Good morning. It’s Monday, February 9, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing.
While CBS may have had the most viewers on Thursday night (24.0m vs. NBC’s 21.3m), NBC takes the crown in the A18-49 demo with a 10.2/25 vs. CBS’ 8.7/21. Among A25-54 the game was much closer, with NBC still in front: 10.8/24 vs. CBS 10.5/23. NBC’s Friends aired from 8-8:44p and delivered a 11.1/29 A18-49 rating according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS’ Survivor All Stars delivered an overall 8.9/22 for the 8pm hour. NBC’s The Apprentice kicked in at 8:44 and ran until 10pm, averaging a 9.2/22 demo rating with 18.0 million viewers. CSI on CBS delivered a solid 10.7/25 with 29.6 million viewers. Without quarter hour numbers its difficult to tell who won the contest during the 845-9p Burnett overlap (traditionally Survivor’s largest quarter hour), but in the hour to hour comparison, NBC had the 8p hour (10.6/27 vs. 8.9/22) while CBS quite decidedly owned the 9p hour (10.7/25 vs. 9.3/22). At 10p the nod goes back to NBC for an original Feb Sweep episode of ER 10.5/26, with CBS’ Without A Trace ranking #2 with a 6.4/16, followed by ABC’s Primetime Thursday (3.1/8).
ABC wins top dog status on Friday night with an overall 3.6/11 A18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS was #2 with a 2.8/9, followed by NBC 2.6/8, Fox 2.2/7, WB 1.2/4, UPN 0.8/3. At 8pm CBS led with as 3.2/10 for Joan of Arcadia, tho a double bill of George Lopez was just two tenths behind with a 3.0/10. NBC was third with a 2.5/8, Fox pulled a 7 share, WB a 5 share and UPN a 3 share in the same demo. At 9p ABC’s Hope & Faith led with two episodes averaging a 4.0/12; CBS and NBC tied with a 2.6/8 and Fox’s OTO special That’s Just Wrong delivered a 2.1/6. At 10p 20/20 on ABC won the hour with a 3.8/11, NBC’s Third Watch was #2 posting a 2.9/9, quickly followed by a repeat of CBS’ Cold Case (2.5/8).
As usual, Fox picks up another win on Saturday night with a 2.9/9 A18-49 rating according to Nielsen Media Research. ABC was second on the night with a 2.7/8 followed by NBC 2.0/6 and CBS 1.7/5. At 8p Fox delivered a 2.7/9 for the hour, ahead of ABC’s 2.3/7, while CBS and NBC earned a 6 and 4 share respectively. At 9p Fox’s AMW posted a 3.1/9, again besting ABC’s 2.9/9. A repeat of L&O on NBC was third with a 2.0/6, followed by Hack on CBS. ABC’s Lion King (8-10p) led in a handful of demos including K2-11 (4.9/18), Teens 3.2/13, and A18-34 (2.6/10). At 10p ABC led the hour with a 2.9/9 for AFV, with NBC’s L&O:SVU ranking second with a 2.7/8; CBS’ The District delivered a 1.8/6.
FX has acquired the cable rights to Fear Factor (NBC Enterprises) for a four year deal (with an option to extend), a deal reportedly valued in the tens of millions. License fee is being reported at between $250k and $300k per ep, with approx 100 eps in the can. The show begins airing on the cable net this fall, M-F, the same time it debuts in broadcast syndication, also as a strip. NBCE has held off announcing (or finalizing) bcst deals until the cable deal had been completed.
Upping the indecency fines from $27,500 to $275,000 has been fast tracked, and will come up before the House Telecommunications Subcommittee as soon as Thursday for a vote (unless not enough lawmakers are in attendance, in which case the vote will be postponed). A hearing will be held on Wednesday at 930am with testimony expected from FCC Commissioners as well as network executives. A similar hearing will be held by the Senate Commerce Committee at the same time. Included in the bill is the increase in the fines, the cap for a station group of $3 million, and the distinction of every single obscene expression during a telecast can be treated as a separate violation and each such mention can be fined separately.
