Cynopsis

03.27.09

Good morning. It’s Friday, March 27, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing. And as always, if you prefer to watch this morning’s news instead of reading it, click here.  

Today’s Premiere:
Retirement Living TV: Inside E Street at 10a
 
Tonight’s Premiere:
SCI FI Channel: Stargate: The Ark of Truth at 9p
 
Tonight’s Finale:
BBC America: Mistresses at 9p
 
Sunday’s Premieres:
BBC America: Any Dream Will Do at 8p
FUEL TV: Thrillbillies at 8p; New Pollution at 830p
HBO: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency at 8p
G4: G4 Underground at 9p
TLC: Royal Inquest at 10p
 

This summer, NBC will roll out a new alternative series I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, based on a successful international series, about celebrities who exchange their posh lifestyles to try their hand at surviving in a challenging, snake-infested jungle environment. The series will premiere as a two-hour event June 1 at 8p, followed by one-hour episodes stripped Monday through Thursday over the first three weeks in June, then during the fourth week episodes will air Monday through Wednesday with the finale slated for June 24 at 8p.  Granada America produces and ITV Global will handle all US and international distribution rights.

Black Broadcasting Network (BBN), a 24/7 ad-supported multiplatform network exclusively targeting 18-34 year-old urban African-American audiences, will add a trio of sports programming to its lineup. Black College Sports will feature various sports highlights from historic black universities and colleges nationwide along with interviews with coaches and players. Ringside Boxing will partner with BBN to serve up IBF World Championship boxing in primetime. Premier Basketball League sports 13 teams in the PBL league and features recognizable players from college and pro levels in addition to street players.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM SCRIPPS NETWORKS

Source: Simmons Multimedia Engagement Study 2008 W5-8. Women 25-54 w/HHI $75K+ ranking among 80 ad-supported networks. For source details and marketing opportunities, visit ScrippsNetworksAdSales.com.

Independent production company Atlas Media Corp. signed an international rights agreement with Beyond Distribution involving its Science Impossible mini-series consisting of two one-hour episodes. Beyond Distribution will represent the mini-series exploring strange cases and amazing feats by “superhumans” at MIP-TV in Cannes next week.
 

FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) is purchasing a stake in Wide-Eyed Entertainment an independent production company specializing in creating high-end, graphics-based programming, distributing producer’s output globally and managing brand extension efforts. FME made a three-year, first-look development agreement with Wide-Eyed Entertainment, which was established in 2008 by Jasper James, Parule Basu-Barua and David McNab.

Virgin1, owned by Virgin Media Television, acquired the reality series The Ultimate Fighter: UK vs USA from UFC/Zuffa premiering it in the UK April 5 at 11p. The mixed martial arts series has 12 one-hour episodes plus a multi hour finale based on The Ultimate Fighter Championship.

True Entertainment made a development deal with celebrity matchmaker, Samantha Daniels for a new romantic docu-soap titled for now as Sexy, Single and … Searching (wt). The show will feature five beautiful, single women as they live their single lifestyles in New York City. Daniels will help each woman make needed changes to find love. Previously, Daniels’ life was the basis for the NBC/Darren Star show Miss Match.

Donald Sutherland appears to like wealth and power in a primetime series as he has been cast as the patriarch in the new CBS drama pilot The Eastmans, according to THR. Previously, Sutherland starred as Tripp Darling in the short-lived Dirty Sexy Money on ABC and now for CBS will head a family of dysfunctional doctors playing a roguish yet prestigious cardiologist.

In other casting news, per THR, Paul Wesley is set to take a bite out of The CW’s drama pilot Vampire Diaries, starring opposite Nina Dobrev as one of two vampire brothers. Wesley will portray Stefan, described as an amazingly beautiful young man who is in fact 200 years old. Dobrev will play the tragic heroine, Elena who is caught in a love battle between the two blood-thirsty brothers, Stefan and Damon, played by Ian Somerhalder.

Casting Call: Doron Ofir Casting and GotCast.com are seeking participants for the fourth season of MTV’s reality series A Shot At Love. Eligible, alluring, outrageous and adventurous men and women are encouraged to apply. Two members of the GotCast website (1 male and 1 female) are guaranteed auditions in Los Angeles. For more information and to submit, visit www.gotcast.com/casting-calls/MTVs-A-Shot-at-Love-4/53666.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Another day, another round of layoffs we’re afraid. The New York Times circulated a memo internally yesterday informing staffers of 100 job reductions on the business side, accompanied by a 5% non-union employee pay cut in exchange for 10 additional personal days. Meanwhile Google announced it would cut about 200 sales and marketing jobs globally in an effort to eliminate inefficiencies. “We’ve created overlapping organizations which not only duplicate effort but also complicate the decision-making process,” explained SVP of Global Sales and Biz Dev. Omid Kordestani in a blog post.  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY: CBBC (UK) commissions Planet Ajay, a new Bollywood-themed kids show from The Foundation, which is part of RDF Media Group.  Set on Planet Ajay, the home of Ajay Chhabra (better known as Anil from The Basil Brush Show), the series will incorporate music, dance, comedy and sketches as well as interactive segments.  Ajay will play several of the characters on the show.  Planet Ajay is currently in production and will be broadcast later this year.  RDF Kids & Family holds all international rights in the property and will be launching it at MIPTV next week.  Full edition: CYN KIDS.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE from THE CABLE SHOW ’09

The Cable Show ’09 presents exclusive sessions featuring top cable and advertising industry leaders discussing the progression and promise of a new generation of advertising platforms.  With programming co-produced by Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau and industry experts including David Verklin, CEO of Canoe Ventures, The Cable Show 09 features an advertising-rich track you can’t afford to miss.

