Good morning. It’s Monday, December 13, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing.
The now traditional race between CBS and NBC on Thursday night was once again a win for CBS with a stunning 8.2/21 A18-49 rating according to final numbers from Nielsen Media Research, outpacing NBC’s 6.7/17. Survivor at 8pm led with a 7.6/21, to NBC’s 4.0/11 for Joey and a 4.3/11 for Will & Grace. At 9p an original of CSI led with a huge 10.7/26, while The Apprentice as it weeds the group down to two delivered a 7.6/18. Both networks aired originals all evening, and at 10p that was good to give NBC the win with ER’s 8.5/22 beating Without a Trace 6.5/17. Primetime Live earned a 1.7/4.
Casting / Development / Production
ABC has ordered a script for a project called Making Waves, a drama about a real family of surfers, The Paskowitzes. In real life this family of 10 (all surfers) owns and operates surf camps in several US locations, including camps for kids with autism (as seen on Real Sports with Bryan Gumbel on HBO). Per Hollywood Reporter, the project is prod by Keri Selig and written by Trey Callaway.
Fox has added Jay Harrington to the cast of its new spy drama The Inside, which is schedule to make its primetime debut later on this season. Harrington’s character works for the FBI, the part originally cast with Peter Facinelli. After the project underwent a makeover, Facinelli opted out. Also starring in the project is Rachel Nichols as an undercover operator for the FBI.
Without so much as a pilot script to look at, Fox has ordered six eps of the as yet untitled comedy project starring Pamela Anderson (20th Television) in which Anderson sees if she can’t break her habit of being attracted to the wrong kind of men. The project is from Steven Levitan (Just Shoot Me).
ABC has ordered up two more eps of The George Lopez Show (Warner Bros. Television), bringing this year’s roster up to 24.
20th Television is developing a comedy project called House Broken (WideAwake) about a professional bachelor who marries a woman with two children, and his subsequent attitude adjustments, per Variety. The project is being developed by WideAwake’s Luke Greenfield, Matthew Siegel and Juan Castro, and written by Michael Glouberman. 20th and WideAwake are also working on a second project sold to Fox which is described as a cross over reality/scripted project.
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has sold the weekend broadcast window two off-net drama series – Without a Trace and Cold Case, to the Viacom station group. Weekend runs of WOT will premiere in Fall 2005; Cold Case the following fall. Both series are produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television, together with CBS Prods and Warner Bros. Television. The weekday runs for both series will air on TNT in 2006 and ’07, respectively.
Weekend Box Office Estimates: December 10-12, 2004 Ocean’s Twelve (Warner Bros.) $40.08 million – opening weekend The Blade Trinity (New Line) $16.1 million – opening weekend National Treasure (Buena Vista) $10.0 million – 4 wk total $124.2m The Polar Express (WB) $9.7 million – 5 wk total $110.0m Christmas w/the Kranks (Sony/Revolution) $7.6 million – 3 wk total $54.8m The Incredibles (Buena Vista) $5.0 million – 5 wk total $232.6m SpongeBob SquarePants (Paramount) $4.4 million – 4 wk total $73.6m Closer (Sony) $3.8 million – 2 wk total $13.8m Finding Neverland (Miramax) $1.7 million – 5 wk total $14.2m Alexander (Warner Bros.) $1.4 million – 3 wk total $32.5m Source: Box Office Mojo
Here a mind boggler — The FCC reportedly has asked NBC for copies of their 2004 Summer Olympic tapes. It seems there has been a complaint about a particular modern dance depicting the history of Athens, by a pregnant woman among others. FCC Commissioner Powell has stated numerous times of late that investigations are born as a result of a single complaint. Indecent dancing at the Olympics? Oh brother.
Several of upping at Rainbow Media Holdings beginning with Ed Carroll named President/Entertainment Services where he will oversee AMC, IFC and WE: Women’s Entertainment. Ed will report to Joshua Sapan, President/CEO of Rainbow. Kim Martin has been upped to EVP/GM of WE, reporting to Ed. Gregg Hill promoted to President/Distribution for Rainbow Media Holdings, and will oversee among other things, the VOD portion of MagRack. Two positions still waiting to be filled are the GM posts at Fuse (Marc Juris has moved over to Court TV), and AMC.
Alfredo Richard has been named VP/Corporate Communications for the Telemundo Network. Alfredo will be responsible for directing public relations, media relations, events, community relations, employee and corporate communications for the network. The announcement was made by Jim McNamara, President/CEO, Telemundo Communications Group, Inc., to whom Alfredo reports.