NYPD Blue coming to an end after next year’s 12th season? The announcement from ABC is expected to be made today.
As expected Fox has picked up another season of The Simple Life, which is likely to be ready for air in time for the May sweep, The premise is a little different –this time the girls hook up with various Average American Families as they move from town to town and from family to family. Production begins next month, and producers Bunim-Murray began auditioning Average American Families this past weekend.
Telemundo is celebrating ratings increases for the month of January 2004 vs. the same month a year ago, with a primetime increase of 89% among A18-49, and a total viewership increase of 83% according to Telemundo and Nielsen Hispanic Television Index. Much of Telemundo’s growth is attributed to its increase in original programming, including novellas (Pasión de Gavilanes, Amor Descarado, and El Alma Herida), produced specifically for the US Hispanic viewer. According to Jim McNamara, President/CEO, “We are delivering on the network’s commitment to viewers to produce original programming for U.S. Hispanics, and our audience is giving us rave reviews.”
Development and Casting Notes:
A few notes from ABC – The net’s drama pilot The Secret Service (Touchstone TV) has cast former Tarzan actress Sarah Wayne Callies in the lead role. And the net has picked up Blind Justice (Steven Bochco/Paramount) starring Ron Eldard as a blind detective.
NBC has ordered two cast-contingent comedy pilots: the first from R. Lee Fleming (Friends) and produced by Jamie Tarses, Karey Burke and Touchstone TV. The story is about a young man, in his early 30’s, who decides to go back to college. And according to Variety, the second is from Carol Leifer called Never in My Wildest (DreamWorks/NBC Studios). NBC’s pilot Desperate Housewives (Touchstone TV) has cast Eva Longoria (LA Dragnet) as one of the four women who live in the same cul-de-sac, and who all lead secret lives.
WB has ordered a drama pilot called The Mountain (McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision/Warner Bros. TV) set in a mountain resort inherited by a mid-20’s from his grandfather. McG is exec prod, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Weekend Box Office Estimates – Feb 6-8, 2004 Barbershop 2 (MGM) $25.1 million – opening weekend Miracle (Disney) $19.4 million – opening weekend You Got Served (Screen Gems) $7.7 million – 2 wk total $26.0m Along Came Polly (Universal) $7.0 million – 4 wk total $75.2m Butterfly Effect (New Line) $6.7 million – 3 wk total $41.5m Catch That Kid (Fox) $6.0 million – opening weekend LOTR: Return of the King (New Line) $4.4 million – 8 wk total $351.2m Mystic River (Warner Bros.) $3.5 million – 18 wk total $69.8m Monster (Newmarket) $3.5 million – 7 wk total $15.3m Cold Mountain (Miramax) $3.2 million – 7 wk total $82.9m Source: Box Office Mojo
Medstar Television, producers of Court TV’s Forensic Files, has come to terms with publisher ibooks and distributor Simon & Schuster, to produce a paperback titled The Official Forensic Files Casebook, the first in what is expected to be a series of book releases based on the popular cable show. The book will be written by Paul Dowling (creator/exec prod of the series) and mystery writer J. Madison Davis. The first book in this series is due out this spring.
ABC’s Super Millionaire begins airing on February 22 at 9p (remaining broadcasts will be during the same week at 10p, Mon/Tue, Thurs/Fri). As was the format the first time around, an 800 number will be used to find contestants. If you’re interested, the phone line opens at 7p ET on Monday 2/16 and will be open for 8 consecutive hours over the course of the next 7 days, closing at 3am ET daily. The deal is only one call per person each day, each perspective contestant must be 18 years old, a US citizen and meet all the eligibility requirements. You’ll be asked to answer five questions within a brief period of time, and if succeed at that, you’ll also be asked to select a taping date. Ten players will be randomly chosen for each taping date. The phone number to give it a whirl is 1-800-999-7878. Good luck!
