Good morning. It's
Tuesday, April 6, 2004,
and this is your first early morning
briefing.
Nielsen will go forward with plans to launch Local People Meters in
the #1 DMA, New York, on April 8. Numerous complaints and concerns
have been made known in recent weeks, most loudly from the NAB, the
NAACP, Fox Television Stations Group and a few well placed Senators and
New York City Council members. The concern is the LPMs will
under-represent the Latino and African American sectors of the NYC
population.
Can you really buy your friends? Sure! At $1 million a
pop, you certainly can. The ask for the renewal of Friends beginning in
2011 is $1 million per ep, and 1-1/2 minutes of barter. Warner
Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution sent out a letter to cable nets
reminding them Friends can be bought, and bids are due by April19 for the
off-net's second cable cycle. There are 236 episodes in the offing
and a four year term.
Lloyd Braun is leaving his Chairman post at ABC, probably
within the month, according to Variety. Amid his departure are
rumors which suggests the likely ascension of Anne Sweeney, currently
President of ABC Cable Networks Group, to the position of
overseeing both broadcast and cable.
Leo Hindery Jr. has left the building. YES Network CEO
resigned on Monday after just 30 months with the cable net, and just 11
days after an arbitration panel order Cablevision to provide YES on its
basic tier and not as premium net. In his decision to turn his
attentions elsewhere, Hindery says he'd like to travel as well as work
with the Kerry for President campaign.
Fox programming changes - Wonderfalls has fallen off the
schedule. The Thursday 9p time period will be filled with
repeat eps of Fox's newest reality series, The Swan which premieres
tomorrow.
UPN will push Game Over into the 'hiatus' column
effective immediately. Just last Friday UPN began airing Game Over
twice from 8-9pm, and repeats of their Monday night sitcoms from
9-10p. As of this Friday, UPN brings back the movie.
Revlon announced the launch of a new global, multi-media campaign
in collaboration with the Company's agency of record Deutsch Inc.
It will feature traditional and non-traditional media placement in print,
television, theatrical, outdoor and Internet venues. Revlon's
celebrity spokespeople, Halle Berry, Julianne Moore, Eva Mendes and Jaime
King, will be featured together in the campaign.
Reality Central, a soon-to-be launched cable network centering on
the reality genre, and United Stations Radio Networks are
partnering to create an extensive slate of original reality television
news, features and specials for 3300 radio stations throughout the
U.S.. The radio package will be branded with the Reality Central
name and be syndicated and distributed through United Stations'
affiliated networks, including Launch Radio Network. It will be
produced by the cable network's in-house news and programming production
team. The cornerstone of the package will be a daily Reality
Central news update. The segment will offer the most current
highlights, information and gossip about reality series, casting and
stars. Reality Central will also tap into reality winners and
participants and produce year-round satellite tours with these
personalities for United Stations affiliates.
Sci Fi Channel announced its upcoming programming plans to
advertisers yesterday and amid the bevy of new projects are these
most notable: Earthsea is a sweeping epic fantasy starring Isabella
Rossellini, Danny Glover, Shawn Ashmore and Kristin Kreuk based on Ursula
K. LeGuin's Earthsea novels. Produced by Hallmark Entertainment
with Bender-Brown Prods, Earthsea is on target to debut in
December. History of the Devil (Seraphim Films/Lions Gate
Television)is a six hour limited series wherein the Devil is attempting
to litigate himself into Heaven. Battlestar Gallactica is being developed
for a weekly series. And a new untitled series, described by Sci Fi
as S#x and the City meets V meets 3rd Rock (that last one is my
comparison), with a team of elite scientists are studying the Earth and
its inhabitants, preparing for an invasion, and within that study each
member of the team must experience a different aspect of human
life. Joel Schumacher will exec prod with April Smith.
The reality of reality television seems to have really hit home with
Mark Burnett's second chapter of The Restaurant scheduled to being
airing on NBC on April 19 at 10p. Included in storyline of season
#2 of the show, investors of Rocco DiSpirito's restaurant are unhappy and
ultimately sued Rocco last February for mismanagement and for millions in
losses. Yesterday, Rocco filed a countersuit against the investors,
China Grill Management, accusing them of fixing the books, which he says
they kept, and then leaving him on the cutting board without a piece of
the business.
