimir Chernov, Soprano Anna Caterina The grants are approved by the Board of Governors.
Antonacci, Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and Prod. Mgr.
Alison Gibson.
Principal shooting for Viardot and Friends wrapped
early March at the historic Chatelet Theatre in Paris after
its European premier in London. On hand was a capacity
crowd from France, England, Russia and the Americas.
Prima Donna Productions of Marin County created
the program for later inclusion in a documentary on the
life and times of Pauline Viardot, a 19th c. diva who was
the toast of Europe’s best opera houses. She was also a
significant composer and muse of Turgenev and the
great composers, Berlioz, Chopin, Meyerbeer, Saint- JOB BANK at www.emmysf.tv
Saens, among others.
Off Camera, April 2006, page 2
 NEW AFFILIATION F
AFFILIATION OR KR
FOR ON 4
KRON
continued from page 1 Photos by Robert Mohr © 2006
spots, with the percent-
age for each apparently
negotiated individually
with each station.
“We think it’s a good
product. We trust Fox,
the parent network, is
committed to making it
work,” says KRON
general manager Mark
Antonitis. “We saw an
opportunity there, and in a large market like this, frankly,
this is free programming, so it’s immediately profitable.
But that wasn’t our main reason for working out this
deal. The main reason is, we felt this is an outstanding
opportunity with a successful company, and worth the
sacrifices.”
The biggest sacrifice appears to be KRON’s successful
9:00pm newscast. KRON has yet to announce the time
period it will air its two English language “telenovelas,”
Desire and Secrets, when the shows debut September
4. But MyNetworkTV is on record stating all of its con-
tracts require stations to air the shows in primetime,
which would appear to lock KRON into a two-hour win-
dow between 8:00-11:00pm. Neither option, 8:00-
10:00 nor 9:00-11:00, leaves room for a 9:00pm news-
cast. Antonitis will only say, “We’re aware there’s poten-
tial conflict there. We were aware of that when we
signed the contract, but we’re evaluating the situation
and have not made any final decision at this time. I’ve
promised the staff I’ll tell them what we’re going to do
before I announce anything publicly, so there’s not much
more I can say right now.”
Regardless of how the primetime situation shakes
out, though, Antonitis says KRON will continue to be
identified primarily as a news station. “The reason we
got their (MyNetworkTV) attention is because of our
success with news. That’s what makes us a high profile
station.” He says that’s what makes the 9:00 newscast
CBS 5/K CBS RADIO M
5/KCBS OVING INT
MO O
INTO
HIGH-PROFILE BUREAU IN S
HIGH-PROFILE AN JOSE
SAN
The spacious office on the ground floor
of the Knight Ridder building in downtown
San Jose once occupied by KRON-TV will
soon be home to KPIX-TV and KCBS
radio. The stations jointly announced
they’re leasing 3,500 square feet of studio
and office space in the building, with
move-in scheduled for sometime in May.
“It’s a combination of more room and
visibility,” says director of communications
Akilah Monifa. “We can actually do live
broadcasts from there because we will
have a new studio space, not just an
office building with a few linkups.”
CBS 5 reporters Thuy Vu, Tony
Russomanno and Len Ramirez will work
in the new office when it opens. The KCBS
Off Camera, April 2006, page 3
such a tough dilemma. “Any time you look at moving out
a successful franchise, you do it carefully.”
The question hanging over the KRON newsroom now
seems to be, not “will the 9:00 news survive?” but
rather, “will there be another round of lay-offs when they
get word the newscast is gone?” Antonitis says, not
necessarily. “We’re going to continue to do a great deal
of news here. I wouldn’t automatically assume there will
be cutbacks.” He says previous staff reductions may
have been enough. “We’ve drawn down the organization
to fight another day. This is the other day,” says
Antonitis. “We have a strong staff. It’s lean, and there’s
been no negative impact in our ratings. We have great
people who are putting on a great product. The VJ
(Video Journalist) system is working. I’m never going to
say never, but don’t assume we’re going to have cut-
backs just because we’ll have to make adjustments in
news.”
Antonitis cites the continuing success of the KRON
morning news as an example of how adjustments are
working. He says, “We’re actually up in the morning the
past two months, since we started focusing more on
traffic and weather, particularly among younger males.
