Los Angeles Area Branch Keeps Academy Affiliation

Members of the Television Academy's Los Angeles Branch have voted to remain part of the Los Angeles-based Academy rather than transfer their affiliation to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New York.

The move had been under consideration since early this year, when leaders of the two academies announced breakthrough plans to work more closely after three decades of strained relations. One component of the agreement offered the roughly 150 L.A. Branch members a chance to join NATAS while retaining their associate member status in Los Angeles.

The National Academy is based on local chapters, while the Television Academy in Los Angeles -- with the exception of the Los Angeles Branch -- is organized around peer groups of individuals who have made their marks in the various disciplines of national television.

The decision was announced at the June Board of Governors meeting.