SiTV, the English language network which launched last February
and provides programming for a young 18-34 Latino audience, has also
attracted approx $60 million in investor bucks. Among those
in the ring are Time Warner, Echostar,
Syndicated Communications Ventures, Columbia Capital and Rho Ventures
among others. Thus far, SiTV is available in 7 million homes, and
has carriage deals with Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and Echostar.
USA TODAY Live, a division of USA TODAY, is developing a weekly
half-hour television show titled USA TODAY Sports Page as part of
an initiative to extend its brand into TV. Media consultants
Sverdlik Brady LLC will represent the company for program distribution
and advertising sales. USA TODAY Live managing editor and
former reporter/anchor Lauren Ashburn will oversee the show. The
show is currently searching for anchors, reporters and an executive
producer. USA TODAY Sports Page will showcase programming with
uplifting stories from the world of sports for the entire family. I know
what you're thinking - haven't we been down this road before? Sure,
but you gotta think USA Today has learned a lot since the less than
successful launch of its day-and-date strip series in the early 1990's,
and this one is different (weekly, sports concentration).
New in Development, Casting, Production:
ABC has signed Rebecca de Mornay to do four episodes of the
current The Practice, with an option to continue with the same character
into the new Practice next season. Next season's show does not have
a title yet, but will star James Spader and include William
Shatner. Rebecca de Mornay replaces Fay Masterson in the new
series.
Elsewhere at ABC, Annie Potts joins the cast of We are Family
(Touchstone). And Craig Ferguson has been added to the cast of Hot
Momma (Warner Bros. TV) along with Gina Gershon and Lindsay Price.
WB's new rendition of Dark Shadows (John Wells Prods/Warner
Bros. TV) has found its Barnabas Collins. Alec Newman has been cast
in the starring role.
The Biography Channel kicks off a new series tomorrow night called
Famous, airing at 8pm. Up close and personal with
Hollywood's elite begins with Jodie Foster, and subsequent weeks
including Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Russell Crowe,
etc.
ABC Cable Networks Group - ABC Family, Disney Channel, SOAPnet and
Toon Disney, have extended their affiliation agreement with Adelphia
Communications Corp., thereby continuing and expanding the networks'
carriage on the MSO. As part of the agreement, Adelphia has been
granted retransmission consent for the ABC O&O stations, including
those Hi-Def stations. Elsewhere at the Disney Company, ESPN has
reached an agreement with Adelphia for carriage of ESPN Broadband, ESPN
Deportes and ESPN HD. Adelphia serves 30 states and Puerto
Rico.
Fox Sports Net have crystallized an agreement with XTRA Sports
Radio (690/1150A) that will include program simulcasting, Fox
Sports Net branded sports updates and talent sharing. XTRA will simulcast
Fox Sports Net's Southern California Sports Report weeknights at 10p,
followed by Lee Klein's new show, Final Call. Additionally, the radio
net's sports update which airs three times every hour, will be rebranded
as the Souther California Sports Report. Talent will also be shared
from XTRA to Fox Sports with Lee Hamilton and Mychal Thompson showing up
regularly on the cable net's nightly news shows. Additionally, various
sports anchors and reporters from Fox Sports Net will be heard on XTRA
Sports Radio. XTRA reaches from Central California down to the Mexican
border, making it the nation's most powerful sports radio station, home
to the Clippers, Avengers, UCLA Bruins and Oakland Raiders.
A close Sunday night with a tie between NBC and ABC, each
posting a 3.3/9 A18-49, with CBS and Fox tied not too far behind
with a 2.9/8, followed by B 1.0/3, according to Nielsen Media
Research. At 7pm ABC and CBS tied at 2.1/8, followed most closely
NBC's 2.0/6 for Dateline. At 8pm a double run of The Simpsons
caught the most eyeballs 18-49 with a 3.6/10 for the hour, followed by
CBS' Cold Case (3.3/9) and ABC's ongoing Ten Commandment movies. At
9pm NBC was in front with L&O: Criminal Intent (4.3/11) with the ABC
movie continuing in a strong #2 position (3.7/9). At 10p NBC's
Crossing Jordan climbed to a 4.6/12, as did Moses on ABC with a 4.2/11,
with CSI Miami coming in #3 with a 3.6/9.