We’re trying to develop a show about what is happening
today, right now, instead of what happened last night.”
He admits, record-setting rain throughout February and
March played right into their new strategy, but says he’s
not concerned about numbers falling in the summer,
when there’s typically very little weather to report. “We’ll
add a bit more news, of course, but people still want to
see lots of weather and traffic. They’re still interested in
those two things in summer. They want to know when
the fog comes in. Even though they’re aware of what the
season brings, they still want to know about it every
day.”
So Antonitis says, the only things for sure at KRON
right now are that Dr. Phil and Sex & The City will remain
on their air, somewhere; the new primetime soaps Desire
and Secrets will debut sometime around Labor Day; and
KRON will continue producing a lot of news during the
hours in-between.
staff will include reporters Matt Bigler
and Mike Colgan.
The two CBS-owned stations report-
edly signed a 10-year lease, and plan
to sink more than half a million dollars
into the facility for generators and
other electronic build-out, to insure the
stations can broadcast from that facility
during long power outages, such as
during a major earthquake.
The building will likely change its
name shortly after KPIX and KCBS
move in, however. The Knight Ridder
chain was recently sold, and the new
owners plan to sell off the Mercury
News and pull the corporate offices out
of San Jose.
 KRON ACCELERATES HD PRODUCTION
By Keith Sanders
Last year change was visited upon
KRON. Almost everyone in the
newsroom was required to become a
video-journalist. These VJs were
expected to shoot, report and edit
their own stories. The radical new
workflow was controversial, but it
positioned KRON to migrate its news
broadcasts to HD in the future.
“I’m not an engineer, I’m a
money guy” says Swanson. His
engineering team simply assembled
their own non-linear editors from
scratch. They started with five off the
shelf computers right out of the box,
loaded Canopus Edius NLE software,
added some serious RAM, an HD
video card, and lots of high-capacity
Each VJ was issued a Sony HVR- firewire drives. “Each HD edit station
Z1, an HDV capable mini-DV cost no more than $6,000,” Swanson
camcorder (KRON bought 40, the said, “it gives us most of the post-
largest single purchase in the coun- production firepower of an Avid HD
try). This camcorder records stan- workstation with five times the
dard definition mini-DV. But with a capacity.”
flip of the switch, it can also record While the HD edit stations were
high definition HDV. There’s no being assembled, KRON purchased 3
official timetable for beginning HD Panasonic AG-HVX200 DVC Pro HD
newscasts, but the Z1s give the camcorders that store content on a
newsroom a seamless way to mi- pair of 4-gigabyte P2 Flash cards. In
grate from SD to HD. the future, HD footage from the P2
Flash cards will be imported into the
NLE. No digitizing required. After
each HD show is edited and ap-
proved, it’s “printed to file” on a La
Cie portable hard drive, and sneaker-
netted to a video server for play-
back.
As a result of new job descrip-
tions, new workflows and new
technologies, KRON is the new Bay
Changes were made in local show Area leader in local HD production.
production. Executive Producer Jim KRON’s high-definition shows can be
Swanson created the new HD seen over the air (with an HD re-
paradigm. “By the end of the year, ceiver) on Channel 4.2 (UHF 57),
the goal is to have 80 locally pro- and on Comcast cable channel 704.
duced shows in high definition
television” he says. “Bay Area Back
Roads, Henry’s Garden, Bay Café
and half a dozen documentaries will Keith Sanders,
be produced in HD without expensive is the NATAS vice
president for San
HD cameras and high-priced high-
Jose and a video
definition edit suites. We’re talking producer for San
about HD production on a mini-DV Jose State Univer-
budget.” So how’s it possible? sity.
In addition to
being our technology
chair he also pro-
duces the Emmy®
Send your news items to: show.
offcamera@emmysf.tv Send your
technology stories to
Keith.Sanders@sjsu.edu

Off Camera, April 2006, page 4

 GROUNDBREAKING
GROUNDBREAKING
TV JOURNALIS
JOURNALISTT
PASSES AWAY
AW
Before Connie Chung, before Lisa Ling, there was
Sam Chu Lin. Not just before, but also, during. Sam
Chu Lin began reporting for radio and television forty
years ago, and was still working hard in the industry
when he died in March, at the age of 67.
