[Ohio-talk] Updates to audio description on TV starting July 1

[Sammons, Elizabeth]

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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