A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM GSN

*comScore Media Metrix, Jan. ’09 Key Measures Report

Cynopsis: DIGITAL

04/28/09

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, April 28, 2009, and this is your first early morning digital briefing. 

One of the longest running patent battles in the tech space has finally come to an end. Qualcomm agreed to pay rival Broadcom $891 million over four years in a settlement of all their legal disputes. The two chip makers have been fighting for 4+ years across three venues over patent issues related to mobile processing and the battle has significantly slowed the evolution of 3G mobile technology.
 

 
AOL entered the increasingly crowded political news space with Politics Daily led by former NYTimes Washington Correspondent Melinda Henneberger, one of small team of seasoned journalists from both the old and new media spaces who will paid to contribute to the site. (Rival Huffington Post has been taken to task for relying to heavily on unpaid blog entries.) The site features a handy “Topics” tab organizing stories by hot button personalities and issues. Its “Woman Up” opinion section provides a look at political issues from woman’s point of view.
 
ABC O&Os unveiled Live Well HD, a new HD digital subchannel and multiplatform brand featuring wellness and lifestyle programming along with shows produced by local ABC stations. Initial series include: “Home with Lisa Quinn” focused on interior design, “Let’s Dish” about healthy cooking, “Mirror/Mirror” on beauty and fashion, “Say Ahh …” on health and medicine, “Motion” on outdoor activities and “Advice for Life” on personal growth. The Live Well website features a library of ad supported video content, also available on the network’s WAP site LWHDToGo.com. The ad supported network, which will be added to the Accuweather feeds at ABC-owned stations, will be run by Emily Barr, President and GM of ABC-owned WLS-TV Chicago and William Burton, EVP, Digital Media, for the ABC Owned Television Stations Group.
 
Targeting the lucrative gay travel ad market, MTV Network’s Logo launches TripOutGayTravel.com this Friday, chock full of LGBT-themed editorial content, videos from the Logoonline archive, booking functionality powered by Travelocity and social features.
 
CBS’ TV.com added full episode’s of MGM‘s classic female cop show Cagney & Lacey to its catalogue, beginning with season 2 and 3.
 

 
A new mobile application called Smub.it solves the problem of trying to share web links with friends from a mobile phone. Simply type “smub.it” before the URL in your mobile web browser and Smub provides an interface of tags allowing you to share the link via email, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Reddit, Delicious or Mixx.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TVGUIDE.COM^TM

Source: Nielsen NetView Jan-December 2008 = Time Spent & Frequency. Competition = AOL TV, Yahoo TV, MSN TV and TV.com.
Omniture, March 2009 = Unique Users.

 
Cox Enterprises’ ad network software services provider Adify unveils a unified media marketplace today, enabling advertisers make one buy across all 160 of the company’s vertical ad networks along with several Cox online properties including Cox Communications sites and AutoTrader.com. The solution delivers IAB-approved formats with a variety of services including content syndication and widget advertising, brand Performance pay-per-interaction ad units and behavioral and contextual targeting.
 
Speaking of contextual targeting, behavioral targeting specialist Media6Degrees closed on $9.8 million in series A financing with additional investment from Venrock joining U.S. Venture Partners, Contour Venture Partners, Coriolis Ventures. The start-up, headed by former Microsoft AdCenter GM Joe Doran, is working on leveraging social graph data to help advertisers target users by interests.
 
Digital radio too provider Triton Digital entered into an agreement with ReplaceAds to expand its online ad sales offerings, allowing advertisers and agencies to purchase inventory within ReplaceAds’ 5,000 station in-stream network.
 

 
Hearst Corporation announced that it has increased the price per share that it will offer to pay for the shares of Hearst-Argyle Television it doesn’t already own. The $4.50/share offer represents a 12.5% increase from the original offer it made last month and a 115% premium of what Hearst-Argyle was trading at when the offer was made.
 
