Good morning. It's
Tuesday, March 2, 2004,
and this is your first early morning
briefing.
ABC was the clear winner on Sunday night with the 76th
Annual Academy Awards pulling in 43.5 million viewers. For the
night from stem to stern, ABC averaged a 12.3/30 from 7-11p (subject to
change once the final numbers are
in)according to fast affiliate ratings from
Nielsen Media Research. Well behind was NBC 3.1/8, followed by FOX
2.5/6, CBS 2.3/6, WB 1.2/3. Barbara Walters Special kicked off the
night for ABC and immediately gave the net a big boost with a 5.8/17 for
the hour among A18-49, and a 7.3/18 among A25-54, according to time
period data. At 8pm if not on already, TV sets were warmed up for
the 830p start of the Oscars, and found the 30m 8pm Countdown to the
Oscars show which earned a 9.2 A18-49. And then it was Oscar - averaging
a 15.3 A18-49 from 830-11:55p which according to ABC was good enough to
rank the Oscars the #1 entertainment show of the season, up 22% vs. last
year's. Compared with last year (airing during the third week in
March), in total viewers this year's event saw 10.5 million more viewers;
the most viewed since the 2000 Awards (46.33 million viewers) when
American Beauty was the Best Picture. The most viewed
Oscar-fest in the past decade was in 1998 when Titanic was top dog and
55.2 million viewers tuned in, the most in recorded history of the
awards.
TNT has acquired the cable rights to off-net series
Alias (Buena Vista Television Dist) for a reported fee of $200,000
per ep, aimed to hit the schedule in Fall 2005. That fee is
considerably less than the ask six months ago, which was closer to the
tony $1m neighborhood. The show was at one time in 2002 repurposed
on ABC Family to disappointing ratings. However, one could argue
the environment at TNT will be considerably more desirable to the show,
potentially surrounded by the likes of L&O, NYPD Blue, ER and Without
a Trace.
USA Network has purchased the cable rights to Along Came Polly
(Universal); And according to Variety, NBC has picked up the
broadcast rights. Thus far Polly has raked in $86 million at the
domestic box office and according to traditional math in these types of
deals, the networks could collectively pay between $13 and $15 million
for Polly. USA will get the first airing in the Fall of 2006, then goes
to NBC in early 2007. Thereafter it bicycles between the nets until
2011. USA also picked up three other Universal's three
titles, Intolerable Cruelty, Love Actually and Honey. Honey
will be shared with the WB network, collectively the nets will pony up
approx $4 million. The movie begins at USA for a series of airings, goes
to WB for a single run, and then moves back and forth between the nets
for the remaining term in the 4-year deal. USA has an option of
finding a broadcast or cable net to share the other two titles, which
both have three year terms. Meanwhile, NBC has done a separate deal with
Universal for Lost in Translation; Universal is also talking with another
cable net to split the fees/runs.
New in Development and Casting:
CBS has cast Rob Lowe in the lead role of its
doctor-in-the-hotel drama series Dr. Vegas (Bender Brown Prods/Warner
Bros. TV/CBS Prods). And Spencer Breslin has joined the growing
cast of CBS' Center of the Universe starring John Goodman, Jean Smart,
Diedrich Bader and Melinda McGraw.
ABC brings Alex Desert into its drama pilot Harry Green &
Eugene (Frequency Films/Littlefield Co./Paramount) which stars Mark
Valley and Jason Segal as brothers - one smart, the other not so much,
who own a P.I. firm. John Patrick Stewart and Josie Davis joined
the as yet untitled pilot featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt (Love
Spell/Touchstone) about a single mom/sports producer who unwillingly ends
up an on-camera reporter.
NBC named John Cho to the cast of Men's Room, a comedy that
examines the lives and humor of men in their 20's through their 40's.
WB has cast Coby Arens and Stacy Edwards in its drama pilot
Prodigy about a family of prodigies, most notably the son. The daughter
alternatively hides her prodigal talents.
Fox's drama pilot Point Pleasant has added Cameron Richardson
and Brent Weber to the cast. A mix of primetime soap and with a dash of
Twin Peaks oddity, this story focuses on a small town irrevocably changed
the day a girl washes ashore.
