Cynopsis

05.22.09

Good morning. It’s Friday, May 22, 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.  

Tonight’s Finales:
Starz: Head Case at 10p; Party Down at 1030p

Saturday’s Premieres:
Fox Reality Channel: Re-Inventing Bonaduce at 9p; Sex Decoy: Love Stings at 10p

Monday’s Premieres:
A&E: Intervention at 9p; Obsessed at 10p
TLC: Jon & Kate Plus 8 at 9p
ABC: Here Come the Newlyweds at 10p

Ratings results for the 2008-2009 television season points to FOX winning the A18-49 demo with CBS the overall winner among total viewers. Preliminary information was made available to Cynopsis from and for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.

2008-2009 Television Season (September 22, 2008 – May 20, 2009)
A18-49:
FOX 3.6/10
CBS 3.1/8
ABC 2.9/8
NBC 2.8/7

Total Viewers
CBS 11.76 million
FOX 9.80 million
ABC 8.95 million
NBC 7.84 million

Wednesday night’s season eight American Idol finale on FOX scored the lowest rating ever among A18-49 at 10.0. Overall viewer numbers were down as well by -9% from last year as the two-hour event attracted 28.8 million viewers, though viewership jumped to 34 million during the last half-hour countdown when Arkansas student Kris Allen was crowned the winner.

Members of SAG and AFTRA voted 93.8% in favor of the new three-year successor agreements to the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Television Commercials Contract and the 2006 AFTRA Television and Radio Commercials Contracts.  An estimated 132,000 members received the ballots and 28% completed and returned them.  The new agreements cover performers of commercials on TV, Radio, Internet and any and all new media.

While former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was barred from participating on NBC’s summer reality show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here, his wife was not! Patti signed up to be a contestant, and will be heading to the Costa Rican jungle. Offered a spot on the show by NBC, Patti Blagojevich was in Los Angeles earlier this week to shoot a promo for the series and the couple also appeared on NBC’s Today show yesterday to make the announcement. Rod Blagojevich said even though he won’t be a show contestant, he will still be involved in some way with the series and also plans on staying home to take care of their children. Facing charges of alleged federal corruption, a federal judge ruled Rod Blagojevich could not leave the US to appear on NBC’s reality series.

HBO offers a June schedule that includes the return of two series and the premiere of one new comedy:

• Early in the month, Bill Maher is back for a seventh season of Real Time with Bill Maher starting June 5 at 10p.
• Modern-day vampire story True Blood opens its second season June 14 at 9p.
• New comedy series Hung debuts June 28 at 10p starring Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Anne Heche, Sianoa Smit-McPhee and Charlie Saxton.

Immersing himself into more great food, Chef Gordon Ramsay is back with Gordon Ramsay’s F Word making a new US premiere season debut June 17 at 9p on BBC America. Ramsay travels, cooks and joins up with a revolving cast of celebrities and their friends and family during twelve episodes airing through September 2. The series is an Optomen Television production for Channel 4.

The Style Network debuted Clean House: Search for the Messiest Home in the Country on Wednesday night.  The premiere delivered a .43 rating among the key W18-49 demo, the target for this series, and a .56 HH rating.  

2009 UPFRONT: THE CW

Yesterday at Madison Square Garden’s Theater, The CW was the final broadcast network to present its programming this week for the 2009-2010 season. Sticking with programming Monday-Friday and having returned Sunday’s from 5-10p back to the stations, Dawn Ostroff, President/Entertainment, The CW, said this is part, “In just three years, The CW has become TV to talk about, with culturally current, quality programming.” The CW adds three new series to primetime this fall and one series during midseason.

New fall primetime series:

• Melrose Place – A diverse group of 20-somethings form a close, family atmosphere while living in an elegant Spanish-style apartment building in the toney Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles. Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton from the original Melrose Place) is the 40-year old landlady who is the center of all her tenant’s lives. The updated version is produced by CBS Television Studios.
• The Beautiful Life – Two young supermodels, beautiful Raina (Sara Paxton) with a secret past and Chris (Benjamin Hollingsworth) a handsome Iowa farm boy, experience the glamour and the insecure world of the cutthroat modeling industry. From Katalyst Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television.
• Vampire Diaries – Two vampire brothers – one good, one evil, battle over the soul of beautiful high school student, Elena, her friends and all the residents of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, the television series is produced by Alloy Entertainment and Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios.

