CYNTHIA TURNER’S
CYNOPSIS

03/19/04

Good morning.  It’s Friday, March 18, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing. 

The FCC has made a decision – Bono‘s language on an NBC award show last year was indeed considered to be vulgar and a violation of the profanity laws on broadcast television. Though when it came to the decision of whether NBC should be fined or not, the FCC was split. Ultimately, no fine will be imposed.  In a statement from NBC comes the argument that the rules in place at the time of the utterance do not warrant a monetary fine:  “Bono’s utterance was unacceptable and we regret it happened. Today’s decision confirms that the rules in place at that time did not subject broadcasters to strict liability for fleeting utterances in live broadcasts.”  FCC Commish Michael Copps takes a different pov: “This may not be a case where a revocation of license is in order, but neither is it a case that warrants no penalty at all.”  As far as other recent violations are concerned, the FCC did propose fines be imposed against several radio stations for a handful of incidents, one including Howard Stern.  Interestingly, in a study released yesterday by the Center for Public Integrity, of the $3.95 million in monetary fines imposed by the FCC under the indecency laws since 1990, $1.96 million have involved Howard Stern’s show, though it should also be noted no fines have been assessed against the program since 1998.

NBC has ordered up six new episodes of The Restaurant and will air the show on Mondays at 10p as of April 19.  The program picks up with Chef Rocco DiSpirito six months after the conclusion of the first season, and this time a running thread is Rocco’s dealings with his financier Geoffrey Chodorow who accuses Rocco of financial mismanagement and seizes control of the restaurant.  The Restaurant is exec prod by Reveille’s Ben Silverman, Mark Burnett of Mark Burnett Productions, and Robert Riesenberg on behalf of Magna Global Entertainment.

Premiering Tonight:  The DA on ABC at 10p

New in Development/Casting/Production:

• Fox‘s untitled comedy project with rap artists Method Man and Redman (Regency) has been picked up with a 13 episode order.  Launch date has not yet been determined, but we all know Fox is looking to launch several shows during the summer months, and the pilot on this comedy has already wrapped. Beyond the two leads, casting includes Beth Litteford, Peter Jacobson, David Henrie, Lahmard Tate, and Ella Joyce.  The story is about two suddenly successful rap artists who move to the suburbs, buying a home in a predominately white neighborhood.
• Elsewhere at Fox, the net’s comedy pilot Sweden, Ohio (Warner Bros.) has cast Swedish model Helena Mattsson in the lead role.
• ABC‘s pilot project Hot Mama (Warner Bros) about an NYC wedding planner whose life is hotter than her own daughter’s, has cast Gina Gershon as the Mama.  The Furst Family (Granada/Touchstone) has added Brenda Vaccaro, Laurie Metcalf and Kyle Howard to the cast.  For the untitled Jessica Simpson project (Ted Harbert/Touchstone), Gregory Harrison and Bryan Callen have been cast
• NBC‘s spinoff series Joey (Warner Bros) has added Paulo Costanzo who will play Joey Tribbiani’s cousin
• In CBS‘ drama pilot Dr. Vegas (Bender-Brown Prods/Warner Bros. TV/CBS Prods) starring Robe Lowe as a Vegas hotel house doctor, Amy Adams will play the good doctor’s nurse.
• WB‘s The Dana & Julia Show (Happy Madison/Sony) starring Dana Goodman and Julia Wolov, has added Nick Swardson as Dana’s brother.  This project has been described as Laverne & Shirley meet Ab Fab.
• FX has ordered up a pilot for an unscripted project called 30 days from Morgan Spurlock.  The deal is simple – finding out how the other half lives by putting a person in a situation that is diametrically opposed to their personal lifestyle (be that finance related, occupation, religion, etc.) for a period of 30 days. 
• HBO‘s drama pilot Big Love (Playtone) about a polygamist and his extended family, has cast Jeanne Tripplehorn and Ginnifer Goodman, which stars Bill Paxton.  Chloe Sevigny was cast earlier.
• Source: BaselineFT.com, Variety, Hollywood Reporter

Bravo‘s second season of Celebrity Poker Showdown (Picture This Television) will be hosted by Dave Foley. The net has ordered up 12 eps which are scheduled to debut later on this spring.

