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Date: | Sat, 1 Apr 2006 09:04:22 -0500 |
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FYI -- forwarded from HNN (History News Network)
Smithsonian-Showtime TV Deal Raises Concerns
Source: NYT (3-31-06)
A recent deal between the Smithsonian Institution and the Showtime Networks
cable channels has some documentary filmmakers, historians and researchers
concerned that their access to the collections and curators of the
Smithsonian could be limited or cut off.
This month, Showtime and the Smithsonian announced the formation of
Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture to create television programming,
including documentaries and short films, that draws on the Smithsonian
collections and staff to explore scientific, cultural and historical
events. The first venture of Smithsonian Networks will be an on-demand
cable channel, scheduled to begin in December.
Under the agreement, the Showtime-Smithsonian joint venture has the right
of first refusal to commercial documentaries that rely heavily on
Smithsonian collections or staff, said Linda St. Thomas, a spokeswoman for
the Smithsonian. That means that a filmmaker who does not agree to grant
Smithsonian Networks the rights to the film could be denied access to the
Smithsonian's public collections and experts, Ms. St. Thomas said.
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