Good morning. It's Thursday, November
8, 2007, and this is Cynopsis: Weekender College Edition.
All
of the industry editorials below were written by current college students who
are the winners of this Fall Semester's Weekender College Edition
contest. Essays submitted covered the world of reality TV, internet TV, a
handful of critiques on the current state of the fall season, and many recounts
of exactly how important the physical presence of a television set is to a
college student.
Of all the essays received from around the country and abroad, the four below
represented those that were the most original, insightful, humorous and/or
well-written of the bunch and for their efforts they will each receive payment
of $350. Congratulations!
If you would like to contact any of these students or respond to their item,
please direct your email to me,
,
and I will be happy to forward your email along.
Also, at the bottom of this edition is a special Situation Wanted section
with classified ads posted by college students looking to be hired into our
industry. Please be sure to peruse this section as well.
Now read on and find out what today's college students think of our television
industry ...
Hitch Your Loans to a
Star by Ryan Walls, Senior/Fordham University, Major: Communications
"In the future
everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes." - Andy Warhol
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Class of 2008,
If I could offer you one piece of advice for the future reality television
would be it. The long term benefits of fleeting celebrity and the dog eat dog
mentality have been proven season after season.
The American dream is no longer found in our fields or in our cities. The land
of opportunity is now an island; on which, the reward for cunning strategy and
the ability to stay balanced on a floating log has replaced a lifetime of hard
work. Tribal council is your ticket to an early retirement.
Remember graduates: Life is not a challenge; it's a series of challenges, many
of which involve a rope swing.
Why bother going through the hassles of dating and enduring long term acts of
chivalry when you can compete and be chosen to be in love. Just imagine years
from now explaining to your grandkids how Nana came in first in an obstacle
course and won Grandpop's heart, as well as three
consecutive weeks of immunity.
Sure you've had some self-defining moments here at college, but add a few
hundred cameras, six strangers and a dash of low tolerance for both alcohol and
other people, now that's character building.
What's a few weeks, months, maybe even years of privacy in exchange for a dream
trip to Sandals, a lifetime supply of Red Bull and a Pontiac Sun Fire. Sure, an
on-camera meltdown may result in people forever associating you with words
like: "tantrum," "loose cannon," and "mentally
unstable," but that Sun Fire's got a moon roof.
Leaving school and going out into the world can be a scary time in one's life.
But whether you're being chased down by Cops, remodeling your home or swapping
your spouse, know that your family, and millions of other families, will be
there for you, watching and voting via text to decide what happens next.
Class of 2008 you are ready for the Real World!
Nourishing Nerdiness: Ten Formative Television Moments In My Life by Molly Jane Rosen, Senior
/Brandeis University, Majors: English Literature, Creative Writing
1. 10/15/1992: My elementary school
is featured on The Today Show. My classmates mock me for my uncharismatic
interview about the post office. At a young age I learn I'm an
"off-camera" type.
2. 4/24/1996: Take Your Daughter To Work Day at ABC News: my sister and I sneak
off from the group and sit in Peter Jennings' swivel chair.
3. 10/9/1995: PBS airs Wishbone. My love of dogs and books are melded into one.
I use the show to pretend that I've actually read Faust; my classmates are not
impressed.
4. 12/26/1996: I am so horrified by watching the Jean Benet coverage that every
night before I go to sleep for a year I have "murderer drills" where
I practice hiding under my bed.
5. 9/17/1998: My sister and I begin to watch Frasier religiously. We think the
Crane brothers are the coolest guys in the whole world. I develop an intense
crush on Niles.
6. 6/10/2000: At the urging of a (non-Niles) boy I have a crush on, I watch
Upright Citizens Brigade on Comedy Central, then start seeing their live improv shows, then start taking improv
classes. I've officially found my passion.
7. 11/15/2002: For a few fleeting, beautiful weeks, Clone High is on MTV. While
watching JFK hit on Cleopatra I think back to Wishbone and realize nerdy jokes
can be funniest of all.
8. 5/9/2004: My parents divorce. My sister and I
medicate ourselves by watching every episode of The Simpsons.
11/5/2005: I lose my virginity during a Simpsons marathon. Homer's
antics are clearly audible in the background.
9. 6/7/2006: I intern at The Colbert Report, buying props and running scripts.
Stepping back to watch the filming at the end of my first day is a truly
incredible moment; comedic television writing is truly what I want to do.
10. 8/27/2007: I'm hired to freelance at the Onion News Network, a fake
television news station, parodying morning shows and news segments on a weekly
basis. I find it surprisingly natural - after all, I've been molded by
television my whole life.
Strike Strategies Take
Center Stage as Everyone Settles in for The Long Haul By Pat Howard, Senior/University of
North Alabama, Major: English - Professional Writing
The studios, the writers, the media
and even viewers seem to be gearing up for a lengthy strike. There's already
been talk of the major networks reaching into their cable stables and
cherry-picking popular programs to pad out prime time once the short supply of fresh
scripted programming is finally exhausted.
But they would do well to borrow more than repurposed programs from their cable
cousins. There are also some valuable programming strategies to be mined. For
example, MTV's gay-oriented network Logo knows how to make its programming
stretch.