Fox owned Speed Channel has picked up the program Fifth Gear from UK-based All3Media International (formerly Chrysalis Distribution).  The 8 episode package is in magazine format and features the latest and greatest in the automotive industry, as well as information on safety and used vehicles.  Speed Channel is currently available in 65 million homes.  Elsewhere Fifth Gear has been picked up by HMG Holland, XYZ Australia, Ananey Israel, Discovery UK, TVNZ and Living TV in New Zealand, Danmarks Radio Denmark, Sun Media, Korea and various Inflight companies.

Spike TV will launch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on Monday April 5, commemorating the occasion with a weeklong marathon from Noon to 9pm through and including Friday April 9. Thereafter the show will air Mon-Fri at 7p as of Monday, April 12.

Jon Stewart has signed on to continue with Comedy Central and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart through 2008.

Qtopia Media, a new ad agency based in Ft. Lauderdale, will open its doors for business today, specializing in a new interest to market to the gay community.  David Morganlander, President/Qtopia Media, commented: “In the past year, we have increasingly heard from national advertisers looking for both the venues and the knowledge to effectively reach the gay marketplace.  The demand for gay & lesbian marketing strategies has escalated dramatically in the past year, yet the resources available to advertisers remains limited. Enter Qtopia Media.”  If you’re wondering how mainstream this thinking has become, among the major advertisers who have announced plans to assign ad budgets directed to the gay community are IBM B-2-B, Orbitz, American Express, Wyndam International, Tylenol, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.  Qtopia offers up these facts on the gay and lesbian marketplace:

• Gay & lesbians represent 6%-8% of the population, or roughly 15 million U.S. adults
• The G&L marketplace is estimated at $485 billion (MarketResearch.com)
• Metropolitan areas with the largest gay & lesbian populations include: New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Dallas, South Florida, Boston, Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix.
• Gay consumers are “influencers,” who tend to set trends in culture, music, fashion and politics.
• Most research confirms that gay & lesbian consumers have a greater tendency to purchase products and services from advertisers who make a specific effort to speak to the G&L community.

For more info on Qtopia Media, check out www.QtopiaMedia.com

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of Mar 1-7, 2004 ranked by HH Rtg
Wheel of Fortune (King World)                 9.5 AA  
Jeopardy (King World)                   7.6 AA
Oprah (King World)                      7.1 AA / 7.2 GAA
Seinfeld (Sony)                         6.5 AA / 7.9 GAA
Entertainment Tonight (Paramount)       6.3 AA / 6.5 GAA
Friends (Warner Bros.)                  6.3 AA / 7.6 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King World)    5.6 AA / 6.3 GAA
Dr. Phil (King World)                   5.4 AA / 5.5 GAA
Judge Judy (Paramount)          5.0 AA / 7.4 GAA
Regis and Kelly (BVT)                   4.0 AA
Source Nielsen Media Research

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of Mar 1-7, 2004 ranked by A18-49
Seinfeld (Sony)                         4.3 AA / 5.1 GAA
Friends (Warner Bros.)                  4.3 AA / 5.1 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King World)    3.1 AA / 3.5 GAA
Oprah (King World)                      2.9 AA / 3.0 GAA
Entertainment Tonight (Paramount)       2.9 AA / 3.0 GAA
Wheel of Fortune (King World)           2.9 AA
That 70’s Show (Carsey-Werner)  2.7 AA / 3.3 GAA
Warner Bros. Vol. 34 Warner Bros.)      2.4 AA / 2.4 GAA
Will & Grace                            2.2 AA / 2.7 GAA
Jeopardy (King World)                   2.2 AA
Source Nielsen Media Research

Top 5 Broadcast Spanish Language Primetime Programs for the week of March 8-14, 2004
UNIV    Mariana de la Noche (Mon 8p)        21.1 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Mariana de la Noche (Tue 8p)        19.9 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Don Francisco Presenta (Wed 10p)  18.8 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Mariana de la Noche (Wed 8p)        18.7 NHTI HH Rtg
UNIV    Mariana de la Noche (Thu 8p)        18.7 NHTI HH Rtg
Source  Nielsen Media Research
Note  NHTI Ratings are based on 10.57 million Hispanic TV Homes