Wednesday – A18-49 Analysis:  FOX dominated the A18-49 demo on Wednesday with a 9.3/24, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. FOX and American Idol owned the 8p hour with 8.7/24 while second place went to CBS’ Survivor at 2.3/6. FOX surged in the ratings through 9p and the second half of American Idol shot up to 9.9/24 while ABC found itself in the #2 spot with Lost at 4.1/10. CBS took top honors at 10p with CSI: NY at 3.0/8 followed by NBC’s Law & Order at 2.2/6 and ABC’s Life on Mars at 2.0/6.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 (March Sweep Day 21) time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

FOX: 14.7/23      American Idol 14.7/23

CBS: 7.3/12          Survivor: Tocantins 4.9/8, Criminal Minds 8.8/13, CSI: NY 8.1/14

ABC: 4.0/6           Scrubs 3.4/6, Better Off Ted 3.0/5, Lost 5.3/8, Life on Mars 3.5/6

NBC: 3.2/5           Chopping Block 1/8/3, Life 3.0/4, Law & Order 4.9/8

UNIV: 2.3/4         Cuidado con el Angel 2.6/4, Manana para Siempre 2.7/4, Don Francisco Presenta 1.6/3

CW: 1.3/2           America’s Next Top Model 2.0/3, 90210 [r] 0.6/1

TELE: 0.7/1         Dona Barbara 0.6/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.7/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 0.8/1, El Cartel 0.8/1

MNT: 0.6/1          World’s Funniest Moments 0.9/1, Shaken Not Stirred 0.4/1

A18-49: FOX 9.3/24, CBS 2.9/8, ABC 2.7/7, UNIV 1.9/5, NBC 1.5/4, CW 0.9/2, TELE 0.6/2, MNT 0.3/1

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) named Peter Bazalgette as Non-Executive Chairman for its UK-based production business. Peter will offer advice to the newly combined production assets of SPT and 2waytraffic, help with growing UK production operations and will identify and hire key senior, executive talent.
 
Chris Cloney joined Bluestreak, a unit of Aegis Media’s Isobar, as Director/Sales. Chris will be charged with spurring growth for Bluestreak’s sales efforts throughout North America while based in Boston.
 
True Entertainment, an Endemol business, added Matt Hanna, formerly Head/Alternative Programming at BermanBraun as SVP/Development. Furthermore, co-founder of Picture This Television, Marcia Mule was recruited as VP/Head of Programming. Both Marcia and Matt will report o Steven Weinstock and Glenda Hersh, Principals, True Entertainment.
 
Nicky Wood advanced to SVP/Sales, Russia, CEE and Sub Saharan Africa with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD). Nicky will now manage WBITD’s expanding operations across Russia and Central and Eastern Europe and will continue oversight in the Sub Saharan Africa region. In her new role, Nicky will also supervise licensing of Warner Bros. Entertainment content including television series, theatrical films, movies for television and animation to free and pay TV outlets via terrestrial, cable, satellite and IPTV platforms in addition to new media clients such as ad-supported VOD and subscription VOD in these regions. Based in London, Nicky will continue to report to Robert Blair, SVP/Managing Director, Northern Europe, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.
 
Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales arm of Comcast Cable, promoted Tom Straszewski to the position of VP/Interactive Sales. Tom joined Comcast Spotlight in 2006 as Senior Director/Online Ad Sales targeting sales efforts to Comcast.net.
 
Horizon Media continues to expand its Western Region’s out of home media group and in so doing added Asma Yousif-Walker as Supervisor for the out of home group. Based in Los Angeles, Asma reports to Paula Hutchinson, who recently joined as Associate Media Director for the Los Angeles out of home group. Additionally, Horizon Media hired Anne Judge as Associate Media Director for the out of home group, New York office.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES

Friday Fun Fact:  It takes 40 minutes to hard boil an Ostrich egg.   Hey, this could be very useful some day!