Outdoor Life Network has announced three new hires: Brian J. Williams as VP/Series Production, in charge of creating editorial and production direction for new and current series. He is also responsible for overseeing production of the various series and studio productions for OLN. Timothy Dempsey has joined the network as VP/Research, overseeing and analyzing Nielsen ratings and providing research support to all divisions within the company including sales, programming, scheduling, marketing, finance and business affairs. And Michael Magnotta has been named VP/Creative Director, overseeing production of all on-air elements including promotion, station ID’s and graphics.
Sarah Eaton has been upped to SVP/Public Relations for the Sundance Channel. She is responsible for all corporate and consumer publicity initiatives for Sundance Channel and Sundance Channel Home Entertainment and a number of the other Sundance entities. The announcement was made by Larry Aidem, President/CEO of Sundance Channel LLC.
Paxson Communications Corporation has announced Rob Word has been named SVP/Program Development & Production for PAX TV. Rob will manage the development of original programming for the network, including developing show concepts from outline to production. Reporting to Bill Scott, President/PAX TV Network, he will be based in LA.
Thursday, February 5, 2004. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks. Note: NBC HH ratings are time period, not program averages. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat
CBS 14.5/22 Survivor All Stars13.1/19; CSI 17.9/26; Without a Trace 12.4/20
NBC 13.8/21 Friends (8-8:44p) 14.8/22 from 8-9p, The Apprentice (8:44-10p) 12.0/17 from 9-10p ; ER 14.6/23
FOX 3.5/5Tru Calling 3.3/5, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance [r] 3.6/5
UPN 3.3/5 WWE Smackdown 3.3/5
WB 1.6/2 Steve Harvey 2.2/3, All About the Andersons 1.5/2, The Surreal Life [r] 1.3/2
A18-49 NBC 10.2/25, CBS 8.7/21, ABC 2.8/7, Fox 2.0/5, UPN 1.7/4, WB 0.9/2
Friday, February 6, 2004. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat
CBS 7.3/12 Joan of Arcadia 7.6/13, JAG 7.5/12, Cold Case [r] 6.6/11
ABC 6.7/11 George Lopez 5.1/9, George Lopez [r] 5.3/9, Hope & Faith 6.6/11, Hope & Faith [r] 6.6/11, 20/20 8.2/14
NBC 6.4/11 Dateline 7.4/13, Ed 5.7/9, Third Watch 6.1/11
FOX 3.3/6Totally Outrageous Behavior 3.3/6, World’s Craziest Videos 3.5/6, That’s Just Wrong3.2/5
WB 2.2/4 Reba 3.1/5, What I Like About You 2.3/4, Grounded for Life 1.8/3, Like Family 1.7/3
UPN 1.7/3 Movie: The Astronaut’s Wife 1.7/3
A18-49 ABC 3.6/11, CBS 2.8/9, NBC 2.6/8, Fox 2.2/7, WB 1.2/4, UPN 0.8/3
Saturday, February 7, 2004. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat
CBS 5.4/10 Star Search 5.0/9, Hack 5.1/9, The District 6.3/11
ABC 4.9/9 Disney Movie: The Lion King, 5.0/9 AFV 4.8/9
FOX 4.9/9 Cops 4.4/8, Cops 5.0/9, AMW 5.0/9
NBC 4.1/7 Tracy Morgan 2.3/4, Whoopi [r] 2.5/4, Law & Order[r] 4.2/7, L&O SVU [r] 5.9/11
A18-49 Fox 2.9/9, ABC 2.7/8, NBC 2.0/6, CBS 1.7/5
A MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC CABLE TELEVISION
MYSTIC RIVER Nominated for 6 Academy Awards
Best Picture Best Director – Clint Eastwood Best Actor – Sean Penn Best Supporting Actor – Tim Robbins Best Supporting Actress – Marcia Gay Harden Best Adapted Screenplay
Over $115,000,000 Worldwide Gross to Date
MYSTIC RIVER Available exclusively from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution
The History Channelpresents This Day in History: 1964 – The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan for the first time.
