CYNTHIA TURNER’S
CYNOPSIS

03/12/04

Good morning. It’s Friday, March 12, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing. 

In a vote of 391-22, the House of Representatives has voted in favor of legislation that increases the maximum fines for indecency to $500,000 for broadcasters per violation.  Performers will also be penalized to the tune of $500,000 per violation, up from verbal warning followed by a fine of  $11,000.  Additionally a three strikes and your out rule will be instated, wherein a broadcaster who violates the laws three times, will automatically go to a license revocation hearing. While President Bush’s administration supports such a bill, as does much of the House and Senate, it is not without its detractors who point to the calendar – it is after all an election year. The NAB is opposed to the proposed laws, preferring instead to encourage stations and broadcast networks to self-governing.

The Syndicated Television Network Association (SNTA) held its second annual confab yesterday morning in NYC, with scheduled plans to take the dog and pony show/face to face presentations to both Chicago and Los Angeles next week.  First year President Mitch Burg oversaw the event with a new-to-syndication message:  the median age of syndication viewers are younger than the broadcast network viewer.  To wit: the median age of sitcoms in syndication is 35.1 vs. 43.1 in primetime on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.  Newsmagazines such as ET, Access Hollywood, etc., have a median age of 47.9 vs. 54.4 for the primetime news magazines. In daytime, viewers of syndicated fare are 45.7 vs. a 48.9 median age for daytime serial dramas.  And in late night where off net and dating shows proliferate, the median age for syndicated programs is 32.8 vs. 44.0 for the network’s late night programming.  Overall syndicated programming collectively has a 50% higher concentration of that elusive young male and young adult audience than the broadcast network, according to Nielsen Media Research data provided by SNTA.  Participants in the SNTA conference this year include 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, King World, Paramount, Tribune, Universal and Warner Bros., with MGM-NBC and Entertainment Studios participating as non-members.  The only big studio who has chosen not in opt-in is Sony. 

Premiering Tonight:  On Fox – Playing it Straight [p], Wonderfalls [p]

Buena Vista Television’s Who Wants to Be A Millionaire is a firm go for its third season in syndication with host Meredith Vieira.  Since its launch in 2002, the program has shown growth year to year across, double digit growth in numerous key markets.

ABC’s The View continues its ratings climb, posting its best February sweep numbers in the show’s history.  What is it about this show that appeals?  Perhaps the outlandish topics, the dry wit of Joy Behar, the viewer camaraderie with Starr and her engagement, or just that you never have any idea what these women are going to do or say.  Reportedly there is some talk about invoking the 5-second delay for this show, but that could be just speculation.  In February, The View delivered 1.1 million W18-49, up 12% year to year, and an all time high for ABC in the 11a-12n time period dating back to 1992. 

New in Development/Production/Casting:

• CBS has cast Jane Krakowski in its comedy pilot Taste (Regency/CBS Prods) about a culinary school grad in her first big job. The net’s drama series Wanted (25c Prods/Warner Bros/CBS Prods) has added Louise Lombard to the cast.  This project takes place in the LAPD’s Fugitive Dept.
• ABC has added Jonathan Silverman and Chris William Martin to the cast of The Demarco Affairs (David E. Kelly,20th), a romantic drama about three sisters who inherit their family’s wedding palace on Long Island. Silverman joins Selma Blair, Lindsay Sloane, Sabrina Lloyd, Lara Cox and Chris Diamantopulos.  Also in the net’s Kat Plus One (Berlanti Liddell Prods/Warner Bros) Wendie Mallick, Heather Burns and Michael Urie join Marisa Coughlan and Jimmy Bennett about another single person suddenly saddled with a relative’s child.  We Are Family (Touchstone) has added Missi Pyle to the lineup.
• WB‘s remake of the thriller/soap Dark Shadows (John Wells Prods/Warner Bros.) has added Marley Shelton as Victoria Winters.
• UPN‘s Nikki & Nora (Warner Bros. TV) will add Shemar Moore to the cast. Beck & Call (Shephard-Robin/Warner Bros. TV) with Vanessa Williams and Christina Vidal has cast Jordana Spiro, Adam Kaufman, David Conrad and Erica Gimpel.
• Fox‘s Untitled David Shore project (Heel & Toe Prods/Universal) about a group of doctors tackling the most baffling medical cases, has added Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps and Jesse Spencer to the cast which already includes Robert Sean Leonard and Jennifer Morrison.
• MGM is working on an unscripted series called The Real Rocky – not to be confused with the NBC/Mark Burnett Project The Contender. According to Variety, The Real Rocky is being produced by Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler who control the rights to the Rocky movies.  The project, in development since last May, will be shopped to the networks next week.  And in case you were wondering if all of this sounds a tad familiar, MGM is not the only one jumping into the ring with The Contender; Paramount has reportedly been shopping a similar idea with boxer Roy Jones Jr., and you’ve heard before about the George Foreman project being developed by Jim Lampley/Next Wave Ent.