Top 5 Broadcast English Language Primetime Programs in Hispanic TV Homes for the week of March 8-14, 2004
Fox     American Idol (Tue 8p)                         9.7 NHTI HH Rtg
Fox     American Idol (Wed 830p)                    8.6 NHTI HH Rtg
CBS     CSI (Thu 9p)                                          7.1 NHTI HH Rtg
NBC     Fear Factor (Mon 8p)                            6.6 NHTI HH Rtg
NBC     Friends (Thu 8p)                                    6.6 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 8-14, 2004 – highest rated primetime network programs in African American TV homes according to Nielsen Media Research
FOX     American Idol (Wed 830p)                            17.8 HH Rtg
FOX     American Idol (Tue 8p)                                  17.5 HH Rtg
Fox     35th NAACP Awards (Thu 8p)                      17.0 HH Rtg
UPN     Eve (Mon 830p)                          16.7 HH Rtg
UPN     Girlfriends (Mon 9p)                    16.2 HH Rtg
UPN     America’s Next Top Model (Tue 9p)       15.6 HH Rtg
ABC     My Wife & Kids (Wed 8p)                 14.3 HH Rtg
UPN     Half & Half (Mon 930p)                  14.1 HH Rtg
UPN     The Parkers (Mon 8p)                    14.0 HH Rtg
UPN     All of Us (Tue 8p)                      13.1 HH Rtg
Source Nielsen Media Research

Casting: You remember hearing about this one – Dallas Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban is looking to give away a million bucks.  What do you have to do to get the cash?  In Cuban’s words:  “Everyone has dreamed of getting rich, and I want to help one lucky person get there. This isn’t a traditional contest. You don’t need special talents. I’m not looking to find out who is the grossest, funniest, prettiest, smartest or able to go without food or water the longest. The right person is going to get on my good side at the right time and, whoever that is, is going to walk away with a check for one million dollars.”  Good at sucking up?  Then check out www.abc.com keyword casting for further information on casting calls and applications.

Casting:  So you say you know a little something about the Latino culture, the music, the fashion, the entertainment?  Then you may be just what Telemundo’s mun2 is looking for.  The Latino network is casting a Producer/Host for a national entertainment program.  They’re looking for bilingual (English/Spanish( men or women, 18-30 years old. Auditions are Saturday April 10 in Hialeah FL, from 10a-2p.  Or call for an appt: Mildred Muñoz at (305) 889-6931.  Good luck!

With American Idol is down to its 12 finalists, Fox won the night again on Wednesday with an overall 7.1/19 A18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research.  CBS was #2 for the evening posting a 4.2/11, followed by NBC 3.7/10, ABC 3.4/9, WB 1.0/3, UPN 0.6/2.  CBS began the night with a win for the first half hour of primetime which began with Survivor All Stars, airing this week and next on Wednesday night as a result of March Madness NCAA Basketball.  Survivor won the 8-830p time frame with a 6.9/20, but Fox’s American Idol (airing 830-930p) dominated the 830-9p half hour with a 8.3/22, besting Survivor’s 7.1/19.  At 9p, as American Idol continues, it again owns the 30m time frame with a 10.9/28, nearly tripling its closest competitor, CBS’ 3.9/10 for King of Queens.  At 930p ABC rises to the top with the final half hour of Extreme Makeover (4.8/13), while Arrested Development on fox and final 30m of Law & Order on NBC tied at 4.3/11.  CBS’ premiere of The Stones ranked 4th inthe time period with a 2.7/7.  At 10p Law & Order takes the hour with a 5.0/14, beating ABC’s Kingdom Hospital (3.0/9) and CBS’ 48 Hours (2.2/6).

Correction:  Fox’s new reality series The Swan debuts on Wednesday April 7 following American Idol, before the  show falls into its regular time period on Mondays at 9p. Also Forever Eden will move to Thursdays at 9p, not Tuesdays at 9p as stated here yesterday.

Caroline Welch was upped to VP/Programming for WPVI-TV, an ABC owned station in Philadelphia.  Caroline will report to Rebecca Campell, President/General Manager.  Tom Davis has also been upped to Assistant News Director/Action News at WPVI-TV.  Tom will report to Carla Carpenter, VP/News.  Both Caroline and Tom will be based in Philadelphia.

Pisces, a Boston based broadcast arts, visual effects and finishing studio has named Jimi Simmons as Director/Visual Effects, Chris Goveia as Creative Director/Broadcast Arts and Shari Sklar-Jacobson as Director/Marketing for their newly launched broadcast arts division.
 