New midseason series:

• Parental Discretion Advised – When teenager, Lux decides she is tired of being bounced around in the state of Oregon’s foster care system, she ends up discovering her biological parents. Her father, a bar owner and her real mother, a popular radio show host are granted temporary joint custody of Lux and both agree to give her the family she deserves. Produced by Mojo Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television.

Returning CW series include: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, 90210, America’s Next Top Model, Supernatural and Smallville.

The CW Fall 2009-2010 Primetime Schedule
Monday: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill
Tuesday: 90210, Melrose Place
Wednesday: America’s Next Top Model, The Beautiful Life
Thursday: The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural
Friday: Smallville, America’s Next Top Model (encore)

2009-2010 Programming Slate: Univision Communications, Inc

Spanish-language media company, Univision Communications, Inc. lays out new programming highlights for its networks Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision.

Univision :

Coming off of its best broadcast season ever, Univision ends the 2008-2009 season with a record-breaking total viewing audience of almost 4 million.

New Univision programming includes:

• World Cup – Univision presents 400+ hours surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa in June and July 2010. Airing for the first time in hi-def, Univision’s World Cup coverage will include 56 live games, with eight airing on sister network, TeleFutura. Both TeleFutura and Galavision will encore 52 games.

New novelas on Univision include:

• Atrevete a Sonar (Dare to Dream) – Ugly duckling story about Patricia aka “Patito” (Duckling) who is a sweet girl who wants to meet her father and become a famous singer. Monday-Friday primetime
• Un Gancho al Corazon (A Blow to the Heart) – Comedy of errors plot about an ex-stock car racing champ who meets a beautiful female boxer. Monday-Friday primetime.
• En Nombre del Amor (In the Name of Love) – Family drama centering on two sisters who fall in love with the same man. Monday-Friday primetime.
• Sortilegio (Lucky Spell) – A beautiful woman falls in love with a man with dual identity. Monday-Friday primetime
• Verano de Amor (Summer of Love) – Youth drama about a group of friends who grow up together in a picturesque seaside town. Monday-Friday daytime.

New reality series on Univision:

• Viva El Sueno (Live the Dream) – An original reality format featuring talented yet struggling Hispanic performers who yearn for a big break. 13-week competition series is now in production and will air live across the US and Puerto Rico on Sundays in primetime.
• Hazme Reir y Seras Millionario (Make Me Laugh And Become A Millionaire) – Comedy-based reality show where teams of three consisting of a contestant, a comedian and a celebrity work to make the audience and judges laugh. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winner in addition to a trip to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Sundays in primetime.

Univision returns these favorites to its lineup: reality series Nuestra Belleza Latina; entertainment/variety shows Sabado Gigante; Don Francisco Presenta; El Show de Cristina; El Gordo y La Flaca; Despierta America; and news/news magazine programming Noticiero Univision; Noticiero Univision – Ultima Hora; Primer Impacto; Aqui y Ahora; and Al Punto in addition to other sports and children’s programming.

TeleFutura :
New programs include:

• World Cup – TeleFutura will present eight live games and 25 “Best of the World Cup” broadcasts in primetime from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

New novelas include:

• Dona Bella (Beautiful Lady) – Original production centering on a beautiful woman who is kidnapped and used by a powerful businessman, and later is scorned by the man she loves. Monday-Friday primetime.

Two new entertainment programs:

• La Tijera (The Scissors) – Celebrity news show with razor-edge focus. Monday-Friday in fringe.
• Famosos … (Celebrities …) – Celebrity countdown show featuring humorous moments caught on film, mostly direct from the paparazzi. Quarterly in primetime.