WIBV/Miami hasn’t seen a single share point reported in a ratings book in for years.  The station airs primarily infomercials, which may have something to do with that lack of viewers, and according to Broadcasting & Cable has no full times sales people.  The station is owned by Hispanic Keys Broadcasting, who has been looking for an out-of-market buyer for the past ten years.  And now they’ve found one – only this one was in their own backyard which begs the question, what happened to the duopoly rule?  The FCC agreed to a waiver of the duopoly rule in this case (the market has already maxed out its duopoly limits), allowing Sonia Broadcasting to acquire the station for $2.8 million. Sonia also owns WDLP in the market. Going forward, Sonia plans to convert the station to full digital and provide Spanish language programming.

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of Feb 23-29, 2004 ranked by HH Rtg
Wheel of Fortune (King World)                 9.3 AA  
Jeopardy (King World)                   7.7 AA
Oprah (King World)                      7.5 AA / 7.7 GAA
Seinfeld (Sony)                         6.7 AA / 8.2 GAA
Friends (Warner Bros.)                  6.3 AA / 7.6 GAA
Entertainment Tonight (Paramount)       6.2 AA / 6.3 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King World)    5.8 AA / 6.5 GAA
Dr. Phil (King World)                   5.7 AA / 5.8 GAA
Judge Judy (Paramount)          5.4 AA / 8.1 GAA
Regis and Kelly (BVT)                   4.1 AA
Source Nielsen Media Research

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of Feb 23-29, 2004 ranked by A18-49
Seinfeld (Sony)                         4.7 AA / 5.7 GAA
Friends (Warner Bros.)                  4.4 AA / 5.3 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King World)    3.2 AA / 3.5 GAA
Oprah (King World)                      3.2 AA / 3.3 GAA
That 70’s Show (Carsey-Werner)  2.9 AA / 3.7 GAA
Entertainment Tonight (Paramount)       2.9 AA / 3.0 GAA
Wheel of Fortune (King World)           2.8 AA
Judge Judy (Paramount)          2.2 AA / 3.1 GAA
Dr. Phil (King World)                   2.2 AA / 2.2 GAA
Jeopardy (King World)                   2.2 AA
Source Nielsen Media Research

Kroenke Sports Enterprises new regional sports network scheduled to launch in September 2004 featuring professional, collegiate and amateur sports and entertainment programming, has undergone a name change.  The channel will now be called Altitude Sports & Entertainment.  The channel will include sports teams such as Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth.  In addition to sports programming, the channel will include outdoor and lifestyle programming and community pgms from in and around the Rocky Mountain West. Additional pgm announcements to come.

Producers Braxton Pope and Andrew Weiner have joined forces to launch Ithaka Entertainment, a feature film and television production company, that is also currently in negotiations with Lions Gate Films to form a strategic alliance.  Ithaka will focus on the production of genre films, developing material from novelists and contemporary directors. Their first project is a thriller from novelist Andrew Klavan (Don’t Say a Word) and director Richard Brandes, which begins prod this month.

Top 5 Broadcast Spanish Language Primetime Programs for the week of March 1-7, 2004
UNIV    Velo De Novia    (Thur 8p)      25.9 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Velo De Novia    (Tue 8p)               23.5 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Velo De Novia    (Mon 8p)               23.1 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Velo De Novia    (Wed 8p)       23.0 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Amar Otra Vez   (Mon 7p)                19.1 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 12,870,000 households.  Here are the rankings for the week of  March 1-7, 2004 – highest rated primetime network programs in African American TV homes according to Nielsen Media Research
UPN     Girlfriends (Mon 9p)                    18.4 HH Rtg / 3.2m Total Viewers 2+
UPN     Half & Half (Mon 930p)                  18.2 HH Rtg / 3.1m Total Viewers 2+
FOX     American Idol (Tue)                     17.3 HH Rtg / 3.5m Total Viewers 2+
UPN     America’s Next Top Model (Tue 9p)       17.1 HH Rtg / 3.1m Total Viewers 2+
UPN     All of Us (Tue 830p)                    16.7 HH Rtg / 3.0m Total Viewers 2+
UPN     Eve (Mon 830p)                          19.1 HH Rtg / 3.2m Total Viewers 2+
ABC     My Wife & Kids (Wed 8p)                 15.1 HH Rtg / 2.6m Total Viewers 2+
FOX     American Idol: Uncut  (Wed)             13.4 HH Rtg / 2.6m Total Viewers 2+
UPN     The Parkers (Mon 8p)                    12.6 HH Rtg / 2.1m Total Viewers 2+
FOX     American Idol  (Wed 830p)               12.3 HH Rtg / 2.9m Total Viewers 2+
Source Nielsen Media Research

