Cynopsis

02.10.09

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, February 10, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Tonight’s Premieres:
MTV: T.I.’s Road to Redemption at 9p; From G’s to Gents at 10p
Spike TV: DEA at 10p

MyNetworkTV (MNT) announced it is making changes to its programming schedule for the upcoming fall season which will be announced soon. MNT President Greg Meidel referred to the new model as a hybrid versus a “strict network model” although full details were not disclosed. MNT did reveal it will cut back on original programming going with a “programming service model” including a two-hour block of Law & Order: Criminal Intent repeats, a movie night in addition to continuing with WWE Friday Night SmackDown. Currently, MNT provides its affiliates with 12 hours of programming per week and many stations opt to add in local sports coverage.

In an expected move, ABC Family renewed the series The Secret Life of the American Teenager for a second season. The cable network ordered 24 episodes with plans to launch season two next summer. Season one’s finale is scheduled for March 23.

Cartoon Network wants more of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, adding a second season beginning next fall. Cartoon Network will air the season one finale March 20 and the George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation-produced series was also picked up by sister cable network TNT for an encore run starting this Saturday with back-to-back episodes.

DIY Network helps viewers with kitchen renovations in a new do-it-yourself series Kitchen Impossible debuting March 4 at 9p. Host Marc Bartolomeo shows viewers tips on building a dream kitchen from laying tile to moving walls to increase space. Five episodes air each Wednesday at 9p through March followed by eight additional new ones airing this spring.

USA Network made an unprecedented deal giving the cable network exclusive network television premiere rights to Universal Pictures’ 2009 movie roster. The agreement, worth an estimated $200 million, is one of the largest between a film studio and a basic cable network and it covers 24 films. Some of the titles include Duplicity with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen; Fast & Furious with Vin Diesel; State of Play with Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck; Public Enemies with Johnny Depp; Funny People with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen among several others. Additional titles include current Academy Award nominees Frost/Nixon with Frank Langella and Michael Sheen; and Milk starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.

Daytime drama actor, Phil Carey, known for his role as Asa Buchanan on ABC Daytime’s One Life to Live, passed away last Friday at his home in New York City after a long struggle with lung cancer. Phil originated the role of business tycoon Asa Buchanan in 1980 and fans of the show said good-bye to Asa when the character died in his sleep on August 16, 2007. Since then, Phil made three appearances as Asa with the last witnessing Asa reading an addendum to his will on December 29, 2008. Phil is survived by his wife Colleen, their two children as well as three children from a previous marriage.

ABC introduces the new cast of thirteen celebrities on Dancing with the Star’s eighth season opening March 9 at 8p. This U.S. version is produced by BBC Worldwide Americas.  (I’m rootin’ for LT!)

• Belinda Carlisle – solo artist and lead singer of the Go-Go’s.
• David Alan Grier – film/television actor; most recently on Comedy Central’s Chocolate News.
• Jewel – singer/songwriter; married to rodeo superstar Ty Murray who is also competing this season on DWTS.
• Shawn Johnson – youngest competitor at 17 years; gold medal-winning gymnast from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
• Lil’ Kim – Grammy Award-winning rapper/singer as well as actress and fashion expert.
• Gilles Marini – French actor best known for his role on Sex and the City movie.
• Ty Murray – known as “King of the Cowboys” – world champion rodeo athlete and bullriding world title holder; and married to Jewel.
• Steve-O – a.k.a. Stephen Glover, MTV writer for Jackass series; producer of “too hot for TV” video series and star of MTV’s Wildboyz.
• Nancy O’Dell – co-anchor of Access Hollywood and contributor of NBC’s Today Show and Dateline NBC.
• Denise Richards – television/film actress; currently in her own E! reality series Denise Richards: It’s Complicated.
• Lawrence Taylor – NFL Hall of Famer and former New York Giants Super Bowl champ. 
• Chuck Wicks – country singer/songwriter; boyfriend of professional dancer Julianne Hough.
• Steve Wozniak – Apple computer designer and philanthropist.

Program Call: If your company will be attending and showcasing programming at MIP TV 2009 in Cannes, France, at the end of next month, Cynopsis will send out a special MIP TV Shopping Guide edition the Wednesday before the conference. To have your programming included, please send only the following info for your top 5 shows: title, availability date, number of episodes, length, type (i.e., movie, series, special, etc.), genre, your terms (barter, cash, etc.) and names and contact info of those attending from your company. If your company is interested in being included in this free guide, please send the details to
by Friday, March 20, 2009.