Chu Lin helped break the race barrier at the networks
when he joined CBS news in the 1970s, becoming one of
the first Asian American reporters on-air with any net-
work news department. He was working for KTTV-TV
Channel 11 in Los Angeles, when he became ill at the
Bob Hope Airport in Burbank after flying in from Phoenix,
and died a short time later at the hospital.
As a child growing up in segregated Greenville, Miss.,
Chu Lin listened to radio reports from around the world
and resolved to be a witness to history. He was. Chu Lin
announced the fall of Saigon in 1975 from the CBS News
desk in New York, and was in Beijing for the 1989
Tiananmen Square uprising.
Chu Lin came to California as a reporter in the 1960s,
working for KTLA-TV Channel 5 and KFWB-AM (980)
radio in Los Angeles, and KRON-TV in the Bay Area.
Since 1995, he had commuted to L.A. from his home in
Sunnyvale to work for KTTV-TV. Chu Lin also wrote on
Asian American affairs for AsianWeek and the San
Francisco Examiner, among other publications, and
contributed to the nationally broadcast radio program
“Pacific Time,” produced by the National Public Radio
affiliate in San Francisco.
Chu Lin is survived by his wife, Judy, and sons Mark
and Christopher.
Off Camera, April 2006, page 5
VETERAN NOR CAL
NORC M
PHOTOGRAPHER
PHOT
KILLED IN RANDOM
SHOO TING SPREE
SHOOTING
Photojournalist JON JOHNSON
Jon and Karen Johnson stopped off at a restaurant
in Elk Grove for a bite to eat Saturday night, March 25,
on their way to meet friends in the Bay Area, when a
deranged gunman ended Jon’s life, and changed Karen’s
and their children’s forever.
Karen Johnson told KXTV-TV she and Jon hadn’t seen
each other for four days because of their work schedules.
As they left Mandango’s Sports Bar and Grill, Jon helped
Karen into the passenger seat and walked around to the
driver’s side. Before he could open the door, a man
walked up and shoved a 12-gauge shotgun in his face
and pulled the trigger.
Karen says initially she ducked down inside her car,
until she heard the shot. When she saw the gunman walk
away, “I took off running, I saw him around the car, and
then I saw [Jon] on the ground, and I ran into the
restaurant screaming.”
Mandango’s workers locked everyone inside, and
Karen never saw her husband alive again.
The accused killer, 28 year old Aaron Dunn of
Marysville, is also charged with shooting at least two
other strangers that night. A Sacramento County
Sheriff’s deputy shot Dunn, but he survived and now
could face the death penalty. Police don’t have any
explanation why Dunn allegedly went on his shooting
spree, but his wife told KCRA-TV they were in the pro-
cess of divorcing, and his brother told the station Dunn
had used methamphetamines that day.
Jon Johnson worked as a news photographer for
several Sacramento and Bay Area television stations, and
also worked as an engineer at KXTV. Johnson was 46
years old and besides Karen, leaves behind four children,
and hundreds of friends and co-workers in Northern
California who will never understand this senseless
killing.
 ON THE MOVE JADE HERNANDEZ joins
KTVU in Oakland as a general
John Woodin announced assignment reporter. She leaves
today he is retiring as vice KSHB in Kansas City where she
president and general manager also was a reporter.
of Cox owned KIRO-TV, the CBS Jeff Benjamin to Account
affiliate in Seattle, WA. He will be Executive, New Business Devel-
succeeded by Eric Lerner, opment Team, CBS 5/UPN Bay
currently general manager of Area (KPIX-TV/KBHK-TV, San
ERIC LERNER
ABC owned and operated station JADE HERNANDEZ Francisco) from Director of
KFSN in Fresno, CA. Lerner also has a long television
National Partnerships with the LPGA (Ladies Professional
news career and was formerly news director of KING-TV
Golf Association).
