Hi Luis, Thanks for sharing this; I'm going to post and tweet it through Dialog in the Dark's streams to help spread the word. Eliza On Jun 15, 2012, at 9:58 AM, Luis Guerra wrote: > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [Electronics-talk] Audio Description > Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2012 05:05:04 -0500 > From: David Andrews <dandrews@xxxxxxxx> > Reply-To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances > <electronics-talk@xxxxxxxxxx> > To: blindtlk@xxxxxxxxxx, > > > 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 theFCC. > > ?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.? > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Electronics-talk mailing list > Electronics-talk@xxxxxxxxxx > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/electronics-talk_nfbnet.org > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for > Electronics-talk: > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/electronics-talk_nfbnet.org/screenreader%40verizon.net > > Eliza Cooper eliza.l.cooper@xxxxxxxxx ElizaCooper.com @Elizain140