Cynopsis

04.20.09

Good morning. It’s Monday, April 20, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Tonight’s Premiere:
Discovery Channel: Cash Cab at 630p

Tonight’s Finale:
VH1: For the Love of Ray J at 10p

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TV GUIDE NETWORK^TM

Joint boards from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) voted unanimously on Saturday in favor of a new, three-year contract involving commercials on TV, radio, internet and new media. The agreement allows a $36 million increase in payments, putting the total value of the joint contract at $2.9 billion. Also tied to the agreement will be a two-year study analyzing if compensation should be linked with ratings. Members of both unions need to vote on the contract, with informational meetings set up nationwide to answer questions.

Additionally, SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) made a tentative deal Friday involving successor agreements to the Producer-Screen Actors Guild Codified Basic Agreement. The fine points of this two-year agreement covering TV programs and films was reviewed yesterday by the SAG national board of directors during a previously scheduled board meeting via videoconference in Los Angeles and New York. Late on Sunday, the SAG board of directors approved the agreement and referral to the membership for ratification.

USA Network debuts its new original scripted series Royal Pains June 4 at 10p with a 75-minute inaugural episode containing limited commercial breaks. Burn Notice will also air the same night in its new time slot at 9p with the network’s window premiere of theatrical blockbuster Casino Royale airing first. Royal Pains was shot entirely in New York and around The Hamptons and stars Mark Feuerstein, a young, blacklisted doctor who becomes a doctor for hire to the rich and famous in The Hamptons. Universal Cable Productions produces Royal Pains for USA.

Aneesh Chopra was tapped by President Obama to become CTO, The announcement was made Saturday by the president during his weekly video address. Chopra was formerly Virginia’s secretary of technology and a member of the Obama transition team, focusing on technology and government reform. In his new capacity, Chopra will “promote technological innovation” involving the national introduction of broadband, one of the Obama administration’s main technology issues.

Iranian-American freelance journalist, Roxana Saberi is jailed in Iran on convicted charges of espionage. The 31-year old journalist who has reported for the BBC, NPR and Fox News was sentenced to eight years in prison and is being held at Evin Prison in Tehran. Saberi was arrested in January for buying alcohol which violates Islamic law and was later charged with working without valid press credentials which the Iranian government revoked in 2006. Currently, two other American journalists are being held in totalitarian regimes as Laura Ling (sister of Lisa Ling) and Euna Lee are jailed in North Korea since March 17 after they allegedly crossed from China into North Korea while working on a piece for Current TV. On Saberi’s case, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said over the weekend President Obama was “deeply disappointed” by her sentencing and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement saying, “We will continue to vigorously raise our concerns to the Iranian government.”

LOGO changed the premiere date of its series Gimme Sugar, opening season two on June 22 at 10p on both the network and via LOGOonline.com.

The Style Network hatches a new season of Dress My Nest with interior designer Thom Filicia acting as a design detective and helping homeowners with badly decorated homes. The half-hour series opens its fourth season this Wednesday at 11p.

Top 10 Weekend Box Office Estimates: April17-19, 2009
17 Again (Warner Bros.)                               $24.1 million – opening weekend
State of Play (Universal)                               $14.1 million – opening weekend
Monsters vs. Aliens (Paramount)                   $12.9 million – 4 wk total $162.7m
Hannah Montana The Movie (Disney)             $12.7 million – 2 wk total $56.1m
Fast & Furious (Universal)                            $12.3 million – 3 wk total $136.7m
Crank High Voltage (Lionsgate)                     $6.5 million – opening weekend
Observe And Report (Warner Bros.)               $4.1 million – 2 wk total $18.7m
Knowing (Summit Entertainment)$3.5 million – 5 wk total $73.7m
I Love You, Man (Paramount)$3.4 million – 5 wk total $64.7m
The Haunting in Connecticut (Lionsgate)         $3.2 million  – 4 wk total $51.9m
Source: Rentrak

Just a note:  Every morning we bring you the industry classified opportunities … starting tomorrow, we’ll help you nail them.  We’re launching something new – a weekly, arriving in your inbox Tuesdays at 10am … Stay tuned! 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NBCU GREEN

HorseTV, offering programming for the worldwide equestrian audience, just launched HorseTV Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) via Sky Angel, joining other mainstream channels including Hallmark Channel, Discovery Channel, FOX News, Animal Planet among others.

