[Mdpobc] Fwd: [nabs-l] Audio Description

Trudy Pickrel tlpickrel at hotmail.com
Sat Jun 16 12:52:13 UTC 2012 

Wendy

Jim bruer from Tx. Posted a detailed post with this mth ago on the parents of blind children list serv. maybe we can repost question. 

Trudy L Pickrel
President MD Parents Blind Children
Owner TLC by the Lake poodles

On Jun 16, 2012, at 8:30 AM, "Wendynusba at yahoo.com" <wendynusbaum at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Does anyone know how to turn on the audio description?  This post says several shows already have description but I don't know how to turn on this service.
> Wendy
> 
> Sent from my touch 
> 
> On Jun 15, 2012, at 6:50 PM, Trudy Pickrel <tlpickrel at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> 
>> Trudy L Pickrel
>> President MD Parents Blind Children
>> Owner TLC by the Lake poodles
>> 
>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>>> From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
>>> Date: June 15, 2012 5:25:20 PM EDT
>>> To: <mdpobc at nfbnet.org>, <mdabs at nfbnet.org>, <troubleclark at gmail.com>, <tlpickrel at hotmail.com>, <cmdayrdh at aol.com>, <gary.legates at comcast.net>, "Ninette Legates" <ninette.legates at comcast.net>, <mike at insightondisability.com>
>>> Subject: FW: [nabs-l] Audio Description
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>>> Of David Andrews
>>> Sent: Friday, June 15, 2012 6:05 AM
>>> To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Audio Description
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Beginning July 1, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, plus the top five cable networks
>>> will begin providing audio descriptions of some of their programming for
>>> blind or sight-impaired viewers. The shows to be described range from ABC's
>>> Modern Family to CBS's NCIS to Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer to USA's
>>> Royal Pains.
>>> 
>>> For now, stations in the top 25 markets and cable systems with 50,000 or
>>> more subs will be required to offer about four hours a week of the new
>>> service. The number of stations and hours will gradually increase.
>>> 
>>> Starting July 1, the country's 21.5 million visually impaired people will be
>>> able to enjoy TV more than ever before.
>>> 
>>> On that day, the Big Four broadcast networks and the top five-rated cable
>>> networks will begin offering four hours a week of so-called video
>>> descriptions that clue in blind and partially sighted viewers on what's
>>> going on when the characters aren't talking. The descriptions, audible only
>>> to viewers who want them to be audible, are squeezed in between the dialog.
>>> 
>>> Video descriptions have been part of
>>> broadcasting, cable, home video, but never to the extent on TV as they will
>>> be beginning next month.
>>> 
>>> It's not altruism driving the surge in
>>> descriptions. They were mandated by Congress in the 21st Century
>>> Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010.
>>> 
>>> According to the FCC's implementing rules, the Big Four O&Os and affiliates
>>> in the top 25 markets will have to air 50 hours each quarter - or roughly
>>> four hours a week - of described programming.
>>> 
>>> Cable and satellite systems with at least 50,000 subscribers have to offer
>>> the same amount of described programming for the top five-rated cable
>>> networks - currently Disney, Nickelodeon, TBS, TNT and USA.
>>> 
>>> And with just weeks to go before the deadline, the described programming
>>> plans of nine affected networks are shaping up.
>>> 
>>> ABC's plan is to provide descriptions on some of its Tuesday and Wednesday
>>> shows. This summer, those shows include sitcoms Last Man Standing, The
>>> Middle, Suburgatory, Modern Family, Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B----
>>> in Apt. 23.
>>> 
>>> In the fall, ABC will likely include most of those shows and new sitcom The
>>> Neighbors and new drama Nashville.
>>> 
>>> CBS has been providing audio descriptions for several programs since 2002.
>>> The lineup is CSI, Criminal Minds, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, plus movies and
>>> miniseries.
>>> 
>>> NBC has broadcast a slew of shows with
>>> descriptions, including the Betty White reality show Off Their Rockers,
>>> drama Grimm and the summer series Saving Hope. Described sitcoms include The
>>> Office, Up All Night and Parks and Recreation.
