Cynopsis

12.08.09

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, December 8, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing.  And as always, if you prefer to watch this morning’s news instead of reading it, click here.  

Tonight’s Premieres:
ABC: Better Off Ted at 930p
Syfy: Outer Space Astronauts at 930p
MTV: Teen Mom at 10p

Tonight’s Finales:
NBC: The Biggest Loser at 8p
Syfy: Scare Tactics at 9p

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TV GUIDE NETWORK™

On ABC’s Good Morning America yesterday, Diane Sawyer announced she will end her run as GMA anchor this Friday. Diane also announced she will take over from Charlie Gibson as anchor of ABC’s World News beginning December 21.

Sunday night’s series finale of Monk on USA Network at 9p set the record as the most-watched basic cable original drama series telecast ever with total viewers. The episode attracted 9.4 million total viewers, a +37% increase over the previous episode high mark during Monk’s eight-season run. Monk’s concluding episode also drew in 3.2 million A18-49 and 3.7 million A25-54 viewers. Additionally, the fall season finale of White Collar at 10p drew in 5.55 million total viewers, along with 2.1 million A18-49 and 2.25 million A25-54 viewers.

NBC scaled back its order for midseason sitcom 100 Questions produced by Universal Media Studios from 13 episodes to six, reports THR. NBC said the reason for the cut-back is due to handing full-season pickups to frosh comedy Community and Parks and Recreation in its second season. NBC also cited the order reduction was due to the Winter Olympics preempting primetime shows for two weeks in February.

Starting January 2, Animal Planet is going to the dogs on Saturday nights, pairing two one-hour series about canines. The network will air the dog makeover series Underdog to Wonderdog at 8p followed by It’s Me or the Dog featuring dog trainer Victoria Stilwell at 9p.

Piers Morgan, one of the judges on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent shows will host the upcoming TV Guide Network concert special highlighting the talent of Susan Boyle. I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story will air on the TV Guide Network this Sunday at 8p. The one-hour special will feature stage performances by Boyle and many guest stars as well as Boyle performing with the London cast of Les Miserables.

VH1 is ushering in “March Madness” with the debut of new original series Basketball Wives on March 15, 2010. During eight half-hour episodes, Basketball Wives goes inside the lives of the wives, girlfriends and even ex-wives of top NBA pros. The cast includes Jennifer Williams, wife of Eric Williams; Evelyn Lozanda, ex-fiance of Antoine Walker; Mesha O’Neal, wife of Jermaine O’Neal; Royce Reed, Faith Rain, Udonis Haslem’s girlfriend; and Shaunie O’Neal, wife of Shaquille O’Neal, who also is an executive producer. The series is produced by Shed Media with production beginning this month.

E! finished the sixth season of The Girls Next Door Sunday with two back-to-back episodes from 10-11p, averaging close to 1 million total viewers and posting a 1.2 rating among W18-34.

Latino broadcast network SiTV picked up the spinoff reality series Elle & Tito: The Married Life based on the popular web series Married on MySpace. Beginning March 29, SiTV will launch the series, marking the first time a web series has continued on as a reality show on TV. Endemol USA is producing the new reality series. SiTV will air three episodes in December as a promotion for the series launch in March, utilizing footage from the web series. MySpace will also air the original 13 webisodes a day prior to each TV episode through the season.

BBC America will bring back a third season of Last Restaurant Standing, helmed by world-famous chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc, starting January 5 at 9p. Nine ambitious couples will compete to win the chance to open a new restaurant with help from Blanc.

Nielsen released its most recent quarterly A2/M2 Three Screen Report for third quarter 2009, showing consumers are adding video platforms to their daily schedules and not replacing them. In Q3 2009, DVR usage is up +21.1% versus the previous year and online video watching has also spiked to +34.9% over last year. Other nuggets of information gleaned from the report include:

• The average American in third quarter this year watched 31 hours of TV per week, with 31 of those minutes in playback mode with their DVR.
• Each week, the average consumer spent four hours on the internet and 22 minutes watching online video.
• Also, each week the average consumer spent three minutes watching mobile video.