Answer to Friday’s Trivia Question:Where was Richie Cunningham on the day of his wedding? GREENLAND. Kudos to: Rob Argento-The Horror Channel/NY; Eli Bailin-CBS Sales/NY; Mike Whelan-Adam Young/NY; Adri Amadruto-Sci Fi Channel/NY; Christina Mejia-KCEN/Waco; Keith Paxton-KDFI/Dallas; Eric Turner-Eagle TV Sales/Dallas; Adam Leston-Petry/Chicago; Jennifer Weingroff-Paramount Television Prod/LA; Maddie Miyoshi-Ron Ziskin Prods/LA; Jason Harrington-Team One Adv/El Segundo; Lynn Stirling-NBC Cable Networks/Burbank; and Stephanie Kravos-Nelvana Ltd/Toronto.
Today’s Trivia Question: This ‘domestic’ has reportedly been known to throw hatchets at the Good Humor Man, howl at the moon and even make necklaces out of chicken necks. Who is this person? ( to respond to the trivia question and please be sure to include with your answer your name, company, city and time zone. Only the second four correct responses from each time zone will be listed in tomorrow’s kudo list.)
Later — Cyn
Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis 02/09/04 5:26am Free Subscriptions to Cynopsis: email
Archived Editions Check out any previous copy of Cynopsis, or search via keywords at www.Cynopsis.com Click
to subscribe toCynopsisKids! and put Kids! in the subject line. Cynopsis Ad Sales 203-526-8978 Press Release Fax: 203-381-9318
Copyright Cynthia Turner 2004
CYNOPSIS CLASSIFIEDS
JOB OPENING:SR RESEARCH ANALYST, CARTOON NETWORK/KIDS WB/ADULT SWIM, New York Ad Sales. Strong analytical/writing skills. Nielsen software experience. 2 yrs exp as rsch analyst req’d. Apply to: www.turnerjobs.com req #20288 BR (2/14)
JOB OPENING:MARKETING MANAGER, Court TV/NY. Planning/execution of consumer/trade adv campaigns. 2-3 yrs media planning bkgrnd w/strong radio/TV knowledge req’d. Knowledge of cable industry pref. Email (2/14)
JOB OPENING:MGR, TV RESEARCH, MGM/LA. 4+ yrs exp in research at network/distributor. Nielsen system proficiency and solid comm/analytical skills req. Will be researching/writing sales presentations. Apply: www.mgm.com #5298 (2/13)
JOB OPENING:CONTROLLER for WBAL-TV/Radio Stations, Hearst-Argyle/Hearst Corp., Baltimore. Deg. in finance or acc’ting, 7-10 yrs exp in bcsting or related field; CPA or MBA a +. Send resume/salary req. to (2/12)
JOB OPENING:SR. ACCT EXEC –WGNT-TV, Norfolk, VA – Min 2 yrs TV sales exp. to maintain accts and generate new business through regional ad agencies. Strong ratings & negotiation skills. EOE. Email: (2/12)
JOB OPENING: Executive Producer of 2 nationally syndicated, NY based TV pgms seeking dynamic, proactive, PERSONAL ASSISTANT. Applicant must be dedicated, organized, extremely responsible. Resume: (2/12)
JOB OPENING:RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGER, TNT, New York. 4-6 yrs ad sales rsch exp needed; develop presentations & special projects; exp in Nielsen national systems required; apply to www.turner.com req # 19832BR (2/11)
JOB OPENING:EXEC DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM PLANNING-Disney Channel/LA – implement programs and strategy for Disney channel, 7+ yrs exp in Kids TV. Email: (2/11)
JOB OPENING:ASST. CHIEF ENGINEER, WAZE-TV/WB19, Evansville, IN. Multi-tasker, Main Studio Operations, Master Control & edit suite re-build. IT skills necessary. 3-5 yrs exp. Email resume to: (2/10)
SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED —
SITUATION WANTED: NYC based -6 plus years as a PROMO WRITER/PRODUCER. Produced for E! Entertainment and In Demand Pay-Per-View. Very motivated, organized and creative.Contact:
(2/14)
SITUATION WANTED: RARE BRANDING EXPERT. Strategist w/10 yrs exp positioning challenger brands, seeks tv/film entity craving the inc profit that comes from bldg a branded property & will invest in talent needed.