Another big night for Fox on Wednesday posting an overall 7.3/20 A18-49 rating according to Nielsen Media Research data.  ABC was #2 for the night with a 3.6/10, followed closely by NBC 3.4/10, then CBS 2.3/6, WB 1.3/4, UPN 0.7/2.  At 8pm, Fox kicked off the night with That 70’s Show (5.5/17) and the first half hour of American Idol (9.1/25), dusting its closest competition, ABC (3.1/9).  UPN’s debut of its new CGI-animated series Game Over aired at 8pm, earning a slight 0.6/2 A18-49 rating, though did slightly better among teens (1.7/6).  Also on UPN, The Mullets returned at 830p with a similar result: A18-49 0.6/2, Teens 1.5/5.  At 9p Fox’s second half hour of American Idol (10.3/27) and the second episode of Cracking Up (4.4/12) won the hour (7.4/20), though ABC did come up and bite Fox at 930-10p with the final 30m reveal of Extreme Makeover (5.2/14).  NBC’s Law & Order won the 10p hour, but not by the usual landslide — NBC 4.2/12 vs. ABC’s new drama series Kingdom Hospital 3.7/10.  The two tied among A18-34, and NBC led by a single share among W18-49 and by two share points among M18-49.

Hal Protter has been named SVP/Technology of a new dept at the WB Network created to address station’s tech needs as they convert from analog to digital and HDTV. 

Wednesday, March 10, 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

FOX     10.0/16 That 70s Show 7.2/12, American Idol 13.1/21, Cracking Up 6.6/10

NBC     7.1/12  The Apprentice [r] 4.6/7, Law & Order [r] 7.3/11, Law & Order [r] 9.4/16

ABC     6.0/10  My Wife and Kids 5.8/10, My Wife and Kids [r] 5.3/8, Extreme Makeover 6.8/11, Kingdom Hospital 5.7/10

CBS     5.9/10  60 Minutes II 6.7/11, The King of Queens [r] 5.4/8, Yes Dear [r] 4.9/8, 48 Hours Investigates 5.8/10

WB      2.6/4   Smallville [r] 2.7/4, Smallville [r] 2.5/4

UPN     1.4/2   Game Over [p] 1.4/2, The Mullets 1.2/2, Enterprise [r] 1.6/2

A18-49  Fox 7.3/20,  ABC 3.6/10, NBC 3.4/10,CBS 2.3/6, WB 1.3/4, UPN 0.7/2

A MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC CABLE DISTRIBUTION

Source:  NHTI, Galaxy Explorer, 2/23-29/04, Exit Wounds = 2/28/04, 10pm. 7th Run = Fri 9-11p, 8th Run = Sat 8-10p.  #1 on TNT w/A25-54 Ties L&O (2/24,2/25,2/26).  Excl. Sports. Cov Rtg.

FRIDAY FUN FACT:  A short period of time used to be referred to as a “whipstitch.”

The History Channel presents This Day in History: 
1979 – In a historic arrangement brokered by President Jimmy Carter, Egypt and Israel agree to a peace treaty, after thirty years of war. The treaty grew out of the 1978 Camp David Accords; it stipulated that Israel would return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and Egypt would grant official recognition the Israeli state.

Answer to yesterday’s Trivia Question:  I was named after the hospital on whose steps I was abandoned as a baby.  I have some physical oddities as well as being surprisingly swift of foot with great strength.  When I get angry and holler, it’s more than a little frightening; and yet I’m surprisingly gentle and sensitive person.  Who am I?   VINCENT on BEAUTY & THE BEAST. Kudos to:    Grace Ann Bafna-NBC/NY; Christine Schultheiss-Sci Fi Channel/NY; Kennedy Ross-CSFB/NY; Patty Youngross-Initiative/Atlanta; Jim Smith-Healing Touch Massage/Dallas; Katherine Lippert-Starcom Worldwide; Jerry Wise-KTVT/Dallas; Jeff Roark-Clear Channel/Wichita; Dan Tinianow-Dantini Media/LA; Susan Garrett-Humanoids/Studio City; Kelly Lightner-Blair TV/LA; Lisa Howard-ABC/Burbank; and Michelle Daly-CTV/Toronto.

Today’s Trivia Question:  You may recall Nestle’s used a dog puppet to sing the jingle, always ending in “Nestle’s makes the very best … chooooooocolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate.”  What was the name of the dog?   (
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
03/12/04  5:29am
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2004

COURT TV:       Forensic Fridays
ABC             George Lopez [r], Married to the Kellys, Hope & Faith [r], Life with Bonnie [r], 20/20
CBS             Joan of Arcadia, JAG, 48 Hours Investigates
FOX             Playing it Straight [p], Wonderfalls [p]
NBC             Dateline NBC, Crossing Jordan
PAX             MGM Night at the Movies: Secret Admirer, Diagnosis Murder
UPN             Mania of Wrestlemania, Game Over [r], The Mullets [r]
WB              Reba [r], Reba [r], Grounded for Life [r], The Help
TELE            Prisionera, El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas
UNIV            Mariana de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Casos de la Vida Real: Edicion Especial