CYNTHIA TURNER’S
CYNOPSIS

12/16/04

Good morning. It’s Thursday, December 16, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing.

RDF Media has filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against Fox Broadcasting and Rocket Science Laboratories, the producers of Fox’s Trading Spouses, for $18 million plus as a result of alleged copyright infringement.  RDF Media is the producer of Wife Swap, which airs on ABC.  ABC is not a party to the suit.  RDF claims Fox’s Trading Spouses is “nothing more than a blatant and wholesale copycat of RDF Media’s original” which debuted on the BBC in 2003, then sold the format rights to ABC. 

Tonight’s Finale:
NBC:  The Apprentice 8-11p

Casting / Development / Production

• Showtime has ordered 10 episode of a series called Weeds (Lions Gate Television).  The show stars Mary Louise Parker as a newly widowed wife/mother (think “soccer mom” type), who without an alternative source of income, decides to grow marijuana to support her family.  The project also stars Kevin Nealon and Elizabeth Perkins. The show is scheduled to debut in 2nd or 3rd qtr 2005.
• WB has ordered an as yet untitled comedy project (Mohawk Prods/Warner Bros. TV) about a mid-20’s woman who sets out to achieve all the luxuries she sees in the movies, on television and in the magazines, from producer Bruce Helford (Drew Carey Show, George Lopez), per Hollywood Reporter.  The pilot project stars Marley Shelton.
• ABC is developing a comedy project from Sony Pictures Television which will star Marissa Jaret Winokur (Broadway’s Hairspray) with writer/producer Dana Klein about a young married woman who does well in business, and moves her family to a lovely gated community.
• Brad Grey Television has received a script commitment with penalty from Fox for a comedy project starring Nick Lachey portraying a retired pro baseball player coming home to his dysfunctional family, per Variety. Etan Cohen will write and exec prod.
• Lorraine Bracco will join the cast of Law & Order: Trial by Jury in what is expted to be a recurring role.  The show is scheduled to make its network debut in 1st qtr 2005 on NBC.  Other cast members include Jerry Orbach, Fred Thompson, Bebe Neuwirth, Kirk Acevedo, Amy Carlson and David Rogers. 

PAX will launch its new action adventure series Young Blades (Shavick/Insight Studio with The Hatchery) starting January 23 at 8pm with the first of its 22 ep season. The show is set in 17th century France and takes its inspiration from  the classic tale, Three Musketeers.

The jury’s sentence recommendation in the Scott Peterson case drew a record 2.5 HH rtg and a 1.0 A18-49 rating for Court TV, a total of 2.4 million viewers 2+ during the 15m period of 4:45-5:00pm on December 13. According to the network, Court TV was the #1 news network during the 15m frame, surpassing Fox News in both HHs and A18-49.

A&E Television Networks has picked up 18 hours of new documentary programming from Granada International to be aired on the History Channel both here and internationally. Programs include: When Hitler Invaded Britain; China: The Dragon’s Ascent (8x1hr) and The Adventure of English (8x1hr).

NBC led on Tuesday night among A18-49 with an overall 4.2/11 according to final numbers from Nielsen Media Research.  ABC and CBS tied for #2, each posting a 3.5/9, followed by  Fox 2.1/6, WB 1.4/4, UPN 1.1/3.  At 8pm NBC’s Biggest Loser was the biggest winner with a 4.6/12 for the 90m show.  Meanwhile, CBS and ABC were basically tied from 8-9p, each posting a 9 share.  Fox, WB and UPN were all tied during the 8-9p hour with a 4 share.  At 9p Amazing Race tallied up a 4.1/10, while ABC’s According to Jim and George Lopez posted a 3.7/10 and 3.9/10, respectively.  House on Fox, the net’s newest drama series, upped its lead-in by 3 share point, delivering a 2.6/7. A repeat of Law & Order SVU led the 10p hour with a 4.3/12, followed by NYPD Blue (3.4/9) and Judging Amy (2.9/8).

Despite being petitioned to the contrary, the FCC will not extend its indecency regulations to the subscription satellite radio service arena, thereby permitting Howard Stern to do as he sees fit once he gets to Sirius Satellite Radio. The request was filed by Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters.  According to the FCC rules and regulations, indecency standards set for broadcast television and over the air radio, but does not include pay services (i.e., cable and satellite radio).

