Award Central News

The Academy of TV Arts & Sciences (the West Coast outfit that presents the Primetime Emmys) is set to file suit this morning against the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences (the East Coast org that focuses on daytime, news, sports and regional Emmys). In the complaint -- set to be filed in U.S. district court -- ATAS accuses its cross-country counterpart of trying to launch a massive roster of Broadband Emmy awards without proper approval.

Under a truce struck by both sides, neither can start an Emmy Award without the other's approval. Both sides have been negotiating on how to create a full-fledged Broadband Emmy Awards; in the meantime, NATAS has already begun awarding a handful of broadband nods during the Daytime Emmys.

But NATAS angered ATAS by recently signing a deal with MySpace to partner on an expanded Broadband Emmy slate. NATAS recently created eight more Broadband categories (in entertainment, sports, news and info and public and community service), in addition to the four Broadband Emmy categories that were already in place.

An ATAS insider said the org grew suspicious that NATAS was planning to expand its domain over the Broadband Emmys even beyond that and wanted to put a stop to it -- hence the complaint, which requests an immediate injunction preventing NATAS from awarding any Broadband Emmys, including the previously agreed-upon daytime awards.

"We had a big suspicion that what they were promising MySpace and planning was as many as 20 or 30 new awards," said the insider. "Their pattern is to do things that we're not aware of while we're negotiating. One of their committee chairs said, 'We don't care what you do, we're going ahead without you.' "

In an official statement, ATAS officials said, "The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has attempted to resolve the complex issues associated with the introduction of New Media Emmy Awards with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for some time. Unfortunately, our talks have not resolved the differences we have in this vitally important area.  It is our hope that this matter will be resolved amicably."

NATAS president Peter Price said he was surprised by the legal action given the two sides' ongoing negotiations.

"We formed committees, formed a joint report, and the next thing we know, we get this threat of injunction to stop everything we're doing," he said. "I don't know why they changed their minds, or who got up on the wrong side of the bed. For mature adults to be arguing about community property as opposed to what's best for their children is strange."

The animosity between ATAS and NATAS dates back 30 years, when the West Coast and East Coast TV Academy chapters acrimoniously split. Both sides had begun to move toward reconciliation at the start of the 2000s but grew apart again after disagreement over the launch of a Latin Emmys show -- leading to another legal battle.

The Broadband Emmy battle mirrors one over the Latin Emmys. In that case, NATAS was eager to immediately launch a Latin Emmys ceremony in 2002, while ATAS took a wait-and-see approach, preferring to study whether the show was feasible.

NATAS filed a demand for arbitration to settle the matter; both orgs eventually settled in 2004, and the process restructured their relationship.

The two sides have even begun discussing once again the possibility of launching joint Latin Emmy kudos. An ATAS insider said they hoped both the Broadband and Latin Emmy issues can still be ironed out.

Relations between NATAS and ATAS began to thaw in the 1990s, and talk of a possible reunification even gained steam after NATAS chief John Cannon died in 2001 -- but quickly halted after the Latin Emmy skirmish.

NATAS awarded its first Broadband Emmy last year during the daytime Emmys, which went to America Online's "Live 8 on AOL." The org later in the year gave a Broadband Emmy during the Sports kudofest to ESPN.com's "Off Mikes," and washingtonpost.com's "Hurricane Katrina Coverage in New Orleans" received the Broadband Emmy for news and documentary. Also last year, American Legacy Foundation/Truth received a Broadband Emmy for public and community service.

This year, NATAS announced plans to award Broadband Emmys in drama, comedy, children's programming and variety during the daytime Emmys.