Discovery Communications, Inc. announced the formation of a new business initiative, Discovery Education.  Discovery Education will combine United Learning, Inc. and Discovery Channel School, to create a fully integrated education media business.  Steve Sidel was upped to EVP/Discovery Education and will head the new management team.   Steve reports to Judith A. McHale, President, COO/Discovery Communications, Inc. and is based in Silver Spring, MD.

Gary Shapiro has been named VP/Creative Affairs and Alternative Production for Fox TV Studios, reporting to David Martin, EVP/Alternative Prods.  Gary will be responsible for the studio’s unscripted series and specials and his first order of business is the A&E project Ink’d that centers in a Las Vegas tattoo parlor.

Wednesday, March 17, 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     9.7/16  That 70s Show 6.3/11, American Idol 13.2/21, Arrested Development 6.1/10

CBS     7.3/12  Survivor: All Stars (OTO) 10.8/18, The King of Queens [r] 6.4/10, The Stones [p] 5.0/8, 48 Hours Investigates 5.5/9

NBC     7.2/12  The Apprentice [r] 3.9/6, Law & Order [r] 7.4/12, Law & Order [r] 10.2/18

ABC     5.6/9   My Wife and Kids [r] 5.8/10, My Wife and Kids [r] 5.5/9, Extreme Makeover 6.3/10, Kingdom Hospital 4.9/8

WB      2.1/3   Smallville 2.0/3, Smallville [r] 2.1/3

UPN     1.2/2   Game Over 1.1/2, The Mullets 1.1/2, Enterprise [r] 1.3/2

A18-49  FOX 7.1/19, CBS 4.2/11, NBC 3.7/10, ABC 3.4/9, WB 1.0/3, UPN 0.6/2

A MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC CABLE DISTRIBUTION

Friday Fun Fact:    In the U.S. and France, a septillion is represented by the number 1 followed by 24 zeroes; in Great Britain and Germany, it is the number 1 followed by 42 zeroes.

The History Channel presents This Day in History: 
The state of Nevada legalized gambling on this day in 1931.

Answer to yesterday’s Trivia Question:  Naturally you’ve heard of the guest house by the sea, Fawlty Towers, owed by Basil and Sybil Fawlty..  The question is, what was the name of the sea?   THE SEA OF TORQUAY.  Kudos to: Jacquie Tierney-Horizon Media/NY; Sara Sacks-Empower MediaMarketing/Philadelphia; Ted Chase-Telerep/NY; Philip Duddy-Food Network/NY;  Lorey Lavery-Warner Bros. Ent/Burbank; Heather Holmes-Turner Classic Movies/LA; Courtney Greene-Sony Pictures Television/LA.

Today’s Trivia Question: Whose Pappy was often quoted with words of advice such as:  “No use crying over spilled milk, it could have been whiskey.” and “You can tell more about a town by looking at its gambling emporium than any other building.”  ?? (
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
03/19/04  5:18am
Free Subscriptions to Cynopsis: email

Archived Editions Check out any previous copy of Cynopsis, or search via keywords at  www.Cynopsis.com
Click
to subscribe to Cynopsis Kids! and put Kids! in the subject line.
Cynopsis Ad Sales 203-526-8978
Press Release Fax: 203-381-9318
All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free.

Copyright Cynthia Turner 2004

CYNOPSIS CLASSIFIEDS

JOB OPENING:   ACCOUNT EXEC/Nielsen, New York. Sell Nielsen products to Local Stations/Agencies. Focus on the Washington, DC and Raleigh markets. 5+ years research/sales industry experience a must. www.NielsenMedia.com (200401752-JL)  (3/26)

JOB OPENING:  MSNBC is seeking experienced PRODUCERS (EXECUTIVE, SENIOR, LINE AND SEGMENT), as well as qualified BOOKERS. Applicants should email resume to
or fax to 201-583-5819.  (3/25)

JOB OPENING:  DIR., PGM RSCH, NYC. Provide info/insight for pgm dvlopmt, strategic planning, ntwk positioning, sched & acq decisions. 10+ yrs exp in TV rsch w/ focus on pgm rsch. Email
or fax 212-907-9402  (3/25)

JOB OPENING:  ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/Galavision cable ntwk, Dallas.  2-3 yrs TV ad sales; excellent written/ verbal skills reqd. Natl Nielsen data and dealmaker software knowledge helpful.  Email:
specify Dallas  (3/25)

