Emmy nominations are almost always fun. There are a couple of exceptions. One: When the “academy” fails to recognize your award-worthy work. Two: When your work gets nominated, but lo and behold, your name somehow fails to get on the entry form.
For example, Manuel Bojorquez of WSB apparently did a pretty outstanding job of covering Tropical Storm Fay. Bojorquez is nominated for an Emmy in the Spot News category. But if a photographer shot Bojorquez’s story, somebody apparently decided the photog wasn’t worth including in the nomination. Bojorquez is nominated all by himself.
Likewise, WAGA’s I-team produced a series of stories that exposed a shady Marietta mail-order company called Digicom. Randy Travis had undercover video that showed salesmen in a call center tricking people into ordering videos like “Girls Gone Wild.” A photographer shot a classic parking lot confrontation. Travis got a Consumer Reporting nomination, along with a producer and an editor. (Undercover newsgathering truly takes a team effort.) But the photog didn’t make the list of nominees.
WAGA’s photog probably got squeezed by Emmy rules, which often restrict the number of nominees in a particular category. Bojorquez’s photog, however, just got left by the side of the road.
Other noteworthies from this year’s Emmy list:
- As noted elsewhere, many of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s nominees have since been laid off.
- Smaller markets once again owned the Feature Reporting category. Last year, John Le from Asheville won that category. He’s nominated again.
- Andrew Young — yeah, that Andrew Young — is nominated for two Emmys.
- Bishop Eddie Long is nominated for an Emmy.
- Coverage of the March 2008 tornado garnered nominations for dozens of Atlanta news folk.
- WYFF in Greenville got at least 17 news nominations.
- Under-watched WXIA got at least 30 nominations. Its brainy-blonde general assignment triumverate of Jaye Watson, Duffie Dixon and Jennifer Leslie got eleven among them.
- Under-watched WGCL got a paltry three nominations
Find the complete list here. The award ceremony will be held in June.
Have you noticed with the processed language we are using today that it seems the reporter has done everything by themselves. The photographer has always been the unsung hero with a few occasions being mentioned. No one ever thinks about the photog now. I know of many occasions where the photog got the story themselves then turned the story over to the reporter who then is declared “our reporter has been working on this story all day long.” Stations are eager to say also “our cameras were there when the suspect was captured.” Well I have done that numerous times, the only camera was mine. I certainly wasn’t carrying 2 cameras! Something to ponder!
I know its painful to see all those CH 2 nominations. Maybe now you will stop pretending you don’t watch.
I know a few photogs that were called in on that Saturday after the downtown tornado and every one of them were left off the emmy noms. I may be wrong…but I attribute that to the ego of the reporters.
I know as an I-Team member there are often many people working on one project at any given time. Unfortunately, Emmy rules only allow so many names to be entered. I know that I, and others here, rotate names. One project may not have the photographer but it will have the producer. Sometimes it’s the other way around. I have included on Emmy nominations everyone from the newsroom secretary to interns, all of whom played key roles in the undercover.
We don’t need any stinking photographers anymore!!!! We have Youtube! Get used to it. Young people are used to crappy video. You photographers are always whining about something…bigger egos than us talent.
Seriously? Emmys? really? …. in yr heart of hearts… what does an emmy bring?
Scott, it brings something to put over the fireplace or on a shelf to collect dust.