Cynopsis: 10th Anniversary Special Edition: “2003”

9/24/07

Greetings! It’s Monday, September 24, 2007 and this is your Cynopsis Special Edition, taking a look back at the Year 2003.

This excerpt from the March 19, 2003 edition:

The news came at 9:32pm on March 19, 2003, from NBC’s Tom Brokaw: ‘Good evening everyone, and it has been an evening of tense expectations, a forty eight hour deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq has expired about an hour and 30 minutes ago now, and we have reports that American war planes could be in the air. We are going to go to Peter Arnett who is now in Baghdad where it is early Thursday morning and air raid sirens are sounding across the Capital city. Peter, what are you hearing and what are you seeing?’

Arnett: ‘Hello Tom. I don’t know if you can hear me, but the sirens are sounding all around Baghdad — as of this moment it is about an hour before dawn here – sirens sounding but no sounds of missiles or anti aircraft fire. This could be a pre-warning of an attack. No sign of any attack but it could be a pre-warning. The sirens have now died down. In the Gulf War 12 years ago there was a similar series of sirens before the actual bombings began.’

From the Oval Office, the President declared War at 10:15pm. Peter Arnett was later fired for giving an interview to Iraqi television where he said in part that the US war plan had thus far failed. He was later rehired by nearly everyone.

73.3 million people watch the President later on that evening. 

THE NETWORKS:

CBS premiered an all new Star Search with Arsenio and delivers a 5.1/14 A18-49 for their trouble and then renews it for a second go around but that’s it
Joe Millionaire pulled a 10.1/22 for its debut episode
CBS hit the small screen with sitcom version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (everyone’s invited, nobody showed)
U.S. District Court judge determined ABC’s new reality show, I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here is different enough from Survivor to continue
ABC asked Are You Hot? and nobody answered
Fox promised a series based on a Green Acres type reality with a socialite in a farm setting
Mark Burnett’s The Restaurant debuted on NBC and the service stinks
Fox News signed Pat Sajak to host a 60m celebrity talk show debuting last spring and ending before year’s end …
National Lampoon Network launched reaching 3.5 million college students on 420 U.S. college campuses
The new Jimmy Kimmel Show launched with an open bar built into the format; the bar closed three days later after an audience member became ill from having been over-poured
Feb Sweeps are filled with Michael Jackson, Joe Millionaire finale, American Idol, Kingpin, Winter X Games, Survivor Amazon premiere
Jesse Ventura Show launches and crashes
Liza and David marry, VH1 stepped in for dinner, VH1 stepped out, everyone sues
Bravo debuted Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Fox News Reporter Greg Palkot was expelled from Iraq … later the same thing happens to Geraldo courtesy of the Pentagon (tho Geraldo denied it)
Dan Rather interviewed Saddam Hussein
MSNBC yanks Donahue
Networks brace for a potential war in Iraq and what that will mean to news coverage and advertiser makegoods
51 million tune in to the President on March 10 as Americans prepare for the inevitable
College Television Network launched on April 1
Cablevision and YES network reached a deal in time for the start of the baseball season
Networks ordered their reporters to leave Baghdad
ABC blundered with its affiliates after advising them via the internal network alert system that they plan to stay with sustaining news coverage of the war into the night, without a local news cutaway at 11pm ET, and then cut away for local news at 11p
CBS aired 2003 Masters Golf Tournament commercial free
FX announced a new series called Nip/Tuck which turned out to be a winner
CNN cancels Chung
ESPN premiered Playmakers and scored big
muchmusic usa became Fuse
PBS took viewers to yet another house – Manor House set in early 1900’s Scotland
ABC announced several regulars on The Practice will not be returning with the show in Fall 2003, despite making appearances at the upfront just a week prior
Upfront bcst primetime sales tallies up at approx $9.4 billion … cable upfront expected to go to $5.2 billion
The Al Gore Channel?
The NFL Channel launched
Comedy Central got integrated into MTVN resulting in a 20% staff cutback at CC
CBS’s new fall show NCIS changed its named to Naval CIS, then Navy CIS, then NCIS and then finally Navy NCIS which of course stands for Navy Naval Criminal Investigation Service
ESPN2 debuts Cold Pizza … chilly response
TBS picks up S*x and the City – pays a premium to get it before the broadcasters in June 2004
The death of John Ritter left ABC in a hard place – what to do with his hit sitcom? The show continued and is surviving
ABC cancelled Reality Awards due to lack of interest and/or participation
NBC exercised a call option requiring PAX to buy out NBC’s 32% ownership stake to the tune of $549.2 million
TV One will launch January 19, 2004
ABC and agency Mindshare pacted to create family-style television shows
ESPN will launch ESPN Deportes, its new 24-hour Spanish language sports network on January 7 at 8pm