If something is a threat buy it before it gets too big. Austin, TX-based Lexcycle, developer of the popular Stanza e-reader app that turns the iPhone into a mini Kindle, was purchased by Amazon for an undisclosed amount.
 

 
Ad networks, which cobble together often niche websites to try and fill unsold remnant inventory, have received both their share of hype and criticism in the marketplace. ComScore released the results of a study of various leading vertical ad networks including Adify, Federated Media, Glam Media and Travel Ad Network which found that both reach and engagement have increased dramatically over the past year at such networks. The collective reach of said networks has increased from 21.5% of the total US Internet audience to 57.1% in a year’s time from March ’08 to March ’09. Meanwhile, in a study of 5 popular categories of interests, time spent per visitor increased by at least 60% in each category. For example the Gaming category led in terms of engagement with the average visitor spending 423 minutes on sites in that category in March, 123% higher than the average visitor.
 
Growth in Vertical Ad Network Reach – March 2009 vs. March 2008
Category                                           Mar-08      Mar-09    % Change
Total U.S. Internet Audience               188,010     192,173      2%
Vertical Ad Networks – Uniques (000)    40,343     109,757    172%
Vertical Ad Networks – Reach (%)          21.5%       57.1%    166%
Source: comScore
 
Category Engagement of People Reached via Vertical Ad Networks – March 2009
Site Category                         Average Minutes per Visitor
                           People Reached by      Average Category  Index*
                          Vertical Ad Network             Visitor   
Gaming                            422.9                   190.0             223
Entertainment                   417.8                   191.4            218
Community                       136.2                     82.1            166
News/Information              123.8                     77.3            160
Health                              54.2                      31.7           171
Source: comScore
*Index = Time Spent by Vertical Ad Network visitors / Time Spent by Category Visitors x 100; Index of 100 indicates average representation
 
Experian’s panel based internet usage company Hitwise launched a measurement service for Canada reporting on 85,000 sites across 160+ industry categories.
 
Ando Media has added popular internet radio destination Pandora to its Webcast Metrics client roster. The deal, which adds more than 26 million registered Pandora users to its sample, effectively doubles the number of listeners measured by the company.
 

                                                                                    
A new $149 handheld HD camera from Genius promises to give the popular Flip Mino a run for its money. Slightly bigger than the Mino, the Genius G-Shot HD520 doubles as both a perfect-for-YouTube H.264 HD video camera and a still camera that takes 11-megapixel still shots. Electronic image stabilizers detect and correct for hand-shaking during recording and face detection technology ensures that your subjects are in focus.
 

News Corp. hired two more high level executives to join Owen Van Natta at MySpace. Former AOL executive Michael Jones was named COO and former Sling Media head of entertainment Jason Hirschhorn joins as Chief Product Officer. Both will begin immediately and report to Mr. Van Natta in MySpace’s Los Angeles headquarters.
 
Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie are among a group of distinguished scientists and executives named to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) yesterday.
 
Social network hi5 appointed serial entrepreneur Bill Gossman as CEO replacing Ramu Yalamanchi, founder and CEO since the company’s inception in 2003. Ramu will move over to the role of Chief Product Officer to lead the company’s product strategy in the social entertainment space.

Eric Warddrip, a veteran of Fox Sports.com and SI.com, has joined Yardbarker Network as Director of West Coast Sales, a new position. He is based in San Francisco.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM KCET

 
In a move to help spawn a new generation of advanced applications, Facebook launched an open stream API giving third-party developers access to users’ activity streams when creating applications. An open source approach helped catapult Twitter into the mainstream as third-party apps like Tweetdeck found a myriad of uses for the micro-blogging service. Now the race is really on between Facebook and Twitter to become the dominant real-time social messaging and commenting platform. Tweetdeck rival Seesmic is one of the first developers to take advantage of Facebook’s Open Stream API, which will be utilized in the next version of its Seesmic Desktop client application, launched earlier this month with Twitter integration. Seesmic Desktop provides an elegant drag-and-drop interface allowing you upload and receive live photo, video and text updates with friends. Cool features such as friend grouping allows you to create categories of contacts.

