Summer greetings!
As our 60th Anniversary NY EMMY® Awards gala season comes to an end, I must reflect back on the wonderful evening we shared in May. Our gala started with more modern staging and lighting, included a fabulous list of presenters, and featured an incredible reel of edited footage that truly captured 60 years of New York media coverage. We saluted WCBS-TV with the Governors' Award on the occasion of their 75th anniversary. In addition to giving out 116 EMMY® statuettes, we also announced an alliance between Sharecare and The New York Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Dr. Mehmet Oz founded Sharecare with Oprah Winfrey and Jeff Arnold. Dr. Oz was enthusiastic about this new alliance as he served as one of our distinguished presenters. The gala was available via live streaming or Facebook Live. It was a very nostalgic and memorable night. Please enjoy the many photos that are included in this issue. They truly capture the spirit of this milestone event.
It took the contributions of many people to make the gala so extraordinary. Lauren Loverde, Director of Awards and Communications, is to be commended for her tireless efforts during the entire awards and gala process. Marvin Scott, Awards Committee Chair, succeeded on his mission to secure a lineup of media legends. Ernie Anastos and Kaity Tong, John Miller, John Roland, and Rolland Smith were just some of the familiar names appearing on stage. Peter Levy and his team did their usual outstanding work on the production. Patti Seitz-Honig spent months editing the 60th Anniversary tribute, while Audrey Arbeeny contributed the music. Bruce Brauer handled the WCBS-TV tribute reel, and also designed our 60th anniversary logo. Thanks to CUNY-TV for hosting our Nominations Announcement and for their gala production efforts. I would like to thank both the recently retired Bob Isaacson, as well as Gail Yancosek for their support. Phyllis Bishop and Jason Palmer made significant contributions on the operations and administrative front. We have a winning team! Finally, thanks to everyone who participated in the EMMY® process and attended our gala. Your support is immeasurable!
Welcome to Sean Schenk, our new Membership and Sponsorship Manager. He joined the NY Chapter during the most frenetic time of year, and is making significant contributions. He will be multi-tasking in his hybrid position. He is available to register new members or renew expiring memberships. Please take advantage of the many events we sponsor, and the discounts available to our members. Encourage a friend to join us!
Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee for the time and energy they gave to make the New York Chapter better than it was when their terms began. The people below are to be acknowledged for their numerous contributions to the New York Chapter:
Officers: 2015-2017
President: Denise Rover
First Vice President: Jim Turner
Second Vice President: Chris Pizzurro
Secretary: Janine Rose
Treasurer: Robert Isaacson
Board of Governors: 2015-2017
Audrey Arbeeny
John Bathke
NJ Burkett
Bruce Brauer (term limited)
Sandy Kenyon
Deborah Koller-Feeney (term limited)
Peter Levy (term limited)
Al Primo (term limited)
Marvin Scott (term limited)
Patti-Seitz-Honig (term limited)
Amy Waldman
Colleen Zenk
Thank you to those members who ran for the Board of Governors. Congratulations to the recently elected slate that will serve the next two years:
Officers: 2017-2019
President: Denise Rover
First Vice President: Jim Turner
Second Vice President: Amy Waldman
Secretary: Janine Rose
Treasurer: Robert Isaacson
Board of Governors: 2017-2019
Phil Alongi
Audrey Arbeeny
Robin Bemporad
NJ Burkett
Todd Erhlich
Jonathan Furr
Sandy Kenyon
Julie Poll
Adam Sharp
David Stern
Sal Tagliarino
Amy Waldman
Colleen Zenk
I close by paying special tribute to two exceptional members of our chapter and the New York media community who recently passed away. Both were multiple EMMY® winners, and legends in broadcasting. I had the privilege to know Gabe Pressman, 95, and his unbelievable work ethic and passion for reporting. He was one of the inaugural inductees into the Gold Circle last December. Sports broadcaster Bob Wolff, 96, is a record holder. His longevity and broadcast contributions across multiple sports will be his legacy. He earned the Governors' Award the New York Chapter presented to his family in 2015. Both Gabe and Bob made our industry better with their many contributions to it. After long, storied careers, may they rest in peace!
Denise Rover
President
NY Chapter