FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2003
No.
128
www.nyc.gov
MAYOR MICHAEL
R. BLOOMBERG HOSTS RECEPTION IN HONOR OF
30TH ANNUAL
DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg hosted a
reception this evening for over 500 members of the daytime television
community including Daytime Emmy nominees, television executives
and industry leaders. The Mayor honored four representatives
from the daytime television community for their outstanding service
to the City: Agnes Nixon, Tony Roberts, Star Jones and the children’s
television program Sesame Street.
Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (MOFTB) Commissioner
Katherine Oliver and National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
President Peter Price also attended the event held at Gracie Mansion.
“Television production is one of New
York City’s signature industries and we
are committed to making the Big Apple the most attractive location
in the world,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We are delighted
to have with us today so many distinguished guests, including
a number of Emmy honorees, who have contributed so much to the
daytime television industry, particularly here in New York City. Daytime television plays a huge part in the
City’s economy: the Daytime Emmy Awards contribute $15 million
to our economy and television production spends more than $2
billion here annually. I thank NATAS President Peter Price and the
entire television community for all that you do for New York. You
are a part of the fabric that makes this City great.”
“The quality soaps, chat shows and children’s
programming that are produced here constitute a vivid and ever-present
advertisement for New York
City as the ultimate location for television
production,” said MOFTB Commissioner Katherine Oliver. “New
York City has the best locations in the world
and a superb array of flexible, state-of-the-art facilities. We are thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments
of our talented television community on the eve of the City’s very
own Daytime Emmy Awards.”
“The National Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences is delighted to welcome a record number of nominees
and prominent entertainment executives to this 30th Anniversary
of the Daytime Emmy Awards,” NATAS President Peter Price. “We are
privileged to be personally received and recognized by Mayor
Bloomberg who has made supporting the television production community,
as well as the film and theatre production communities, a top priority
in New York City.”
Entertainment
production in New York City contributes
$5 billion annually to the City’s economy and employs 100,000 New
Yorkers with $2 billion specifically generated by the television
industry. Of the 120 television series that called New York City home this year, 35 or one-third
are daytime television series.
More than half of the daytime shows
in New York City are represented among this year’s nominees including The
View, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, Martha Stewart Living, One Life
To Live, Between The Lions, Guiding Light, The Montel Williams
Show, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, As The World Turns, Live With
Regis and Kelly, All My Children, Win Ben Stein’s Money, Bear In
The Big Blue House, 76th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
Parade, Breakfast with The Arts, Essence of Emeril, TRL: Total Request
Live and Blue’s Clues. Over 540 New Yorkers who worked
on these shows are nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards.
During this
evening’s program, the Mayor honored four representatives from the daytime television
community for their outstanding service to New York City including:
Known as the queen of contemporary soap
opera, Agnes Nixon is the single most significant force behind
soap operas in New York
City. Nixon alone created two of the
four current soaps produced in New York City, One Life
to Live (1968) and All My Children (1970), and co-created
As The World Turns (1957). Having
started her career in radio with soap opera’s creator Irna Philips,
Nixon went on to write and create for several New
York City soap operas. She was the head
writer for The Guiding Light from 1959 and 1965, and Another
World from 1965 to 1967. She also created Loving (1983),
now known as The City. Nixon is best known and most
honored for leading the exploration of social issues in daytime drama. Her
stories were among the first to address female health problems, child
abuse, abortion, political nonconformity and issues of race.
The multi-talented Tony Roberts started
his acting career working in commercials when he first landed in New York, and was soon
picked up for a regular stint on the television soap opera The
Edge of Night. Not only is Roberts’ voice well known from
the 1970s dramatic series The CBS Radio Mystery Theater,
he has also appeared in four Broadway plays, including Play it
Again, Sam. He has appeared in the Woody Allen films Annie
Hall, Stardust Memories, A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy and Radio
Days. Roberts chalked up primetime television credits
as well when he co-starred in the 1977 adventure series Rossetti
and Ryan.
Star Jones, a lawyer and
former prosecutor, is currently host of The View. In
this role, she has made valuable contributions to the show’s
commentary on the law, self-esteem, race, family, education, religion
and the media, which earned her Emmy nominations as Outstanding Talk
Show Host. Ms. Jones debuted on television in 1991, when she
appeared as a studio commentator for Court TV. She subsequently
became the NBC legal correspondent for The Today Show and Nightly
News, which led to her own syndicated show, Jones & Jury. After
completing her law degree at the University of Houston,
Ms. Jones landed a position in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. In
2002, Ms. Jones launched her own not-for-profit foundation, “The
Starlet Fund,” which makes financial grants to individuals and organizations
that are dedicated to the support and encouragement of women and
girls.
The longest running children’s show
on television in the country, Sesame
Street was born on the streets
of New York City on November
10, 1969. Since that time, Sesame
Street has shot 4,000 episodes in
the City and is seen daily on more than 300 PBS stations. It
is the most widely watched television series in the world, and its
English-language series is seen in 94 countries. The first to introduce
the use of television as an educational tool, the show has captured
over 100 major awards including 90 Emmys, more than any other show
in history. Continuing to
demonstrate its commitment to a changing social landscape, the show
has featured episodes to help children deal with fear and anxiety
post 9/11, and to teach about traditions and cultures through the
new Global Grover segments.
Contact: Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk (212) 788-2958
Julianne
Cho (MOFTB) (212)
489-6710 x226
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