A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC CABLE DISTRIBUTION

Source: NTI Explorer, L+SD US AA%, broadcast prime, 10/09/06-10/15/06.  NBC’s #1 Series=A18-49.

Cynopsis

10/20/06

Good morning. It’s Friday, October 20, 2006, and this is your first early morning briefing.

NBC Universal has introduced a company-wide initiative called NBCU 2.0, a strategic effort by top executives to assure future growth, streamline operations and take advantage of digital and global opportunities. This new initiative affects every aspect of the company including broadcast, cable, film as well as the theme parks in Los Angeles and Orlando. By instituting NBCU 2.0, the company expects to cut its administrative and operating expenses to the tune of $750 million by the end of 2008. It also means approximately 700 jobs, or 5%, in total will be eliminated in the next two years.  Cuts are expected to be made first thru attrition, and then buyouts. The anticipated cost savings will be reinvested in higher-growth areas, as digital which has expected revenues exceeding $1 billion by 2009.

In the broadcast division the changes will be significant as the NBC newsgathering operations can expect deep cuts as news bureaus will be consolidated and staff reduced, including those on-air. MSNBC will move its operations to the company’s headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to take advantage of upgraded digital equipment and facilities. And, NBC Universal TV Stations Group will start a consolidated news headquarters in Burbank to support NBC, Telemundo and the stations KNBC, KVEA and KWHY. In entertainment, NBC will avoid high-priced shows at 8p, scheduling less costly shows and reality shows like Deal or No Deal in this hour instead. The higher production budgets will be directed to the 9-11p hours.

Tonight’s Premiere:
ABC:  Extreme Makeover at 8p
Fox:  Trading Spouses at 8p
VH1: Wendy Williams Experience at 1130p

The third season finale of Bravo’s Project Runway on Wednesday night at 10p racked up 5.4 million total viewers, the network’s highest-rated telecast in its history to date. In addition, Project Runway drew in 3.44 million A18-49 viewers. Furthermore, the season two premiere of Top Chef on Wednesday at 11p whipped up 1.9 million total viewers, up 46% from the show’s first season premiere in March. The chef competition show also brought in 1.34 million A18-49 viewers.

ABC News has scheduled the return of Bob Woodruff to the air with a report in Spring 2007 on the bombing that injured both him and his cameraman, and his recovery from those injuries.  His report will include interviews with eyewitnesses to the bombing, as well as a report on the military doctor who save him as well as countless other soldiers. Woodruff has been working part time at ABC News since June, but this will be his first appearance back in the job as a journalist.

For your calendar: FOX will premiere the eleventh season of King of the Hill on January 21 at 730p.King of the Hill is a 20th Century Fox Television Production in association with Deedle-Dee Productions, Film Roman, Inc., Judgemental Films and 3 Arts Entertainment.
 

ABC and Touchstone TV has signed a talent holding deal with Laura Harris, which will include her being cast in a new project for 2007, or join a current series.

ABC Family has ordered a drama pilot called Nobody from Blueprint Entertainment and written by Kevin Murphy.  The story is about a mom who sacrifices her identity to save her daughter. The exchange for saving her daughter is mom is ultimately eliminated from her family and friends collective memory.  That leaves her with one thing to do – work for a secret branch of Heaven to help protect the world against evil, and do it as a Nobody.  According to Variety, the story is based on a comic book of the same name.

Production on the Discovery Kids Channel new series Bindi: The Jungle Girl has been put on hold for a year.  Bindi Irwin, daughter of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, was to begin production shortly for the new series.  Originally. the series planned to included scenes with Bindi and her father, and as some scenes had been taped before Irwin’s death, they were to be included in the final series.

Jennifer Storms has been bumped to SVP/Marketing and Programming at Turner Sports, where she will supervise the marketing efforts for all Turner Sports products, and the development and implementation of marketing for the networks’ sports and sports-related programming. Her duties will extend to the strategic planning and scheduling of on-air sports programming, handling the contractual agreements and oversight for the sports divisions of TBS and TNT, as well as the business and strategy development for the company’s sports properties: NBA, NASCAR, MLB and professional golf.
 
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. has added the title of CIO to Dan Darling, in addition to his current position as SVP/Technology Production and Operations. Based at TBS’ Atlanta headquarters, Dan will now spearhead all application development implemented by Turner’s Enterprise Applications, Oasis and ISG divisions, as well as continue in his regular duties. He reports to Scott Teissler, EVP/CTO and Chief Digital Technology Strategist for TBS, Inc.
 