in Seattle in the late 1990’s. He went on to become news Taryn Winter Brill joins
director at ABC’s WLS-TV in Chicago, Illinois before KMAX-TV / KOVR-TV in Sacra-
moving to Fresno in 2001. Lerner will move into his new mento as weekend anchor and
position on April 24, 2006. reporter. Taryn was previously a
KTXL FOX40, Sacramento has named Greg host/reporter At AOL Moviefone
Saunders creative services director, effective April 10, and AOL RED, as well as a
2006. Saunders will be responsible for overseeing the reporter at Reel Hollywood in Los
stations’ marketing and promotion efforts. Saunders TARYN WINTER BRILL Angeles.
joins KTXL FOX40 from KSWB/San Diego where he
Another new anchor has been hired at Channel 31's
serves as on-air creative services manager. His diverse
“Good Day Sacramento” to fill the slot left by Abbott
background includes experience with news and enter-
Dutton, whose contract was not renewed two weeks
tainment marketing and production. Prior to KSWB, Greg
ago. Julissa Ortiz, an anchor and reporter at KCOY in
served as promotion director at KPHO/Phoenix and
Santa Maria, will likely anchor the 5 a.m. hour of “Good
creative services director at KGO/San Francisco. He
Day” with Nick Toma. A Sacramento native, Ortiz might
began his career in radio, then moved up the ranks in
also anchor the 9 a.m. hour, according to news director
television production, news directing and marketing with
Brent Baader. She started March 27.
an extended stay in the central valley.
Dan Dennison returns to Hawaii as ND for KHNL/
Jeff Benjamin to Account Executive, New Business
KFVE Raycom-owned NBC/WB duopoly. Dan previously
Development Team, CBS 5/UPN Bay Area (KPIX-TV/
served as ND of KHON in Honolulu, and most recently
KBHK-TV, San Francisco) from Director of National
has been ND of KSBY-TV in Santa Barbara, CA. Earlier in
Partnerships with the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf
his career, Dan was ND at KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs,
Association).
CO. At KHNL, he replaces Sue Levine who left the
7 station in December after 2+ years as ND there.
THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
OFFICERS:
David Mills, CBS 5, President
Lynn R Friedman, ABC 7, VP, SF
Keith Sanders, SJ State University, VP, SJ
Dan Adams, KXTV 10, VP, Sacramento
Nancy Osborne, ABC 30, VP, Fresno
Terri Russell, KOLO 8, VP, Reno
SAN FRANCSISCO
Pamela Young, KITV 4, VP, Hawaii
NORTHERN C ALIF
CALIF ORNIA
ALIFORNIA
Janice Edwards, NBC 11, Secretary 4317 Camden Avenue
Sharon Navratil, KTVU 2, Treasurer San Mateo, CA 94403
NATIONAL TRUSTEES: (650) 341-7786
Linda Giannecchini, KQED 9 (Museum) F: (650) 372-0279
Alison Gibson, Media Cool (Education)
Ronald Louie, KTVU 2 (Alt. Trustee)
Cynthia Zeiden, Zeiden Media (Activities)
Terry Lowry, LaCosse Productions
GOVERNORS:
Tamar Maghdissian, KHSL 12
Terri Amos, Cornerstone Prod. (Membership)
Deanne Moenster-Poitras, KTVU 2
Bob Anderson, WB20
John Murray, JM Communications
Duncan Armstrong, NBC 8
John Odell, City College San Francisco
Dan Ashley, ABC 7
Sheraz Sadiq, KQED 9
Brian Avery, Avery Media
Javier Valencia, KRON 4 (Awards)
Samuel Belilty, Univision 21
COMMITTEE CHAIRS: (not listed above)
John Burgess, KFTY 50
John Catchings, Catchings & Assoc. (Museum)
Martin Christian, KVIE 6
Darryl Cohen, Cohen & Cooper (Legal)
Thomas Drayton, Fox 40
James Spalding, Spalding & Co., (Finance)
Janice Edwards, NBC 11
Rick Zanardi, College of San Mateo (Marketing)
Deirdre Fitzpatrick, KCRA 3
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Albert Garcia, Univision 19
Darryl R. Compton, NATAS
Bob Goldberger, ABC 7
Stewart Heller, York Productions Off Camera
Valeria Hernandez, Univision 14 Bob Goldberger, Editor
Justin Kanno, KOLO 8 Darryl Compton, Publisher
Jack LiVolsi, WB20 (Marketing) Robert Mohr, Photographer
Off Camera, April 2006, page 6