In recent months, Logo has run encore seasons of some of its original series,
including Noah's Arc and The Big Gay Sketch Show.
These reruns are dressed up with bonus material such as deleted scenes, an
incentive for viewers to watch old episodes again.
NBC employed a similar tactic with reruns of The Office this summer, but in
that case the repurposed material was coordinated by some of the producers and
writers who have now shut down The Office to support the strike.
Comedy Central may be on to something with its rumored plan for theme rerun
weeks of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Such gimmicks may be akin to
rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but a strategy - any strategy - is
better than doing nothing and simply letting viewers wander away.
Ultimately, the sad irony of this strike is that, unless programmers figure out
a way to retain eyeballs despite a dearth of quality scripted fare, they'll be
driving viewers into the very arms of the technologies they claim are so
difficult to monetize.
If this strike drags on, and we have every indication that it will, the reality
is that we'll soon be left with the picked-over carcass of the 2007-2008
television season. Viewers will go elsewhere for their fix, sampling more shows
online or catching up on programs they've missed by shelling out for DVDs. By
holding out for their piece of the pie, writers may be unintentionally
furthering the system they claim is treating them so unfairly.
An Open Letter From The
On-Demand Generation: by Michael Krepack, Senior/New York
University, Major: Entertainment, Media & Technology
We, the On-Demand Generation, would
like to respectfully inform you that the future of TV is here. No longer will
we be bullied into watching TV on your time. Welcome to a new era:
"Appointment TV" is now "Instant TV."
We're well aware that today's media landscape is rapidly changing, but for
those of us in the On-Demand Generation our lifeblood necessitates consuming
content in myriad platforms. We read The New York Times online; we scan YouTube
for the latest viral videos; we download music from the iTunes Store. We
require one thing: instant gratification.
Yet, you insist on distributing content the old fashion way (especially you,
the five major broadcasting networks, you're on notice). Granted, you have
begun to embrace new media (mobisodes anyone?) and made some inroads in
distributing your TV shows online (and, from what we garner from the WGA
strike, at a financial loss), but you're selling us short.
While you toil developing the right platform to deliver your content (as if
there has to be one correct method), the era of "Primetime TV" has
vanished just as fast as Viva Laughlin! Until we take over as gatekeepers, we
request you give us what we want, when we want it. How about embracing, instead
of admonishing time-shifted viewing?
As we shy further away from the TV dinner programming schedule, take a page out
of the Pay-TV playbook - repurpose your shows on an on-demand platform. Create
a world where each broadcast channel has its own on-demand channel where full
episodes of shows appear alongside made-for-demand programming.
In terms of a revenue source, why not charge a monthly premium for subscribers?
Then again, you could make it free and tack-on commercials in the same vain you
do now for shows online (just air them in HD, please).
This new interactive TV connects you with us. Directly. Adapt or lose. The
On-Demand Generation is here to stay. Armed with our DVRs, iPods and Slingboxes we are loud, proud and always tuned on.
Sincerely Yours,
The On-Demand Generation
Sent Via iPhone, while watching TV on the iPhone
SpongeBob
Atlantis SquarePantis soaks up viewers (Cyn Kids)
Coalition
of Latino organizations and Spanish-language media companies launching a
non-partisan national voter mobilization effort (Cyn Int'l)
TV
One inks multi-year deal for rights to Disney/ABC Domestic Television
movies and series (Cyn Int'l)
CNN
Worldwide expanding staff and resources in biggest increase in years
(Cyn Int'l)
Comcast
sued over blocking P2P downloads (Cyn Digi)
Fox
utilizes Microsoft's legal copying system for Live Free or Die Hard
DVD (Cyn
Digi)
Barack
Obama unveils his digital platform (Cyn Digi)
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Emails to the Editor:subject E-Mails to the Editor
Copyright Cynthia Turner 2006
Later -- Cyn
11/15/07
What's On This Weekend:
Saturday:
8-11p, November 17, 2007 ABC: Saturday Night Football
CBS: Without a Trace [r], CSI [r], 48 Hours Mystery
FOX: Cops, Cops [r], America's Most Wanted
ION: Movie: Gentle Ben [7p], Movie: Night of the Wolf
MNT: NFL Total Access, IFL Battleground
NBC: Bionic Woman, Chuck, Law & Order: SVU
PBS: Austin City Limits [9p]
TELE: Cine de Impacto [7p], Cine de Impacto UNIV: SabadoGigante
Sunday: 7-11p, November 18, 2007 ABC: 2007 American Music Awards CBS: 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race 12, Cold Case, Shark
CW: CW Now,Aliens in America [r], Life is Wild, America's Next Top
Model
FOX: King of the Hill [r], King of the Hill [r], The Simpsons, King of the
Hill, Family Guy, American Dad
ION: Movie: Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot
NBC: Football Night in America, Sunday Night Football: New England at Buffalo
PBS: Nature, Masterpiece Theatre, Art in the Twenty-First Century
TELE: Cine en Casa/Estreno, Cine Millonario/Estreno
UNIV: Mas Alla de Premios TV Y Novelas, Bailandopor un SuenoCampeonato Internacional de
Baile
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