Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data. 9/27/1993-9/9/2007 among ad-supported basic cable networks.  Cablecast=Cable Telecast. Based on most current data available: Live+7 (12/26/05-8/26/07). Live+SD (8/27/07-9/9/07) and Live (prior to 12/26/05). The Closer 9/10/07; 6/18/07; 6/12/07 P2+ 000.

Cynopsis

11/19/07

Good Morning.  It’s Monday, November 19, 2007 and this is your first early morning briefing. 

Probably the best news of the ongoing WGA strike – the two sides will return to the negotiation table on November 26.  A brief statement was released on Friday night first by the WGA and then immediately followed with the same statement from AMPTP.  Both sides have also agreed to a news blackout. Since the breakdown of talks on November 4 and the strike resulting in show cancellations and job losses, backchannel pressure has come from agents, high level screenwriters and showrunners for the talks to resume.

Tonight’s Finales:
Showtime: Weeds at 10p
ABC: The Bachelor at 1002p

If you’re wondering about the American Music Awards and Jimmy Kimmel‘s hosting duties – it was affected by the writers’ strike.  While the basic script was written before the strike, Kimmel was unable to sweeten it with any of his own jokes, because the strike prevented him from writing them and adding them to the script.  He did throw a few extra lines in from time to time, but he also apologized to the audience for having to listen to “made up crap.”

Production of Columbia Pictures’ film Angels & Demons starring Tom Hanks, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code has been postponed. This is the first big-screen fallout due to the writers strike. The film, directed by Ron Howard, was originally set to open during the 2008 holiday season and now it has been pushed back to 2009. Screenwriter Akiva Goldman, a member of the WGA, is barred by strike rules from editing or working on scripts for the duration of the strike.

NBC acquired the Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick online series Quarterlife which debuted November 11 on MySpace.com, about a twentysomething young woman whose online blog tells the truth about her closest friends. This is the first online series to transition to television. The 36 eight-minute episodes will be turned into a six-part one-hour drama airing early 2008 on the network as well as streamed on NBC.com. NBC also bought the DVD and foreign distribution rights and an equity stake in quarterlife.com, the show’s companion social network site that also runs episodes of Quarterlife the day after premiering on MySpace. Herskovitz and Zwick will still own the show and retain creative control; however, NBC will pay for some of the production and online development costs that has, up to now, been covered by advertising and private investors. Herskovitz and Zwick will continue to independently deficit-finance the series through Quarterlife, Inc.

ABC has ordered a full-season pickup for Dirty Sexy Money, the fourth freshman series to get a back-nine episode order from the network and the first series on any network to get a green light since the beginning of the writers strike.

Correction: In Friday’s issue, we mistakenly mentioned FOX’s The Simpsons’ season finale was November 18. The finale will air, in fact, in May 2008. Sorry for any confusion this has caused.

Starting today, CableU is adding profiles of these cable networks to its already extensive list : Toon Disney, CNN Headline News, Lifetime Movie Channel, BET J, Current TV, Universal HD Veria TV, V-Me and the VOOM HD Networks.  (In the interest of full disclosure, Cynopsis owns a one-third stake in CableU.)

Program Partners and Merv Griffin Entertainment sold licensing rights for the new game show Merv Griffin’s Crosswords to Hasbro, Inc. Hasbro will develop play-at-home games based on Crosswords, available in retail stores by early next year.

A&E Television Networks will introduce its latest hi-def network as the 24-hour BIO HD debuts on DIRECTV November 28. BIO HD is the third hi-def channel launched by AETN, joining A&E HD and The History Channel HD. Programming will be a simulcast of the BIO schedule of original and acquired series, specials and movies.

Beginning tonight, ReelzChannel will expand its schedule and air a special run of its original series Dailies, the movie news and information show hosted by Mike Richards, in late night. The 30m version of Dailies Late Night will air weeknights at 1130p, in addition to the regular airings of Dailies weekdays at 6p and 9p. In addition, ReelzChannel’s programming will now run until midnight in the Pacific time zone.

And an update on carriage – CoLours TV is now available in more than 16 million homes.