Returning TeleFutura programming includes: entertainment shows Escandalo TV; Veredicto Final and Que Sabor among other movie franchises, sports and children’s programs.

Galavision :
New programs include:

• World Cup – Programming centered on the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa includes the rebroadcast of games, Ventana a la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2010 (Window to the World Cup) and Pasaje Al Mundial (Ticket to the World Cup).

Two new entertainment programs:

• Vida Salvaje (Wildlife) – Documentary series features Ballenas Asesinas (Killer Whales) and Tiburones Inteligentes (Smart Sharks) Airs weekdays in primetime.
• Expedicion Global (Global Expedition) – New titles in this franchise allow viewers to travel across the Earth in La Vida en El Congelador (Life in the Freezer) and En Busca de Leones (In Pursuit of Lions).

Returning programming includes lifestyle/entertainment shows Decorando Contigo; Delicioso; Casa al Dia; and Acceso Maximo; along with several other sports/sports news and news programs.

DISH Network is now carrying FUEL TV, the action sports channel, adding it to the Classic Gold 250 programming package. FUEL TV is now available in close to 30 million homes nationwide.

TuTv LLC, a joint venture of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. and Univision Communications Inc. launched in 2003, will be available for distribution to Comcast Corporation systems nationwide. TuTv’s networks De Pelicula, De Pelicula Clasico, Telehit, Ritmoson Latino and Bandamax will be carried on Comcast’s Super Cable Latino package. The first markets to receive the TuTv channels are Chicago and Boston early this summer. TuTv is available to more than two million households in the US via digital cable, satellite and wireless.

Merscom is partnering with Showtime Networks, Inc. to create a casual game based on the popular drama series The Tudors. In this adventure/hidden object game, players will delve into The Tudors’ world and solve a mystery that runs in synch with the series. For you history buffs, this year marks the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s ascension to the British throne on April 21, 1509.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Sometimes when you want something done you’ve got to do it yourself. Traffic to NBC Local Media‘s newly redesigned web sites has more than tripled since NBC took over management from Internet Broadcasting, according to Beet.TV. Meanwhile operational costs have been reduced by 20% – 40%. The NBC O&O group is planning stage 2.0 of the site relaunches later this summer with a scheme to better contour each site to each local city.   Full edition: CYN DIGITAL. 

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  The Wiggles join their new US home on Sprout this summer.  On Monday, August 24, 2009, The Wiggles debut on Sprout as hosts of a new three-hour morning show block, which will be filmed at The Wiggles studio in Australia beginning next month, and will air on Sprout daily 6a-9a.  Additionally, Sprout will air existing Wiggles episodes throughout the day beginning this August.  Wiggles games, videos, and coloring pages among other things, will be available on SproutOnline.com/TheWiggles in mid July, which coincides with the beginning of the US leg of the group’s tour, Wiggles Go Bananas Live!  Full edition: CYN KIDS. 

Wednesday – A18-49 Analysis:  FOX capped off the May Sweeps winning Wednesday night in the A18-49 demo with 10.0/28, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. Despite reports of a major decline in ratings, FOX’s American Idol finale still posted huge numbers compared to the competition. At 8p, FOX delivered an 8.4/27 followed by CBS at 1.7/5, the average of Old Christine’s and Gary Unmarried’s season finales. FOX and American Idol continued to control momentum during the 9p hour and beyond to 1015p with 12.4/31 while CBS’ Criminal Minds finale scored a second place showing with 3.1/8. CBS’ Criminal Minds season ending led at 10p with a 3.9/10 with NBC’s Law & Order next at 2.0/5.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 (May Sweep Day 28) time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

FOX: 16.1/27      American Idol [f part 2] 16.1/27

CBS: 7.0/12         Old Christine [f] 3.7/7, Gary Unmarried [f] 3.7/6, Criminal Minds [f] 8.7/14

NBC: 3.7/6           Law & Order: CI 3.5/6, Law & Order: SVU [r] 3.0/5, Law & Order 4.6/8

