45th Annual GRAMMY Awards First Major Awards Show to Be Broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound.

Entertainment Editors

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2003

CBS and the Recording Academy(R) Deliver Live GRAMMY Awards 

Experience to Viewers at Home

The Recording Academy(R), CBS and Cossette Productions are breaking new ground in an effort to provide the home viewer/listener with a live 45th Annual GRAMMY(R) Awards experience that will frame each of the night's performances in the most exciting way possible: High Definition TV and 5.1 Surround Sound. Marking the first time a live, primetime, network music special -- and the first major awards show -- has been available with this caliber of technology, CBS will deliver the highest form of HDTV, which contains 1,080 lines of picture resolution and 5.1 channels of CD-quality surround sound, in a number of major markets on its High Definition Television Network. The 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Feb. 23 at Madison Square Garden, and will be broadcast on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. (EST/PST).

"This is a perfect illustration of the Recording Academy's mission to spotlight both the art and the science of music and its makers," said Academy President Neil Portnow. "We have always taken into consideration how the music and performances of the GRAMMY Awards are being seen and heard, and now we are able to give viewers a chance to truly feel the impact of the show -- to experience the world's premier music event as if they were right there in Madison Square Garden."

"CBS is pleased to present the first ever major awards broadcast in HDTV," said Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS. "Having been the first to broadcast HDTV primetime, daytime and major sports programming, we feel the GRAMMYs will be yet another terrific forum to showcase the richness of HDTV images and sounds to television consumers throughout the country."

The GRAMMY Awards' technical staff is comprised of audio pioneers who continually strive to use the most current technology to enhance the show. Phil Ramone, Chairman of the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing, and Hank Neuberger, advisory council member of the P&E Wing, will again supervise the broadcast audio for the Recording Academy, and Murray Allen will oversee for Cossette Productions. Music mixers will be John Harris and Jay Vicari, and the production mixer will be Ed Greene.

"The GRAMMY telecast is the most complex audio production in live entertainment television with more than 800 audio inputs from more than 15 live performances that need to be balanced during the 3.5 hour telecast," said Ramone, who also is credited as being a pioneer in the evolution of 5.1. "The technical challenge is to provide a live 5.1 surround sound mix in real time, while delivering it over the CBS Digital HD network to home theater listeners/viewers."

During the GRAMMY telecast these 5.1 surround mixes will be balanced in a dedicated 5.1 control room and then delivered over fiber-optic cable to CBS. The music performances will be mixed in the Effanel Mobile truck on an AMS Neve Capricorn digital console. The production audio will be mixed in the All-Mobile truck on a Sony Oxford digital console.

For the GRAMMYs broadcast, CBS is planning to offer 5.1 Surround Sound to 25 of its major market stations. CBS is in the fourth year of presenting the majority of its primetime lineup in high definition. In June 2001, CBS became the first to broadcast HD in daytime when it commenced daily weekday HD broadcasts of television's leading daytime drama "The Young And The Restless." CBS is also the leader in HD sports broadcasts. CBS is in the midst of airing this year's AFC Playoffs in HD, including this Sunday's AFC Championship Game between the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans. For the last three years, CBS also has produced the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and Championship Games in HD as well as the Masters(R) Golf tournament in HDTV, and CBS has just concluded its second season of HD broadcasts of the SEC Game of the Week. CBS broadcasts, on average, 25 hours per week of High Definition programming, more than any other broadcast network, and more original HD programming per week than any other network, broadcast or cable or satellite. One hundred and thirty of CBS's owned and affiliated stations are currently broadcasting in digital, covering approximately 88 percent of the nation. CBS also is planning to roll out 5.1 Surround Sound to all markets currently offering HDTV in the coming year.

The GRAMMY Awards are produced in association with Cossette Productions. Pierre Cossette is executive producer, Ken Ehrlich is writer/producer and Walter Miller is producer/director. John Cossette is supervising producer and Tisha Fein is the coordinating producer.

Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as the Recording Academy, is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its makers. An organization of 18,000 musicians, producers and other recording professionals, the Recording Academy is internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, and is responsible for numerous groundbreaking outreach, professional development, cultural enrichment, education and human services programs. For more information, please visit www.grammy.com.