Good morning. It's
Friday, March 26, 2004,
and this is your first early morning
briefing.
Comcast Corporation has signed an agreement with Vulcan
Programming Inc. to acquire TechTV, Inc. Once the deal
is done, Comcast will merge it's own video games and gamer lifestyle
network G4 with Tech TV. The combined networks will be available to
44 million cable and satellite subscribers. Charles Hirschhorn,
Founder/CEO of G4 will head up the new combined network. Echostar
will have an equity interested in the merged channels, and as such as
agreed to carry the new channel on its DISH Network for subscribers of
the America's Top 120 package.
ABC Family has announced a major acquisition deal with
Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution whereby ABC Family will
pick up a several series, movies and specials. The deal includes
the off-net rights to Smallville (from Warner Bros. Television) as well
as JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. Both will make their debuts
on ABC Family this Fall 2004. ABC Family also took care of its
renewal of Full House as part of this package. Movies in the
package include You've Got Mail, Miss Congeniality, The Perfect Storm and
Twister.
The newly launched African American cable network TV One (January
2004) has acquired the first fifteen seasons of It's Showtime
at the Apollo from Western International Syndication. TV One
will schedule the show to air M-F at 12n and again at 7pm, as well as
various times on the weekends.
Following its April 6th airing, Fox will pull Cracking Up
from the schedule and reserve the final 5 eps for a summer airing.
Has the show been cancelled? No. According to Variety,
it will be back this summer.
WE: Women's Entertainment has named Media Storm LLC in
South Norwalk, Connecticut, its agency of record, managing the
network's media planning and buying responsibilities. Media Storm will
create national, regional, and local multi-media campaigns for WE aimed
at growing ratings while increasing brand awareness and
sampling Media Storm, founded 4 years ago by former cable
executives, Tim Williams and Craig Woerz, is a strategic media
advertising agency.
New in Casting/Development/Production:
ABC's comedy project The Furst Family (Granada/Touchstone) has
added John Francis Daley to the cast which includes French Stewart and
Laurie Metcalf. And William Devane joins the cast of We are Family
(Touchstone) about a man and his father (Devane) who both have babies at
the same time. Lining up for David E. Kelley's The Practice spinoff
(David E. Kelley Prods./20th) are James Spader, Rhona Mitra, and newly
added William Shatner as the senior partner of the law firm. Also
expected to join this cast are Fay Masterson and Lake Bell, who's
characters will be introduced in the final episodes of The
Practice.
WB's Miles to Go (fka Commando Nanny) (Warner Bros.) based on
the real life experiences of exec prod Mark Burnett when he was a nanny
in Beverly Hills, has added Kristin Bauer to the cast
UPN's comedy Second Time Around (C to the B Prods/Paramount)
has added Melissa De Sousa and Brian White to a cast that already
includes Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker. In the net's female
buddy comedy pilot Bad Girl's Guide (Flame/Paramount) Sophina Brown has
been added.
NBC has added two more cast members to its untitled Heline &
Heisler comedy (NBC Studios) - Tom Poston and Darius McCrary.
So you say you're a fan of Karen Sisco and LA Dragnet and
wonder if you'll ever get a chance to see the unaired episodes?
Rest assured - yes you will and on USA Network. The network
has picked up the shows from Universal Television Network, and on April
21 USA will begin airing the first of five unaired LA Dragnet episodes at
10p; and the three unaired Karen Sisco eps start on April 31, also at
10p. Feeling better?
For the show that has withstood more cast changes than any other in
history, Law & Order may just be undergoing yet another one
before it begins its 15th season. Rumors abound that Jerry
Orbach may be ready to hang up his shield as Detective Lenny
Briscoe. Orbach has been with the show for 12 years. Now I
should also tell you rumors further suggest Orbach is just jumping to the
next Wolf show - L&O: Trial by Jury.
CBS is planning a reality series in hopes of identifying the
America's next domestic goddess. The net has ordered up 10 eps
from producers LMNO Prods Eric Schotz and Bill Paolantonio, according to
Variety. The show will take 12 wannabes, put them in a New
England farm house where they will live together and compete against one
another in various domestic challenges. At the same time, NBC's
Today show is currently running a contest wherein viewers send in tapes
hoping to be named Domestic Goddess.
