TV Academy’s Decision to Move Variety Writing Categories Off Primetime Emmys Angers WGA Board: ‘Devalues Our Profession’

variety.com:

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Writers Guild of America is protesting the Television Academy‘s decision to move the outstanding writing for a variety series or special categories out of the Emmy telecast, sending a letter to members registering its concerns and urging them to lobby the org to reverse its plans.

Because this year’s Primetime Emmys has has moved the variety special (live) category into the telecast (it was on the Creative Arts show last year), the TV Academy was likely looking to keep the telecast capped at 25 awards, so something had to fall out.

And in this case, it was the variety writing field that got pushed to the Creative Arts ceremony. “This doesn’t just impact the people who write on the Emmy-nominated shows for a given year — this decision devalues our profession as a whole,” the WGA board said in a letter to members. “The Emmys are fundamentally about celebrating excellence in television, and by removing these categories from the televised broadcast, the Television Academy is essentially ignoring how writing serves as the foundation for excellence in television… We didn’t spend months on strike, fighting to receive the recognition we deserve for the work we help create, only to be pushed to the sidelines when it comes time to do exactly that.” In recent years, the Primetime Emmys has included either the writing for a variety special or writing for a variety series category, alternating one or the other.

Last year, the outstanding writing for a variety special award was handed out on the Primetime Emmys ceremony, while the outstanding writing for a variety series Emmy was awarded the previous weekend, during the Creative Arts ceremonies.