ATAS may bolster exec panel
In addition, the committee itself -- a 12-member body consisting of appointees and six elected officers -- has undergone a noteworthy change, with NBC Enterprises president John Agoglia resigning in protest over ATAS' exclusive Primetime Emmy broadcast deal with ABC, to be replaced by Lorimar TV president Leslie Moonves.
Agoglia acknowledged through a spokeswoman that he no longer felt the goals of the Academy were mutual with those of the networks. Officials at CBS and Fox Broadcasting Co. have also expressed anger and disappointment over the ABC deal, accepted despite the fact that a rotating contract involving all four networks was on the table.
As for the administrative question, some participants at a Wednesday night meeting reportedly described the matter as "the suits vs. the crafts," maintaining that industry executives were seeking to wrest control of the Academy from peer-group members who populate the board.
ATAS president Leo Chaloukian dismissed those concerns, however, saying the discussed changes were "a minute point" designed to spare the board from administrative matters so they could focus on larger issues such as the broadcast deal, awards show, membership and TV Hall of Fame.
An Academy far-sight committee proposed three changes that were discussed Wednesday night, the key switch being an expansion of the exec committee by two members (to be chosen from among the board of governors) and providing committee members voting power on administrative matters. Such a shift requires a change in the by-laws that will have to be brought before the general membership, probably at a meeting to be called for next month.
Under the proposed change the governors would still have final approval over the annual budget and all award matters, but the exec committee would have greater latitude in handling day-to-day operations.
The board -- which consists of 50 governors, two from each of 24 peer groups and a pair of at-large members -- approved that recommendation and another to move up the election of new officers from September to August.
They rejected a third proposal that would have reduced the annual number of governors meetings from 10 to six.
Moving elections up a month, Chaloukian said, would provide more overlap between out-going officers and newly elected ones, insuring greater continuity within the Academy.
Chaloukian is in his second and final two-year term, with Disney Studios prexy Richard Frank, a past ATAS president, seen as the leading candidate to succeed him.
In addition to elected officers and ATAS Foundation head Thomas Sarnoff, the exec committee includes appointed members Frank, David Gerber, Moonves, Dorothea Petrie and Edgar J. Scherick. A nominating committee is expected to announce candidates for various offices in May.
Chaloukian acknowledged that in addition to streamlining Academy operations, changes were designed to "get more prominent people on the executive committee" but denied that the "suits vs. crafts" characterization was accurate.
Some quarters of the Academy have voiced concern that crafts governors, who outnumber other branches on the board, have exercised undue control over the organization.
