The Television Academy Foundation is partnering with Best Buy to offer “Skill-Building and Career Readiness program,” which will provide the academy’s first Production Assistant Training program for high school students in Los Angeles-area communities.

The 10-week program launches at two locations: Best Buy Teen Tech Centers at Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA in Boyle Heights and North Stars YMCA Teen Tech Center in North Long Beach, Calif.

The free, after-school program encompasses a 10-week curriculum beginning this month, providing students with a comprehensive, hands-on introduction to careers in television production with a focus on preparing participants for entry level production assistant (PA) roles and exploring long-term career pathways across the entertainment industry.

Students will learn directly from industry professionals—including PAs, production coordinators, assistant directors, production managers, producers, location managers and production accountants—who will provide insight into day-to-day responsibilities and career advancement. Field trips to both scripted and unscripted television productions will give students an opportunity to experience professional sets firsthand, meet department heads and connect classroom learning to real-world production environments.

Television Academy Board Governor Donny Hugo Herran, a 20-year industry executive, serves as the program’s first instructor. Herran is the author of "The Production Guru: Leadership Principles and Philosophies Across Film, Television and Beyond" and founder of Ellevan Creative Consulting, which includes partnerships with CMG Productions in the U.K.

He is a former senior vice president of physical production at Paramount. Across his tenure Donny acted as executive in charge of production on several landmark scripted series, including Yellowstone, 1923, Landman and MobLand as well as major unscripted franchises, such as The Challenge, Love & Hip Hop, Martha & Snoop's Dinner Party and Siesta Key.

The Production Assistant Training program concludes with a celebration on the Television Academy’s North Hollywood campus where participating students will gather to discuss their newly acquired skills, build professional connections with industry leaders and Television Academy members, and receive a certificate of completion.

Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, an initiative of the Best Buy Foundation, offers young people the opportunity to explore technology, build critical career skills, and learn from supportive mentors. These Best Buy Teen Tech Centers help prepare young people for careers in LA's creative economy.

“We are thrilled to partner with Best Buy to offer this exceptional program to local underserved communities,” said Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. “This curriculum combines industry education, practical production training, professional mentorship and real-world exposure to help students build the knowledge, confidence and connections needed to begin exploring careers in television and entertainment.”

“Every young person deserves the opportunity to build on their strengths and see where their skills can take them,” said Olivia Jefferson, vice president of social impact, Best Buy. “We are proud to support the Television Academy Foundation in connecting more young people in Los Angeles with hands-on experience, mentors and industry relationships that can help them turn their skills into lasting economic opportunity.”

“Opening doors to production jobs helps shape a more dynamic and representative entertainment industry,” said Herran. “I’m proud to lead the inaugural Production Assistant Training program, supported by Best Buy’s generous grant, and to prepare aspiring crew members to help them thrive behind the scenes.”

WASHINGTON—Pearl TV, the coalition of U.S. broadcasters transitioning to NextGen TV, today announced new NextGen TV models from Hisense are now available on Amazon and Best Buy’s online retail website, starting at $799 MSRP. Hisense is the first Chinese manufacturer to offer the ATSC 3.0-enabled sets and join the more than 70 models available from Sony, Samsung and LG Electronics.

“Hisense has long been recognized as a high-tech, high-quality brand at an affordable price point. Its NextGen TV models underscore once again how it pushes the boundaries of innovation to deliver value to consumers,” stated Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. “When the consumer looks for the logo, whether the consumer buys online or in-store, they can feel confident that the Hisense NextGen TV purchased today will keep up with future technology enhancements.” 

Announced at CES 2022, the ATSC 3.0 chipsets have been integrated into Hisense’s U7H and U8H series sets with a third series to follow later this year. Unfortunately for consumers who are looking for NextGen TV sets, a search on the specs on both Hisense’s website and Amazon and the Best Buy website do not include ATSC 3.0 reception as a feature. 

According to the Pearl TV press release, the U7H Series features include IMAX enhanced, Filmmaker Mode, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR 10/10+/adaptive, Quantum Dot, FreeSync Premium and the newly integrated NextGen TV ATSC 3.0 tuner. Premium audio enhancements such as Dolby Atmos, eARC and WiSA deliver immersive audio, and the 120Hz refresh rate not only brings smooth clarity but also fluid motion for fast-action gaming, sports and movies. The U7H series offers screen sizes spanning 55-85 inches and starts at $799.99 MSRP. Available now at retailers including Best Buy and Amazon. 

The U8H Series features a Mini LED upgrade paired with Hisense’s ULED technology and Quantum Dot, “delivering vibrant colors, impressive contrast, and its trademark bright picture for a fantastic HDR experience,” according to Hisense. With a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness up to 1500 nits, and picture upgrades like IMAX enhanced, Filmmaker Mode, Dolby Vision, state-of-the-art picture quality with Dolby IQ, and HDR10+, the U8H delivers superior features. The U8H series offers 55 to 75-inch screen sizes and starts at $1099 MSRP. U8H is now available at retailers including Best Buy and Amazon. 

