Television is such a bounteous part of our lives . Almost every plate in the United States ( more than 99 million of them ) has a television , and Americans , on mean , catch about three hours of television a day . We sometimes design our lives around our favorite shows . The popularity ofTVhas spawned ethnical shifts as well as some dandy technology , such asVCRs , cableandsatellite television , andhigh - definition telecasting .

Our love of competition finds an outlet in television , as well . We find it exciting to determine shows in which we do n’t know the outcome . When the Emmy Awards are herald , millions of multitude air in to see how their favorite shows fare . A winnings can boost an actor ’s career or make a show ’s ratings to skyrocket . Sometimes , an Emmy laurels can give a low - betray but well - made show a whole newfangled lease on life . Back in the 1980s , NBC ’s " Hill Street Blues , " a police play series that was critically acclaimed but had n’t pull a wide audience , win Emmys for acting , writing and best dramatic serial . The show was saved from cancellation .

But just how do the Emmys piece of work ? Who nominates shows and performers , and who votes on those nomination ? In this article , we ’ll take a look at the Emmys and explain what goes on before the envelopes are open live on stage during the Emmy Award program .

Article image

­

Who Awards the Emmys?

TheAcademy of Television Arts and Sciences(ATAS ) , headquarter in Los Angeles , consecrate out the Emmy awards for select meter program . TheNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences(NATAS ) , based in New York City , treat the awards for daytime shows and for news and documentary programme . When you hear tv award succeeder say , " I ’d care to thank the honorary society , " they are referring to either the ATAS or the NATAS .

We ’ll focalise here on the premier time award . Members of the ATAS , which was founded in 1946 , work in the television diligence . These are the people whovoteon the awards . They pay a fee to be a phallus of the academy . The members are divide intopeer grouping , determined by specific areas of expertise within the industriousness . For example , performer are in one peer group , makeup artists and hair stylists are in another , and camera and videotape operator are in another . Nominees sometimes say that they are respect to be recognise by their peers ; this is because it is the peer groups that vote in the first part of the Emmy ballot process , narrowing the list of nominees .

The academy has an Awards Committee that handles the Emmys every year . The awards for prime prison term political program are presented in August or September , and to be eligible , shows had to be air on program or cable video during prime clock time ( 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. ) between June1 and May 31 . Also , they had to be seen in market place representing at least 51 percentage of the boob tube watcher in the United States . People who worked on eligible show can nominate themselves for honor . Teams of multitude can enter in more than one category as long as each entry is for a different programme . The fledgling have to pay a fee , the amount of which is based on whether the nomination is commercial-grade , individual or for a program , and the sizing of the squad for team unveiling . Entrants can send orfaxin their entries .

tv producer often advertize in the trade press before the Emmy nominating speech are turn in , trying to get elector to detect their shows . And , of course , after the nomination are foretell , more advert go out as the producers push their show ' nomination .

The Emmy award ' categories tally roughly to the peer chemical group and admit specialties like : aliveness , artistic production direction , molding , choreography , cinematography , commercial , costuming / costume design , directing , electronic tv camera workplace , engineering development , hair’s-breadth styling , lighting counsel ( electronic ) , independent form of address design , make-up , music , nonfiction , perform , impression editing , program category , sound admixture , levelheaded editing , special visual impression , technical direction , video , representative - over performance and writing . And within each of the full classifications , there are award for accomplishment in more specific categories , such as " outstanding directing in a drollery series " or " outstanding lead actress in a dramatic play series . “A perfect list is available at theEmmy entanglement site .

Who Votes for the Emmys?

After the deadline for entries , vote with all of the certified entry are mailed to academy member . Each peer group extremity votes in his own category – performer for performer , directors for directors – and everyone votes in the program categories , such as best comedy series and best miniseries . The members send their marked paper vote to an independent accounting firm , Ernst & Young , to be counted . The top vote - getters in each class – unremarkably five , but there can be fewer – are then announced as the campaigner .

The honorary society ask for military volunteer among the members to judge the campaigner and choose the best in each category . The volunteer judges are group by peers , too , and the number of voters in each category vary . But again , everyone votes in the striking program categories . In years past , judging panels take on in Los Angeles and look on all of the nominated shows and public presentation in a two - day marathon . Rod Serling , the fertile writer behind the " Twilight Zone " series , devised the judging dialog box idea in the sixties , when he was president of the academy . He and others wanted to make certain that the judges actually watched the candidate , rather than just vote for their favourite .

judgment rules can change base on changes in the industry and the needs of the voting physical structure . For model , in 2000 , the honorary society decided to give up members to offer to follow tapes of the nominees in their own home base and on their own docket . This meant that more people could vote in the final process ; television critics and others had criticized the former voting procedure , say that only older citizenry with more time on their manpower ( that is , not active performers , directors , technician ) would volunteer to participate in an inconvenient , time - consuming judgment process . The critics state that the old voting procedure led to some of the in force and most daring shows break down unrecognized , because the judging panels were older and more conservative . But opponents of the fresh , more relaxed judgement physical process say that there is no warrant that the voters will watch the tapes . Essentially , the appendage are on the honour system .

Once the voluntary voter have mail their ballots to Ernst & Young , the firm counts them , keeping the winners ' names secret and impregnable until the awards are circularize . On the show , a member or two from the accounting firm will be bring in . These representatives will keep the envelope with them until the conferrer actually carry them out on stage .

For more info on the Emmys and related topics , check out the links on the next page .

Emmy Award FAQ

Lots More Information