SYNDICATION:

Jane Pauley’s left Dateline and NBC, but goes to NBC Enterprises for a new talk show
Oprah resurrected her book club
Jerry Springer announced he’s taking a close look at a Senate seat … then decides no
NBC Enterprises cancelled The Other Half and Weakest Link
The Apollo Theatre Foundation has come to terms with Heritage Networks and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to produce and distribute new syndicated episodes of It’s Showtime at the Apollo for the next five seasons
20th announced the Ryan Seacrest show for syndication
Hearst Entertainment got out of the distribution business, and put their focus on the business of producing reality based programs; taking over Hearst’s distribution duties was Tribune Entertainment
Ahmad Rashad signed to host eBay TV for Sony, debuting Fall 2004
South Park syndication distribution rights assigned to Debmar Studios
Buena Vista will bring Tony Danza talking to syndication in ’04
October Moon announced Video Funnies for syndication
NBC Enterprises called an end to The John Walsh Show
Warner Bros. Ellen Degeneres renewed for 2004-05
NBCE’s Starting Over is renewed on NBC O&O group for next season
NBC Enterprises and Sony are first two distributors to return to the exhibition floor at NATPE

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS:

Discovery Civilization made its official Discovery & NY Times combined debut in March as Discovery Times Channel
Talks between AOL Time Warner and ABC News for a future merger died
News Corp. acquired controlling interest Hughes Electronics in a deal valued at $6.6 billion
MGM agreed to sell its 20% stake in Cablevision’s AMC, IFC, and WE to the Cablevision Rainbow Networks division, for $500 million
Univision acquires Hispanic Broadcasting Corp in a deal valued at $3.5 billion
The Henson family bought back the Jim Henson Company

etc …

Sirius Satellite Radio said it will launch the first 24/7 gay radio channel
Boston’s WCVB and sister station WMUR/Manchester NH, signed up for local people meter subscription service
Voters News Service disappears as is reborn as polling consortium National Elections Pool
Biggest question of NATPE 2003: Will there be a NATPE 2004? Turns out yes, with Rick Feldman in charge
Space Shuttle Columbia went down
Tampa Bay Bucs win the Super Bowl and 88.64 million tune in
Jersey Films closed its doors with the expiration of its deal with Universal Pictures
Nielsen Media Research announced their rollout schedule for People Meter Service to the top 10 DMA markets
According to The Onion, NBC’s Jeff Zucker announced he will cancel CBS’ highly rated Thursday night series, CSI
Elizabeth Smart was found alive and reasonably well
NYSE pulled credentials of two Al-Jazeera reporters
Sony Music let go 1000 employees, representing 10% of the staff worldwide
Fox News satellite truck engineer Ben Johnson came back from Iraq allegedly with a few Iraqi souvenirs too many–namely, a dozen paintings among other goodies. The US Justice Dept viewed this as stealing, Fox News viewed as an employment terminating offense
Topping the Cynopsis Poll Top TV News Moments of all time was Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon and 9/11; topping the Cynopsis Poll Top TV Entertainment Moments was Bette Midler’s singing to Johnny Carson on his second to last show and the finale of the Bob Newhart Show
Annika Sorenstam takes on the men at the Colonial
Singapore launched the SARS channel to provide public information
Ruben!
FCC changed the rules, giving station owners a break by increasing the % from 35% to 45%, allowed for cross-ownership of station/newspapers/radio
Martha is indicted
ABC pulled its membership out of NAB, citing NAB’s opposition to the new ownership cap
The Senate Commerce Committee voted on June 20 not pass the recent ruling changes of the FCC
NAB changed its mind re: ownership cap
The House Appropriations Committee voted in favor of rolling back the new FCC ruling which allowed for a 45% local station ownership cap, back to 35%
Maytag got a new repairman in Hardy Rawls
Kobe Bryant went to court and then the 2003 Teen Choice Awards
The National Affiliated Stations Alliance, aka NASA, representing approx 600 station affiliates around the country, filed papers in a Washington DC Federal Appeals Court challenging the FCC’s ruling to increase the ownership cap to 45%
Arnold officially announced his intentions on Jay Leno and ultimately won the Governor seat
August 14 at approx 4:17:27pm the eastern coast is plunged into darkness
Britney kissed Madonna
September 3rd: the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia issued an order that temporarily blocked the FCC’s new ownership rules, one day before they were scheduled to go into effect
The Senate, by a vote of 55-40, approved a resolution that would effectively toss out the new FCC ownership rules, now on to the House
Ben and J Lo are getting married … no they’re not … yes they are … no they’re not … taking bets …
Bates Worldwide agency announced it is closing its doors
Poker becomes a big deal
Do Not Call went into effect despite some last minute restraining orders and reversals
US Treasury spends $10-$12 million to promote the new $20 bill
UK’s Channel 4 airs a ‘live’ game of Russian Roulette
A new program buying consortium, the Program Purchase Cooperative (PPC), was formed by 228 broadcast stations in the 100+ markets, a group designed to effectively compete with the WB 100+ station group … PPC’s first order of business was to acquire On Air with Ryan Seacrest from 20th
Yule Log returns
Billboard posted outside CNN: Come Home Connie: CNN Needs You. Brought to you by your friends at Fox News. No comment from CNN
Who took all the M18-34? Nielsen says its a number of factors, networks say its Nielsen … cable says HA! not our problem
Cynopsis hits 20,000 subscribers
Congressional republican leadership and the White House agreed to roll back the broadcast ownership cap to a permanent 39%
Mick Jagger is knighted
Saddam Hussein captured
For the first time in history, ad supported cable was in a position to win the primetime HH share race in fourth qtr 2003 over the seven broadcast networks with a projected final outcome of 49.1 HH Share for ad supported cable vs. a 48.4 HH share for the broadcasters, according to Turner Bcsting projections
Nielsen said no to KZTV and then erroneously released the data anyway thereby “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” said Jack Loftus
Jackson speaks on 60 Minutes

