• The Associated Press, Thursday, July 30, 2009 10:54 PM

The Emmy Awards will give less airtime to some winners and more time to popular shows and stars this year. A new plan calls for "time-shifting" eight of the 28 awards by recording their presentation before the show airs live. An edited version of the winners' acceptances will be shown during the ceremony. The eight awards will be split equally among directing, writing, acting and producing.

Emmy viewership has suffered in recent years as academy voters have lavished attention on little-watched cable shows and largely snubbed top-rated broadcast series. In fact, the 12 most-watched series from last season, including "American Idol" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," garnered only two awards last year. That's a painful slap for the four major broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, which take turns airing the Emmys but increasingly see their programming ignored.

The time-shifting change will save up to 15 minutes during the three-hour Sept. 20 telecast, time that can be given over to more audience-friendly fare, possibly including some interactive opportunities for viewers, says Don Mischer, the ceremony's executive producer.

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