Source: NTI, Galaxy Explorer, HH Cvg Rtg.  Highest rtg claim based on Sat 9a-4a Daypart (4/01/96-01/23/2005).

CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis

01/28/05

Good morning. It’s Friday, January 28, 2005, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Fox returns on Wednesday night with another huge outing of American Idol pulling in an 11.2/29 A18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research final numbers, dominating the hour and the entire night.  Immediately following was the premiere of the third installment of Simple Life, dropping off by approx 50% with a delivery of 6.2/14.  Comparatively, a repeat of Lost on ABC at 8pm delivered a 3.9/10, while Alias followed with a 4.8/11, #2 behind Simple Life.  CSI:NY at 10p won the hour with a 5.9/15, and the Katie Couric special earned a 3.6/9.

Two dozen jobs are on the block at Discovery Networks via cuts and attrition, jobs primarily from the marketing and new media departments, while at the same time another 50 positions will be added in the programming, research and sales divisions.  Included in those 24 cuts is SVP/GM of Interactive Bill Allman.    And on the heels of that announcement, came the news that TLC’s General Manager, Roger Mamet will step down. Mamet became the network’s GM in 2004 and has been with Discovery for the past dozen years. No replacement has been announced as yet.

Casting / Development / Production

• Three new projects currently in development at INHD, the all high-definition network: Zero Gravity (working title) is described as an odyssey into the race to commercialize space travel; 20 Minutes to Curtain (working title) takes viewers behind the scenes and the planning of some of television’s and America’s biggest spectacles – The Super Bowl Halftime Show, The Academy Awards, NYC Fashion Week, The Warped Tour and even The Presidential Inauguration; Chasing Greatness (working title) follow those who won’t take no for an answer as they attempt to shatter world records and milestones.
• Fox has ordered a pilot on a project called Revved (20th) is centered on two brothers who own a chop shop in North Carolina. The network has also ordered up a pilot on Ticket to Ride (Regency TV) about a group of people who all share the winnings in a nine figure lottery prize.
• Fox is also taking a look at Twisted Tales, an anthology series in a Twilight Zone type of vein from Todd McFarlane and AngryFilms, per Variety.
• CBS has done a cast contingent deal on Love Monkey (Paramount Network TV/Sony Pictures TV) follows the love lives of four young guys from the viewpoint of a 30-something friend and record producer.

NATPE UPDATES:

• 20th:  Judge Alex now cleared in 73% of the country; Divorce Court in 80% for its upcoming seventh season; and off-net series 24 has been cleared in 90% of the country.
• NBC Universal Television Distribution:  Martha Stewart now cleared in 70% for a fall debut has added WFTS/Tampa, KTVX/Salt Lake City; KATV/Little Rock and WTEN/Albany to the lineup. Access Hollywood renewed for its 10th season in 85% of the country; Fear Factor in 96% of US for its second season; The Chris Matthews Show reupped in 80% for its 4th year.
• New Line Television: Twilight Zone cleared in 75% of the US, including 16 of the top 20 markets.
• Warner Bros. Domestic Television has cleared Tyra Banks Show in 70% of the US including the Fox O&O group.
• Paramount Domestic Television announced The Insider has been cleared on the CBS O&O station group thru 2008.
• No official announcements were made about Sony’s The Robin Quivers Show, nor from 20th on the Suze Orman Show. Also, no information from distributors regarding shows that are seemingly on the fence such as Jane Pauley, Joe Croce and Larry Elder.  That’s not to say any of these have been cancelled – in fact nothing has been said at all, leaving stations to make contingency clearance deals in the event they have a time period opening up.

CSTV: College Sports Television has secured a multi-year deal with CBS SportsLine.com and the NCAA for the exclusive video streaming rights for out-of-market game coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship starting with the upcoming 2005 tournament.  Beginning March 17th, NCAA March Madness on Demand, powered by CSTV.com, will offer live and on-demand streaming video of up to the first 56 NCAA Tournament games on an out-of-market basis, through the regional semi-finals, and will also feature streaming video of interviews and pre-and post-game press conferences, in addition to video highlights.  Webcasts of games broadcast by CBS Sports in fans’ local markets will be subject to blackouts

Top 5 Broadcast Spanish Language Primetime Programs for the week of January 17-23, 2005**
UNIV Amor Real (M-Th 9p)                                     26.5 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Rubi (M-F 8p)                                                 25.3 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Cristina (Mon 10 pm)                                      20.8 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Don Francisco Presenta (Wed 10p)              19.6 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Sabado Gigante (Sat 8p)                               18.2 NHTI HH Rtg
Source: Nielsen Media Research
Note: NHTI Ratings are based on 10.57 million Hispanic TV Homes
** Please note that Nielsen Media’s rating parameters are listed for some shows that air Monday-Friday to include the 5 day average instead of listing each individual weekday.