ABC will add another cast member to the series Alias - Mia
Maestro will join the cast for the final three eps this season,a nd
return as a regular next season, in the role of Jennifer Garner's
sister.
Bruce Nash, President of Nash Entertainment, is making a move from
reality shows to a movie based on another reality - The South won the
war. According to Variety, a two hour pilot and outline
for the remaining four eps has been ordered by USA Network and is set in
current day. The premise is based on the book If the South Had
Won the Civil War by MacKinlay Kantor. Elsewhere Nash is
working on a scripted series that takes place behind the scenes at a
reality program production company, for FX.
Here is a quick look at some of Discovery NetworksDigitalChannels plans for the upcoming 2004-05 season:
Discovery's newest network, FitTV, will start the next season
with several new shows including Yoga Booty Ballet, Personal Trainers,
Urban Fitness TV, Interval Training, Bodies In Motion, Secrets of
Superstar Fitness, Cathe Freidrich's Workouts and In Shape with Sharon
Mann. FitTV programming genres are designed around cardio training,
body conditioning, lifestyle, nutrition and performance sports.
The Science Channel will debut18 specials and series in the new
season. The new 4th quarter 2004 series include 100 Greatest
Discoveries, Failure Analysis (investigation into what went wrong in 3
tragedies), Ultimate Cars, Mission - Inventions, Science of the Deep, A
Species Odyssey and Discoveries This Week. What the Ancients Knew
and Human Computer premiere in the 1st quarter of 2005. Second and
3rd quarter 2005 brings the premiere of Hot Rocks: The Geology of
Civilization, Miracle of Life, Science of Yard Chores, Miracle Planet,
Science of Backyard Projects and Vision: Impossible.
Discovery Times Channel's line-up for the new season includes
a new series of documentaries under the umbrella title Discovery Times
Screening Room and a talk show, The Political Dish. The Screening
Room will include documentary features on Word Wars, Disciples, Kasparov
and The Machine. Campaign Essentials will continue through
2004. Discovery Times has also forged a partnership with the
National Television Academy (NTA) to telecast the 25th Annual News and
Documentary Emmy Awards in September.
The Discovery Home & Leisure Channel will relaunch as
Discovery Home Channel on March 29th with a new target
mission. Discovery Home Channel will start the new season with a
complete facelift: new logo, name, graphics and mission.
Programming highlights include Kylie Kwong: Cooking with Heart and Soul,
Houselift, No Repair Man Needed and Picture This.
Discovery Wings Channel will highlight new programs in the
2004-2005 season such as Med-Air, A Year in The Life of the Blue Angels,
Secret Mission at Dien Bien Phu and Aerospace.
BBC America will go with program blocks in the upcoming season
- Mystery Monday, Tuesday is all about makeovers, Wednesday is sitcom
night, Thursday is cutting edge humor (i.e., The Office), and Retro
Fridays featuring cult 1960's and 70's BBC programming.
Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week
of Mar 8-14, 2004
ranked by HH
Rtg Wheel of Fortune (King
World)
8.9 AA
Jeopardy (King
World) 7.5
AA
Seinfeld
(Sony) 6.5
AA / 7.9 GAA
Friends (Warner
Bros.) 6.2
AA / 7.4 GAA
Oprah (King
World) 6.1
AA / 6.2 GAA
Entertainment Tonight
(Paramount) 6.1
AA / 6.2 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King
World) 5.5 AA / 6.1 GAA
Dr. Phil (King
World) 5.1
AA / 5.1 GAA
Judge Judy
(Paramount) 5.1
AA / 7.7 GAA
That 70's Show (Carsey-Werner) 4.0 AA / 5.0
GAA Source Nielsen Media Research
Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week
ofMar 8-14, 2004
ranked by
A18-49 Seinfeld
(Sony) 4.4
AA / 5.4 GAA
Friends (Warner
Bros.) 4.3
AA / 5.1 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King
World) 2.9 AA / 3.2 GAA
That 70's Show (Carsey-Werner) 2.7 AA / 3.4
GAA
Wheel of Fortune (King
World) 2.7
AA
Entertainment Tonight
(Paramount) 2.6
AA / 2.6 GAA
Oprah (King
World) 2.5
AA / 2.5 GAA
Will & Grace
2.2
AA / 2.6 GAA
King of the Hill
(20th) 2.1
AA / 2.3 GAA
Jeopardy (King
World) 2.1
AA Source Nielsen Media Research
According to a research brief from the Center for Media Research,
broadband services among multicultural consumer is up over the
past five years. After tracking the growth in multicultural
households for the five year time frame, the State of Broadband Urban
Markets has found digital cable is now in 29% of all urban
households, exceeding the 27% national number. Among African
Americans penetration has reached 35%, and among English-oriented Latino
households digital cable is now in 30% of the households. Satellite
penetration in urban markets has reached 15%, mirroring the national
number. The major draw for many of these multicultural homes is the
culturally relevant programming content. Research indicates:
Almost four in ten (37%) African-Americans watch
African-American-oriented programming,
Half (48%) of Latinos (Spanish-dominant and English-oriented,
combined) watch Spanish-language programming and
10% of Asians view programming oriented to Asian-Americans.
