Good morning. It’s Monday, March 15, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing.
The FCC has imposed a $247,500 fine for nine violations of the indecency rules on Clear Channel’s Elliott in the Morning show. The first violation occurred during the morning drive show on March 13 wherein the show’s hosts coaxed a caller to discuss various things that were in deemed inappropriate by the FCC. Following the first violation, the segment was repeated twice in promos. The show aired on WWDC/Washington, WRXL/Richmond VA and WOSC/Bethany Beach, Delaware.
Other more positive news for Clear Channel — teaming up with the WB and Pepsi, Clear Channel will both promote and provide touring talent to this summer’s second installment of Pepsi Smash on the WB, beginning May 27 at 8pm, and continuing for an eight week run.
Premiering Tonight: NBC at 10p – Average Joe: Adam Returns [p]
A&E‘s unscripted drama series Airline has been renewed for a second season. The show focuses on the day to day lives of the employees of Southwest Airlines as they deal with The Ugly Passenger. A&E has ordered 18 episodes for its second season.
New in Casting/Development/Production:
WB‘s drama project The Mountain (Wonderland Sound & Vision/Warner Bros. TV) starring Oliver Hudson, has added Barbara Hershey and Anson Mount. The story is about Hudson’s character who inherits his grandfather’s mountain resort.
ABC has added Isaiah Washington and Katherine Heigl to its medical drama project Surgeons (Touchstone). Washington replaces Paul Adelstein who had a scheduling conflict. The project also includes Patrick Dempsey, T.R. Knight, Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, Jr. Sharon Lawrence has joined the ranks of ABC’s comedy project, still known as the Untitled McCall & Stein Project (Acme Prods/Warner Bros. TV) which is semi autobiographical about Joel Stein, the youngest columnist at Time magazine.
Joining the lineup at NBC‘s newest project from Mark Burnett Prods, The Contender, is Sugar Ray Leonard who will work as an advisor to the boxing wannabes along side Sylvester Stallone. Open casting for this unscripted drama begins in Tulsa on April 9 and in LA on May 31. Elsewhere, the NBC pilot Hawaii (fka Pearl City) (NBC Studios) has reportedly stopped production following the departure of Michael Madsen, says Daily Variety.
CBS‘s untitled sitcom project from CBS Prods/Sony has added Christa Miller opposite Andrew Kennedy, who’ll play parents of a blended family. Julia Duffy also joins the cast. The net’s drama project The Webster Report (25c Prods/Warner Bros. TV/CBS Prods) has added Ben Gazzara to the lineup, playing opposite Stanley Tucci, Kari Matchett, and Bobby Cannavale in a pilot about an off beat NY Private Eye (Tucci).
Fox‘s sitcom project The Robinson Brothers (Original/20th) has added Reagan Dale Neis, who will play opposite Jay Baruchel and David Annable in a comedy about three brothers living in an apartment building creating an atmosphere that just screams college dorm. Elisabeth Harnois has been cast in the drama project Point Pleasant (Original/20th) about a small town that has some flavor of Peyton Place and just a dash of Twin Peaks.
Source: BaselineFT.com, Variety, Hollywood Reporter
Coming to Oxygen this summer, with a sneak preview next month, is a new series called Nice Package from Banyan Prods (Trading Spaces). Works like this — designers totally re-do from top to bottom. Then they take it all back down, put it in a box, and leave it for the homeowners … minus instructions of what goes where and how. The homeowners then win various prizes based on how closely their finished room resembles that of the designer’s work.
Syndicated Seinfeld (distributed by Sony) is switching stations in two markets – moving from KMBC/Kansas City and WPTY/Memphis to the local Fox O&O stations, WDAF and WHBQ, respectively.
Exec Producer Ed Glavin is switching syndicated talk shows at Telepictures, says Variety. Glavin was the exec prod of The Ellen Degeneres Show, and will now oversee Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution’s newest project, The Larry Elder Show. As far as Ellen is concerned, Glavin will maintain a executive consultant title and involvement. Meanwhile, Glavin has been involved with Larry Elder since its inception, and produced the pilot.
So you say you’re an Arrested Development fan? Then you may be interested to note in your schedule the Arrested Development Marathon on FX, Sunday March 21. FX will air six back to back episodes beginning at 230p.