“Great performance and picture quality are at the foundation of all Hisense product offerings, and our U7H and U8H NextGen TV models are a testament to this commitment by putting even more premium options within people’s reach,” commented David Gold, President of Hisense USA. “As consumers continue to seek a top-notch viewing experience and excellent value package, we are proud to deliver this with NextGen TV.” 

Now broadcasting in more than 50 markets, NextGen TV now reaches half of the U.S. population, Pearl TV said. 

WASHINGTON—A new investigation, titled “Toxic TV Binge,” from a coalition of environmental health advocacy groups has revealed that six state-of-the-art TV models from Toshiba and Insignia, developed in partnership with Best Buy and Amazon, contain dangerous flame retardants in the TV’s plastic components.

The TV models cited in the reports include three Best Buy Insignia Roku TVs and three Toshiba (Hisense) Fire TVs produced in partnership with Amazon. Both models were found to contain organohalogens flame retardants, while the Insignia TVs also had the deca-BDE organohalogen flame retardant, which is banned in five states.

Organohalogens have toxicity that can lead to cancer, harm to the nervous system, hormone disruption and other health issues if the chemicals were to leak from the plastic TV casings into the air and dust of homes, potentially making it into people’s bodies.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned manufacturers and retailers in 2017 to eliminate the use of organohalogen flame retardants in electronics, including TVs. The European Union recently issued an official ban of the chemical in electronic displays.

Both Best Buy and Amazon launched safer chemical policies over the last few years, but the report says that neither has restricted the class of organohalogen flame retardants in private-label or brand-name televisions they sell. Best Buy had previously received letters from more than 50 consumer and public health organizations to do so.

As a result of this research, consumer health organizations have launched a petition calling on Best Buy to act to eliminate flame retardants from its products entirely. Advocates are said to have sent letters to Amazon urging the company take action in regards to flame retardants.

“When a family sits down in front of their TV to relax, the last thing they are considering is possible toxic chemical exposure from their latest electronic purchase,” said Erika Schreder, science director with Toxic-Free Future. “Manufacturers and retailers should heed the warning of CPSC and provide their customers peace of mind that they’re not exposing their families to harmful chemicals.”

The full “Toxic TV Binge” report is available for download.

CASCADES, FALL—Max was perfectly happy with his big screen Sony projection CRT the size of a fatted heifer before I came along.

“I like the soft picture,” he’d say. “It’s easy on my eyes.”

Max is a master artist and colorist by trade, so I didn’t doubt him.

I, on the other hand, have spent a good deal of my adult life staring into a glowing screen. The massive Sony had a three-inch strip of dying phosphors across the bottom. I imagined I could hear them screaming with my imaginary profoundly acute hearing. Max, who is also a mind-reader and a Broncos fan, casually mentioned that maybe it was time for a new TV shortly after Peyton Manning skooled Tom Brady.

Coincidentally, I got an email from Best Buy the next day. OK, I get emails from Best Buy every day because I almost bought something online from them once. But this email offered a 65-inch LG 4KTV for $999. So I tell Max I’ll get it for his birthday because I like him a lot and screaming phosphors. Being a proud man, Max was not about to let any girlfriend of his buy him a TV set without seeing if he could get a better deal.

So we took a field trip to our local Best Buy where they did not have the 65-inch LG 4KTV for $999 in stock. They had plenty of 65-inch 4KTVs for many, many more dollars, but not that one. We then asked our friendly Best Buy associate if he could order it for us.

“Hem. Haw,” he replied.

“Hmm,” we responded.

The next day, Max tried to order it online. Best Buy would not ship it to his business. Best Buy would not ship it to his house. Best Buy would not ship it to a mouse. Best Buy would not ship it here, or there or anywhere. Best Buy does not like green money in hand.

Max got a customer service rep on the phone.

“I have a FedEx account,” he said. “I’ll ship it myself.”

“We can’t do that.”

“I am a shareholder. I’m trying to give you money.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

This tactic, I am told, is called “the old bait and switch.”

I am not saying that Best Buy intentionally pulled “the old bait and switch.” I am saying the preceding true-life scenario was described to me thusly by two completely separate people, one of whom was not me.

In the meantime, since I had placed the pretend $999 LG 4KTV in my virtual Best Buy shopping cart, I kept getting email overtures that read like a Match.com mistake.

“!!!Big News,” said the first one, punctuated in Spanglish. “This has your name on it! Your cart has something in it!”

Then two days later, the less exclamatory, “Thanks for your interest, this has your name on it! We saved it for you...”

Five days in, they went passive-aggressive like an undershorts thief at camp.

“Uh oh, this has your name on it!”

And then finally, as if the previous series of emails never occurred and I hadn’t already discovered that the $999 LG 4KTV set was not available in or through any Best Buy store in all of California:

“You’re all set to check out at Best Buy.”

By this time, however, Max and I had gone to Costco where I let him do the talking. They had 65-inch Samsung 4KTV floor model that he got for pretty much the same price as the LG that Best Buy would not sell us unless we drove 3,000 miles to get it in Baltimore.

Aside from my own soupçon of niggling guilt about potentially setting off a chain of electronic upgrades across Max’s house, we both really like the new TV.

Thank you, Best Buy. Well played.