Derek Smith, a 14-year veteran of National Cable Communications (NCC) will join the Washington, D.C. office as a Political Sales Manager, a move which will strengthen the company’s expansion into political sales.

Michael Hoff Productions has named Ashley Adams as its Managing Producer. Ashley will oversee day-to-day production, and all of the MHP production teams.  Collectively, the teams are currently production more than 30 hours of factual programming.

MyNetwork TV Ratings for Week #6 – 10/9-10/15/06:
                          A18-49     HH         Total HH
Desire :                 0.4/1      0.7/1      779,000                          
Fashion House:       0.4/1      0.8/1      875,000                        
Source: NTI, Galaxy Explorer, Live + Same Day

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 10/2-10/8/06 ranked by HH Rtg
Wheel of Fortune (King World)                       7.9 AA
Oprah Winfrey Show (King World)                   6.7 AA / 6.8 GAA
Jeopardy (King World)                                  6.1 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CBS Paramount)          5.1 AA / 5.2 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King World)           5.0 AA / 6.6 GAA
Dr. Phil Show (King World)                             4.5 AA / 4.7 GAA
Judge Judy (CBS Paramount)                          4.2 AA / 6.3 GAA
Seinfeld (Sony)                                            4.1 AA / 4.6 GAA
Inside Edition (King World)                              3.5 AA / 3.5 GAA
Friends (Warner Bros.)                                   3.3 AA/ 3.9 GAA
Source Nielsen Media Research – Live + SD Data
 
New M-F Syndicated Strip Series among HH for the week of 10/2-10/8/06
Rachael Ray (King World)                                2.0 AA (debuted 9/18)
According to Jim (Buena Vista)                        1.7 AA/ 1.8 GAA (debuted 9/18)
Scrubs (Buena Vista)                                      1.5 AA/ 1.8 GAA (debuted 9/18)
Still Standing (Twentieth Television)                 1.4 AA / 1.6 GAA (debuted 9/11)
Cristina’s Court (Twentieth Television)              1.3 AA / 1.7 GAA (debuted 9/20)
Dr. Keith Ablow (Warner Bros.)                        0.9 AA / 0.9 GAA (debuted 9/11)
Megan Mullally Show (NBC Universal)                0.9 AA / 0.9 GAA (debuted 9/18)
Greg Behrendt Show (Sony)                            0.8 AA / 0.8 GAA (debuted 9/12)
Judge Maria Lopez (Sony)                               0.8 AA / 1.1 GAA (debuted 9/11)
One on One (CBS Paramount)                         0.8 AA/ 1.1 GAA (debuted 9/11)
Source Nielsen Media Research – Live + SD Data
 
Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 10/2-10/8/06 ranked by A18-49
Oprah Winfrey Show (King World)                    2.6 AA / 2.6 GAA
Seinfeld (Sony)                                            2.5 AA / 2.7 GAA
Everybody Loves Raymond (King World)            2.5 AA / 3.3 GAA
Friends (Warner Bros.)                                   2.2 AA/ 2.5 GAA
Wheel of Fortune (King World)                         2.1 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CBS Paramount)            2.1 AA / 2.1 GAA
That ’70s Show (Carsey-Werner)                     2.1 AA / 2.6 GAA
King of Queens (Sony)                                   1.9 AA / 2.6 GAA
Jeopardy (King World)                                    1.6 AA
Dr. Phil Show (King World)                              1.6 AA / 1.7 GAA
Source Nielsen Media Research – Live + SD Data
 
New M-F Syndicated Strip Series among A18-49 for the week of 10/2-10/8/06
According to Jim (Buena Vista)                        1.0 AA/ 1.1 GAA (debuted 9/18)
Scrubs (Buena Vista)                                     1.0 AA/ 1.2 GAA (debuted 9/18)
Rachael Ray (King World)                                0.8 AA (debuted 9/18)
Still Standing (Twentieth Television)                 0.7 AA / 0.9 GAA (debuted 9/11)
Megan Mullally Show (NBC Universal)                0.5 AA / 0.5 GAA (debuted 9/18)
Cristina’s Court (Twentieth Television)              0.5 AA / 0.6 GAA (debuted 9/20)
One on One (CBS Paramount)                          0.5 AA/ 0.7 GAA (debuted 9/11)
Dr. Keith Ablow (Warner Bros.)                        0.4 AA / 0.4 GAA (debuted 9/11)
Greg Behrendt Show (Sony)                            0.4 AA / 0.4 GAA (debuted 9/12)
Judge Maria Lopez (Sony)                               0.4 AA / 0.5 GAA (debuted 9/11)
Source Nielsen Media Research – Live + SD Data
 