ABC: 2.2/4           ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 2.2/4

UNIV: 2.0/3         Cuidado El Angel 2.0/4, Manana para Siempre 2.4/4, Don Francisco Presenta 1.7/3

CW: 0.9/1           Movie: Take the Lead [r] 0.9/1

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

MNT: 0.4/1          World’s Funniest Moments 0.4/1, World’s Funniest Moments 2 [r] 0.4/1

ION: 0.2/0          Reba 0.3/1, Reba 0.3/0, Wednesday PM Movie: American Outlaws 0.2/0

A18-49: FOX 10.0/28, CBS 2.9/8, UNIV 1.5/4, NBC 1.3/4, ABC 1.2/3, TELE 0.6/2, CW 0.4/1, MNT 0.3/1, ION 0.1/0

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Friday Fun Fact:  The average American eats 23 quarts of ice cream a year … perhaps half of those over Memorial Day weekend alone!

This day in History:  1891 – The first public motion picture was given in Thomas Edison’s lab.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  This prize winning known Tennis player became the spokes person for a popular drink.  Who is the tennis player and what was the drink?  PICK ALMOST ANY TENNIS PLAYER AND PICK A DRINK … and you’d be right!  Serena Williams and Gatorade … Chris Evert and Lipton Tea … Andre Agassi and Mountain Dew … Jimmy Connors and Tab … the list goes on and on.  There are lots and lots of correct answers to this one, so Kudos to everyone and have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Today’s Trivia Question:  What piece of work do Chevy Chase, Bernadette Peters and Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) all have in common?    (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.)

Enjoy the long weekend — and remember you must bar-be-que, it’s practically the law.  We’ll be back on Tuesday!

Later — Cyn
05.22.09

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JOB OPENING: PR MANAGER/NY RANGERS: Obtain non-traditional and “off the ice” media coverage w/ focus on celebrity outreach. 5 yrs exp in ent. w/ established contacts. Rez to:
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JOB OPENING: SR RSRCH ANALYST, AD SALES/ AETN/NYC: Strong analytical, strategic thinking/sales positioning/2+ yrs nat’l TV research exp, network/ad agency. Prof in Nielsen systems/MRI pref. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (5/30)

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JOB OPENING: SUPERVISOR/Univision NAT’L TV Sales /NY: Prior Brdcst exp req’d, Exe Asst exp pref’d. Detail-oriented, strong comm & orgnztnal skills, fluency in MS Office. 4 yr BA degree pref’d. Email:
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JOB OPENING: MANAGER/DIRECTOR – AUDIENCE RESEARCH/Latitude/BOS: Lead innovative research team – design/analyze/report audience rsrch, 3-10 yrs research & 4 yr degree. See: www.latd.com/jobs Apply:
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JOB OPENING: SR RSRCH ANALYST, DISTRIBUTION/AETN/NY: Support trad’l & new distrib platforms. Create reports/review synd res studies. 2+ yrs media res exp. Know Nielsen syst & other res sources. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (5/23)

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SITUATION WANTED: EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER (LA) Reality-TV, Film, Commercial, Documentaries & Corporate. Creative & Flexible. Seeking Freelance or Staff Position, Remote or In-House. Reel & Contact Info: www.ChaztizedMedia.com (5/28)

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009

ABC:  Wife Swap [r], Supernanny [r], 20/20
AZTECA: Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Extranormal de Impacto, Al Extremo
CBS: Ghost Whisperer [r], Flashpoint [r], Numb3rs [r]
CW:  Everybody Hates Chris [r], The Game [r], Everybody Hates Chris [r], The Game [r]
FOX: Don’t Forget the Lyrics, House [r]
ION:  Reba, Reba, Movie: The Mask
MNT: WWE Friday Night Smackdown
NBC: Howie Do It [r], Howie Do It [r], Dateline
PBS: Washington Week, Now on PBS, Bill Moyers’ Journal
TELE: 12 Corozones Edicion Especial: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, El Cartel
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Manana es para Siempre, Rosa de Guadalupe   

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