Weekend Box Office Estimates: Nov 16-18, 2007
Beowulf (Paramount)                               $28.1 million – opening weekend
Bee Movie (Paramount/Dreamworks)           $14.3 million – 3 wk total $93.9m
American Gangster (Universal)                   $13.2 million – 3 wk total $100.99m
Fred Claus (Warner Bros.)                         $12.0 million – 2 wk total $35.8m
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Fox)       $10.0 million – opening weekend
Dan in Real Life (Buena Vista)                   $4.5 million – 4 wk total $37.1m
No Country for Old Men (Miramax)             $3.1 million – 2 wk total $4.9m
Lions for Lambs (UA)                               $2.9 million – 2 wk total $11.6m
Saw IV (Lionsgate)                                 $2.3 million – 4 wk total $61.8m
Love in the Time of Cholera (NewLine)        $1.9 million – opening weekend
Source: Box Office Mojo

The History Channel has given an 8 episode order to Reveille for a series tentatively titled Eyes on Target.  According to Variety, the series takes an up close and personal look at setting up and conducting special forces team missions around the world, from original concept to mission completed. The series is from production company Cabana 9.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NATPE ’08

Greg Farrar advanced to President/Nielsen Business Media with The Nielsen Company. Greg, who is a 20-year veteran with Nielsen, moves up from COO/Nielsen Business Media and has been heading the unit after Robert L. Krakoff, CEO passed away unexpectedly in March. Greg will continue to report to David Calhoun, Chairman/CEO for The Nielsen Company. In his new position, Greg will lead the strategy, operations and expansion of Nielsen Business Media into new areas, especially digital, and manage its team.
 
HIT Entertainment Limited named Gary Krakower as SVP/Business Development, North America. The former Twentieth Century Fox VP will concentrate on growing the live events, theme parks and attractions areas. Based in the company’s New York office, Gary assumes his new role immediately.
 
Samir Armaly was elevated to EVP/Intellectual Property and Licensing with Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc., where he is charged with supervising the company’s patent portfolio and patent licensing program. Samir will continue to be based in Los Angeles, reporting to Stephen H. Kay, EVP/General Counsel.
 

Today in Cynopsis Kids

• Gaumont in talks to acquire Alphanim
• Harry Potter Casting
• Roger Daltrey returns in Wheels on the Bus:  Mango’s Big Dog Parade

Today in Cynopsis International

• Italian writers nearing strike action too?
• DIRECTV offers to bring high-def NASA’s International Space Station
• Granada International inks two Belgian format deals

Today in Cynopsis Digital, listen to the audio version here or subscribe to the iTunes Cyn Digital podcast 

• Quarterlife goes from failed pilot to internet to successful pick up
• Amazon hopes to Kindle interest in digital books
• Google will go it alone in 700 mhz spectrum auction if it has to

Thursday – A18-49 Analysis: CBS won Thursday night by a slim margin at 5.1/13 A18-49, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. CBS’ Survivor topped the list at 8p with a 4.8/13. ABC was in control during 9p with Grey’s Anatomy at 8.2/19. CBS had another time period win as Without a Trace was #1 at 10p with a 4.1/11.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Thursday, November 15, 2007 (November Sweep Day 15) – time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

CBS: 10.6/16      Survivor: China 8.9/14, CSI 13.3/20, Without a Trace 9.5/16

ABC: 8.6/13          Ugly Betty 7.4/11, Grey’s Anatomy 12.5/18, Women’s Murder Club 5.7/10

NBC: 5.0/8          My Name Is Earl 4.9/8, 30 Rock 4.0/6, The Office 5.0/7, Scrubs 3.6/5, E.R. 6.3/11

FOX: 4.7/7          Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? 5.7/9, Don’t Forget the Lyrics! 3.7/6

CW: 2.3/4           Smallville 2.8/4, Supernatural 1.9/3

UNIV: 2.3/4         Amar sin Limites 1.8/3, Destilando Amor 3.0/4, Aqui y Ahora 2.2/4

MNT: 0.9/1          My Thursday Night Movie: Phone Booth 0.9/1

TELE: 0.6/1         Madre Luna 0.7/1, Esclava Isaura 0.7/1, Pecados Ajenos 0.4/1

A18-49: CBS 5.1/13, ABC 5.0/12, NBC 3.7/9, FOX 2.5/6, UNIV 2.1/5, CW 1.6/4, MNT 0.6/2, TELE 0.4/1

Friday – A18-49 Analysis: Week to week, CBS matched its winning ratings for Friday night at 2.7/8 A18-49, according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research. CBS ranked first in each primetime hour: Ghost Whisperer at 8p did a 2.7/9; followed by Moonlight during 9p at 2.7/8; and Numb3rs chalked up a leading 2.8/8 at 10p.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Friday, November 16, 2007 (November Sweep Day 16) – time period averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research