EXECUTIVE MOVES:

David Lyle named President/Fremantle Media NA and Cecile Frot-Coutaz upped to COO/Production
Hank Ratner has been named Vice Chairman of Cablevision Systems Corp.
Linda Yaccarino upped to GM/TBS Superstation and TNT Sales and later in the year upped to EVP Turner Ent. Sales & Mktg
Albie Hecht named President of The New TNN later renamed Spike TV after much legal spiking from Spike Lee, tho none from Rugrats Spike or other spikes
Thomas Mottola, Chairman/CEO of Sony Music, stepped down
NBC’s Prez/CEO Andrew Lack resigned
Walter Isaacson, head of CNN, stepped down
Elizabeth Yost upped to Head of Original Programming & Development for Hallmark Channel
Salaam Coleman Smith named SVP/Programming for E! Entertainment Television
Dick Parsons named Chairman of AOL Time Warner
Lisa Hackner named EVP/Development for Universal Domestic Television
Don Hewitt, 80, and CBS News agreed Hewitt sticks around for another 18 months, and then he’ll turn over his 60 Minutes Executive Producer title to Jeff Fager
Donna Friedman Meir named President/Kids’ Programming & Production for National Geographic Television & Film .
Hugh Marks named CEO/Southern Star Entertainment, Australia
Ted Turner officially resigned as Vice Chairman of AOL Time Warner Inc. .
Randy Falco was upped to Group President/NBC Television Network
After three years as President of Fox Sports Net, Tracy Dolgin chose not to re-up
Laurie Younger named President/Buena Vista Worldwide Television Distribution
John Ford resigned his post as President of Discovery Networks to become President of New Media at Discovery
Robert Friedman named President/Classic Media
Jamie Kellner resigned his post and returned to California where he continues as Chairman/CEO of the WB Network until the end of his contract (summer 2004) as well as continue as Chairman/CEO of Acme Communications station group
Rick Mischel appointed CEO of Canada’s Mainframe Entertainment, Inc
After 17 years, Harvey Ganot left the MTV Networks building
Robert J. Dowling, named President of the Film and Performing Arts Group of VNU Business Publications USA
Neal Kirsch named CFO/Discovery Networks, U.S.
Jeffrey Offsay, President of Programming at Showtime announced he’ll leave at year’s end
Barry Diller resigned as CEO from Vivendi Universal Entertainment
Mel Karmazin re-upped at Viacom
Johnathan Rodgers named President/CEO of the new cable network targeting adult African American and urban viewers, scheduled for launch later this year by Comcast Corporation and Radio One
Patrick Vien named President/Universal Studios Network
Ian Beavis resigned as President/CEO of Foote Cone & Belding Worldwide/San Francisco
Steve Koonin elevated to EVP/COO of both TNT and TBS Superstation
Walt Zifkin, CEO of the William Morris Agency, became CEO emeritus
Pat Summerall retired
Brooke Bailey Johnson named SVP & GM of Food Network
Rick Rodriguez, named EVP/GM of the Travel Channel
Sean Cunningham named CEO/President of the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau
Dennis Miller signed with Fox News
AMC President Kate McEnroe is dismissed along with thirteen other AMC employees due to improper accounting of expense accruals to the tune of $6.2 million over a three year period
Larry Goodman bails as President/CNN Sales and Marketing, Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc., and Greg D’Alba was upped to EVP/COO of CNN Advertising Sales & Marketing for TBSI
