[nfbmi-talk] FW: [The-Facts-Machine] Descriptive TV is Here

[Fred Wurtzel]

From: the-facts-machine at googlegroups.com
[mailto:the-facts-machine at googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Vickie Rolison
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 6:36 PM
To: the-facts-machine at googlegroups.com
Subject: [The-Facts-Machine] Descriptive TV is Here

 

Subject: [Nfb-announce] 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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