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) confirmed first-run syndicated court show Judge Jeanine Pirro has cleared in 75% of the U.S. for its second season launching this fall. The show, produced by Telepictures Productions, was picked up by Fox O&Os in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Baltimore; Sinclair Broadcast Group stations in 27 markets including Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, among others. Additional stations from groups including CBS Television Stations, Tribune, Scripps-Howard Television, Raycom Media, Belo, Newport Television, Freedom Communications, LIN TV, ComCorp, Journal Broadcast Group, Grant Television, Meredith and Four Points Media Group.

NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution renewed nationally syndicated program The Steve Wilkos Show for a third season. Local stations from such groups as Tribune (WPIX/New York, KTLA/Los Angeles and WPHL/Philadelphia), Sinclair (WPGH/Pittsburgh, WNUV/Baltimore and WTTE/Columbus), Hearst (WKCF/Orlando), Sunbeam (WLVI/Boston), Weigel (WCIU/Chicago) and others picked up the first-run strip for the 2009-2010 season.

Walt Disney Studios made a distribution agreement with DreamWorks Studios, cites CNN. The deal allows Disney to market at least six DreamWorks live-action movies per year produced via DreamWork’s deal with India-based Bollywood production company Reliance BIG Entertainment. This alliance replaces a previous deal DreamWorks had last year with Universal that collapsed recently. Reliance will be involved with distribution of the films in India. This deal is considered a crucial stepping stone to unite India’s major Bollywood industry with Hollywood studios.

Entertainer/producer/comedian Nick Cannon was tagged as the new host of NBC’s America’s Got Talent competition show returning next summer. Cannon joins celebrity judges Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff.

Casting Call: Pink Sneakers Productions is seeking people to appear on a new documentary series tentatively titled Life Chronicles for TV Land Network. The series will profile people living extraordinary life circumstances such as: having a family member who is a convicted murderer; family member addicted to gambling; involved in a polygamist marriage; having a special needs child; currently a surrogate mother among other topics. For more information visit the company’s website at www.pinksneakers.net and send submission emails to
.

Casting Call: Disney Channel and Disney XD is hosting open casting auditions for young boys with acting and athletic talent next Monday in Los Angeles. Interested boys age 12-17 can find out more information and applications at www.DisneyChannel.com/TalentSearch . The opening casting will be held at The Music Center in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with sign-in beginning at 10a. Applicants, accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, should bring a prepared one-minute or less comedic monologue or short performance showing talent and skills.

Casting Call: Spike TV and Michael Irvin is casting for an upcoming reality competition show searching for the next potential pro football player who will receive a spot in the Dallas Cowboy’s training camp. Applicants must be at least 21 years and be at least 3 years post-high school. An open casting audition is scheduled for this Thursday in Los Angeles at Citadel Outlets, 100 Citadel Dr., Commerce, CA from 10a to 4p. Open call lines will start forming three hours prior to start time and the first 500 guys in line will have the best chances of being auditioned. Participants should bring a non-returnable photo, a football highlight reel and coach references.

Casting Call: MTV is casting for season two of Sex … with Mom and Dad and interested in 16-19 year olds and their parents based on the West coast. Hosted by sex and relationship expert Dr. Drew Pinsky, the educational series is casting in Arizona, Northern California and Southern California. West coast teens who live with their parents who have amiable personalities should send an email to
along with a photo, contact info, city and state address and a description of family issues pertaining to sex.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Amazon held a big to-do at the Morgan Library Museum in New York yesterday to unveil its next generation eBook reader – the Kindle 2 – which will begin shipping from Amazon.com on Feb. 24. One of the most hotly anticipated consumer electronic devices since the iPhone, the new Kindle adds some attractive new features including a much thinner profile, longer battery life, a crisper display and text-to-speech capabilities powered by Nuance that will allow readers to have books read to them by a computerized voice. The user interface is also much improved, featuring easier-to-peck round keys and a joystick controller used to move the cursor. Sharing text between the Kindle and “a range” of mobile devices will also be possible using a new “Whispersync” feature. Content offerings for the Kindle have steadily improved, from 90,000 book titles at launch to a current 230,000 books, 1,200 blogs and dozens of daily, weekly and monthly publication subscriptions – delivered wirelessly to users who pay the subscriptions fees. Amazon is clearly hoping that the new Kindle will become a Trojan horse of sorts (“Gateway Drug” was the term Jeff Bezos used) to promote reading in general and spur sales of eBooks on Amazon.com. But at $359 – the same price as the first edition – it’s hard to imagine it will reach critical mass, particularly in this economy.   Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  The reports from the weekend are confirmed as The Walt Disney Studios inks an exclusive long-term distribution deal with DreamWorks Studios to distribute all upcoming live-action motion pictures produced by DreamWorks under its partnership with Reliance Big Entertainment, which is part of The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.  Under the deal, Disney will handle distribution and marketing for approximately six DreamWorks films each year. The first DreamWorks movie to be released under the Touchstone Pictures banner is scheduled for release in 2010.  DreamWorks principals Spielberg and Snider partnered with Reliance Big Entertainment last fall to form a new motion picture company. In addition to being a partner in DreamWorks, Reliance will also distribute the new company’s projects in India.   Full edition: CYN KIDS.

