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CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis

01/20/06

Good morning. It’s Friday, January 20, 2006, and this is your first early morning briefing.

After a tough year, Nexstar Broadcasting Group has won its battle to receive retransmission consent deals from 145 different cable operators, and to the tune of $40 million over the next 3-5 years, the majority in cash, according to Multichannel News.  Nexstar went looking for retrans money last year and the results initially pushed the stations off Cox and Cable One systems in four markets for nearly a full year.  That resulted in the loss of 75,000 cable subs, and as you might imagine, a fair amount off the Nexstar bottom line. With the four new deals in place, Nexstar has another 10 systems it is currently negotiating with, tho no info how those talks are progressing.  Also chiming in with its own retrans deals is the Hearst-Argyle group, reportedly being paid approx $11 million for its new deals with Echostar.  Hearst-Argyle also owns Lifetime Television, and the cost of its retrans deal with Echostar, which this time around did not include Lifetime as part of the package, left the cable network off the system following its own dispute with Echostar over license fees.

*MORE GOOD STUFF*Tribune Entertainment is handling station and advertiser sales for the syndicated off-net series American Idol and will be at the NATPE convention with it next week in Las Vegas.  In syndication the show will be retitled American Idol Rewind, will air as a weekly weekend series, and will premiere next fall with the first season.  The show is being sold on a straight barter basis with double runs, and has already been sold to the Tribune and Sinclair owned station, representing approx 55% of the country.  American Idol is produced by FremantleMedia N.A. and 19 Entertainment.

FX‘s new 6-episode series Thief, starring Andre Braugher, is scheduled to premiere on March 28 at 10p, slipping into the time period where The Shield will have just finished up its season the week prior.

UPN‘s reality series America’s Next Top Model returns on Wednesday, March 8 at 8p.  A week prior, on March 1st at 8p, the network has scheduled a reunion show, America’s Next Top Model: Where the Girls Are, with each of the previous winners updating viewers on the impact the show has made on their lives.

CBS and DIC Entertainment have signed a 5-yr deal that will see the launch of a new Saturday morning kids programming block in fall 2006.  The new DIC block will supplant Nickelodeon’s Nick on CBS programming block, which has aired on Saturday mornings for the past five years.  CBS’s Secret Saturday Morning Slumber Party will be a 3-hr block of FCC-compliant kid’s programming from DIC’s library.  Additionally, DIC will also be able to launch its own new series during the block.

As anticipated, EchoStar Communications has outlined plans for Dish Network’s new a family friendly programming package, DishFamily, which will be available as of February 1, 2006.  DishFamily will include about 40 channels and will cost consumers $19.99 each month ($24.99 per month with additional local channels).  The DishFamily channel lineup includes: Animal Planet; The Biography Channel; Food Network; Fox News Channel; CNN Headline News; The Science Channel; C-SPAN; HSN; The Weather Channel; C-SPAN-2; NASA; Nickelodeon; Discovery Kids; QVC; Discovery Times; Nick Games & Sports; Do It Yourself Network; NickToons and others TBA.

* NEW ORDERS / CASTING / DEVELOPMENT / PRODUCTION *A slew of new pilot orders, per Hollywood Reporter: CBS has ordered up two pilots:

• An untitled drama from the exec producer of CSI, Carol Mendelsohn, about a group of savvy young lawyers who argue ethical, moral and legal issues.
• The Angriest Man in Suburbia is a comedy project about a family moving to the country, and the dad’s battle with all the small bothersome things of life.

ABC has ordered three pilots:

• Men in Trees is about a psychiatrist who moves to Alaska, finding herself surrounded by men.
• The Traveler follows two on the lamb who are being chased by the feds who think these guys are a threat to national security.
• And an untitled project about a group of female legal minds, working together.

Two pilots for Fox:

• If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home By Now is a comedy focused on a group of people who all live in the same temporary housing complex
• The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and His Little Friend about …. well, a big handsome guy and his shorter friend.