Nielsen reports it will start measuring TV viewing in Puerto Rico with TV ratings data available in first quarter 2010. Nielsen’s first clients to sign up for this new service are three Puerto Rican stations: WKAQ-TV, the Telemundo O&O; WLII-TV, the Univision affiliate; and WAPA-TV and Independent station.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE TELEVISION ACADEMY HONORS™

 
Twentieth Television, Inc. announced renewals for Divorce Court and Judge Alex, taking both syndicated series through the 2011-2012 season. Both shows are cleared in 75% of the US for the upcoming season in all top 15 markets including the Fox Television Stations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago. Judge Alex is currently in its fifth season while Divorce Court is in its eleventh season.
 
International television program distributor, CABLEready acquired the exclusive international distribution rights to the series Wine Portfolio produced by Re:Source Media. With ten half-hour hi-def episodes, Wine Portfolio travels to the wine regions of the world in addition to top restaurants known for their food and wine.
 
This month the on-demand TV channel Eurocinema, the network exclusively airing contemporary and popular European and international films, is expanding in the US and Canada. Eurocinema is available to 29 million US households via new launches on Cablevision in New York; Service Electric in Pennsylvania; and Hotwire and Verizon, joining other cable, broadband and satellite providers including Time Warner, Charter, Mediacom, DirecTV and Dish. In Canada, Eurocinema is adding Cogeco cable in English-speaking Quebec and Ontario along with current subscribers on Rogers and Shaw systems, taking the Canadian reach to 3.5 million households.
 
French-language network TV5Monde USA will launch on Cox cable system in New Orleans today via the Sports and Information tier. 

Oxygen Media is developing a docu-series with Russell Simmons called The Russell Simmons Project focusing on the women in Simmons’ life. The series will follow the entrepreneur and fashion guru and the team of women who run his business and personal life from the penthouse office base on Fashion Avenue in New York City. These women, on behalf of Simmons, interact with top celebrities to former presidents and international royalty. The Russell Simmons Project was developed and executive produced by Simmons Lathan Media Group and Picture This Television.

ABC is adding Elisha Cuthbert (FOX’s 24) to the cast of The Forgotten as a recurring character staring in February. Cuthbert will play Maxine Denver, a strong and successful Chicago professional who learns to respect the amateur detectives.

Jerry O’Connell will co-star in NBC’s dramedy pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, replacing Sendhil Ramamurthy just days after he was cast in the role. Ramamurthy, who also stars on NBC’s Heroes, stepped out of the role because of scheduling conflicts. O’Connell will play an ambitious though good-natured lawyer who was used to playing second fiddle to Rex (David Tennant) until Rex’s career changes. O’Connell’s character also falls in love with Rex’s fiance. The pilot also cast Lindsey Kraft to play Rex’s assistant and Cleo King as a practical-minded private school bus driver.

CBS has a drama in the works based on the upcoming novel Private co-written by James Patterson, cites Variety. Twentieth Century Fox TV and Imagine TV will produce the project that was granted a script plus penalty commitment from CBS. Jason Cahill (Fringe, The Sopranos) will pen the adaptation. The plot is about Jack Morgan, an ex-Marine and former CIA agent who takes over his dad’s detective and security business. Executive producers include Cahill, Imagine’s Brian Grazer and David Nevins as well as Patterson.

ESPN is teaming with BASE Productions to offer the unscripted series Sport Science across ESPN’s multiple platforms starting in January. The terms of the new deal allow ESPN to develop Sport Science programming, including branded segments for various ESPN series such as College Game Day, SportsCenter and other big events and 30m specials. ESPN will also make Sport Science content available across platforms ESPN.com, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile. Sport Science is hosted by John Brenkus, who also serves as executive producer and co-creator of the series, along with BASE Productions’ Mickey Stern.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NATPE

Friday A18-49 Analysis: CBS topped the list Friday night among A18-49 at 1.8/6, according to final national ratings from Nielsen. CBS did best at 8p with Ghost Whisperer at 1.9/7 followed by UNIV’s En Nombre Del Amor at 1.6/5. UNIV came back a winner at 9p with Sortilegio delivering a 1.9/6 with CBS playing second fiddle with Medium at 1.8/5. During 10p, ABC’s 20/20 and CBS’ Numb3rs tied for first place at 1.6/5 each while NBC’s The Jay Leno Show and UNIV’s La Rosa de Guadalupe shared the second slot with 1.2/4 apiece.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Friday, December 4, 2009 time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