Friday – A18-49 Analysis: CBS racked up a win Friday night with 2.4/7 A18-49 each, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. CBS scared up more viewers during 8p with Ghost Whisperer at 2.8/9 while ABC’s Wife Swap and UNIV’s Cuidado con el Angel tied for second at 1.8/6. Another tie occurred at 9p as ABC’s Supernanny and UNIV’s Fuego en la Sangre shared the top spot with 2.3/7 each with CBS’ Flashpoint rerun next at 2.1/6. CBS squeezed into #1 at 10p as Numb3rs posted a 2.3/7 just a bit ahead of ABC’s 20/20 at 2.2/7.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Friday, February 6, 2009  time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

CBS: 6.5/11        Ghost Whisperer 7.1/13, Flashpoint [r] 5.9/10, Numb3rs 6.5/11

ABC: 4.2/7          Wife Swap 3.2/6, Supernanny 4.3/7, 20/20 5.0/9

FOX: 2.8/5          Cops 2.6/5, Cops [r] 2.8/5, AMW Friday 2.9/5

NBC: 2.8/5         Howie Do It 3.0/5, Howie Do It [r] 2.5/4, Friday Night Lights 2.5/4, Dateline 3.3/6

UNIV: 2.2/4         Cuidado con el Angel 2.3/4, Fuego en la Sangre 2.6/4, La Rosa de Guadalupe 1.7/3

MNT: 2.1/4          WWE Friday Night Smackdown 2.1/4

CW: 0.7/1           Everybody Hates Chris 0.9/2, The Game [r] 0.8/1, 13: Fear Is Real 0.5/1

TELE: 0.7/1         Dona Barbara 0.6/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.6/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 0.7/1, Cartel F 0.6/1

A18-49: CBS 2.4/7, ABC 2.1/7, UNIV 1.8/6, FOX 1.4/5, NBC 1.4/4, MNT 1.2/4, TELE 0.6/2, CW 0.4/1

Full-service advertising agency Mile 9 hired Dan Dieffenbach as CCO/Managing Partner where he will oversee campaign management, business development and creative strategy for the agency’s clients.

WNET.ORG recruited three directors for its Corporate Sponsorship group, reporting to Tom Watson, Executive Director/Corporate Sponsorships. Rob Edney, Marcia Renert and Stewart Roberts all assume the title of Director/Corporate Sponsorships, working as a new national sales team on behalf of programming produced by WNET.ORG including Nature, Worldfocus, American Masters and Great Performances among other programs.

Michelle D. Wilson joins World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. as EVP/Marketing to lead the company’s international marketing and integrated brand efforts encompassing pay-per-view, advertising, promotions, research, creative services as well as public and government relations.

Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital elevated Seth Ladetsky, Ken Shapiro and Keller Withers to VPs/Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Sales up from sales managers in the same unit. All will continue to report to Walker Jacobs, SVP/Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital while Seth and Ken are based in New York and Keller is located in Atlanta.

Meredith Video Solutions, a multi-media division of Meredith Corporation, tapped 20-year media veteran Howard Rosenstein as Director/Integrated Sales. Howard began with Meredith in 2005 as Director/Business Development for Meredith Integrated Marketing and in his new position he will represent digital media, advertising, sponsorships and custom video production to new national clients.

Andrew L. Blacker is now SVP/Marketing and Research with global cinema advertising company Screenvision. Andrew will develop and implement the company’s marketing initiatives via branding, sales efforts, strategies and advertising campaigns. He will also head the production entity that produces the Screenvision Pre-Show. Based at company headquarters in New York, Andrew reports to Michael Chico, EVP/Ad Sales and Marketing.

GamePro Media, publisher of GamePro Magazine and Gamepro.com, named Marci Yamaguchi Hughes as EVP/GM, effective immediately. Marci joins from game group Ziff Davis Media where she was SVP/Sales.