ABC‘s project Sixty Minute Man about the father/husband who “loses” 60 minutes out of every day with no memory of what transpired, David James Elliott has been signed to star

TCA Update:  Showtime
Four new series are among the announcements from Showtime at the TCA press tour yesterday.  If you’re wondering if Arrested Development is one of those …. at this point no.  Showtime allowed conversations with 20th were ongoing, but nothing has been decided.  As for the four new series:

• Dexter, scheduled to debut next year, is a dark comedy starring Michael C. Hall as a serial killer, from writer James Manos, Jr. Showtime has ordered 12 episodes.
• This American Life, also a 2007 release, is based on the radio show of the same name, and will also use the same host, Ira Glass.
• Damon Wayans: The Underground is a sketch comedy series, slated for 2007, that is along the same lines as Wayans’ In Living Color.
• The Tudors stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers in this historical drama where he will play a young King Henry VIII.  No projected start date yet for this 10-episode project from Reveille and Working Title. 
• Under the heading of renewals, Showtime will bring back Penn & Teller: Bullshit for two more seasons, and Masters of Horror anthology series has also been picked up for an additional season. Still on the bubble for renewals are Barbershop and Sleeper Cell.

        
TCA Update:  UPN
UPN is currently in development on a few projects, including one with former boy band members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, both previously of ‘N Sync.  The project is described as a modern day Odd Couple with Lance in the Felix role, and Joey as Oscar.  Working title for this project – Out of Sync. Also on board for UPN are two more seasons of America’s Next Top Model for next year.  No renewal news on Everybody Hates Chris, at least not yet. And finally, UPN plans to renew its deal with WWE to continue with Friday Night Smackdown.  The current deal is scheduled to expire at the end of the current season.

* EXECUTIVE MOVES *Sandi Hemmerlein has been promoted to Senior Director/Marketing for Razor & Tie Entertainment, based at the company’s headquarters in New York City. She will report to Michael Krumper, VP. Most recently Director/Marketing, Sandi has played an integral part in the development of the best-selling KIDZ BOP® brand.

Mediaedge has named Michelle Guglielmelli as Senior Partner/HR Director for North America. She will be responsible for all recruitment, benefits and employee relations, and will report to MEC North America Chief of Staff Jeanne Tassaro.

LAIKA/house has announced two promotions.  Kirk Kelley has been named Creative Director and Jan Johnson will now assume the Co-Executive Producer title for all LAIKA/house productions.  They both report to Lourri Hammack, President and Executive Producer. 

Kenneth Warun has been named VP/Comedy Promotion, ABC Entertainment, overseeing all promotional aspects of the network’s comedy series, working closely with the current programming and development teams. He reports to both Michael Benson and Marla Provencio, SVP/Marketing.

Rodney Santiago has been named Senior Director/Sales for Razor & Tie Entertainment, based at the company’s headquarters in New York City and reporting to Sebouh Yegparian, SVP/Sales.

REVShare announced two new hires:  Alain Jourdier as VP/Marketing and Communications, overseeing marketing strategy development and implementation, as well as marketing communications and sales support for all company services. And Luis Estrada as VP/Hispanic Business Development, leading a recharged focus by the company to increase its Latino advertising sales.

Barry Mayo, SVP/Market Manager for Emmis Radio, is leaving his position.  As he put it, “I’m a radio guy,” he said yesterday. “But there’s another Barry Mayo who does other things, and he’s been feeling very unfulfilled.”   Barry will continue managing WRKS (98.7 FM), WQHT (97.1 FM) and WQCD (101.9 FM) until a replacement is found in addition to remaining on as an in-house consultant for the next year.