CBS: 4.8/8         Ghost Whisperer 5.2/9, Medium 4.4/7, Numb3rs 4.7/8

NBC: 3.2/6          Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa [r] 2.4/4, Dateline 4.0/7, The Jay Leno Show 3.1/6

ABC: 3.1/5          Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation 2.4/4, Ugly Betty 2.9/5, 20/20 4.0/7

UNIV: 2.1/4        En Nombre Del Amor 2.2/4, Sortilegio 2.4/4, La Rosa de Guadalupe 1.5/3

FOX: 1.4/2          Dollhouse 1.5/3, Dollhouse 1.3/2

CW: 1.2/2           Smallville [r] 1.1/2, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer [r] 1.2/2

ION: 0.7/1          Criminal Minds 9P 0.6/1, Criminal Minds 10P 0.9/2

TELE: 0.6/1         Mas Sabe El Diablo 0.7/1, Ninos Ricos 0.5/1, Victorinos 0.5/1

A18-49: CBS 1.8/6, UNIV 1.6/5, NBC 1.3/4, ABC 1.2/4, FOX 0.8/3, CW 0.8/2, TELE 0.5/1, ION 0.3/1

Discovery Communications tapped Peter Liguori as COO where he will report to David Zaslav, President/CEO. Peter succeeds Mark Hollinger who is taking on the new position as President/CEO of Discovery Networks International. Peter begins his new position with Discovery Communications on January 19, becoming a member of the senior management team with oversight of Marketing, Discovery Studios, Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs, Business Affairs and Media Technology, Production and Operations. Peter will also be the lead liaison representing Discovery Communications in its joint ventures with Hasbro, Inc. and OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Previously, Peter was President/Entertainment with Fox Broadcasting Company.

RDF Contact, the brand division of RDF Media Group, hired Simon Podd as Head/Sales. In his new role, Simon will work with Charlie Leahy, Creative and Commercial Executive across the company’s roster of social media content properties. Prior to this appointment, Simon worked for Bebo where he served as Head/Sales.

John Taite advanced to VP/Programming, EMEA with BBC Worldwide Channels. John will supervise the editorial for all BBC-branded channels across the EMEA region in addition to heading a team of schedulers, media planners and presentation planners. John will continue to jointly report to Dean Possenniskie, SVP/GM, BBC Worldwide Channels, EMEA and to David Weiland, SVP/Programming and TV Channels.

Univision Communications Inc. announced it is expanding its scope of original productions and co-productions by establishing Univision Studios. The new studio will be headed by Luis Fernandez as President. Univision Studios will be based in Miami with Luis reporting to Cesar Conde, President, Univision Networks.

Amy Stevens joins MSG Media in the newly created post of SVP/Strategic Alliances for national music network, Fuse. Amy will be in charge of finding and developing strategic partnerships, acquisitions and other new business opportunities to support and elevate the Fuse brand. Previously, Amy was Director/Marketing and Promotions for CBS Radio and the seven stations in the Los Angeles area.

Romy Ricart was added at Moving Pictures Film & Television as International Sales Executive based at the company’s Santa Monica office. Romy will sell rights to MPFTV’s 600 hours of film and TV content to TV and DVD buyers in German-speaking territories, Eastern and Central Europe and Asia. She will also manage the company’s contract administration department.

MTV hired Nick Shore as SVP/Strategic Insights and Research based at the network’s New York office. Nick will head all facets of research across MTV, MTV2, mtv.com, MTVU and MTV Tr3 as well as keeping a finger on the trends of young adults and youth culture. Nick’s position will help communicate and develop strategy for all aspects of the network and the MTV brand. He will report directly to Stephen Friedman, GM, MTV.
 

