MT&R Announces Honorees for Los Angeles Gala
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Los Angeles, CA—At its annual gala in Los Angeles, The Museum of Television & Radio will honor Peter Chernin, president and chief operating officer, News Corporation and award-winning creator/executive producer John Wells. Chernin is being recognized for his outstanding contributions to the television industry and Wells for his prolific achievements and remarkable storytelling as ER enters its twelfth season and The West Wing in its seventh season. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Museum's ongoing efforts to continue to collect and preserve television and radio programs and advertisements and make them available to the public. The gala will be held on November 7, 2005, at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
"Peter is one of the most respected executives in the entertainment business. He is admired for his personal integrity, innovative thinking, business acumen, and his unwavering commitment to protecting intellectual property—the heart of the industry's future," commented Barbara Dixon, vice president and director of The Museum of Television & Radio in Los Angeles. "John's unique talent has produced some of the most successful, long-running dramas on television. He has won the hearts of both critics and viewers by creating characters that have inspired and endured."
As president and COO of one of the world's largest media companies, Peter Chernin oversees diversified global operations spanning five continents, including the production and distribution of film and television programming; television, satellite, and cable broadcasting; the publication of newspapers, magazines, and books and the development of digital broadcasting. Since joining News Corporation in 1989, Mr. Chernin has gained a reputation as an executive with a unique mastery of both the creative and corporate sides of the entertainment business. Prior to his current appointment, he headed both Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment and earlier, the Fox Entertainment Group of the Fox Broadcasting Company. He has also had oversight of Fox's tremendous growth in sports, cable, and general entertainment television programming and distribution in the U.S. and worldwide.
John Wells is one of the most acclaimed producers, directors, and writers for the stage, television, and film. For the 2005–2006 television season, the multiple award-winner is at the helm of two fast-paced one-hour dramas, ER and The West Wing, for NBC and is the cocreator with Gary Fleder of The Evidence, a new crime drama for ABC. For eleven seasons, ER has received unprecedented critical acclaim and 108 Emmy nominations and 23 wins—more than any other drama series in history. The West Wing garnered over 72 Emmy nominations and 23 awards, including 4 consecutive wins for Outstanding Drama Series. Wells and his talented team of producers have also received 5 Peabody Awards, 9 People's Choice Awards, 3 Producer's Guild Awards, 4 Humanitas Prizes, and 2 Golden Globe Awards, among other honors. Wells also served as a writer and producer on China Beach, and as cocreator, executive producer, and writer on Third Watch. This year, Wells was awarded the 2005 David Suskind Achievement Award in Television from the Producers Guild of America.
Past Museum of Television & Radio gala honorees include Alan Alda, Julie Andrews, Steven Bochco, Kevin S. Bright, David Brinkley, Tom Brokaw, Carol Burnett, James Burrows, Sid Caesar, Marcy Carsey, David Crane, Ted Danson, the cast and writers of Everybody Loves Raymond, Kelsey Grammer, Merv Griffin, Marta Kauffman, David E. Kelley, Mary Tyler Moore, Jack Paar, Dan Rather, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Martin Sheen, Barbara Walters, Tom Werner, and Dick Wolf.
The Museum of Television & Radio, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, was founded by William S. Paley to collect and preserve television and radio programs and advertisements and to make them available to the public. Since opening in 1976, the Museum has organized exhibitions, screening and listening series, seminars, and education classes to showcase its preeminent collection of over 120,000 television and radio programs and advertisements. Programs in the Museum's collection are selected for their artistic, cultural, and historic significance.
The Museum of Television & Radio in New York, located at 25 West 52 Street in Manhattan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Museum of Television & Radio in California, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Both Museums are closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. The public areas in both Museums are accessible to wheelchairs, and assisted listening devices are available. Programs are subject to change. You may call the Museum in New York at (212) 621-6800 or in Los Angeles at (310) 786-1000. Visit the Museum's website at www.mtr.org.