Michael Dugan, President/COO, EchoStar announced yesterday that he
will retire from both positions, effective April 30, and
less than a month later he will join the company’s board of directors and
serve as a senior advisor. Dugan, a 14 year veteran of EchoStar
made the decision to retire from his posts to devote more time to his
family, personal interests and to accelerate efforts to make his
Whistling Elk guest ranch in northern Colorado available to disadvantaged
children. Dugan is credited with being the ‘chief architect of the
technological foundations upon which the success of DISH Network was
founded,’ as well as for nurturing the market to market roll-out of DISH
Network, resulting in subscriber growth that went from 3.9m subs in 28
markets with local TV channels in April 2000 and now stands at 9.4m subs
delivering to local channels 110 markets.
TV Guide Television Group has named Tom Cosgrove as
General Manager, SVP/TV Guide Channel. Tom will
oversee all day-to-day functions for TV Guide Channel, including
programming, production, scheduling and marketing. Stacy
Jolna was named to a newly-created position as SVP, General
Manager of the Group's new non-linear network designed for VOD, DVRs,
broadband and cellular distribution. The network will be named in a few
months. It will provide TV viewers with impulse TV information and
guidance about what to watch. Both Tom and Mr. Jolna are based in LA and
report to Ian Aaron, President/TV Guide Television Group.
MGM has upped attorney Michael Moore to VP/Intellectual
Property Group. Michael is responsible for protecting MGM's IP
assets, including the world's largest library of modern films and a
trademark portfolio which includes the MGM Lion, the Pink Panther and
Rocky. He is based in LA and reports to Jay Rakow/SVP, General
Counsel of MGM.
UK- based Tiger Aspect Productions named producer Steve Hewlett
as its Non-Executive Director. Steve will work with
Department Heads to develop programming, broaden broadcasters relations
and help expand the company's international opportunities.
Sunday, April 4, 2004. Fast
Affiliate Household Ratings
for all Networks.
Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period
data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in,
particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen
Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] =
Original; [r] = Repeat CBS
7.8/1360
Minutes 7.7/15, Cold Case 9.0/15, Without a Trace 7.1/11, CSI: Miami
7.5/12
NBC 6.7/11 Dateline
4.2/8, American Dreams 5.4/9, Law & Order: CI 8.0/12,
Crossing Jordan 9.0/15 ABC 6.2/10 The
Ten Commandments (7p-1145p) 6.2/10
FOX 3.9/7 King
of the King [r] 2.4/5, King of the Hill [r] 3.0/5, Simpsons [r] 4.5/8,
Simpsons [r] 5.0/8, Malcolm [r] 4.7/7, Arrested Development 3.6/6
WB 1.7/3 Smallville
[r] 1.2./2, Charmed [r] 1.9/3, High School Reunion 1.9/3 A18-49
NBC 3.3/9, ABC 3.3/9, CBS 2.9/8, FOX 2.9/8, WB
1.0/3
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The
History ChannelpresentsThis Day in History: 1968 - Two days after the assassination of Martin
Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee (April 4), dozens of U.S. cities
erupt in violence. For champions of non-violent civil rights activism,
these race riots mark the tragic end of an era.
Answer to yesterday's Trivia
Question:Often referred by his nickname
Handi-Man, this guy worked inthe mailroom at the Daily Glove
newspaper. What was this character's real name? CLARK
BENT played by Damon Wayans. Kudos to: Richard Walsh-OMD/NY; Ron
Salcedo-Zimmerman Partners/NY; Carl Mayer-MindShare/NY; Tim
Riviere-WPVI/Philadelphia; Les Stipp-GSD&M/Chicago; Susan
Goldberg-Beverly Park Prods/LA; Richard Storrs-Creative Television
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Today's Trivia Question:
"It's this dumb thing that Ross made up because he was trying to
fool our parents. It's a way of giving the finger, without actually
having to give it. I remember I cried the night he made it up, `cause it
was the first time that I realized that I was actually cooler than my
older brother." What is Monica describing?(click
hereto respond to the trivia question and
please be sure to include with your answer your name, company, city
and time zone. Only the second four correct responses from each time
zone will be listed in tomorrow's kudo list.)
Later -- Cyn
Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis
04/06/045:29am
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UNIV Mariana
de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Casos de la Vida Real: Edicion
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