This day in History:  1998 – AT&T Corp. announced that it was buying IBM’s data networking business for $5 billion cash.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:   What TV character was nicknamed The Dancing Doctor?  DR. BEVERLY CRUSHER (GATES McFADDEN) on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION  Kudos to:  Karen Daniels-Pixel Pictures; Jonathan Griffith-HBO/NY; Rory Rosegarten-The Conversation Company/Roslyn NY; Marge Pistulka-Empower MediaMarketing/Coral Springs; Julie Anne Barton-Dream World Prods/Tucson; Brian Fleming-Tribune Television/New Orleans; Peter Alexander-Scout Prods/LA; Paul Sanchez-Disney ABC Television Group/Burbank; Scott Seomin-FX/LA; Andrew Clavin-Zenith Media/LA;

Today’s Trivia Question:  This commercial was created by Doyle Dane and Bernbach in 1969 and it thereafter ran for 15 years.  It was ranked by TV Guide as the #6 top commercial of all time.  The ad stars a gorilla, who we later learned was not as real as he appeared.  What was this ad for?   (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. 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 CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM IAB

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Leveraging the expertise of our members, the IAB delivers cutting-edge training on the latest tools, techniques and best practices in interactive advertising. Each module gives marketers, agencies and publishers the skills needed to succeed in the rapidly changing digital landscape.

Classes are led by industry leaders such as Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo!, Nielsen, comScore, Q Interactive, and more. For more info:  www.iab.net/professional_development

Later — Cyn
12.08.09

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Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 / [email protected]

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

JOB OPENING: CLIENT STRATEGY DIR/Private agency/Cincinnati, OH: 7+yrs acct&project mgmt exp. in media/mkting/online, CPG client exp. Organized, detailed, love solving marketing challenges. Resumes: [email protected] (12/15)

JOB OPENING: OPS & ADMIN ASST/Times Square Jumbotron/NY: Support ops/biz dev team, material traffic/ingestion/scheduling, PoP reports, analysis, liaison w/ sales & clients, detail oriented must. Email: [email protected] (12/15)

JOB OPENING: DIR RESEARCH/MTVN/Nickelodeon: BA, 6+ yrs media/cable Progrmg resch exp. Strong supv/communic/editorial sk. Str analy sk. Proficient w/Nielsen software and related svcs. Apply www.mtvnetworkscareers.com EOE (12/15)

JOB OPENING: COMMERCIAL OPS SPECIALIST/CMT/NYC: 1+ yr sched commercials exp. Strong multi-tasking, org and communication skill. Exp with Gabriel or similar sys. Prof in MS Office. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply http://mtvnetworkscareers.com (12/12)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED MARKETING/Nickelodeon/NYC: 8+yrs Integ Mrktg/Sales exp @ a TV Network, Strng Packged Goods exp, Strng Ideation/Acct Mgmt exp, Stng Projct Mgmt skills EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply  www.mtvnetworkscareers.com (12/12)

JOB OPENING: SR RESEARCH ANALYST/ Vh1/NYC: 2 yrs natl resch exp.Str analytic/detail/organiz sk.Prof w/Nielsen, Npower, AudienceWatch, Multitrak. Str written/oral comm. Sk.Prof MS Office. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/12)

JOB OPENING: EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/ParentsConnect-NICK/NYC: 5+yrs Editorial exp, Online Exp. Req, Xtreme Fast-paced/deadline skills, Strng Content Mgmt exp, Knwldg of UGC & Parenting A+ EOE/M/F/D/AAP Apply www.mtvnetworkscareers.com (12/12)

JOB OPENING: DIR DIGITAL MEDIA/LA: Lead dev/execution of short/long-term creative & production strat for digital initiatives-ABC Daytime, SOAPnet. BA/BS req. Min 8 yrs digital, & managerial exp. Apply at: www.disneyabcjobs.com (12/11)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE AD SALES/CHICAGO/REELZCHANNEL: 3+ yrs media ad sales exp. Exp cable,network,online,mp biz,strat integ mktg solu. Resp for ad sales & sales activity of MW ofc. Send res: [email protected] (12/11)