Later — Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
04.28.09

Cynopsis Ad Sales:
Chuck Bolkcom, Pres/COO – 646-468-6180 / [email protected]
Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 / [email protected]

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE from ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES

Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here    .

JOB OPENING: DIR, OXYGEN PRGRM RSRCH/NY: Mng all top line & detailed analyses/ratings reporting, audience profiling, presentations & highlights covering Oxygen & its competitors. Visit: www.nbcunicareers.com using job# 1019442 (5/5)

JOB OPENING: DIR, BRAND MKTG/SPEED/NC: 10+ yrs exp in mktg/adv/social ntwrkg/brand pos/strategic initiatives. Must have exp with trad and nontrad media platforms. Resumes to: www.foxcareers.com ref: FNG15901 (5/5)

JOB OPENING: ASSOCIATE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/MARATHON VENTURES, NY: Sale of short/long form direct response inventory. DR exp req. Sales or Buying exp req. Apply: [email protected] (5/5)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, ND&S/Hallmark Channel/Studio City: Increase distribution for Hallmark Channel & Movie Channel SD/HD. Min. 5 yrs. sales exp. See full posting & apply @ www.hallmarkchannel.com (5/2)

JOB OPENING: SALES COORDINATOR/LA/Ent-Media research co: Complete admin support to bus devel team. Strong multi-tasking/project mgmt skills a must.  Sales Force exp a plus. http://www.epollresearch.com/corp/aboutus/careers.view (5/2)

JOB OPENING: SR MGR, INTEGRATED MKTG /DISCOVERY/LA: TLC: Dvlp, execute integrated on-air ad sales partnerships. Mng relationships w/clients & agencies. Must have 7+ yrs on-air mkt exp. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8919 (4/30)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR MKTG/The Sportsman Channel/NY, NY: Lead mktg team’s consumer awareness efforts & affiliate mktg. 5+ yrs exp in TV or digital media. Apply: [email protected] (4/30)

JOB OPENING: VP AFFILIATE SALES/MKTG/The Sportsman Channel/Denver, CO: Lead sales & retention efforts in Western territory. 5+ yrs exp in cable television industry. Apply: [email protected] (4/30)

JOB OPENING: DIR, OPERATIONS/TLC/LA: Strat/Ops/bus planning, dev. new business, partner w/CFO & execs., 5+ yrs bus. dev./tv prod. exp., MBA desired. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8836 (4/30)

JOB OPENING: SVP AD SALES (1) /NY-CGO-LA/ TV Network: 10+ Yrs Sales & Mgmt. Oversee all aspects of new, fast growing TV ntwrk ad sales effort. Emphasis on mgmt, new biz dev, growing existing biz. Med travel. [email protected] (4/30)

JOB OPENING: MGR, INTL MKTG/PROGRAMMING/RCN CORP./Herndon, VA: Mng/execute Int’l mktg strategy initiatives; negotiate Int’l mktg plans; 5+yrs exp /Int’l mktg exp. Pref’d. Apply www.rcn.com & send resume to: [email protected] (4/30)

JOB OPENING: INTERNET SALES DIR: Mng fast growing websites, mobile platforms. Train AE’s aspects of int. & dvlpmnt of results mktg campaigns. Proven track rec of int sales success media, mktg/sales. Ltr/res: [email protected] EOE (4/30)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, OUT OF HOME DEVELOPMENT/mtvU/NYC: 5+yrs exp w/Digital Out of Home Sales, Strg OOH contacts w/agencies and clients, Successful track record in building partnerships EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (4/29)

JOB OPENING: REV ANALYST/Univision Ad Sales/NY: Strong analytical/comm/Excel skills.Asst dir w/collection of info & dissemination of sales forecasts & other reports.Work w/all levels Sales/Sales Mngmnt. EOE Res: [email protected] (4/29)

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free , and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected] .

