[nabs-l] Audio Description

Sat Jun 16 22:02:22 UTC 2012

This is nice, but how does a blind viewer activate the description on
his or her TV? If there's a feature that has to be turned on or off,
possibly set for each show, is this feature accessible? I suspect that
oftentimes it's not, which in my view negates the whole purpose of
this initiative. It'd be a real shame if networks were spending
thousands of dollars on a service that blind viewers could not
activate or customize without sighted assistance!
I recall when I was still living at home-in middle or high school,
perhaps-there were one or two shows that had an optional
audio-description feature, but I don't think I could reliably turn it
on without sighted assistance. That would have been in the late
1990's, and TV sets have become infinitely more complex since then.
I hope I'm wrong and the activation process does not rely on menus or
touch-screen inputs.
Arielle

On 6/15/12, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Do I need anything to get this? I look forward to described shows
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jun 15, 2012, at 6:05 AM, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> 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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