Weekend Box Office Estimates – March 12-14, 2004 Passion of the Christ (Newmarket) $31.7 million – 3 wk total $264.0m Secret Window (Sony) $19.0 million – opening weekend Starsky & Hutch (Warner Bros.) $16.0 million – 2 wk total $51.5m Hidalgo (Disney) $11.7 million – 2 wk total $35.5m Agent Cody Banks 2 (MGM) $8.0 million – opening weekend 50 First Dates (Sony) $5.3 million – 5 wk total $106.6m Twisted (Paramount) $3.1 million – 3 wk total $21.1m Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (Disney) $2.4 million – 4 wk total $24.9m LOTR (New Line) $2.1 million – 13 wk total $371.2m Spartan (Warner Bros.) $2.0 million – opening weekend Source: Box Office Mojo
As part of Trio cable net’s Uncovered TV month, Johnny Cash in San Quentin will air on US television for the first time on Friday, March 19 at 9pm. No doubt somewhere back in music folklore, you’ve heard of the infamous Johnny Cash February 24, 1969 concert at San Quentin prison which nearly resulted in a full out riot. The one song Cash wrote specifically for the occasion, aptly titled San Quentin, created such an uproar with its delighted audience, prison officials were concerned there would be a riot. The special includes the concert itself as well as commentary from various men who were then inmates at the prison. The special is produced by Granada Television.
NBC and Bravo have picked up the television rights to Miramax’s Cold Mountain. The film will air on television for the first time on NBC during the May 2006 sweeps before it goes over to Bravo says Variety. The pair have also teamed up to acquire Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (Miramax).
Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of Feb 23-29, 2004 ranked by A18-49 This Top 10 list in Friday’s edition was inadvertently incomplete, as it was a 5-way tie for tenth place: Judge Judy (Paramount) 2.2 AA / 3.1 GAA Dr. Phil (King World) 2.2 AA / 2.2 GAA Jeopardy (King World) 2.2 AA Will & Grace (Warner Bros.) 2.2 AA / 2.6 GAA King of the Hill (20th) 2.2 AA / 2.5 GAA Source Nielsen Media Research
CBS took home a win on Thursday night with an overall 8.5/22 A18-49 rating according to Nielsen Media Research. NBC was #2 for the night with a 7.6/20, followed distantly by FOX 2.1/5, ABC 1.9/5, UPN 1.7/4, WB 1.0/3. At 8pm a big win for CBS’ Survivor All Stars with an 8.7/23, over a repeat of Friends (7.0/20) and a new ep of Will & Grace (7.4/19). At 9p another big win for CBS with CSI outpacing The Apprentice (perhaps he shouldn’t have fired Omarosa so fast!) though the win was by just a share point: 10.1/24 vs. 9.7/23. And Without A Trace found more demo viewers at 10p than Princess Di Tapes on NBC: 6.9/19 vs. 5.9/16.
Not a huge night anywhere by any stretch, but certainly a closely competitive night. NBC led the pack Friday night by a single share point: 2.7/9 A18-49 rating vs. ABC and CBS tied 2.7/8, Fox 2.1/7, WB 1.2/4, UPN 0.9/3, according to Nielsen Media Research. At 8pm CBS was in front with a 3.0/10, quickly followed by ABC’s 2.5/8 for its sitcoms, and then by Fox 2.3/7 for its premiere of Playing it Straight. Fox led in the same time frame among the slightly younger demo A18-34 with a 2.5/10. At 9pm it was a three way tie among A18-49 with CBS, ABC and NBC all delivering 8 shares, while Fox’s premiere of Wonderfalls found just a 6 share points. And on the WB, the second installment of The Help delivered a 1.1/3, down a share point from its lead-in Grounded for Life [r]. At 10p NBC’s Crossing Jordan earned a 3.4/10, a notion ahead of 20/20 (2.9/9) and more than a notion ahead of 48 Hours (2.3/7).
Fox takes Saturday night as usual with an overall 3.2/11 A18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research. NBC was #2 for he night with a 2.0/7 followed by ABC 2.0/6 and CBS 1.6/5. At 8pm Fox led with a 5.0/9, while CBS and NBC were tied at 3.7/7, ABC posted a 3.2/6 for the first hour of Dr. Dolittle. At 9p Fox was still in front by a tenth of a rating point over CBS: 5.0/9 vs. 4/9/9, while the second hour of NBC’s Princess Di Secret Tapes [r] delivered a 4.6/8, and Dr. Dolittle a 4.0/7. AT 10p NBC jumped in front with a 6.0/11 for L&O SVU [r]; and CBS’ 10p hour drew a 5.2/10. Alan S. Clack was upped to Director/Sales for WCBS, the CBS-owned flagship station. He will report to Lew Leone, President and General Manager. Barry Offitzer joins Alan’s team as Manager/Local Sales for the station. Thursday, March 11, 2004. Fast Affiliate Household 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 14.2/22 Survivor: All Stars 12.6/20, CSI 16.9/25, Without a Trace 13.0/22
NBC 11.1/17 Friends [r] 10.9/17, Will & Grace 10.6/16,The Apprentice 12.3/18, NBC Special: Princess Diana; The Secret Tapes; Part II 10.1/17