Jeff Shell resigned from his position as Gemstar-TV Guide International’s CEO. He will stay to help the company during the transition period with Rich Batista stepping in as the new CEO, effective immediately. Rich was previously EVP of business development and strategy for Fox Entertainment. Lachlan Murdoch has also resigned from his director position
Thursday, December 9, 2004.FINAL Ratings for all Networks – program averages.Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat
CBS 14.4/23 Survivor 11.7/18, CSI 18.4/28, Without a Trace 13.0/21
NBC 9.9/16 Joey 7.0/11, Will & Grace 7.0/11, The Apprentice 10.5/16, ER 12.2/20
ABC 3.6/6Extreme Makeover 4.6/7, life as we know it 2.4/4, Primetime Live 3.9/6
FOX 3.5/5 The O.C. 4.4/7, North Shore 2.6/4
UPN 3.5/5 WWE Smackdown 3.5/5
WB 1.7/3 Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer (OTO) 2.1/3, 6th Annual Family Television Awards (OTO) 1.2/2
A18-49 CBS 8.2/21, NBC 6.7/17, Fox 2.3/6, UPN 2.0/5, ABC 1.5/4, WB .9/2
Friday, December 10, 2004.Fast National Ratings for all Networks – time period averages.Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat
CBS 6.3/11 Joan of Arcadia 5.3/9, JAG 7.0/12, Cold Case [r] 6.6/12
NBC 5.3/9 Dateline 6.5/12 Third Watch [r] 4.8/8, Medical Investigation [r] 4.5/8
ABC 5.2/98 Simple Rules 4.8/9, Complete Savages 4.2/7, Hope & Faith [r] 4.4/8, Less than Perfect [r] 4.2/7, 20/20 6.9/12
FOX 3.1/5 Simpsons [r] 2.9/6, King of the Hill [r] 2.8/5, Family Guy [r] 3.3/6, Family Guy [r] 3.2/5
WB 2.7/5 Grinch Who Stole Christmas 2.1/7, Scooby Doo Christmas 1.9/6, Reba [r] 3.0/5, Blue Collar TV 2.3/4
UPN 1.4/2 Star Trek [r] 1.4/2, Top Model [r] 1.4/2
A18-49 ABC 2.4/8, NBC 2.3/7, Fox 2.2/7, CBS 2.1/7, WB 1.8/5, UPN 0.9/3
Saturday, December 11, 2004.Fast National Ratings for all Networks – time period averages.Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat
FOX 4.8/9Cops 4.5/9, Cops 5.2/10, America’s Most Wanted 4.8/8
CBS 3.8/7 Robbie the Reindeer 2.3/4, Without a Trace 3.8/7, 48 Hours 5.3/10
NBC 3.3/6 Movie: The Last Ride 2.5/4, L&O: CI 4.9/9
ABC 3.2/5 Movie: Naughty or Nice 3.3/5, Wife Swap 2.9/5
A18-49 Fox 3.0/10, CBS 1.7/5, ABC 1.4/5, NBC 1.4/4
A MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC CABLE DISTRIBUTION
GEORGE LOPEZ A HIT ON TUESDAY NIGHTS
Building November to November: +22% W18-49, +30% M18-49, +21% P18-49 +7% W18-34, +50% M18-34, +24% P18-34 +71% F12-17, +67% M12-17, +69% P12-17
A Top Comedy on ABC: #1 with Teens, #2 with ALL 18-34’s
GEORGE LOPEZ Available exclusively from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution
Source: NTI Explorer, Premiere-to-date 9/20-12/05/04, US Rtg. Comedy=CS typecode, ties Acc. To Jim with Teens. Nov 04=11/4-12/1/04 & Nov 03=10/30-11/26/03, % US Rtg Gain.
The History Channel presents This Day in History: 1577: The great Elizabethan privateer and explorer Francis Drake sets out from Plymouth, England. Drake’s destination was the Pacific coast of the Americas, where he planned to raid Spanish shipping and settlements. He also hoped to find the outlet of the rumored Northwest Passage, a sea route around or through the Americas. When he returned to Plymouth in 1580, Drake became the first man to sail around the world (Ferdinand Magellan did not survive his fleet’s historic circumnavigation).
Answer to Friday’s, not-necessarily-TV-Trivia, Trivia Question: There are certainly plenty of Salvation Army stands around during the holidays, so maybe you know this — what is the Salvation Army’s motto? BLOOD & FIRE. Kudos to: Jim Halling-NewsChannel 8/Washington; Gloria Price-CBS News/NY; Johnny Jan-Gaithersburg MD; Jason Morrow-Telerep/Atlanta; Lorita Vinson-Intermark Group/Birmingham AL; Angela Newby-SpotPlus/Dallas; Yolanda Covarrubias-WCIU/Chicago; Eddie Land-Pacific Television Center/LA; Alexandra Leh-MWG Prods/LA; and Phil Desjardins-Manning Media Prods/Toronto.