* RATINGS *Wednesday- A18-49 Analysis:  Fox was again out front on Wednesday night with its combination of American Idol and the premiere of Skating with Celebrities delivering a primetime average of 10.1/24 among A18-49, according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research.  ABC was the slower #2 with a 4.7/11, followed by CBS 3.9/9, NBC 3.1/7, Univision 1.9/5, WB 1.2/3, UPN 0.6/2.  At 8p American Idol averaged a 13.0/33, and upped that share by a point among the young A18-34 set.  At 9p ABC out-paced Fox with an original episode of Lost earning an 8.1/18, while Skating with Celebrities jumped in with a 7.2/16 and dicing its lead-in by half.  At 10p CBS was in front with a repeat of CSI: NY scoring a 5.4/14.

Live + Same Day Ratings: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 – time period averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Fox     11.7/18 American Idol [p-pt 2]  17.7/27, Skating with Celebrities [p] 11.2/16

CBS     8.2/13  Still Standing 5.1/8, Yes Dear 5.0/8, Criminal Minds 9.2/13, CSI: NY [r] 10.3/17

ABC     7.4/11  Lost [r] 4.9/7, Lost 11.5/17, Invasion 6.0/10

NBC     6.1/9   E-Ring 5.1/8, The Biggest Loser: Special Edition 4.9/7, Law & Order 8.3/13

Univ    2.3/3   Contra Viento y Marea 21.5/4, Alborada 2.5/4, Cristina 1.8/3

WB      1.8/3   One Tree Hill 2.0/3, Beauty & the Geek II [r] 1.8/3

UPN     1.4/2   South Beach 1.3/2, Veronica Mars 1.4/2

A18-49:         Fox 10.1/24, ABC 4.7/11, CBS 3.9/9, NBC 3.1/7, Univision 1.9/5, WB 1.2/3, UPN 0.6/2

Friday Fun Fact: When under extreme stress, such as when held in captivity, some octopuses will eat their own arms, which grow back.

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1973 – The U.S. Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade, holds by a 6-3 vote that women’s right to privacy precludes any state from prohibiting abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  Let’s really test your memory.  During the 1940s a cigarette advertisement for Lucky Strikes frequently flashed the letters LS/MFT.  What did the MFT stand for?  LUCKY STRIKES MEANS FINE TOBACCO Kudos to: Ron Yurman-Music Choice/NY; Jay Rick Haan-Broadway Systems/NY; Sandy Chapman-Freebairn & Co/Atlanta; Steve Knezevich-Rockstar Games/NY; Debbi Musen-Media 4 Media/Creve Coeur MO; Larry Chase-Chase Media Marketing/Boise ID; Ellen Chauncey-Time Warner Telecom/Boise ID; Rose-Marie Snyder-KDAF/Dallas; Lou Fazio-GSN/Santa Monica; Art Davis-WOW Productions/W. Hollywood; Nick Monroe-KGTV/San Diego; Mike Heflin-Cannella Response Television Inc/LA; Judi Schultz-Woodson & Neuroth/Beverton OR;  Bill Irwin-CKLZ/CKOV/Kelowna BC; Mitch Altman-Click Media/Toronto ON

Today’s Trivia Question:  What mid-1980’s cartoon featured a pair of rock musicians named after a popular Italian dish?  (
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
01.20.06 – 5:10a
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: Friday, January 20, 2006

ABC             Dancing with the Stars, In Justice, 20/20
CBS             Ghost Whisperer [r], Close to Home [r], Numb3rs [r]
FOX             Bernie Mac Show, Bernie Mac Show [r],Trading Spouses
NBC             Outrageous TV Moments [r], Outrageous TV Moments, Dateline NBC, Book of Daniel
i               Mary Higgins Clark’s Crimes of Passion, It’s a Miracle
UPN             Friday Night Smackdown
WB              What I Like About You [r], Living With Fran, Reba, Twins
TELE            El Cuerpo del Deseo, Corazón Partido, Decisiones – Casos Extraordinarios, Decisiones
UNIV            Contra Viento y Marea, Alborada, Cristina