FOX 3.7/6 Fox Special: The 35th NAACP Image Awards 3.7/6
UPN 3.0/5 WWE Smackdown 3.0/5
WB 1.7/3 The JK Experiment 1.8/3, The JK Experiment [r] 1.8/3, The JK Experiment [r] 1.6/2, The Help [r] 1.5/2
A18-49 CBS 8.5/22, NBC 7.6/20, FOX 2.1/5, ABC 1.9/5, UPN 1.7/4, WB 1.0/3
Friday, March 12, 2004. Fast Affiliate Household 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
NBC 6.7/12Dateline NBC 6.7/12,Crossing Jordan 6.8/12
CBS 6.3/11Joan of Arcadia 6.6/12, JAG 7.1/12, 48 Hours Investigates 5.2/9
ABC 5.1/9 George Lopez [r] 4.5/8, Married to the Kellys 3.8/7, Hope & Faith [r] 4.5/8, Life with Bonnie [r] 4.1/7, 20/20 6.9/12
FOX 3.5/6 Playing it Straight [p] 3.7/7, Wonderfalls [p] 3.4/6
WB 2.3/4 Reba [r] 2.5/5, Reba [r] 2.5/4, Grounded for Life [r] 2.5/4, The Help 2.1/4
UPN 1.5/3 Mania of Wrestlemania 1.8/3, Game Over [r] 1.4/2, The Mullets [r] 1.2/2
A18-49 NBC 2.7/9, ABC and CBS 2.7/8, Fox 2.1/7, WB 1.2/4, UPN 0.9/3
Saturday, March 13, 2004. Fast Affiliate Household 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 4.6/9 Star Search 3.7/7, Hack 4.9/9, The District [r] 5.2/10(College Basketball ran into primetime, sliding all programming back. These ratings are time period data only.)
ABC 3.8/7 Movie: Dr. Dolittle 3.6/7, AFV [r] 4.1/7
A18-49 Fox 3.2/11, NBC 2.0/7, ABC 2.0/6, CBS 1.6/5
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The History Channelpresents This Day in History: 1917 – Under the threat of national railway strike, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Adamson Act (a.k.a. the Eight Hour Act) setting the workday for railroad workers at eight hours. It is the first time the federal government has regulated the working hours of a private employer. The act paves the way for widespread adoption of the eight-hour workday, which the labor movement had been fighting for since the 1880s.
Answer to Friday’s Trivia Question:You may recall Nestle’s used a dog puppet to sing the jingle, always ending in “Nestle’s makes the very best … chooooooocolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate.” What was the name of the dog? FARFEL Kudos to: Steve Woodward-Viacom TV Station Group/NY; Dan Margherita-ICR/Media PA; Don Micallef-Discovery Comm/Silver Spring MD; Stuart Elliott-New York Times/NY; Pam Massey-GSD&M/Austin; Lilli Heinrichs-Universal TV/Chicago; Dave Garvin-CBS Spot Sales/Minneapolis; Arnie Kuenn-MediaChoice/Phoenix; Tom Lauchner-KMIR/Palm Springs; Alexandra Leh-La Cheraqui Films/LA; Phil Kellard-Drallek Inc./Pacific Palisades; Teri Korban Seide-Nielsen NRG/LA; Stephanie Kravos-Nelvana Ltd/Toronto; Bill Irwin-CILK FM/British Columbia.
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Today’s Trivia Question: Where did television character Jose Jimenez live? ( 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 03/15/04 5:22am Free Subscriptions to Cynopsis: email
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COURT TV: The I-Zone, Body of Evidence, The Investigators ABC ABC Monday Movie of the Week: The Green Mile CBS Yes Dear [r], Still Standing [r], Everybody Loves Raymond [r], Two and a Half Men [r], CSI: Miami [r] FOX That 70s Show [r], Cracking Up, Forever Eden NBC Fear Factor, Las Vegas, Average Joe: Adam Returns [p] PAX AFV, Early Edition, Diagnosis Murder UPN The Parkers [r], Eve [r], Girlfriends [r], Half & Half [r] WB 7th Heaven [r], Everwood [r] TELE Prisonera, El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas UNIV Mariana de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Cristina
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Sunday January 19, 2025 FEATURED JOB SALES LEAD – AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS UPWAVE NEW YORK, NY Build and manage relationships with our agency partners – mostly targeting media buyers and planners – and help them see the value of adding Upwave measurement to The Trade Desk campaigns. You will both leverage your existing network and […]
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Wednesday January 15, 2025 While the degree of employee engagement predicts outcomes like quality of work and profitability, US employee engagement dipped to a 10-year low in 2024, according to Gallup’s annual update. Gallup research attributes the decline to broken management practices; challenges from hybrid and remote work transitions; rapid organizational change; and new expectations. […]
Wednesday January 15, 2025 IN THE NEWS Four days after the demise of Venu Sports, DirecTV launched a skinny bundle of 40 sports and broadcast channels, MySports, priced at $69.99 per month. DirecTV has distribution agreements with media companies including Disney, Fox Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal, as well as networks from the […]