(2/13)
SITUATION WANTED: PROGRAMMING/SCHEDULING/TRAFFIC PROFESSIONAL and seeking similar position in industry. 5 years exp in domestic and internat¹l Programming, Traffic and Marketing. Email
(2/11)
SITUATION WANTED: TELEVISION & MUSIC PROFESSIONAL. Los Angeles. 10 Years Producing Doc. Celebrity Profiles. Former A&R Director Warner Records, Pro Composer & Naming Creative. Seeks stable industry position. Contact: (2/10)
E-mail
for rates and specs for Job Openings. Your ad will be read by 63,760+ Cynopsis & Cynopsis Kids! readers every day. No wonder Cynopsis ads get results.
Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here —Email
for specs.
WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2004
COURT TV INVESTIGATES…
The Hollywood sign was originally designed as a real estate advertisement that was only supposed to stay up for a year & a half.
HOLLYWOOD AT LARGE AWARDS CONTEST Log on to courttv.com & vote for your favorite movie of 2003! Click here.
Court TV The Investigation Channel
COURT TV: The I-Zone, Forensic Files, The Investigators ABC ABC Monday Night Movie: The Mummy Returns CBS Yes Dear, Still Standing, Raymond, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami FOX That 70’s Show, That 70’s Show [r], My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance NBC Fear Factor, Las Vegas, Average Joe Hawaii PAX AFV, Early Edition, Diagnosis Murder UPN The Parkers, Eve, Girlfriends, Half & Half WB 7th Heaven, Everwood TELE Amor Descardo,El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas UNIV Velo de Novia, Te Amare en Silencio, Cristina
Friday July 26, 2024 Today’s Premieres Hulu: Playground Netflix: Pulang Araw, Elite, The Dragon Prince Saturday’s Premiere FYI: Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen at 10p Sunday’s Premiere PBS: Hotel Portofino at 8p Sunday’s Finale TNT: The Lazarus Project at 10p IN THE NEWS Kamala Harris has agreed to debate Donald Trump on September 10, the […]
Thursday July 25, 2024 Today’s Premieres Disney: Primos at 8p Great American Pure Flix: Shadrach Netflix: Tokyo Swindlers; The Decameron Prime Video: Troppo IN THE NEWS Amazon Prime Video and the NBA announced an 11-year media rights agreement, beginning with the 2025-26 NBA season. Prime Video will present exclusive global coverage of 66 regular-season NBA […]
Thursday, July 25, 2024 Good morning! It’s Thursday, and this is your monthly Gaming Brief. Around 62% of American adults play video games, according to Comscore’s 2024 State of Gaming report. The report, put together in collaboration with Anzu, also revealed that 49% of the U.S. gaming population is Millennials, more than both Gen X […]
Wednesday July 24, 2024 The “DPAA 2024 Omnichannel Decision-Makers Study,” conducted by Advertiser Perceptions and sponsored by Kochava, found that eight in 10 respondents will recommend digital-out-of-home to be part of their media plans over the next 12 months, with 96% of marketers and agencies planning to increase or maintain spending in the next 12 […]
ASSOCIATE, GLOBAL LICENSING & DISTRIBUTION HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP CHARLOTTE, NC Coordinate and execute asset delivery to content distribution partners and assist with ideation and execution of marketing campaigns with channel partners as well as capture, analyze, and report viewership data. You will also follow and report on industry trends and create weekly programming schedules […]