Mainstream media-- many cable networks in particular-- rank high on
the list of "favorite channels" among the Latino,
African-American and Asian consumers surveyed.
Source: Center for Media Research, MediaPost Comm.
Top 5 Broadcast Spanish Language Primetime Programs for the week
ofMarch 15-21, 2004 UNIV Mariana
de la Noche (Thu
8p) 19.8
NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV Mariana de la Noche (Wed
8p) 19.8
NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV Mariana de la Noche (Mon
8p) 19.8
NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV Cristina (Mon
10p) 19.5
NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV Mariana de la Noche (Tue
8p) 19.4
NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV Amar Otra Vez (Mon
7p) 18.5
NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV Don Francisco Presenta (Wed
10p) 18.2
NHTI HH Rtg Source Nielsen Media Research
Note NHTI Ratings are based on 10.57 million Hispanic TV
Homes
Top 5 Broadcast English Language Primetime Programs in Hispanic TV
Homes for the week ofMarch 15-21, 2004 Fox American
Idol (Tue
8p) 9.3
NHTI HH Rtg
Fox American Idol (Wed
830p) 8.5
NHTI HH Rtg
Fox Simpsons (Sun
830p) 7.1
NHTI HH Rtg
UPN WWE Smackdown (Thu
8p) 7.0 NHTI HH Rtg
NBC Friends (Thu
8p) 6.9
NHTI HH Rtg
NBC Fear Factor (Mon
8p) 6.9
NHTI HH Rtg Source Nielsen Media Research
Note NHTI Ratings are based on 10.57 million Hispanic TV
Homes
African American television homes in the US represent
12,870,000 households. Here are the rankings for the week
of March 15-21, 2004
- highest rated primetime network programs in
African American TV homes according to Nielsen Media Research
FOX American Idol (Tue
8p) 18.9
HH Rtg
FOX American Idol (Wed
830p)
17.5 HH Rtg
ABC My Wife & Kids (Wed
8p) 17.1
HH Rtg
UPN Eve (Mon
830p) 16.7
HH Rtg
ABC My Wife & Kids (Wed
830) 15.3
HH Rtg
UPN Girlfriends (Mon
9p) 15.3
HH Rtg
UPN America's Next Top Model
2 (Tue 9p) 14.5 HH Rtg
UPN The Parkers (Mon
8p) 14.4
HH Rtg
UPN Half & Half (Mon
930p) 13.8
HH Rtg
UPN All of Us (Tue
8p) 12.9
HH Rtg Source Nielsen Media Research
Do you care about Simon Cowell's finger? Me
either.
Once again Fox ruled the night on Wednesday with a
6.3/16 A18-49, out delivering #2 CBS who averaged a 4.7/13 for the
night according to Nielsen Media Research. Following at #3
was NBC with a 3.6/9, and then ABC 3.2/8, WB 1.1/3, UPN 0.7/2. At
8pm Fox owned the hour with a 7.3/20. Breaking that down, That 70's
Show earned a 5.8/16, while Idol followed with an 8.8/23, clearly
outweighing the Survivor All Stars clip episode (6.2/17). At 9pm
Fox again won the hour with The O.C.'s 5.3/13, ahead of CBS' comedy hour
(King of Queens 5.0/12; The Stones 3.5/9) and ABC's 4.2/10 for Secrets of
Extreme Makeover. At 10pm Law & Order earned a 5.2/15, ahead of
a repeat of CSI 3.6/10, and well ahead of ABC's Kingdom Hospital
(2.3/6).
