Contact: Colleen Roche or Kim Serafin (212) 788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today presented official nomination certificates to the New York area nominees for the 24th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at a ceremony at City Hall. Julianne Cho of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting and John Cannon, President of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) joined the Mayor in presenting the certificates.
"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to thank all of the nominees-- the most talented people on television -- for helping to make New York City the entertainment capital of the world," said Mayor Giuliani. "There's no place in the world that can match New York's energy, spirit and creativity. The number of New Yorkers nominated for these prestigious awards is proof of our incredible pool of talent. New York's Daytime line-up has an impressive variety, with a number of award-winning soap operas, children's programming and the greatest number of talk-shows represented."
"As we honor the extraordinary talents of our Emmy nominees, it gives us a chance to reflect on the importance that the television industry has had in the history of our City. Since the very first television images were sent from New York over long distance telephone lines 70 years ago, New York has been the home of network television," he continued. "Today, the New York metropolitan area is the largest television market in the United States, reaching 18 million people across three states. ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX are all headquartered here."
This year, more than 400 New York area directors, producers, performers, writers, editors, stylists, composers and technical talent are nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards. Today's ceremony comes at a time when television production and employment revenues in New York have reached record highs. In 1996, television shooting days rose 79%, to 6,439, from 3,598 in 1993.
Attending the ceremony were some of New York's brightest talents including talk show host Montel Williams, and actors Susan Lucci, Eve LaRue Callahan and David Canary of All My Children. The ceremony was followed by a reception catered by Solera Restaurant and D'Espana Brand. The 24th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be held May 21 at Radio City Music Hall.