Robert Greenblatt named President/Entertainment at Showtime Networks
Rick Haskins upped to EVP/GM of Lifetime Entertainment Services and Lynn Picard upped to EVP/GM of Lifetime Television Network
Mickey Marks, President of Omnicom’s PHD resigned
Barbara Bennett named EVP/CFO for Discovery Communications, Inc.
Bob Ambrosini ankles CFO post at BET channel
Dick Beahrs, President/COO of Court TV announced his retirement at the end of the calendar year
Art Bell upped to President/COO of Court TV
Que Spaulding, President/Distribution for Starz Encore Group LLC retired
Robert Clasen named President/Sales & Marketing for Starz Encore
Kathleen Dore named President /Entertainment Services at Rainbow Media Holdings
Carat North America announced the launch of a new business unit, Carat Sponsorship Solutions with Diane Karle heading it up
Jeff Sagansky left the Pax building
Robert C. Brennan, President of Leo Burnett Worldwide, resigned
Peter Chrisanthopoulos upped to President/COO at Pappas Telecasting
Anne Sweeney will oversee ABC Family putting into question the future of Angela Shapiro, which Angela herself answers a few short weeks later
Dennis Miller goes to CNBC
James Murdoch named CEO of BSkyB
Brian Williams jumps from CNBC to NBC after New Year
John Goldwyn, President of Paramount Pictures and Vice Chairman of its Motion Picture Group, will step down as soon as a successor can be named
Roy Disney, Chairman Feature Animation Division and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Walt Disney Company resigned and called for Eisner’s resignation
Stanley Gold offered up his resignation and reiterated Roy Disney’s call for Michael Eisner’s resignation
Kay Koplovitz named the Chairman of Reality Central
Michael Lynton to the position of Chairman/CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Dennis FitzSimons became the Chairman of Tribune Co
Jeff Zucker, Prez/NBC Entertainment, named Prez/Entertainment, News and Cable Group

IN MEMORIUM:

Dale Kendall Brown … Royce Applegate … Thomas Wyman … Joe Cartwright … Richard Crenna … Al Hirschfeld … Nell Carter … Jeremy Stabile … Nick Petrosino … Fred Rogers … Thomas Wyman … Lynne Thigpen … Paul Stojanovich … Michael Jeter … David Bloom … Michael Kelly … Kaveh Golestan … Paul Moran … Gaby Rado … Terry Lloyd … Robert Stack … Charles Barile … Trevor Goddard … Bill Jarvis … David Brinkley … Gregory Peck … Winthrop “Win” Baker Jr. … Hume Cronyn … Donna Salvatore … Katharine Hepburn … Buddy Hackett … Buddy Ebsen … Robert M. Batscha … Kevin McDonald … Trevor Nelson … Bob Hope … Gregory Hines … Barbara Miller … Charles Bronson … Sean Kimmerling … John Ritter … Gordon Jump … Donald O’Connor … Elia Kazan … Gail A. Sullivan … Hess Quintin … Johnny Cash … Rod Roddy … Art Carney … Laurence A. Tisch … Gene Anthony Ray … Kellie Waymire … Sam Stallworth … Linda Mancuso … Alan Bates … Don Durgin … Earl Hindman …

Later  — Cyn
09.24.07

Cynopsis Ad Sales: 
Mark Bohn- 203- 583-1224 /

Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 /

Cynopsis website – Video Resumes, Extended Classified Ads, Archives, and the Cynopsis Daily Video

To Subscribe to any Cynopsis editions, go to www.cynopsis.com and click on the Subscribe tab
To Unsubscribe, click on the link at the bottom of this email

CableU – Know Networks Better. Pitch Smarter. Click here

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free.
Copyright Cynopsis 2007