Discovery Home & Leisure Channel is getting a
makeover. Come March 29, this channel will be known as
Discovery Home Channel, with a new logo, new graphics, new
branding spots, as well as newly expanded slate of original
programming. Categories of programming will include decorating,
cooking, landscaping, home improvement, among others. New
programming includes: Houselift which follows a couple as they renovate
their 1907 Dutch Colonial (premieres 4/2 at 8p); Friends for Dinner
(premieres March 30 at 10p) features 8 friends trying to whip up a
gourmet meal for friends, and who thankfully have top chefs to help out;
cooking series Kylie Kwong: Cooking with Heart and Soul kicks off in 2nd
qtr this year; No Repair Man Needed (working title) is a self-help home
improvement show set to debut in 3rd qtr 2004; and Picture This is a
lifestyle makeover series for 4th qtr 2004.
Yesterday cable network Trio launched TrioPlus, the channel's new
broadband initiative
(www.triotv.com/plus)
designed for those who don't get Trio on their cable, and more content
for those that do. Content includes never before episodes or scenes
from Trio programs, as well as acquired programming including 49 eps of
Mr. Bill (CinemaNow), 24 short films from Lions Gate Entertainment
featured at the digital film festival RESFEST, and 16 eps of Hidden
Celebrity Webcam (Icebox). TrioPlus will also include a the
premiere of a controversial new animated series from South Park creators
Matt Stone/Trey Parker called Princess which has never been seen because
of its content. Princess kicks off with the premiere webisode on
March 8 along with the Trio orig doc Shocked which looks at why shows
like Princess never made it to air.
Oxygen has ordered 10 more episodes of Real Weddings from The
Knot. The new eps will be scheduled to coincide with Oxygen's
Wedding Weeks in October 2004 and January 2005. Each episodes
follows couples in the final weeks leading up to their wedding, their
frustrations and delights, good news and bad, with narration from the
bride.
Animal Planet will debut a new series on March 30 called Venom
ER - a San Bernadino hospital ER that specializes primarily with
snake bits, spider bites and scorpion stings. The premiere episode airs
from 8-10p and thereafter the show will air on Tuesdays at 9p.
Public comments will be accepted by the FCC up until March
19 on the question of how UHF stations are counted.
Traditionally, a UHF station is counted as 50% of their market, unlike
the full 100% like their VHF counterparts. With the national
ownership cap set at 39% thanks to a recently signed appropriations bill
by the President, the question of UHF discounts comes into play. In the
event the FCC decides to count UHF stations as reach the full 100%
viewership in their respective markets, many station groups could find
themselves over the 39% cap.
The new Spanish language newspaper Hoy was available on
newsstands in LA yesterday for the first time. The paper is already
available in New York and Chicago where it has a total circulation of
more than 110,000 (94k in NY, 18k in Chicago). In a
content dealwithTelemundo, the net will tie in
with Hoy for its newscasts in NY, Chicago and LA, where viewers
will be directed to the newspaper for additional information on various
news topics.
Update: Dennis Miller is due back in front of the camera on CNBC
on March 9.
A&E Television Networks has restructured its national ad
sales group. AETN has appointed several ad sales executives to new
positions, including Macie Huwiler to SVP/National Ad Sales; Vice
Presidents Rob Edney and Brian Granath will oversee all of the ad sales
efforts for A&E's Eastern Region; Melinda McLaughlin to
SVP/Integrated Sales and Marketing; and Mike Peretz to VP/Pricing &
Planning. The announcement was made today by Mel Berning, EVP/Ad
Sales, A&E Television Networks.
José Antonio Hidalgo has been named Director of Business
Development for Telemundo Television Stations with offices in
Mexico City. Enrique Pérez, SVP/Telemundo Station Group Sales made
the announcement. José will report directly to Pérez and will work
closely with Telemundo's National Spot Sales offices and owned and
operated stations. He most recently was Director of Affiliate Sales
at VISAT, Televisa's cable distribution company.
MGM Studios Inc. attorney Laura Tunberg has been upped
to VP/Intellectual Property Enforcement. The announcement was made
by MGM Senior EVP/Secretary William A. Jones, to whom Laura
reports. She also reports to MGM Senior EVP/General Counsel Jay
Rakow. Laura is MGM's representative on the committee overseeing
the Motion Picture Association's worldwide anti-piracy programs.
She also oversees security for MGM's entire process of film and TV
production and enforcement actions against copyright violators of MGM's
products on the Internet, optical discs and other formats and
platforms.