According to an item in today’s Daily Variety, Tribune Entertainment is laying off at least three executives and plans to close its Atlanta office. The executives immediately effected are Rob Corona, Sam Fuller (who heads up the Atlanta office), and Adriana Cevallos.  Tribune’s current slate of syndicated fare include a handful of weeklies sold on a barter basis, and handling the distribution of Fremantle’s Family Feud, two projects from Hearst: Famous Homes & Hideaways and Ron Hazelton’s House Calls, and a barter movie package from DreamWorks.   In development, in conjunction with MGM, is a syndicated weekly series based on the movie Legally Blonde.  Planned for next year was a strip called Real People, which has been backburnered.

CBS has created the CBS Marketing Group, with George Schweitzer as the helm as its President.  CBS Marketing Group is a full service marketing, advertising and media org overseeing the strategic creative and media marketing aspects of CBS, UPN, King World, Paramount, Infinity and Viacom Outdoor.  Additionally, the group is responsible for sales promotion, affiliate promotion, network creative services and all special events including affiliate meetings and upfront presentations.  Additional appointments include Ron Scalera as EVP/Creative Director and Anne O’Grady, as EVP of the group.

NBC Universal Cable Entertainment has upped Dan Harrison to SVP/Cross-Network Strategy & Emerging Networks, reporting to Jeff Gaspin, President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment & Cross Platform Strategy.  Dan’s added responsibilities include the strategic planning of cross-platform programming for NBC Universal’s entertainment cable networks, including USA, Sci Fi and Bravo. Additionally, he will oversee Universal HD, the company’s new high-definition cable network, as well as work with Gaspin on new channel development, both linear and VOD offerings.

Steve Blamer will be making his way to Interpublic Group of Cos. in the near future as President and CEO of Foote Cone & Belding Worldwide.  He is currently the president and CEO of Grey Global Group’s Grey Worldwide-North America.  Steve will start at Interpublic on January as he replaces FCB Worldwide’s CEO and chairman Brendan Ryan.  Brendan will remain on in his chairman position.

Warner Bros. Entertainment named Gaetano Mastropasqua as SVP of Corporate Global Promotions and Partner Relations.  He will oversee existing and developing marketing promotions and teams.  Gaetano was previously with Equity Marketing Inc. as president.  He will report to Diane Nelson, EVP of global brand management and be based in Burbank.

A couple of End of Year Housekeeping Notes: 

• If your IT Dept is planning on adding any new spam/junk mail filters for the first of the year, please advise them Cynopsis is delivered daily from
  , so they can add the address to their white list.
• If your email address will be changing for the new year (or at any time for that matter), changing your subscription address to any Cynopsis edition is now handled automatically given the large volume of new subscriptions each day. Just go to http://www.cynopsis.com/subscriptions.cfm?sub1=1, and subscribe your new address, while unsubscribing the old address at the bottom of the same page.  That’s all there is to it.
• The final 2004 edition for Cynopsis is December 22; the first edition of the new year (after the traditional January 1 edition), will be on Monday, January 3rd.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004. FINAL Ratings for all Networks – program averages.  Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat

CBS     8.1/13  NCIS 9.4/15, Amazing Race 7.0/11, Judging Amy 7.9/13

NBC     7.0/11  The Biggest Loser 7.3/11, Scrubs [r] 4.6/7, Law & Order: SVU[r] 7.6/13

ABC     6.9/11  I Want a Dog For Christmas Charlie Brown 6.2/10, According to Jim 7.1/11, George Lopez 7.1/11, NYPD Blue 6.9/11

FOX     3.4/5   Rebel Billionaire 2.4/4, House 4.4/7

UPN     1.9/3   All of Us 2.2/3, Eve 2.1/3, Veronica Mars 1.6/2

WB      2.1/3   Gilmore Girls [r] 2.3/4, High School Reunion 1.9/3

A18-49  NBC 4.2/11, ABC and CBS 3.5/9, Fox 2.1/6, WB 1.4/4, UPN 1.1/3

A MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC CABLE DISTRIBUTION

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1773:  Under cover of darkness and disguised as native Americans, brewer/patriot Samuel Adams leads a group of Massachusetts colonists aboard three British ships moored in Boston Harbor, dumping their cargos of tea overboard.  The “Boston Tea Party” was an escalation of protests against British taxation policies, which favored metropolitan interests over those of the colonies.  It led directly to the blockade and occupation of Boston, and from there to the colonies’ declaration of independence from Britain.

Answer Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  Who said: “May a crazed lizard unravel your underwear”?  Think of this as a holiday gift – CARNAC THE MAGNIFICIENT (aka Johnny Carson).  Kudos to EVERYBODY IN THE FREE WORLD AND BEYOND!!

A MESSAGE FROM AMC

Today’s Trivia Question:  If you were attending the Marlin Military Academy, who is a likely student you’d run into?  (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

Later — Cyn
12.16.04  5:27am

In 2005, Cynopsis will offer new ad space. Interested?