>>> 
>>> At Fox, The Simpsons has been audio described for several years. Beyond the
>>> animated sitcom, Fox isn't prepared to say what it would be offering.
>>> 
>>> Disney Channel's described shows will include hit sitcoms Jessie, A.N.T.
>>> Farm and the animated Phineas and Ferb.
>>> 
>>> Nickelodeon will offer descriptions for some of its biggest hits, like the
>>> long-running animated Dora the Explorer and preschool educational show Team
>>> Umizoomi.
>>> 
>>> Turner Broadcasting will have described movies as well as TV series. Among
>>> the series: TNT's The Closer and TBS's Tyler Perry comedies House of Payne
>>> and For Better or Worse.
>>> 
>>> USA's described programs will include off-network shows NCIS and Law &
>>> Order: SVU, plus originals like Royal Pains and Suits.
>>> 
>>> "My hope is that more and more networks will embrace these accessibility
>>> initiatives," says Joel Snyder, president of Audio Description Associates.
>>> He serves as director of the American Council of the Blind's audio
>>> description project and is an adviser to the FCC.
>>> 
>>> "If they do it right, they'll find ways to make money from it. If they make
>>> their shows accessible to these folks, there is a bigger market for
>>> advertisers to sell their products."
>>> 
>>> For the most part, video-described programs won't include live shows or
>>> news. The networks, which are providing most of this content to their
>>> affiliates, need time to write description scripts for voice artists to
>>> record.
>>> 
>>> "It takes longer to get that done than closed captioning," says one network
>>> executive. "It also requires us to look at how our post-production schedules
>>> are set up. We have to work very closely with the folks at the
>>> post-production houses to make sure we get the programming to our vendors
>>> with sufficient time to get the video description correct."
>>> 
>>> Producing the descriptions costs between $2,000 to $4,000 per hour.
>>> 
>>> The networks and some associations for the blind are helping to ensure that
>>> people with vision problems know that descriptions are coming.
>>> 
>>> "It's great for the networks to comply, but what's more important is getting
>>> the information out to folks," says Helena Berger, EVP-COO of the American
>>> Association of People with Disabilities. 
>>> She is also a member of Comcast-NBCUniversal's joint diversity council.
>>> 
>>> "What we can do on our end at AAPD is to use our communication channels,
>>> like our newsletter, our website and social media to get the word out to the
>>> community."
>>> 
>>> Some of the networks are creating logos and audio tones so that people with
>>> vision problems know when a program has audio descriptions. So far, there
>>> isn't an industry standard.
>>> 
>>> And TV listing providers like Tribune Media Services will provide data to
>>> programming services to let them know if a program is audio-described. Then,
>>> it's up to individual cable systems to add symbols or sounds to their
>>> on-screen listings.
>>> 
>>> These described programs are the culmination of a 12-year battle by the FCC
>>> and groups such as the Audio Description Institute. They thought they had
>>> won the battle in 2000 when the FCC adopted rules similar to the 2010 act,
>>> but a court agreed with broadcasters that the agency had overstepped its
>>> authority.
>>> 
>>> Now backed by law, the new FCC rules gradually expand the description
>>> obligations to other TV stations. By July 1, 2015, major network affiliates
>>> in the top 60 markets will have to broadcast the descriptions. The FCC may
>>> require additional stations to air descriptions at a rate of 10 markets a
>>> year if it deems the cost is reasonable.
>>> 
>>> According to broadcasters, it costs stations anywhere from $10,000 and
>>> $25,000 to install the gear necessary to handle the extra audio channel.
>>> 
>>> Just because someone has a disability doesn't mean they don't want to be
>>> included in life," 
>>> says Debra Ruh, chief marketing officer at SSB Bart Group, a firm that helps
>>> companies make their computer services and websites fully compliant and
>>> accessible to people with disabilities. "Part of participating in life is
>>> being able to experience television. TV is a very important part of our
>>> culture."
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> om
>>> 
>> 
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