Televisa Cine will open an LA-based film distrib office headed by
Mike Doban who will oversee day to day operations. Doban makes the
move to Televisa Cine from Arcangelo where he was head film buyer for the
Metropolitan Theatres in the US. Targeting the growing US Hispanic
audience, Doban's first assignment will be the distribution of A
Day Without a Mexican, produced by Televisa Cine and scheduled for
release on May 14.
Several uppings at TV Guide Affiliate Sales and Marketing: Sharon
Metz has been promoted to VP/National Accounts, and Ryan McDermott, has
been upped to Director/Affiliate Sales and Marketing for the Southeast
Region. New to the company are Andy Clyde, as Director/Affiliate Sales
and Marketing for the Southwest Region, and Laurie Silverman as
Director/Affiliate Sales and Marketing for the Eastern Region.
Cynopsis will be contributing to The New York Times'
special pull out section Television Upfront which is included in the May 11, 2004 edition. Among other topics, one of them will be a look at the best of the best new series for the 2004-05 television season, be it broadcast or cable network or from the syndication side. If you have a show you would like to be considered, drop me a note at
and I'll be happy to provide you with my mailing address so you can send along a description and/or tape. All information provided for this NYT piece will be embargoed (even from Cynopsis) until the 5/11 publication of the Times.
Sunday, February 29, 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 ABC 21.4/33 (7-11p) Barbara Walters Special 12.3/20, Countdown to Oscars 17.3/27, 76th Annual Academy Awards (ends 11:55p) 26.0/40 NBC 6.1/9 Dateline 4.6/8, Law & Order CI 4.9/7, Law & Order 7.3/11, Law & Order CI 7.5/12
CBS 5.2/8 60 Minutes 6.8/11, Cold Case 5.8/9, Movie: Rules of Engagement 4.1/6
FOX 3.8/6 Movie: Star Wars: Episode I 3.8/6
WB 1.9/3 Smallville 1.9/3, Movie: Willy Wonka the Chocolate Factory 1.9/3 A18-49 ABC , NBC 3.1/8, FOX 2.5/6, CBS 2.3/6, WB 1.2/3
A MESSAGE FROM COURT TV
COURT TV'S ADVERTISING ENVIRONMENT RATES WELL WITH VIEWERS
OUR ADULT VIEWERS ARE RECEPTIVE TO FINANCIAL SERVICE ADS
RANKED #3 IN CABLE
Court TV The Investigation Channel Source: 2003 Advertising Receptivity Index. A18+. Indexed to Total US. Nets with 50+MM subs included. Qual. Avail. upon request.
The History ChannelpresentsThis Day in History: 1969 - The Concorde, the world's first supersonic passenger jet, makes its first flight, lasting 27 minutes. A joint venture between France and England, the plane went into regular commercial service in 1976; it was retired in October 2003, a victim of declining revenues and escalating maintenance costs.
Answer to yesterday's Trivia Question:What group had a laundry list of rules to live by, including: Rule #111: Treat people in debt like family - exploit them; Rule #52: Never ask when you can take; Rule #162: Even in the worst of times, some one turns a profit; Rule #266: When in doubt, lie; and Rule #34: War is good for business. Who are these folks? No, not the Bundys and no not even the more popular answer, the Bush Family. The alien race FERENGI on STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. By the way, a fan points out the Ferengi rule Whisper Your Way to Success was actually created in honor of Paramount Network TV's chief Kerry McCluggage who always spoke in a whisper. Kudos to: Barbara Morris-WATL/Atlanta; Scott Hamula-Ithaca College/Ithaca; Brad Birkel-Mag Rack/NY; Marc Altabe-Citigroup/NY; Tim Rank-KDNL/St. Louis; Eric Merrill-GSD&M/Austin; Mark Fiorello-Optimedia Int'l US/Dallas; Charles Starrat-Petry/Chicago; Dirk van de Bunt-Carsey Warner Mandabach/LA; Alan Berger-PHD/LA; Albert Fisher-Fisher Merlis Television/LA; Curtis Kheel-Spelling TV/LA.
A MESSAGE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
Keep Their Eyes On You
Television Upfront 2004
A Special Advertising Section in The New York Times
Tuesday, May 11
Extend the reach of your ad sales efforts by promoting your broadcast,
cable and syndicated programs in Television Upfront, a stand-alone
advertising section, co-written by Cynthia Turner.
To advertise or for more information, contact Brad Kolodny at
or visit nytadvertising.com
Today's Trivia Question: What was the name of the bird of prey that appeared for 2 years on a primetime sitcom? (
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.)