Wednesday – A18-49 Analysis:  ABC led again Wednesday night with a 4.9/13 A18-49, according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research. CBS was #2 at 4.2/11, and then came FOX 3.2/8, NBC 2.6/7, CW 1.9/5, UNIV 1.6/4 and TELE 0.5/1. At 8p, ABC successfully beat the rest with Dancing with the Stars Results Show at 4.9/14, with CBS’ Jericho in second place at 3.1/9, and tied for third was CW’s Next Top Model and FOX’s MLB playoff action at 2.5/7 each. Incidentally, the new NBC comedies 30 Rock and Twenty Good Years, in their second week, averaged a 2.2/6 in fourth place. ABC’s Lost found itself in the #1 spot at 9p with 6.5/16, followed by Criminal Minds on CBS at 4.5/11. CBS then won at 10p with CSI: NY delivering a 5.0/13, with the MLB on FOX coming in second at 3.8/10.

Live + Same Day Ratings: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 – time period averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research

ABC       9.4/15     Dancing with the Stars Results Show 12.5/20, Lost 9.9/15, The Nine 5.8/9

CBS      9.2/14       Jericho 6.8/11, Criminal Minds 10.6/16, CSI: NY 10.3/17

FOX      7.2/11       MLB: NLCS Game #6: Cardinals vs. Mets 7.2/11

NBC      4.6/7        30 Rock 3.9/6, Twenty Good Years 3.5/5, The Biggest Loser 4.9/7, Dateline 5.2/8

CW       2.7/4       America’s Next Top Model 3.4/5, One Tree Hill 2.0/3

UNIV     1.9/3      La Fea Más Bella 2.2/3, Mundo de Fieras 2.0/3, Don Francisco Presenta 1.6/3

TELE     0.6/1      Tierra de Pasiones 0.7/1, Marina 0.7/1, Amores 0.6/1, Decisiones 0.6/1

A18-49: ABC 4.9/13, CBS 4.2/11, FOX 3.2/8, NBC 2.6/7, CW 1.9/5, UNIV 1.6/4, TELE 0.5/1

Friday Fun Fact: A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime, with the average lifecycle being only 4-6 weeks.

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1973- In the “Saturday Night Massacre,” President Nixon orders Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor investigating the Watergate allegations.  Richardson refused and resigned, as did his deputy, William Ruckelshaus.  Solicitor General Robert Bork, however, agreed to fire Cox in an action that enraged the Congress and led directly to the drafting of articles of impeachment.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question Courtesy of Kevin M. Sponsler-Polara Productions/Eugene Oregon::  Before she muttered the words, “Where’s the beef,”  Clara was retired from what type of work? A RETIRED MANICURIST   Kudos to:  William Wermuth-NBC Universal/NY; Phil Degliomini-NBC Universal/NY; Tim Riviere -WPVI-TV /Philadelphia; Joanne Milano-RJ Palmer/NY; Tom Chapman-WKRG-TV/Mobile AL; Kara Browing-KWES-TV/Midland, TX; Dan Matson-DJM/Glendale CA; Jaime Ramirez/LA; Vic Lowrey-Motor Entertainment/Hollywood

Today’s Trivia Question: Cheryl Tiegs and Arnold Palmer did a campaign  “There’s more for your life.”  What was it for?  ( click here) 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
10.20.06
 
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Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For more classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here

JOB OPENING: DOCUMENTARY EDITOR/FREELANCE/Lou Reda Productions/Easton, PA: Needs seasoned long form editor that possesses strong directorial, solid creative thinking in editorial process. Contact scott@louredaproductions.com  (10/27)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA ANALYST/MPMA – Media Performance Monitor America: Analyze media plans on both a cost and quality basis. Front-line access to top clients; Be part of a great, growing team. Please send resume to careers@mpma.us  (10/27)

JOB OPENING: A/P ACCOUNTANT/Int’l animation prod. & dist. Co/LA: Minimum 2 yrs ent. experience. Need computer savvy team player. Benefit Pkg.  Send resume & salary requirements to: apply@teamcartoon.com (10/26)