Archived Editions: www.Cynopsis.com
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A MESSAGE FROM REACH MEDIA

*Arbitron M-S, M-F, SU 2004, MSA

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free.
Copyright Cynthia Turner 2004

CYNOPSIS CLASSIFIEDS

JOB OPENING:  KUVN 23/ KSTR 49 RESEARCH ANALYST. Compile & analyze Nielsen ratings data & syndicated market research info. Min 2 yrs research/ marketing/sales exp.  Bilingual (Engl/ Span) is pref.  KUVNHRDept
.  EOE. (12/22)

JOB OPENING:  SR. RESEARCH ASSOC./PBS-DC area. Oversee nat’l Nielsen orders and database. Attn to detail. Grad degree/Research methods, stats pref. D-base mgt. 1-3 yr exper. Excel, Access, SPSS. Info/apply at www.pbs.org/jobs. EOE  (12/21)

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)

JOB OPENING:  SUPERVISING PRODUCER, mtvU/NYC. 7yrs TV prod exp, Exp in managing freelance/staff, Exp with casting/shooting/scripting/editing Strng organizer, multi-tasker & fast paced  EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/18)

JOB OPENING:  PROD MGR, NEWS&DOCS DEVELOPMENT, MTV/NYC. 7+yrs exp single&multi cam/reality show prod mgmt, Exp w/development budgets/pilots, Knwldge of MovieMagic, Strg Org/Fin/Neg skills, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/18)

JOB OPENING:  DIR, TALENT-MTV/NYC. 4-6yrs exp Booking TV/Film celebs, athletes/politicians/music artists, Strg relationshps at PR firms, Exp w/Talent Relations&Contracts, Strg negot skills, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/18)

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)

JOB OPENING:  GENERAL SALES MANAGER/FOX SPORTS NET NEW ENGLAND, Burlington, MA. 10+ years exp leading network ad sales team, setting strategy, developing budget and business plans. Email executivena@aol.com  (12/18)

JOB OPENING:  AFFILIATE RELATIONS, WESTERN REGION/XY.tv/LA or Denver. VP or Director. Dist/mrkt all svcs inc. linear vid, VOD and broadband initiatives. 5+ yrs exp cable/ent. MBA pref. 75% travel req. Email
   (12/17)

JOB OPENING:  CUSTOMER SERVICE REP-Verance Corp/NY.  Min 3-5 yrs customer service environment.  Familiarity w/media buying, ad agency scheduling systems, trafficking systems & applications  E-mail w/o attachments:
(12/17)

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED —

SITUATION WANTED: MBA Candidate with specialization in Media Management is seeking full-time job opportunity. 7+ years experience in technology consulting – looking to transition into TVBroadcast in NYC. E-Mail:
  (12/23)

SITUATION WANTED:  Experienced SCREENWRITER/ PROMO WRITER seeking script rewriting assignment. Experience at Universal/NBC and reality TV. I can make any script a red hot rocket destined for box office glory. Email:
  (12/23)

SITUATION WANTED: BIZ DEV, STRATEGY, PLANNING & OPS EXEC, MBA + 20yrs exp, Cable/Program Distribution (VOD), Interactive Media & Consumer Electronics, seeks consulting/interim/FT assignment. NYC based. Travel OK
  (12/23)

SITUATION WANTED:  Female mktg. guru and sales person seeks freelance gig for NATPE. Will work from LA and help in LV. References and proven track record. Email me at

or cel (954) 270-1725  (12/23)

SITUATION WANTED:  15 yr+ LA Coordinating Producer relocated to DC Metro area. Available for work ASAP in DC Metro, LA or elsewhere – casting,talent relations, publicity, clearances and S&P. Email
   (12/23)

SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE AWARDS COORDINATOR: 6 yrs exp. managing awards entries for major cable nets. Highly familiar w/ all major awards comps: Emmys, Peabodys, Promax, etc. Will process entries & materials.

  (12/18)

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  DECEMBER 16, 2004:

ABC             A Charlie Brown Christmas, life as we know it, Primetime Live
CBS             CSI, CSI, Without a Trace
FOX             The O.C., North Shore
NBC             The Apprentice [finale]
PAX             AFV, AFV, Diagnosis Murder, Diagnosis Murder
UPN             WWE Smackdown
WB              WB Movie:  Crossroads
TELE            La Mujer en el Espejo, Gitanas, Te Voy a Ensenar a Querer
UNIV            Rubi, Amor Real, Aqui y Ahora