Later -- Cyn
Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis
03/02/04 5:21am
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CYNOPSIS CLASSIFIEDS JOB OPENING: UNIVISION SALES SPECIALIST/Equity Bcsting, Little Rock, AR. Dev. Local/Regional/Nat’l biz for station group. Sales exp necessary; Spanish a +. E-mail resume and cover letter to Sam Smith ssmith EOE (3/9)
JOB OPENING: SALES/MKTG RESEARCH ASST/NBC, NY. Assist NBC/Bravo clients w/ quant/qual research. Knwldge of key sales/mktg tools (Nielsen Galaxy Explorer, NPower and MarketBreaks; CMR MRI MEMRI) a +. Resume: (3/9)
JOB OPENING: CUSTOMER SUPPORT REP, Verance Corp, San Diego. Mge ad agency/bcst clients; cust rpt ordering/delivery; resolve issues, mge new cust support. 2+ yrs adv or bcst exp; solid comm & comp skills. Email: (3/9)
JOB OPENING:SR INT'L RESEARCH ANALYST/NYC. Analyze TV rtgs data for Latin Am. mkt. Interpret data, formulate sales pres. PC prof. & mkt res exp nec. Bilingual Spanish a +. Attach MS Word doc resume: recruitersr. EOE/AAE (3/6)
JOB OPENING:LOCAL RESEARCH ASSOC DIRECTOR/ABC Burbank. 4+ yrs exp in local/nat'l TV research, apt at Nielsen/WRAP, strong analytical skills, some supervisory exp req., prior financial analysis a +. Resumes:(3/4)
JOB OPENING:LA based nationally syndicated tv show is looking for experienced PRODUCERS, ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS, and FIELD PRODUCERS. Candidates must have talk show or reality experience. Email resumes to (3/4)
JOB OPENING:DIRECTOR/CORP. COMM., Nickelodeon/NY. 5 yrs PR exp dev./managing comm./media relations for Nick's pro-social, public affairs, news, educ., corp. & research efforts to TV trade/educ/consumer media. www.mtvncareers.com(3/3)
JOB OPENING:DIRECTOR, VH1/CMT RESEARCH, New York. 9+ years exp in qualitative & quantitative market research. Excellent communication/presentation skills. Proven analytical skills/strategic thinking ability. www.mtvncareers.com (3/3)
JOB OPENING:AD SALES RESEARCH ANALYST/ Galavision/ NY: 2-3 yrs experience; Proficient Knowledge of National Nielsen products; strong analytical skills required. Email ~ specify research (3/3)
SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED --
SITUATION WANTED: Organized, multi-tasker, BA Comm, minors Marketing/Psych seeking ENTRY-LEVELposition in TV or Filmindustry in NYC. Please contact or call 908-687-5765 (3/9)
SITUATION WANTED:ENTRY LEVEL/SALES ASSISTANT: (Chicago) Looking to get into television ad sales in NY, Chicago, & LA. contact at: (3/6)
SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH positiondesired in Miami. 8 yrs Media Rsch exp. in LatAm and U.S. Hispanic Market.Worked closely w/ Ad Sales, Prog., Affiliate, Mktg and Business Development Departments. Pls contact (3/5)
SITUATION WANTED:ASSISTANT TO PRODUCER (NY) looking to assist Producer in TV or Film. Smart, quick, dependable self-starter. Contact Lily Shaw 212-928-5778 or lily_shaw2001@yahoo (3/5)
E-mail
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WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2004
COURT TV'S ADVERTISING ENVIRONMENT IS LOOKING GOOD
OUR ADULT VIEWERS ARE RECEPTIVE TO PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT ADS
RANKED #1 IN CABLE
Court TV The Investigation Channel Source: 2003 Advertising Receptivity Index. A18+. Indexed to Total US. Nets with 50+MM subs included. Qual. avail. upon request.
COURT TV:The I-Zone, Forensic Files, The Investigators
ABC 8 Simple Rules, I'm with Her, According to Jim, Less Than Perfect, NYPD Blue
CBS Navy NCIS, The Guardian, Judging Amy
FOX American Idol, Forever Eden
NBC Whoopi, Happy Family, Frasier, Scrubs, Law & Order: SVU
PAX AFV, Early Edition, Diagnosis Murder
UPN One on One, All of Us, America's Next Top Model
WB Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill
TELE Amor Descardo,El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas
UNIV Velo de Novia, Bajo la Misma Piel, Casos de la Vida Real