Wednesday, March 24, 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 FOX 8.4/13 That
70s Show 7.2/12, American Idol 12.1/19, The O.C. 7.2/11
CBS
7.9/13 Survivor:
All Stars (OTO) 9.7/16, The King of Queens 8.3/13, The Stones
6.3/10, CSI [r] 6.8/12
NBC 7.1/12 The
Apprentice [r] 3.6/6, West Wing 7.5/12,Law & Order
10.4/18 ABC 5.5/9 My
Wife and Kids [r] 5.5/9, My Wife and Kids [r] 5.8/9, Secrets of Extreme
Makeover 6.9/11, Kingdom Hospital 4.0/7
WB 1.9/3 Smallville
[r] 1.9/3, Smallville [r] 1.8/3
UPN 1.3/2 Enterprise
[r] 1.2/2, Enterprise [r] 1.4/2 A18-49
FOX 6.3/16, CBS 4.7/13, NBC 3.6/9, ABC 3.2/8, WB
1.1/3, UPN 0.7/2
A MESSAGE FROM
WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC CABLE DISTRIBUTION
Theatrical
Movies Work on Network Television!
THE GREEN
MILE
ABC's #1 program
for the week With Total Viewers and Men 18-49 &
25-54!
ABC's #2 movie
season-to-date (2nd only to the premiere of
Castaway)
with HH, Total Viewers, A/M18-49 & 25-54!
Warner Bros. Domestic
Cable Distribution
Your #1 Source for Great Movies!
Source: NTI Explorer, 3/15/04-3/21/04 or as
noted. Program rank ties Primetime Thursday with total
viewers. US Ratings.
Friday Fun Fact:
Roy Rogers' favorite of the 100 movies he made
was My Pal Trigger.
The
History ChannelpresentsThis Day in History: 1953 - Dr. Jonas Salk announces on national radio
that he has successfully tested a vaccine against polio.
Answer to yesterday's Trivia
Question:Who is Mamie Dubcek who refers to
herself as a Slavic Mutt? THE SOLOMON'S LANDLORD ON 3RD ROCK
FROM THE SUN. Kudos to: Gary Stein-Good Morning
America/NY; Steve Daniloff-WEWS; Robin Kenwood-ITN Networks/NY; Ed
Goode-Connelly Partners/Boston; Phillip Stockwell-Nexstar Bcsting/Dallas;
Eric Merrill-GSD&M/Austin; Lucie Prann-The Richards Group/Oklahoma
City; Nick Beyer-Starz Encore/Englewood; Rick Touhy/Chicago; Richard
Storrs-Creative Television Marketing/Burbank; Lisabeth Grace/LA; Alex
Petrelli Jr.-KBHK/San Francisco; Jesse Dienstag-Hall & Partners/LA;
Skip Mindell-OMNI-TV/Toronto.
Today's Trivia Question:
Where were all of these items found: A mood ring, a pet rock, the
Undercover Women of James Bond Playboy issue, and letters by four young
teenagers people all predicting where they'd be when they grew up.
(
to 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.)
A MESSAGE FROM SIMON
SCHUSTER
Did
words ever change your life? Share YOUR story!
In the bestselling book
The Right Words at the Right Time, Marlo Thomas gathered
stories from celebrities and luminaries about words that changed their
lives. Now Marlo invites YOU to share your story for possible
inclusion in a new volume of The Right Words at the Right
Time.
Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis
03/26/04 5:18am
Free Subscriptions to Cynopsis: email
Archived Editions Check out any previous copy of Cynopsis, or search via
keywords at
www.Cynopsis.com Click
to subscribe
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JOB
OPENING:ACCT. MGR. NETWORK
DISTRIB. & SERVICES, NY/Eastern
Region. Secure cable carriage, build/secure relationships, oversee
execution of Affil. Mktg proj.
Click
here for full posting.