MTV approved a new reality show working with DJ AM (aka Adam Goldstein) that is for now titled Gone Too Far, reports THR. The series will be an intervention style featuring DJ AM who has battled his own drug addiction and last year survived a plane crash in South Carolina. The show will work with young people who have a chemical dependency and DJ AM will be on hand throughout the “tough-love” intervention process along with an addiction specialist. Ish Entertainment and Gigantic Productions will produce the series, though no airdate on MTV has been announced. Michael Hirschom, Stella Stolper, Cheryl Sirulnick and Paul Rosenberg will all executive produce with Larray Vavra as co-executive producer.

Casting Call: LOGO seeks artists and talent to appear on season three of The Big Gay Sketch Show, executive produced by Rosie O’Donnell. The 30m show is a LGBT-themed sketch comedy series taped before a live studio audience in New York City and features a cast of eight emerging comedic actors who present traditional and music sketches based on timely pop culture. Last season, several celebrities from Elaine Stritch to Rose O’Donnell herself made special appearances throughout the season. The show’s new season will be taping in New York now through May 6. If you are interested in making an appearance in a sketch, contact Raquel Bruno, president of Drive Entertainment Group at 212-219-2370 or
.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  The Screen Actors Guild and the AMPTP reached tentative agreement on Friday on a shorter two-year TV/theatrical contract – potentially averting a strike and ending a ten-month stalemate over digital content rights that had halted production of most studio movies. The deal, which grants 3.5% annual pay increases and establishes a fee structure for shows streamed on the internet, includes no real changes regarding new media revenue sharing from the studios’ offer posed in February, according to Digital Media Law – essentially mirroring the same provisions agreed to this time around by the DGA, WGA and AFTRA. In a separate agreement, the SAG and AFTRA boards approved the commercial contracts reached on April 1 that establishes a first-ever payment structure in commercials for the internet and other new media platforms.    Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY: CBBC is prepping Clash (6×30), a new music series which will provide kids with an introduction to classical music in a competition format.  Clash features BBC Radio 1 DJs Bobby Friction and Nihal, each of which will lead a team of musically talented kids to give noted classical music pieces makeovers as pop tracks.  The goal is to entertain and impress an audience of people who are not classical music.  Each team will also have a musical mentor, cellist/pianist/composer/conductor Jason Lai and creative director of th Full edition: CYN KIDS.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM SOAPnet

Thursday – A18-49 Analysis: Competition was tight Thursday night though CBS prevailed overall, winning A18-49 with 3.2/9 according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research.CBS thrived at 8p with Survivor at 3.6/11 with FOX’s Bones coming next at 2.5/8. NBC tipped into #1 at 9p with the average of The Office/30 Rock at 3.9/10, just a skosh ahead of CBS’ CSI at 3.8/10. Following its debut last week, NBC’s Southland was the victor at 10p with a 3.0/9 over CBS’ new Harper’s Island at 2.2/6 while ABC’s Private Practice rerun tied for third with UNIV’s Rosa de Guadalupe at 1.3/4 each. 

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Thursday, April 16, 2009 – time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD

CBS: 7.3/12     Survivor: Tocantins 6.8/12, CSI 9.8/16, Harper’s Island 5.1/9

FOX: 5.2/9       Bones 5.7/10, Hell’s Kitchen 4.7/8

NBC: 4.7/8      My Name is Earl 3.4/6, Parks and Recreation 3.7/6, The Office 4.9/8, 30 Rock 4.3/7, Southland 6.1/11

ABC: 3.2/5      In the Motherhood 3.2/6, Samantha Who? 3.2/5, Grey’s Anatomy [r] 3.5/6, Private Practice [r] 3.0/5

UNIV: 2.2/4     Cuidado con el Angel 2.4/4, Manana es para Siempre 2.6/4, Rosa de Guadalupe 1.7/3

CW:  1.2/2      Smallville [r] 1.2/2, Supernatural [r] 1.2/2

MNT: 0.9/2      My Thursday Movie: Conspiracy 0.9/2

TELE: 0.6/1     Dona Barbara 0.5/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.7/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 0.7/1, El Cartel 0.7/1