JOB OPENING: SALES MGR/Wizard Entertainment/NY: Seeks salespeople to sell advertising space for magazines conventions and website. 2 years min sales experience req. Base+ comm+benefits. Email sal req: to salesjob@wizarduniverse.com  (10/26)

JOB OPENING: MGR, PR/CORP COMM/Wizard Entertainment/NY: Shape and drive PR strategy and execution for pop-culture dynamo with mags, events and website. 5+ years exp min. Email sal req: mdonato@wizarduniverse.com (10/26)

JOB OPENING:SALES PLANNER/Fox Cable/New York, NY: Day-to-day management of accounts; assist in RFPs & proposal development; 2-3 yrs sales/agency experience; strong communication skills & attention to details; www.foxcareers.com (10/26)

JOB OPENING: SR. WRITER/PRODUCER/National Geographic Channel/Washington, DC: Concept, write & produce promotional spots for shows, short form content, vignettes, on-air interstitials; 5-7 yrs in tv mktg/promo, www.foxcareers.com (10/26)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/ LIFETIME TV NY: support LFT Networks prgmng and mkting functions; analyze LFT Networks ratings perf; BS/BA ; exp. using Nielsen a plus Apply at: http://www.lifetimetv.com/about/jobs.html (10/25)

JOB OPENING: SALES ASST/LIFETIME NY: Assist in all facets of the ad sales process; interface with clients/media and advt agencies. Strong math, writing and Excel skills BA/BS Apply at: http://www.lifetimetv.com/about/jobs.html (10/25)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/Galavision/NY: Generate upfront/scatter plans. Handle all aspects of ongoing deal maintenance/stewardship. Dealmaker/VCI/media experience & Spanish a plus. Apply: galaplanner@univision.net. EOE  (10/25)

JOB OPENING: PT ASSISTANT/Galavision/NY: Exc. comm./organizational skills, prioritize proj’s & team player. MS Office a must. Quantitative skills& Spanish a plus. Apply:galaasst@univision.net. EOE (10/25)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED MRKTG/CMT/NYC: 5+yrs exp in TV/Adv/Media Mrktg, Strng presentation & creative writing skills. Mgmt exp. Required. Strng knwldge TV/Sales, BA/BS req, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (10/25)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT/VH1/NYC: 7+yrs exp development/production, Strng knwldg 1980s-presnt, Strng relationships w/agents/prodco’s/writers, Strng knwldg VH1 brand & progrmng EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (10/25)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, INTEGRATED MARKETING/MTV2/NYC. 4+yrs exp TV/Adv/Promo Mrktg, Strng knwldge Male Teens/VidGames/Xtreme sports, Exp mrktng online&digital, Strng writ/present skills EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (10/25)

JOB OPENING: VICE PRESIDENT, SPORTS & SPECIALS/SpikeTV/NYC. 8+yrs Prod in content, Strng knwldge Sports&Ent/Male18-35/SpikeTV brand, Strng Writ/Negotiation skills, LiveSports exp A+ EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (10/25)

JOB OPENING: ACCT SVC REP/Univision/LA: Create upfront/scatter plans. Handle all maintenance/stewardship.Excel written/verbal/quantitative skills a must. Dealmaker/VCI/media & Spanish a +. univisionplanner@univision.net(EOE) (10/25)

JOB OPENING: A/P ACCOUNTANT/Int’l animation prod. & dist. Co/LA: Minimum 2 yrs ent. experience. Need computer savvy team player. Benefit Pkg.  Send resume & salary requirements to: apply@teamcartoon.com (10/25)

JOB OPENING: MGR, PROMOS MKTG/Nick & Nick Jr,/ NY: Mng, dev, execute Nick/NickJr on air/off-air ad sales promos, cre8tve conception  execution, strng client interaction, sales/negotiation skls.EOE/M/F/D/AAP. www.mtvncareers.com (10/24)

JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, PORT. MRKTNG & PARTNER APPS/NY: Manage daily online content & comm. needs for MTVN AS&M, focusing primarily on mtvn.com & related activities. Apply : www.mtvncareers.com EOE (10/24)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE MANAGER/Integrated Marketing, MTV/NYC: 4+yrs esp marketing in TV/Agency & Online/digital, Strng comm. skills & client skills, Exp w/ events&prod. a+. EOE/M/F/AAP. Send resume to MTVIMjobs@mtvstaff.com (10/24)

