FIRST OFF . . .

Fox Broadcasting Co. and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences have named Don Ohlmeyer executive producer of the “39th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards.� The telecast, originating live Sept. 20 from Pasadena Civic Auditorium, marks the first Emmy show in Fox’s three-year deal to telecast the prime-time Emmys, formerly the province of the Big Three networks, which had televised the awards on a rotating basis. Ohlmeyer, who has directed and produced myriad sporting events--including the Olympics--says he wants to “devote more time to the human side of the equation� rather than striving for brevity at all costs. “In the past, in an effort to make it shorter, we have lost the heart and soul of the show,� he said.