INSIDE THE EMMY DEEP STATE WAR ON BLOCK VOTING

Alex Ben Block is interviewed by A. Martinez, host of Take Two on KPCC-FM Public Radio, about the impact on the Primetime Emmys of the huge increase in shows seeking awards attention and the mushrooming cost of awards campaigns.

UPDATE Here is a link to Take Two, which includes the interview about the Emmy tsunami.

I got a call from NPR powerhouse KPCC about my well received post for Los Angeles Magzzine:, headlined: The Emmys Are Being Swamped by a Tsunami of Content - The Television Academy is punishing ”block voters,” but that doesn’t solve the bigger problem at hand.

So i can be heard tomorrow on Take Two and I now have even more to talk about.

It is now clear that ATAS meant to send out a strong message with the news about “a few” TV Academy members having the right to vote in this year’s heated Emmy race,. It really was “a few.” Maybe three, who have apologized and said they did not know posting on their own closed social media would be seen as a violation.

The irony is that what they did was little more than another form of FYC – for your consideration – which studios, networks, streamers are spending big bucks on to win an Emmy. It is hard to tell the difference between three unknown actors trying to encourage people to vote for their obscure show or performance, seeking to get attention, and what the big guys do,

The real Emmy earthquake isn’t block-voting. It is the entry of huge streaming video companies like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, that spend freely to win awards to get attention, and more importantly to build subscriber loyalty. No Hollywood studio is likely to match that just to get a career-boosting statue to sit on the shelf.

With Disney, WarnerMedia, Comcast/Universal/NBC an others all about to launch even more streaming networks that will need signature content - the kind that wins awards - the tsunami is still gaining velocity.

There are now an amazing 24,000 ATAS members, which is several times what it was a decade ago. A lot of those people are encouraged, even subsidized, to join ATAS by their craft and service companies - specifically so they can vote for their own products. It isn't just about best actor. Remember there are a lot of craft categories, or people who make shorts, others outside the TV mainstream, who see how Academy recognition could benefit their company and career.

All that and more.

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