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: PROD ASST/Zoo Productions: Asst with TV production, creative dvlpmnt rsrch, & general office tasks. College SO, JR, SR interested in TV Prod. Available May 12 – August 1 for 16-40 hrs/wk [email protected] (5/5)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: DESIGN INTERN/NYC:  Opp to design branded apparel for an exciting, new on-demand website.  Strong Photoshop and Illustrator Skills req¹d. Contact: [email protected] (5/2)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: MARKETING INTERN/truTV, NY: Support marketing department (consumer, affiliate, & ad sales). Majors: Comm., Mktg, Adv. Skills: Writing, Computer, Phone, Rsrch. Apply Online: www.turnerjobs.com – Requisition # 112159BR (4/30)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: here! Networks ( www.regentmedia.com ) and Regent Studios ( www.regentstudios.com ) Westwood office. Qualified applicants will have a strong interest in Development for Film & TV. Email: [email protected] (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …  There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad … for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected]

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCTION MANAGER (DC metro)-seasoned professional with experience on docs, corporate and commercial video-studio & remote production and post; available immediately for freelance or FT work. [email protected] (5/5)

SITUATION WANTED: REALITY PRODUCER/WRITER/DIR : NBC, TLC, CMT, CNN, E!, Discovery, pilots, sales tapes, internet; I’ll write your reality show treatment and develop your ideas. LA Based; travels well; [email protected] (5/5)

SITUATION WANTED: INTERACTIVE MEDIA SPECIALIST: LA: 18 yrs of media expertise & MBA. Research, plan, neg. & execute online campaigns; Can integrate w/non-traditional media. Avail F/P or freelance. [email protected] (5/5)

SITUATION WANTED: Audience Warm-up Artist; AP/RESEARCHER . Network-level warm-up,all types of shows; Also have clip shows, pdcn & development bkgd w/ 6 projects in hands of major prod co.. LA/NY. Contact: Steve @ [email protected] (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED: College Student. NJ/NY/CT. A summer internship with hands on exp (paid or unpaid). Majoring in INTERNATIONAL BUS at Sacred Heart University, CT. Diligent; hard working; open to all industries. [email protected] (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED: 20+ yrs. experience in TV Broadcasting & Cable ACCOUNTING/FINANCE. Seeking FT, PT or Temporary position: immediate start. Please contact [email protected] (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED: SENIOR MEDIA BUYER (NYC): Experienced National Broadcast Senior Buyer, worked with diverse blue chip clients across all dayparts. Team player, organized and detail oriented. Contact at: [email protected] (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED: PA/COORD (NY) Prod/Admin experience. Team player, highly organized, detail oriented. Natural multi-tasker seeks FT, PT, freelance work in TV/Film prod. Email: [email protected] (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED: DOCUMENTARY. PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email: [email protected] (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING EXECUTIVE in NYC area. View my web folio for resume and accomplishments: www.webprofile.info/jrayher/ (4/30)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING/PROMOTIONS/Boston: Marketing/promotions professional seeks television, web marketing, social networking focused position. Experienced in international markets. Creative + will travel. [email protected] (4/29)

SITUATION WANTED: EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER (LA) Reality-TV, Film, Commercial, Documentaries & Corporate. Creative & Flexible. Seeking Freelance or Staff Position, Remote or In-House. Reel & Contact Info: www.ChaztizedMedia.com (4/29)

SITUATION WANTED: FLYAWAY PRODUCER – 10 years experience: Available to consult, produce, fix or install your format any where in the world. Able to travel in 24 hours, based in Los Angeles, [email protected] (4/29)

SITUATION WANTED: CHILDREN’S WRITER with exp at various prod co’s & Kids’ CBC. Portfolio in educational & comedic works for kids.Exp. in development, creative consulting, editing. Freelance. Contact [email protected] (4/29)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/WRITER/DIRECTOR (NY) Ultra-creative, award winning, all formats, all genres, all major networks and major cable. Fast, frugal and fun! [email protected] (4/29)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 203.926.9878 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.

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