Top 10 Broadcast English Language Primetime Programs in Hispanic TV Homes for the week of January 17-23, 2005
FOX     American Idol (Tue 8p)                                  10.6 NHTI HH Rtg
FOX     American Idol (Wed 8p)                                   9.6 NHTI HH Rtg
ABC     Desperate Housewives (Sun 9p)                     7.4 NHTI HH Rtg
ABC     Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Sun 8p)    6.7 NHTI HH Rtg
CBS     Numb3rs Preview (Sun 10p)                            6.5 NHTI HH Rtg
FOX     AFC Champion Post Game (Sun 950p)           6.4 NHTI HH Rtg
NBC     Law & Order: SVU (Tue 10p)                           6.3 NHTI HH Rtg
FOX     Simpsons (Sun 8p)                                           6.1 NHTI HH Rtg
UPN     WWE Smackdown! (Thu 8p)                            6.1 NHTI HH Rtg
CBS     CSI: Miami (Mon 10p)                                       5.9 NHTI HH Rtg
ABC     Lost (Wed 8p)                                                   5.7 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 13,170,000 households. Here are the rankings for the week of January 17-23, 2005 – highest rated primetime network programs in African American TV homes according to Nielsen Media Research
FOX     American Idol (Tue 8p)                                      28.6 HH Rtg
CBS     AFC Championship (Sun 630p)                         25.9 HH Rtg
FOX     American Idol (Wed 8p)                                     23.2 HH Rtg
CBS     AFC Championship Post-Game (Sun 950p)     18.8 HH Rtg
CBS     Numb3rs Preview (Sun 10p)                             16.0 HH Rtg
UPN     Girlfriends (Mon 9p)                                           14.8 HH Rtg
ABC     Desperate Housewives (Sun 9p)                       12.9 HH Rtg
FOX     Bernie Mac (Fri 830p)                                        12.3 HH Rtg
UPN     Second Time Around (Mon 930p)                      12.2 HH Rtg
CBS     CSI: Miami (Mon 10p)                                         12.0 HH Rtg
Source Nielsen Media Research

Casting Call: In their new series for UPN, T-Boz and Chilli will set out on a journey to find a third group member to work with them in the studio and on a concert.  The hit female group lost Left Eye in 2002 in a fatal car accident.  For the next 8 weeks, the R U The Girl with T-Boz & Chilli show will travel around the US auditioning potential members.  The auditions will be in LA on January 29, New York on February 5, Chicago on February 8, Dallas on February 12, Washington DC on February 15, Atlanta on February 19 and Miami on February 26.  More info on www.upn.com.

FremantleMedia has named Sam Toles as VP/Development, Home Entertainment, Americas.  He will be charged with managing FremantleMedia’s current home entertainment catalogue in the Americas and maximizing opportunities for the company’s library.  Sam will be based in California and report directly to Pete Kalhan, SVP/Home Entertainment & Archive Sales, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide.

Court TV announced the return of veterans Jami Floyd and Jack Ford to the network’s roster of daytime anchors. Floyd will anchor a new daily program in daytime, and will be joined by Ford two days a week.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks – time period averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research.
[p] = Premiere; [r] = Repeat

FOX     11.7/18 American Idol 15.2/23, Simple Life – The Interns [p] 8.2/12

CBS     8.4/13  60 Minutes 6.3/10, King of Queens 7.4/11, King of Queens [r] 7.0/10, CSI: NY 11.5/19

ABC     6.7/10  Lost 7.8/12, Alias 7.3/11, Wife Swap [r] 4.9/8

NBC     5.7/9   SI: Swimsuit Model Search 3.2/5, West Wing 7.2/11, Katie Couric News Special  6.8/11

WB      2.0/3   Smallville 2.7/4, Jack & Bobby 1.4/2

UPN     1.6/3   Road to Stardom 1.5/2, Kevin Hill  1.7/3

A18-49          Fox 8.7/21, ABC and CBS 3.9/10, NBC 2.8/7, WB 1.5/4, UPN .9/2

Friday Fun Fact:  According to purist Italian chefs, ingredients that should never appear on an authentic Italian pizza include bell pepper, pepperoni, or chicken.

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1878 – “The Yale News” was published for the first time. It was the first, daily, collegiate newspaper in the US.

Answer to Monday’s Trivia Question:  What beer did the Beer Bear hawk? HAMM’S BEER.  Kudos to:  Dennis Degan-NBC Today Show/NY; Randy Ingram-WNDY/Indianapolis; Mark Kunkel-JW Broadcasting/Norfolk; Dave Metz-Scripps Prods/Knoxville; Chuck Gordon-Time Warner Media Sales/Kansas City; Jim Roche-Weigel Bcsting/Chicago; Joe E. Dale-MeTV/Chicago; Keith Paxton-KDFI/Dallas; Jeffrey Loseff-Jeffrey Loseff Mgmt; Judi Schultz-Woodsen & Neuroth/Beaverton; Albert Fisher-Fisher TV Prods/LA; Joel Metzger-Bell Tower Prods/LA; Angelique Benoit/Toronto; and Eleanor Wertheim-LaTrobe University/Melbourne.

A MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

Today’s Trivia Question:  What hangs on the wall behind Rob Petrie’s desk in the writer’s room at the Allen Brady Show?  (click here with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone with your answer. 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
01.28.05  4:51am

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: JANUARY 28, 2005:

ABC             8 Simple Rules, 8 Simple Rules, Hope & Faith, Less Than Perfect, 20/20
CBS             Joan of Arcadia, CSI, NUMB3RS
FOX             Bernie Mac, Bernie Mac, Jonny Zero
NBC             Dateline, Medical Investigation
PAX             America’s Talented E/I, MGM Movie: Dances with Wolves (part 2)
UPN             Star Trek Enterprise, Road to Stardom [r]
WB              What I Like About You, Grounded for Life, Reba, Blue Collar TV
TELE            La Mujer en el Espejo, Gitanas, Te Voy a Ensenar a Querer
UNIV            Rubi, Amor Real, Hospital El Paisa, La Escuelita

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