JOB OPENING:  PRINT MEDIA BUYER/Pearl River, NY (15 miles from NYC): Min 4 yrs exp. in both magazines and newspapers buying req’d. Resumes to: Rgoodman @activeinternational .com or call 845-732-8943 (10/24)

JOB OPENING: WRITER/PRODUCER/EDITOR  EMERG NETWORKS/NBC UNIVERSAL/LA: Conceive, write, edit & finish cable on-air promo spots & campaigns (SD & HD). 3 yrs on-air promo & AVID edit exp reqd. www.nbcunicareers.com job # 553844 (10/24)

JOB OPENING: MGR, PROD/MTV TR3S/NY: Prod. Plan’g for newly launched Hispanic themed ntwrk. Dvlpng green lit shows, strategizing, fin. Plan’g/budgeting. Run Prod. Mgmt & Prod. Ops. Knwldg Latino mus/culture, huge+.  3sJobs@gmail.com (10/24)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM RESEARCH/NYC: Provide high level ratings support. Knowledge advanced Nielsen data. Strong analytical skills/detail oriented/writing skills a must. 6+ yrs exp. Resume to: research-oxygen@oxygen.com (10/24)

JOB OPENING: DEPT COORD, FREELANCE/MTV/NY: Track pitches, maintain databases, devo slate, coord 360 content, clear titles, acq websites.1-2yrs exp coord’g on devo/prod team. Extremely det oriented. nyccoordinator@mtvstaff.com (10/24)

JOB OPENING: PROD MGR, ONAIR PROMOS/Rainbow/NYC:  or several cable nets; create & oversee budgets & project mngmt for post-prod/shoots/gfx. 3+ yrs ent/media exp. Strong detail/org/comm skills. Resumes to hdnjobs@cablevision.com (10/21)

JOB OPENING: MRKTNG MGR/Wizard Ent/NY: Help take mag, event & retail businesses to next level. On-line and Viral specialist w/ strong background in trad mrtkng. Database analysis a +. Email sal req: mdonato@wizarduniverse.com (10/21)

JOB OPENING: COMEDY WRITER/New York City: Experienced comedy writer needed for a humorous reality show. Prior reality and/or comedy program experience only.  Please send resume to:  comedyjob@hotmail.com (10/21)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ASST/IMG Media/NYC: Asst in the preparation of Nielsen ratings data, reports & related analysis dealing w/ ntwrk & syndicated prgrmng. Research exp req. Freelance position. Send resumes: ssultan@imgworld.com (10/21)

FALL INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. They are posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at trish@cynopsis.com .

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

SITUATION WANTED:  17+ year BROADCAST PROFESSIONAL in research, programming and marketing seeks lucrative work from home. Excellent reputation. Fast, efficient,creative.  Worth your while. lisajon@adelphia.net or 716-439-4464 (10/25)

SITUATION WANTED: EXPERIENCED NATIONAL TV MEDIA BUYER seeks position with NYC agency. 5+ years negotiating Broadcast, Cable, and Online for $100MM+ brands. Experience with Pharmaceuticals, CPG, Sports & Kids. tvbuyer@optonline.net (10/21)

SITUATION WANTED: MKTG/AD/BRAND DEV – SF  Hi-level creative exec team looking to move from ent. to new challenges in marketing/advertising/branding. Successful, 20+ years combined experience. Email  executiveteam2006@mail.com (10/21)

SITUATION WANTED: HIGHLY REGARDED SR CREATIVE DIRECTOR/NY: 15+ yrs creative/mktng exp in film/TV and music. Worked w/David Chase, Dick Clark, Simon Fuller & Clive Davis. A strong leader with passion to win. Contact: GrifinMil@aol.com  (10/21)

E-mail Trish Pihonak for rates and specs for Job Openings.

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

WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  Friday, October 20, 2006

ABC      Extreme Makeover [p ], Men in Trees, 20/20
CBS     Ghost Whisperer, Close to Home, Numb3rs
CW      Friday Night Smackdown
FOX     Trading Spouses [2hr p]
i       Mama’s Family, Mama’s Family, Charlie’s Angels, Diagnosis Murder
MNT     Desire, Fashion House
NBC     Deal Or No Deal, 1 vs. 100, Law & Order
TELE    Tierra de Pasiones, Marina, Amores, Decisiones
UNIV    La Fea  Mas Bella, Mundo de Fieras, Casos de la Vida Real: Edición Especial