CBS: 6.0/10       Ghost Whisperer 6.2/11, Moonlight 5.1/9, Numb3rs 6.7/12

ABC: 5.1/9          Men In Trees 4.5/8, Women’s Murder Club 6.2/11, 20/20 4.5/8

NBC: 5.0/9         Deal or No Deal 6.7/12, Friday Night Lights 3.9/7, Las Vegas 4.5/8

CW: 2.7/5           Friday Night Smackdown! 2.7/5

FOX: 2.3/4         The Next Great American Band 1.6/3, Don’t Forget the Lyrics! 3.0/5

UNIV: 2.2/4        Premios Tv y Novelas 2007 2.2/4

TELE: 0.5/1        Madre Luna 0.5/1, La Esclava Isaura 0.6/1, Pecados Ajenos 0.4/1

A18-49: CBS 2.7/8, NBC 2.2/7, ABC 1.8/5, UNIV 1.6/5, FOX 1.5/5, CW 1.4/4, TELE 0.3/1

 
Saturday – A18-49 Analysis: FOX matched its ratings from the previous week winning Saturday night at 2.2/7 A18-49, according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research. FOX was #1 at 8p with the double Cops episodes averaging a 2.3/8 and also won at 9p with America’s Most Wanted at 2.1/6. CBS polished off the 10p hour with a 2.0/6 for 48 Hours Mystery.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Saturday, November 17, 2007 (November Sweep Day 17) – time period averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research

CBS: 5.0/9            Without a Trace [r] 4.6/8, CSI [r] 5.4/9, 48 Hours Mystery 5.0/9

FOX: 3.9/7            Cops 3.8/7, Cops 4.3/8, America’s Most Wanted 3.9/7

ABC: 3.1/5            Saturday Night Football: Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech 3.1/5

NBC: 2.7/5            Bionic Woman [r] 2.2/4, Chuck [r] 2.1/4, Law & Order: SVU [r] 3.8/7

UNIV: 1.4/2          Sabado Gigante 1.4/2

TELE: 0.4/1          Cine de Impacto [7p] 0.4/1, Cine de Impacto 0.4/1

A18-49: FOX 2.2/7, CBS 1.7/5, ABC 1.5/5, NBC 1.1/4, UNIV 1.0/3, TELE 0.4/1

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CABLEU

This Day in History: 1863 – President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: This series began in 1963 and was based on a 1947 movie of the same name. The show’s premise: A young Minnesota woman becomes the housekeeper for widowed Congressman with two sons. What was the name of this show? THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER  Kudos to:  Evan Kutner-WNBC/NY; Robin Zorn-RZTV Productions, LLC/NY; Steve Kurtzer/Zimmerman/Ft. Lauderdale; Carol Teichman-Comcast Spotlight/Bloomfield, CT; Tom Nankival-WKOW/Madison, WI; Dory Melman Petsrillo-PetryTV/Dallas; Tim Olsen-JSML Media/Minneapolis; Barb Vandermark-SpotPlus/Dallas; Dorian Hannaway-CBS Late Night/LA; Paula Hinkel-TNS/LA; George NeJame-Tribune Studios/Entertainment/LA; Judi Schultz-WOODSON MEDIA, INC./Portland, OR

Today’s Trivia Question: On the classic TV series, Father Knows Best, what did Jim Anderson (Robert Young) do for a living? (
with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)

Later  — Cyn
11.19.07

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Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here

JOB OPENING: WDCW Washington DC seeks BROADCAST SALES VETERAN with 4+ years of exp. Aggressive seller with successful agency and direct business exp. Stellar presentation and negotiating skills required. 
EOE (11/28)

JOB OPENING: Rainbow/NYC: PROD MGR, ONAIR PROMOS for VOD cable nets; create & oversee budgets & project mngmt for post-prod/shoots/gfx. 3+ yrs ent/media exp. Strong detail/org/comm skills. www.cablevision.jobs.com req 4856BR. (11/28)

JOB OPENING: Rainbow/NYC: ASSOC. PROD, ONAIR PROMOS for VOD cable nets; write/produce/edit promos on FCP. Writing test req. Oversee digital file mgmt. Apply to req 4780BR at www.cablevision.jobs.com (11/28)