A MESSAGE FROM AMC
MOVIE LOVERS TAKE AMC TO NEW HEIGHTS
AMC in November:
– Top 10 Network in HH Rating and Delivery in Primetime
– Strongest A18-49 Delivery Ever in Primetime
– Exceptional Double-Digit A25-54 Delivery Growth in Primetime
Today’s Trivia Question: This is part of the opening to what primetime series: “This is the story of one of America’s great unsung heroes. I mean you’ve seen him but you never knew who he was. You’ve cheered for him and cried for him and women have wanted to die for him. But did he ever get any credit or the girl? No!” (click here with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone with your answer. 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 MESSAGE FROM COURT TV
This freedom is so important, our Founding Fathers put it first.
Filmmaker John Walter shines the spotlight on the right of freedom of assembly IN First Amendment Project: Some Assembly Required
Produced in partnership by Court TV & Sundance Channel. Tuesday at 10PM on Court TV.
Viewers react positively to advertising in socially relevant programming.
In 2005, Cynopsis will offer new ad space. Interested?
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JOB OPENING: DIR, ON DEMAND CONTENT & DEV-MTV/NYC. 4-6yrs exp in television, Strng working knowledge of TV production/scheduling, Experience w/new media platforms esp VOD EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/18)
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JOB OPENING: MGR, INTEGRATED MRKTG, MTV/NYC. 4+yrs exp in TV/Ad/Mrktg Agency with onair/online/off channel branding, Strg written/oral skills, multi-tasking a heavy/fast paced workload, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/18)
JOB OPENING: MANAGER, SALES SYSTEMS SUPPORT-MTV/NY. Support/train Ad Sales. Write specs for system enhancements. Partner w/IS on testing/implementation. 3 yrs+ exp TV adv and JDS or Gabriel a +. www.mtvncareers.com EOE/M/F/D/AAP (12/18)
JOB OPENING: ANALYST, MTV/NY-Analyst Ad Sales Planning; Produce standard reports, ad hoc analyses, maintain data integrity in multiple systems. Strong Excel, Detail oriented, good comm skills. www.mtvncareers.com EOE/M/F/D/AAP (12/18)
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JOB OPENING: CASTING DIRECTOR, BANYAN PRODUCTIONS for new reality show. Extensive knowledge of real-people casting req. Start immediately. Send resume to (12/16)
JOB OPENING: SALES RESEARCH ANALYST, The Golf Channel/ORLANDO. Story-teller w/ 3+ yrs audience/ad sales rsch exp. Nielsen, MRI, etc. Golf/Sports media bckgrnd helpful, not required. EOE. M/F/D/V Fax: 407.363.7976. No calls pls (12/16)
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JOB OPENING: NBC Universal/BRAVO, PRESS MGR/NY. Publicist level. 3 yrs publicist exp pref in Ent./TV industry. Strong verbal/writing skills, multi-tasker.Strategic thinker, ability to generate buzz a must. Apply: www.nbcjobs.com (12/16)
JOB OPENING: INVENTORY ASST./Paramount-NY. Process media offers for natl comm’l buys in Paramount’s synd pgms.Organized, exc. comm skills, MS Word/Excel.4 yr degree pref. Fax resumes to (212) 654-4970. No phone calls please (12/15)
JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST, MTV/NEW YORK-Quantitative programming research. Strong with analysis, communication, & PC skills. 1+ yrs industry experience. Please apply at www.mtvncareers.com EOE (12/15)
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: DECEMBER 13, 2004:
ABC Life of Luxury, Monday Night Football CBS Still Standing, Listen Up, Raymond, 2-1/2 Men, CSI Miami FOX Trading Spouses, The Swan NBC Fear Factor, Las Vegas, Las Vegas PAX Model Citizens, World Cup Comedy, Second Verdict UPN One on One, Half & Half, Girlfriends, Second Time Around WB 7th Heaven [r], Everwood [r] TELE La Mujer en el Espejo, Gitanas, Te Voy a Ensenar a Querer UNIV Rubi, Amor Real, Cristina
Thursday April 23, 2026 IN THE NEWS Consumers bounce hourly as “couch commerce” reshapes the path to purchase, says MiQ’s From Funnel to Flexibility report, which focuses on the ways people watch, browse, and buy. “Couches have become the new storefronts as consumers move from screen to screen, almost in the […]
A Cynopsis Message From ITN Wednesday April 22, 2026 IN THE NEWS Peacock’s ad-free Premium Plus tier is coming to Roku Premium Subscriptions through a new deal between NBCUniversal and Roku. The top-tier plan remains ad-free except for live sports and includes offline downloads and access to geo-targeted local TV stations. It’s […]
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM PREMION Tuesday April 21, 2026 IN THE NEWS Midterm spending for the 2026 cycle is on track to top $10 billion – just 8% shy of the 2024 presidential cycle ($11.2 billion) and 16% higher than the 2022 midterms ($8.9 billion), according to Kinetiq’s The […]