Resumes:
(4/2)
JOB
OPENING:RESEARCH
DIRECTOR, FX Network/NY Ad Sales.Strong analytical skills/strategic thinker. Resp for new qual/quant
research; Nielsen systems -Apply:
www.foxcareers.com
under Fox Sports Net (4/2)
JOB
OPENING:NSM,
WB affiliate-Louisville, KY. National Sales experience/strong desire
to win/ strong analytical/math skills & strength to hold the Rep firm
responsible for business required. Travel. Resume:
EOE (4/1)
JOB
OPENING:AD SALES RESEARCH
ANALYST/Discovery Networks-NY: Min
2 yrs research exp. Knowledge of Nielsen/MRI required, strong
communication & computer skills necessary. Send resume/cover
letter:
(3/30)
JOB
OPENING:SR. PRODUCER,
PGMING/PROD., Noggin/The N. EIC/
Prod. 5 yrs exp. supervising &/or writing/producing/developing
current series for tween/teens. Ext. scripted/reality TV exp. Net exec
exp a +. Reply:www.mtvncareers.com
(3/30)
JOB
OPENING:RESEARCH
ANALYST, Tribune
Ent./NY:
Support distribution/programming/ad
sales. Presentations, competitive analyses. Strong MS Office &
writing skills. Familiarity w/Nielsen software a plus!.
Email:(3/27)
JOB
OPENING:MKT RESEARCH
ANALYST/SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO/NY.
Min 3 yrs mkt res. exp. Org/analyze primary/secondary data, monthly
tracking; various add'l res projs. Strong analytic/communication skills.
Info:
www.sirius.com/careers
(3/27)
JOB
OPENING:DIRECTOR/ON-AIR
PROMOTIONS-ABC TV Network/Burbank.Resp for creative direction, scheduling & production of on-air
daytime promos. Job requires mgmt, admin. & creative skills. Submit
resumes to
(3/27)
SITUATION WANTED
ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE
HIRED --
SITUATION
WANTED:SENIOR
MARKETING/AD/PROMO EXEC seeks
consulting work in NYC. 18 yrs. exp. in entertainment, licensed
products, retail and online Paramount, MTV, Scholastic.
(4/2)
SITUATION
WANTED:Experienced
WRITER/PRODUCER/FIELD
DIRECTOR: reality, news,
entertainment, talk, or documentary. freelance or full-time. LA based,
will travel.
(4/2)
SITUATION
WANTED:HOLLYWOOD TO
CONNECTICUT -d-girl/producer/cable network vice president/industry
lecturer/author seeks
MEDIA/DEVELOPMENT/PROGRAMMING
work in Connecticut/NY
arena. Contact:
(4/1)
SITUATION
WANTED:MBA student
at top 10 school, looking for
SUMMER
INTERNSHIPin kids marketing.
Brings 4+ years of brand management and advertising experience to the
table. Emailfor resume (4/1)
SITUATION
WANTED:HOLLYWOOD TO
CONNECTICUT -d-girl/producer/cable network vice president/industry
lecturer/author seeks
MEDIA/DEVELOPMENT/PROGRAMMING
work in Connecticut/NY
arena. Contact:
(3/30)
SITUATION
WANTED:
LA JR. LEVEL TV
PROGRAMMING/RESEARCH POSITION. A
confident, assertive TV industry professional with an MBA and 6 yrs. of
commercial/program experience. Effective communicator/detail
oriented.
(3/30)
E-mail
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Openings. Your ad will be read by 71,650+
Cynopsis & Cynopsis Kids! readers every day. No wonder
Cynopsis ads get results.
Are you looking for a job? Post your
Situation Wanted Ad here --Email
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specs.
WHAT'S ON
TONIGHT: Friday, March 26, 2004
COURT
TV RETAINS OVER
95% OF ITS A18-49,
W18-49, A25-54 & W25-54 AUDIENCE THROUGH COMMERCIAL BREAKS!
NOW THAT'S GREAT ROI -
RETURN ON INVESTIGATION!
Court TV The
Investigation Channel Source: Nielsen Media Research
Custom Analysis (NPower) Minute-by-Minute program minutes vs non-program
minutes, November 2003. Mon-Sun 8p-11p.
COURT
TV: Forensic
Fridays
ABC George
Lopez, Married to the Kellys, Hope & Faith [r], Life with Bonnie, The
DA
CBS NCAA
Basketball (OTO)
FOX Playing
It Straight, Wonderfalls
NBC Dateline
NBC, Law & Order: Criminal Intent [r]
PAX MGM
Night at the Movies: Garbo Talks, Diagnosis Murder
UPN Game
Over, Game Over [r], Top Model [r]
WB Reba,
Reba [r], Grounded for Life, The Help
TELE Prisonera,El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas
UNIV Mariana
de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Casos de la Vida Real: Edicion
Especial