ION: 0.3/1      MASH 0.3/0, Movie: Keeping the Faith 0.3/1

A18-49: CBS 3.2/9, NBC 3.1/9, FOX 3.0/9, UNIV 1.9/5, ABC 1.4/4, CW 0.7/2, TELE 0.5/1, MNT 0.3/1, ION 0.1/0

Christian Calson joins Guillotine Editorial as VP/Sales and Business Development to spotlight business opportunities facilitating the company’s growth. Based in Los Angeles, Christian reports to Peter Walsh, President.

Ed O’Keefe was appointed Senior Producer/Special Projects and Innovation with ABC News Digital. Ed’s responsibilities include integrating online with television utilizing creative tools and technologies to build awareness and reach for ABCNews.com. Previously, Ed was Senior Political Editor for ABCNews.com’s coverage of the 2008 presidential primaries and election.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM IFC + SUNDANCE

 
This day in History:  1999 – Today marks the 10 Year Anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:    Maxwell Coffee has used the tag line “Good to the Last Drop” for decades.  This same tag line was used by another company as early as 1908.  Who was the other company?  COCA COLA  Kudos to: Sandra Manley-NY; Scott Miller-FamilyNet/Atlanta; Pete Gautieri-Lifetime/NY; Rev. Mark Wajda-Annunciation Catholic Church/Altamonte Springs FL; Lisa Richards-Harpo Prods/Chicago; John Kukla-KDFW/Dallas; Brook Romagnano-WNOL/New Orleans; Matt Sautter-Dish Network/Denver; Arnie Meissner-VideoJax/Lake Balboa, CA; Paul Blutter-General American Group/Northridge CA; Stephanie Carrera-Telerep/LA; Virginie Richard-Groupe TVA, Inc./Montreal

Today’s Trivia Question:   Bing Crosby was first offered this role, but turned it down.  The TV character – based on a Broadway show with Thomas Mitchell as our guy – began legendary and reruns are still on television today. Who is this TV character?   (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.)

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM INSTITUTE FOR MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT (IME)

Later — Cyn
04.20.09

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Chuck Bolkcom, Pres/COO – 646-468-6180 /

Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 /

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE from ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES

Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here    .

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, STANDRD PRACTICES/DISNEY/BURBANK: Manage Kids S&P team. Revw orgnl and acquired program, ovrsee edit, revw online content, update policy. Knwldg kids prog & S&P needed. www.disneycareers.com REQ 193526

JOB OPENING: NON-FICTION DEVEL EXEC/Greenwich CT: 2 yrs prior exp at non-fiction net or prod co. Cover Letter, CV and 2 related writing samples to
. No calls pls. (4/25)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/BET Ad Sales NY: Support busy Res. Dept. Strong analytical/comm/computer/presentation skills, PPT & Excel. Knwldg Nielsen NPower, Marketbreaks, AdViews, MRI/Simmons a+  Email:
(4/25)

JOB OPENING: SR MGR, MKTG/ABC Daytime/SOAPNet/LA: Mng/execute mktg strategy initiatives; lead devl of digital mktg/social netwk strat; 4+yrs enter /consumer mktg exp. Apply www.disneycareers.com Req ID# 191605 (4/22)

JOB OPENING: SALES ASSISTANT/BET/NY: Detailed-oriented, organized, multi-tasker, exc comm & math skills.Prof w/excel, Bachelors degree req. Email resume:
(4/22)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLAN’R/BET/NY: Prepare Sales Plans, Mng mult Accts, 2 yrs exp in Cable Sales or buying a must.Detailed-oriented, org’d, multitasker, exc comm & math skills, BA req. Email resume:
(4/22)

JOB OPENING: SALES SUPPORT MGR/The Hotel Networks/NYC: Immediate opening for a College Grad w/ 5+yrs Direct Response sales exp. Detail oriented, w/Microsoft Office software knowledge a must. Apply:
(4/21)

JOB OPENING: MGR INNOVATIONS/Initiative/LA: Dvlp mktg/digital breakthroughs to navigate emerging media, translate trends into opportunities for bus. growth:3+ yrs exp in digital media, creative thinker.Res to:
(4/21)