JOB OPENING: DVLPMNT ASST/DC: Int’l TV prod co. Dvlop ratings driven, commercial concepts for cable & brdcst clients. 1 to 5 yrs exp nat’l TV dvlpmnt/prod req’d. Current TV trends & sched knwlg a must.Res/references: [email protected] (12/10)

JOB OPENING: SALES AE/Plum TV/Colorado: Successful, Creative, Aggressive, ad/sponsorship sales pro familiar w/ solutions mktg for local/regional/national clients. 5+ yrs exp in cable TV, other nat’l media. Posting @ plumtv.com (12/10)

JOB OPENING: MGR, TECH PROD/Santa Monica: Report to VP/HBO’s West Coast Tech Ops group. Provide prod & post-prod support & consultation svcs to HBO’s internal prod & post-prod depts. www.timewarner.com/careers Req#115777 (12/10)

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] .

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: MEDIA RESEARCH NY: This professional opp will provide you with the hands-on exp, entail active assignments, and learn from the colleagues. Strong MS Office Skills required. Send resume to: [email protected] (12/11)

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  MARKETING INTERN/NYC: Support the Pop2Life creative team with national promotions – research, brainstorming, coordinate events. Must be smart, driven, creative, energetic. Mac savvy a plus. Email: [email protected] (12/10)

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  MARKETING INTERN /truTV, NY: Support brand strategy & mktg dept. (consumer, digital & ad sales). Majors: Comm., Mktg, Adv. Skills: Writing, Computer, Phone, Rsrch. Apply Online: turnerjobs.com – Requisition # 115355BR (12/10)

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  SPRING AD SALES MARKETING INTERN/NYC: Support Ad Sales and Marketing Team. Microsoft Office & strong communication skills required. Part-time. For credit only. www.scrippsnetworks.com (Requisition #1253) (12/9)

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: 5 PRIME TIME EMMYS/ DOC. PROD, DIR., WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email: [email protected] (12/15)

SITUATION WANTED: EXECUTIVE/PERSONAL ASSISTANT: Excellent organization, PR and computer skills. Background in breaking news media. Reliable transportation, references. Ventura or Los Angeles County. Email: [email protected] (12/15)

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] (12/11)

SITUATION WANTED: PUBLICIST, PUBLIC/MEDIA RELATIONS EXECUTIVE: 5 + yrs exp in agency, entertainment and non-profit. Seeking work in television or movie studios on east coast. For inquiries, contact [email protected]  (12/11)

SITUATION WANTED: (NYC, Boston) PUBLICITY .  6+ years of major studio & agency experience. Send email for resume. [email protected] (12/11)

SITUATION WANTED:  SEGMENT PRODUCER. Years of network and cable television experience familiar with final cut pro. Contact email: [email protected] (12/11)

SITUATION WANTED: DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION & ART DIRECTION (NYC)20 years experience working concept through completion. Portfolio: www.baerdavis.com Email: [email protected] (12/10)

SITUATION WANTED: MEDIA SALES/MARKETING MANAGER/LA: 15+ years experience in educational, documentary, advertising media sales.True Closer!!!!!  [email protected] (12/10)

SITUATION WANTED: TV and WEB MANAGER/PRODUCER with 13+ years editing, writing, and production experience. Flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop knowledge. Online and video editor. Seeking FT position. [email protected] (12/10)

SITUATION WANTED:  20+ yrs. experience in TV Broadcasting & Cable ACCOUNTING/FINANCE. Seeking FT/PT or Temp-to-Perm position: [email protected] (12/9)

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.

WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2009

ABC: Charlie Brown Christmas, Disney Prep & Landing, Scrubs, Better Off Ted [p ], The Forgotten [r]
AZTECA: Los Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Los 25 Mas, Al Extremo
CBS: NCIS [r], NCIS: LA [r], The Good Wife [r]
CW: 90210, Melrose Place
FOX: So You Think You Can Dance
ION: Ghost Whisperer, Criminal Minds, Criminal Minds
NBC:  Biggest Loser [f ], Jay Leno Show
PBS:  Nova, Frontline, Independent Lens
TELE: Mas Sabe el Diablo; Ninos Ricos, Padres Pobres; Victorinos
UNIV: En Nombre del Amor, Sortilegio, Aqui y Ahora

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