Emmy Academy Says No to Rolling Out the Green Carpet

Instead of a red carpet, Fox wanted to roll out a green carpet for the 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards. But the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences denied the request. The Academy considers traditional red carpet an iconic part of its brand.

Changing the carpet color was an unannounced part of Fox’s green-themed Emmy Awards presentation strategy, which includes employing hybrid vehicles for event transportation, using recycled materials and reducing carbon emissions from the production.

Fox pushed for the attention-getting switch as part of parent company News Corp.’s initiative to combat global warming and promote eco-friendly concepts, but the network was met with strong resistance from the more traditional Academy.

“They are so bound by ‘this is how it’s always done’ that it’s like moving mountains trying to get them to agree,â€ a production insider says.