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

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

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: EMMY AWARD WINNING INT’L. LANGUAGE DUBBING/SUBTITLING CO. seeking students interested in languages, int’l. business. Language skills a plus. Contact 
(4/25)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: NEW BUSINESS DEVELOP/CREW CREATIVE, LEADING LA AD FIRM seeking go-getter business/MBA intern. Research/organize/pursue new biz opportunities & be proactive. Contact
(4/23)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: INFO WEB ARCHITECT/CREW CREATIVE LEADING AD FIRM LA seeking IA/UI intern. Creating wireframes for web projects, navigate websites, User Interface. Contact
(4/23)

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: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR: 10 yrs exp.in Contract/Sales Admin, reporting, etc., looking to work out of home office, or locally in Rochester, NY. Contact e-mail:
(4/25)

SITUATION WANTED: Recent Harvard grad and FREELANCE WRITER will do pretty much anything involving words and writing them. Currently writing for a Gawker blog. Hard worker, strong writer, great bargain. (NYC) 
(4/25)

SITUATION WANTED: ASSOCIATE PRODUCER (LA) produced over 175 on air interview’s, conducted the look & story. Seeking employment with prod company or network. For resume & more information please contact Melody King:
(4/24)

SITUATION WANTED: OPERATIONS/PROGRAMMING 20 yrs experience in network/syndication/cable operations, sales, programming, marketing & promotion. Will Travel. Contact
917-664-2576 (4/23)

SITUATION WANTED: COLLEGE STUDENT/NYC/DC: Seeking exciting summer internship (paid or unpaid). Drama & Psyc major at Vassar College, particularly interested in film and TV. Enthusiastic and hardworking.
(4/23)

SITUATION WANTED: NASHVILLE WRITER/PRODUCER/FIELD DIRECTOR: MTV, CMT, TLC. 20 yrs exp all budgets, genres and still fun to work with!
(4/23)

SITUATION WANTED: 20+ yrs. experience in TV Broadcasting & Cable finance/accounting. Seeking FT, PT or Temporary position: immediate start. Please contact
(4/23)

SITUATION WANTED: SR MEDIA BUYER with 13 yrs experience with local & national campaigns utilizing TV, radio, online & outdoor ads. Contact me at
(4/22)

SITUATION WANTED: REALITY PRODUCER/WRITER/DIR; NBC, TLC, CMT, CNN, E!, Discovery, pilots, sales tapes, internet; I’ll write your reality show treatment and develop your ideas. LA Based; travels well;
(4/22)

SITUATION WANTED: ASST PRODUCER/COORD/MGR/PA (NY) Prod experience: ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC, MTV, Food Network, History Channel, Sesame Street, NY1. Seeks FT, PT, freelance. Resume: TinyURL.com/Charles-Goon Email:
(4/22)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER, WRITER, EDITOR, PACKAGER(NYC): Seasoned pro available to: 1.)Tackle your next promotion or sales presentation; and 2.) Relieve his boredom.
(4/22)

SITUATION WANTED: NYC: Enthusiastic, hard-working SALES & MKTG PROF. 15+ yrs TV exp, 10 yrs on THE Sports & Family Affil team. Need results-driven/strategic/creative? You need me!
   www.linkedin.com/in/davidwmsweeney (4/22)

SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH DIRECTOR 20+ yrs Media, Nielsen, Hispanic, & Sales experience. National and Local. Email:
(4/21)

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:
(4/21)

E-mail
or call Trish Pihonak at 203.926.9878 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009

ABC: Dancing with the Stars, Surviving Suburbia, Castle
AZTECA: Los Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Historia Detras del Mito, Al Extremo
CBS: The Big Bang Theory [r], How I Met Your Mother [r], Two and a Half Men [r], Rules of Engagement, The Mentalist  [r]
CW: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill
FOX: Bones, 24
ION: ER, NCIS, NCIS
MNT: Masters of Illusion, Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed [r]
NBC: Chuck, Heroes, Medium
PBS: Antiques Roadshow, American Experience 
TELE: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, El Cartel
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Manana es para Siempre, Cristina

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