JOB OPENING:   WRITER’S ASST-Dora The Explorer, NY. Sched all writers mtgs, dist. scripts/notes, mge consultant note process; small script re-writes when nec. Spanish lang. proficiency. Fax ltr & resume to Marc Amiel: 212-654-4735  (3/24)

JOB OPENING:  SR AE: Htfd: WTIC-TV Tribune opening for a highly motivated experienced AE Relationships w/CT & regional agencies a +, Resume: WTIC-TV,HR,One Corporate Ctr, Hartford, CT 06103 e-mail hknowlton
  M/F/V/D EOE  (3/23)

JOB OPENING:   DIR/SALES MARKETING-NCC, NY. Media industry pro (agcy/net/station/rep). Dvlp sales strategy, materials and presentations. Team mgmt exp, proj mgmt exp & Nielsen research kwlge req. Email:
    (3/23)

JOB OPENING:  AD SALES SERVICES ANALYST, AMC/WE ad sales/NY. 1-2 yrs nat’l ad sales exp.Monitor AMC’s short/long term inventory to maximize supply, minimize liability, thereby, growing revenues.Email:
    (3/23)

JOB OPENING:  SR. ACCOUNT EXEC/Nielsen, New York. Sell Nielsen products to National Advertisers. 5+years research industry experience. Sales experience a must. Product marketing experience desired. www.NielsenMedia.com (200401818-JL)    (3/20)

JOB OPENING:   SALES PLANNER, TV Guide Channel, NY. 1-2 yrs planning exp at cable net or agency; MS Office exp. Prep/exec sales proposals, oversee/maintain accounts, liaison btwn AE & client. Email:
. EOE.  (3/20)

JOB OPENING:  RESEARCH DIRECTOR, FX Network/NY Ad Sales. Strong analytical skills/strategic thinker; exc comm/pres. skills. Resp for new qual/quant research; liaison w/suppliers to enhance synd. research. Apply: www.foxcareers.com (3/20)

INTERNSHIP – SCHOOL CREDIT ONLY: Evolution Film & Tape/LA. CASTING INTERN needed. Hard worker, punctual, organized, able to multitask, and handle fast paced environment. Email resume to:

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED —

SITUATION WANTED:  Seeking Position in Children’s TV PROGRAMMING/DEVELOPMENT/OR LIVE THEATRICAL SHOWS. 11 years of experience. Creative, Hardworking, great PR Skills and people person:
    (3/26)

SITUATION WANTED:  Interactive Media Professional with 8 yrs work exp. seeks CLIENT SERVICES/AFFILIATE RELATIONS/BIZ DEV. POSITION in NYC. P/T MBA Student. Contact:
  (3/26)

SITUATION WANTED: ENTRY LEVEL: Willing to do whatever it takes to work in television, movies, music and radio industry. Willing to start from the bottom. hard-worker. Some experience.
  (3/25)

SITUATION WANTED:  PA AVAILABLE ASAP, jack of all trades, master of none. TV/MSO experience seeks tv/film prod work-entry level. Final Cut Pro/limited AVID, SpherOus, straight cut editing skills.
  (3/25)

SITUATION WANTED:  NYC – MEDIA RESEARCHER w/ 8+ years exp. in prgm. & ad sales rsrch seeks new challenges. Skilled in Nielsen apps, strategic planning & analysis, and have worked w/ primary research studies.  Email:
  (3/23)

SITUATION WANTED:  MEDIA BUYER/PLANNER position, Atlanta. Four years experience in every type media.  Very organized, multi-tasker.
   (3/23)

E-mail
for rates and specs for Job Openings. Your ad will be read by 71,650+ Cynopsis & Cynopsis Kids! readers every day. No wonder Cynopsis ads get results.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email
for specs.

WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2004

COURT TV:       Forensic Fridays
ABC             George Lopez, Married to the Kellys, Hope & Faith, Life with Bonnie, The DA [p]
CBS             NCAA Basketball
FOX             Playing It Straight, Wonderfalls
NBC             Dateline NBC, Crossing Jordan
PAX             MGM Night at the Movies: The House on Carroll Street, Diagnosis Murder
UPN             Top Model [r], Top Model [r]
WB              Reba, Reba, Grounded for Life [r], The Help
TELE            Prisonera, El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas
UNIV            Mariana de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Casos de la Vida Real: Edicion Especial