Jack Graham moved to the Golf Channel as VP/Golf Events and Executive Producer. Jack will manage the network’s live golf events while reporting to Tom Stathakes, SVP/Programming, Production and Operations.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CABLETELEVISION ADVERTISING BUREAU

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This day in History:  1971 – Carole King’s Tapestry was released

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:   What was the name of the small southern town that was the setting for the series Mama’s Family? RAYTOWN Kudos to: Greg West-WATC/Atlanta; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Matthew Willence- ITN Networks/NY; Leslie Kavanaugh-Malone Advertising/Indianapolis, IN; Hank Bordowitz-The Bordowitz Media Werx/Macomb, IL; Dan Whitford-RPM Advertising/Chicago; Bryan Graves-Starcom/Chicago; Tom Brodek-Hana/HI; Mandy Durbin-ION Media Networks/Burbank; Tyffany Hayes-KABC/Glendale, CA; Harold Abrego-BizBuySell/San Francisco

Today’s Trivia Question: : Later in his career, actor Felix Silla played Twiki on television’s Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and was also one of the many Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. In his first recurring TV role, what was the name of the character he played? (Email
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.)

Later — Cyn
02.10.09

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JOB OPENING:  TRAFFIC MGR/THE HOTEL NETWORKS/NY: Mng all traffic functions across 10 ntwrks. Should have understanding of all functions from sale to satellite. 3 yrs exp in brdcst traffic reqd.
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JOB OPENING: DIR, FINANCE/Embassy Row TV/NY: All aspects accting & financial reptg. CPA pref, BA & 10+ yrs exp. Entertainment exp. req, TV pref. Apply: www.sonypicturesjobs.com (2/13)

JOB OPENING: DIR. AD SALES RES /A&E TV-NY: Dvlp strategies & day-to-day for Ad Sls. BA/BS & 8 yrs media rsrch & mgmt exp. Knowl Nielsen/prime rsrch. Resume: www.aetn.com/careers.html (2/13)

JOB OPENING: CUST SVC REP/LA, CA/Baseline Inc: Filtering & monitoring client requests in multiple databases. 2+ yrs exp. Exp using or creating internal tracking databases. Deep understanding of ind. Send res to:
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JOB OPENING: UNIT PUBLICIST/DKC/NYC: to work on location during prod of nationally synd TV show to ensure proper execution of all publicity efforts. 5+yrs exp w/ TV a must & health/wellness a plus. Resume:
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JOB OPENING: SR. DIR, CLIENT DEVELOPMENT/NY/Ent-Media research co: Develop new/expand existing biz for research prod/custom services. Min 3 yrs market research sales exp. http://www.epollresearch.com/corp/aboutus/careers.view (2/11)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE (Universal Sports/NYC): 5-7 yrs exp @ sports network/website co., 3 yrs. Sports or digital sales exp req’d. Knwlg effective/creative pckgng strat a must. Res:
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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
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SITUATION WANTED: PR & NEW MEDIA GURU (LA) Great Writer/Strategist, Social Media Expert, Strong Media Contacts, 15-year PR pro now avail for in-house or freelance. U want someone to hit the ground running, right?
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SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE or Full-time MEDIA BUYER w/ over 25 yrs of buying exp. is newly available. Seeking F/T or Freelance wk from your office or my home (New York based) Please contact me @
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SITUATION WANTED: VIRTUAL WEB HOST PRODUCER (L.A.) Producer, Director, Writer Virtually place anyone or anything onto web pages. See www.YourLiveWeb.com . Contact
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SITUATION WANTED: TV PROMO WRITER-PRODUCER L.A.- Multiple Emmy and Promax Award winner. 19+ years freelance for studios and networks. Large market station management experience. Freelance or full-time. Contact
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SITUATION WANTED: TV PROGRAM EXECUTIVE/15 + yrs exp, Creative, great work ethic, knwldgbl, sense of humor, can relocate. See www.linkedin.com/in/joepauly. Looking for next great opp in cable or brdcst TV. Contact
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2009

ABC: Be My Valentine Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Valentine, Scrubs, Scrubs, True Beauty
AZTECA: Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Los 25 Mas, Al Extremo
CBS: NCIS, The Mentalist, Without a Trace
CW: 90210, Privileged
FOX: American Idol, Fringe
ION: Boston Legal, Boston Legal, Boston Legal
MNT: Street Patrol [r], Street Patrol [r], Vice Squad [r], Vice Squad [r]
NBC: The Biggest Loser 7, Dateline
PBS: Nova, Independent Lens
TELE: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Fuego on la Sangre, Aqui y Ahora

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