This day in History:  1912 – The first cherry blossom trees were planted in Washington, DC. The trees were a gift from Japan.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:    This co-star of a current prime time drama, has appeared as the same character in 9 series; one of them a comedy.  Who is he and who is the character?  RICHARD BELCHER as DETECTIVE JOHN MUNCH appearing in L&O, L&O: SVU, L&O: CI, L&O: Trial by Jury, The Wire, Arrested Development, The Beat, Homicide Life on the Street and The X Files.  Kudos to:  Phyllis McQuillan-MSG/New York; John Carlo-Channel One Network/NY; Leonard Levine/Philadelphia; Sara Aufgang/Jersey City; Lisa Richards-harpo productions/Chicago; Barbara Uebelacker-Patch Products, Inc/Beloit, WI; John Novotny-Assignment Desk/Chicago; Sarah Antosh-Katz Radio Group/Minneapolis; Derek Bartholomaus-The Phone on MTV/Los Angeles; Evan Weinstein-Hippodrum Entertainment/Tarzana; Alan Perris-The Television Academy/North Hollywood; Todd Schliewen-KMSB/Tucson; Sheldon Wiebe-EclipseMagazine.com/Calgary; Samuel Capelin-Sydney, Australia

Today’s Trivia Question:  Who is the only actor to appear in both the original “Battlestar Galactica” (1978) and the new “Battlestar Galactica” (2004)?   (Email
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
03.26.09

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

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JOB OPENING:VP, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/AMC/NY: Deal Maker to Negotiate production/programming/talent agreements etc. for AMC NETWORK. L.A. Contacts, JD, 10+ yrs experience required.
(4/2)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL MEDIA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/Discovery Communications/New York: Sell national advertising across Discovery’s Digital assets- online, vod, mobile. 2+ yrs digital sales exp required. Apply: www.discovery.com Req#8869 (4/1)

JOB OPENING: DVLPMT EXEC: Creative/aggressive for PT rsrch & dvlpmnt. Exp’d in shaping raw ideas into breakout formats. Knwldgbl of cable TV programming with experience in creating shows. Resumes:
(3/31)

JOB OPENING: VP/SVP CONSUMER/NY: Beauty/Entertainment PR account. Manage large consumer packaged goods biz. Prior exp managing large $1mil+ accounts. Relationships in ent/beauty world a must. Apply:
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JOB OPENING: SR. DIR, CLIENT DEVELOPMENT/NY/Ent-Media research co: Develop new/expand existing biz for research prod/custom services. Min 3 yrs market research sales exp. http://www.epollresearch.com/corp/aboutus/careers.view (3/27)

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY: ScribbleTown.com needs a web dvlopng intern for a Flash/HTML website. You would come in once or twice a wk to upload images & make adjustments. Great exp with fun content! Contact Arlene at
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SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …  There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad … for more information contact Trish Pihonak at

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCTION MAKEUP ARTIST/NY: Over 20 years experience including keying top-rated network and cable TV shows, print, and film. Creative artistry, competitive rates. Email:
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SITUATION WANTED: 5 PRIME TIME EMMYS/ DOC. PROD, DIR., WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email:
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SITUATION WANTED: FIELD PRODUCER/ DIRECTOR:LA/ Docusoap, Lifestyle, Infotainment,Feature Doc + more. Resonant leader, keen director/ writer, strong storyteller + showrunner. 8+ yrs. Will travel.
917.716.7277 (4/1)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER-WRITER, SHOWRUNNER/NY w/org. series on PBS, Nick, Noggin, Fox, Discovery Kids, BBC.20+yrs developing, writing, producing & making co-pro and merch deals.
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SITUATION WANTED: MEDIA PRO 15 yrs experience in network buying, product integration and multi-media promotions. LA based, available for freelance, project-based or permanent position. Thanks for your time! Contact
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SITUATION WANTED: PROJ/OPS MGR: NYC Seeking the opp to work in on-air promos again, but open to other opps as well. Sev yrs cable on-air promo/new media & adops exp. Mang day-to-day ops of projs & campgs.
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SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH DIRECTOR Save money over a full time director. Let’s talk.20+ yrs Media, Nielsen, Hispanic, & Sales experience. Email:
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SITUATION WANTED: INTERACTIVE MEDIA SPECIALIST: LA. Newly available w/18 yrs of media experience & MBA. Need high-performance campaigns integrating online & non-traditional media? Avail F/P or freelance.
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SITUATION WANTED: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE (NY) TV Ad Sales prof. seeks full-time media sales job. 5 years experience w/ stations (ABC, CBS, NBC) in top markets. Would like to stay in media, but open to opps. Email
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2009

ABC: Wife Swap, Supernanny, 20/20
AZTECA: Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Extranormal de Impacto, Al Extremo
CBS: NCAA Basketball Tournament
CW:  Everybody Hates Chris, The Game, America’s Next Top Model [r]
FOX: Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse
ION: Movie: Goodfellas (630p); Movie: Batman Forever
MNT: WWE Friday Night Smackdown
NBC: Howie Do It, Howie Do It [r], Friday Night Lights, Dateline
PBS: Washington Week, Now on PBS, Bill Moyers’ Journal, History Detectives
TELE: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, El Cartel
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Manana es para Siempre, Lo Que No Vio de Premio Lo Nuestro

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