JOB OPENING: VP CONSUMER/AFFILIATE MKTG/Fuse TV/NYC: Establishes strategic mktg, promos & ad campaigns for Fuse, drive awareness & promote brand attributes to the trade, press & consumer.  Please send resume to
(11/28)

JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT/NY: 2 yrs devo or agency exp to maintain databases, draft deal memos and conduct research for fastest growing ad-supported cable network. To apply go to www.turnerjobs.com  req# 90639 (11/28)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AE/History/A&E/LA: Sell digital advertising solutions to clients/agencies. Dvlp new business. Client service and acct mgmt. 4 yrs in sales -min 2 yrs digital sales. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (11/28)

JOB OPENING: VP, PROGRAMMING & DEVELOPMENT/ EGO TV/LA: Scout, produce web and mobile video content for new Gen Y network. Must have strong talent agency relationships. 10+ yrs  exper. Resumes to
(11/28)

JOB OPENING: ON AIR TALENT/Web/NY:Looking for a 30-45 yr old female talent. To host a weekly prgrm on the latest in books, CD’s, DVD’s. Needs to appear knwldgble & authoritative, ditzy need not apply. Contact:
(11/28)

JOB OPENING: EXP’D CO-EP SHOW RUNNER/Powderhouse Productions: Develop and execute a stripped one-hour infotainment series for a major cable net. Science-tech background, web integration, a big plus. Resume to:
(11/28)

JOB OPENING: PR COOR/Classic Media/NYC: Min 2+ yrs PR exp; writing press materials, compiling press clips, handling media requests, pitching stories, some admin; Strong writing skills req’d; apply: 
(11/23)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, PRICING (Telemundo) – NBC UNI/NY: Finance manager for sales properties. Lead and manage sales forecasting and analysis. Degree w/ min 4 yrs related exp. www.nbcjobs.com keyword job#744645. (11/23)

JOB OPENING: CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR/CBS-3 Philadelphia: Direct the promotion, design & branding of CBS 3 and CW Philly. 5 yrs major market exp. req’d & degree pref’d. Visit www.cbs3.com/jobs for full details. EEO ADA M/F (11/23)

JOB OPENING: DIR RIGHTS & CLEARANCES/WE tv/NYC: Exp’d rights & clear to support all original dom/intl prod. TV/Music/Photo exp in tv prod, rights mgmt, clearance & new tech a must. Res to www.cablevision.jobs ref #4832BR (11/22)

JOB OPENING: CREATIVE DIRECTOR/Voom HD Networks/NY: Seeking on-air promotions and branding visionary with 10 plus years experience at a broadcast/cable network. Send reels & resumes to
(11/22)

JOB OPENING: MARKETING DIRECTOR/Lightworks (NYC): Manage company brand as well as pr, program catalogue and conventions. Strong writing skills. Int’l experience a plus. Email resume to
(11/22)

JOB OPENING: SALES EXEC/CableU/CT: Immed opening for outgoing, aggressive self-starter w/ solid knwldg of US cable ntwrks, ind organizations & ad agencies, to prospect & close new accts. Online sales exp pref’d.
(11/28)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/Comcast Ntwrks/NY: Generate upf & scatter plans; deal maint & stwrdship; support to sales team. Liason btwn AEs & agencies. 2yrs exp sales/planning pref’d. Contact
(11/21)

JOB OPENING: SR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/Nielsen/Dallas: Immediate opening for exp media sales professional.   Knowledge of Nielsen data/media background preferred. Apply:  www.nielsen.com , Careers, Req #5992  (11/21)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SALES/GRB Entertainment/LA: 5+yrs exp w/ demonstrated success and strong understanding of contracts and TV rights for int’l distribution. Email resumes:
(11/21)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/TV10s/NYC: For Closed Captioning & 10-second commercial sales: Create proposals, mkgds, manage adu, detail oriented. Power Point a +. Resume:
(11/21)

JOB OPENING: ACCT MGR/HBO/NYC: Manage sales & mktg activities w/ key TELCO accts, develop acct strategies, manage budget, subscriber analysis. Req: Mgmt exp, 5-7 yrs cable sales & mktg industry exp. Res:
(11/21)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA SALES ASST/BROADCAST MEDIA CO./NYC MIDTOWN EAST:  Provides admin support to busy Sales Dept. MS Office, attn to detail, multitasking, great comm. Email: 
for complete job description (11/21)

JOB OPENING: CLIENT SERVICES EXEC/Nielsen Media Research/Dallas: Media-focused sales and client services profess’l. 3+ yrs exp w/strong analytical skills.Interested candidates can apply on line at www.nielsen.com position #5898. (11/21)

JOB OPENING: SR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/Nielsen/Los Angeles: Immediate opening for exp media sales professional. Knowledge of Nielsen data/media background preferred. Apply: www.nielsen.com , Careers, Req #6055. (11/21)

JOB OPENING: FULL PROD STAFFS/ALL POSITIONS/Atlas Media Corp, NYC: Looking for skilled series producers, writers, prod, assoc producers, researchers and production assistants for several dif series. Apply
. (11/21)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL PLANNER/History/A&E Chicago: Create digital sales proposals, steward accts, service orders&client needs, acct maintenance, assist in presentations. 2yrs digital plnng exp. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (11/21)

JOB OPENING: DIR DIGITAL AD SALES MKTG/History/A&E NY: Strategize & create new pkgs & ad opps for AETN digital. Create decks & upfront pkg. Dev mktg strategy for AETN digital. 5+yr digital mktg exp Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (11/21)

JOB OPENING:  CREATIVE, OFF-AIR DIRECTOR/Discovery Communications/LA: Requires Creative Off-Air Director for the TLC network to oversee all on-air graphics, print design & show packaging. Apply: discovery.com/careers Req# 5930. (11/20)

JOB OPENING:  MARKETING LINE PRODUCER/Discovery Communications/LA: Requires Marketing Line Producer to handle all physical aspects of film, HD and print shoots for TLC marketing. Apply: discovery.com/careers Req# 5982. (11/20)

JOB OPENING:  ASSOC. DIR Research dept /PBS/Arlington VA: Provide customer support with research consultation and management of strategic research studies for the PBS Programming dept. To apply visit www.pbs.org/jobs (11/20)

JOB OPENING:  DIRECTOR, CONSUMER MKTG/VERSUS/Philly: Direct development/execution of consumer & affiliate/ad trade mktg campaigns for network programming and trade efforts. 10+ yrs  exper. EEO/AA/Drug Free.  Apply www.versus.com (11/20)

WINTER AND SPRING INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. They are posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at 
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SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …

SITUATION WANTED:  RESEARCH/PROGRAMMING ASST: Fresh grad with exp in production, traffic, research, and programming. Highly motivated and enthusiastic. Great attention to detail, works well with others.  Email:
  (11/21)

SITUATION WANTED:  WRITER/WRITER’S ASST: College senior with experience as weekly contributor to the Onion and three years of comedy-oriented internship experience. Contact:
(Available May) (11/21)

SITUATION WANTED:  Graduating Sr. degree in TELECOM MANG’T-enthusiastic, hardworking individual looking for exciting employment opportunity in NYC-completed multiple industry related internships-Contact: Stefanie
    (11/21)

SITUATION WANTED: EXP PROD./PUBLICITY/HOST GRAD: Interned Summ 2007 in NYC at SONY BMG/Columbia Publicity & MTV Networks in Prod. CREATIVE, PASSIONATE. Performer. Brdcst Major/Air Personality & T.V. Host.   LA/NYC.
    (11/21)

SITUATION WANTED: MEDIA MARKETING PRO, 25+ years net/local broadcast, cable, studio, agency experience seeks position or consultancy. Contact:
(11/20)

SITUATION WANTED: We will produce broadcast-quality short videos to elevate your business’s profile in the online community, particularly among consumers of edgy comedic content. http://acutepsychosis.wordpress.com (11/20)

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT – Monday, November 19, 2007

ABC: Dancing with the Stars, Samantha Who?, The Bachelor
CBS: How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory [r], Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement CSI: Miami
CW: Everybody Hates Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game
FOX: House [r], K-Ville
ION: Mama’s Family, Mama’s Family, Who’s The Boss?, Who’s The Boss?, 48 Hours on ION TV
MNT: Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed [r], Celebrity Expose
NBC: Chuck, Heroes, Journeyman  
PBS: Antiques Roadshow, Athens:The Dawn of Democracy
TELE: Madre Luna, La Esclava Isaura, Pecados Ajenos
UNIV: Amar sin Limites, Destilando Amor, Cristina

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