Source: NTI Galaxy Explorer, 2/10/05. Ratings. TP=Thu, 8-9pm. 

CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis

02/22/05

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, February 22, 2005, and this is your first early morning briefing.

ABC far and away won the night on Sunday with a lineup of originals that included Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (with Ty in the hospital) and Desperate Housewives, earning an overall 7.0/17 A18-49 rating according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research. Fox was #2 for the night with a 3.6/9, the high point being the 8pm episode of The Simpsons (4.9/12). NBC followed with a 3.5/8, then CBS 3.3/8 and WB 1.0/2.  EM: Home Edition earned a 7.8/18 demo rating at 8pm, followed by Desperate Housewives with a 10.9/24. The CBS film Stone Cold pulled in a 3.7/8, while the NBC special First 5 Years of SNL earned a 4.6/11.

NBC‘s The Contender premieres on March 7 at 930p with a 90m episode, and the following Sunday airs in its regularly time period at 8pm. 

Airing opposite The Contender on its premiere night, as noted by Variety, will be originals of Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami on CBS. To do that, CBS has scheduled an evening of repeats on the final Monday in the Feb sweep – the 28th. 

Airing opposite The Contender on its first Sunday night outing on March 13, is a special two hour episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC. The scheduling of the two-hour special EM:HE has the primary directive of pushing viewers into ABC’s premiere of Jake in Progress, a one hour presentation, preempting Desperate Housewives that evening at 9p.  Jake in Progress then goes to its Thursday 8pm & 830p time period.

Casting / Development / Production:

• Fox has added Anita Barone to its comedy pilot The War at Home (Warner Bros. TV/Acme Prods); Anita joins Michael Rappaport on the project, and together they play the hypocritical parents of a dysfunctional family.
• NBC has cast Jaime Pressly to its new comedy project, My Name is Earl (20th), as the ex-wife of the guy who makes it big in the lottery and vows to turn his life around, per Hollywood Reporter.
• Vinessa Shaw has joined the cast of the NBC drama project World of Trouble (NBC Universal TV Studio) about an elite government agency that investigates crimes against Americans both at home and on foreign soils.  Shaw will play an agent in that agency.
• UPN‘s pilot project Crazy (Spelling TV) has added to to the cast – Kristin Bauer and David Julian Hirsh, per Hollywood Reporter.
• Leading the cast of the Jerry Bruckheimer drama pilot for CBS American Crime (Warner Bros. TV/Jerry Bruckheimer TV) is John Carroll Lynch, who plays the boss of the woman at the center of the pilot – a suburban mom/prosecutor.
• Miss America Pageant is shopping its own reality show, a backstage, back stabbing, girls will be girls show, in hopes of revigorating the Pageant. You’ll recall the Pageant was dropped from ABC last year, which served as a wake-up call to the Pageant folks.  This show, which reportedly has at this point one offer on the table, will follow contestants from the local and regional pageants, up through the big Miss America Pageant. The Pageant officials are represented by William Morris Agency in this effort.

Many PBS stations are taking precautionary measures to assure the affiliate body they are not running afoul of FCC indecency regulations.  Scheduled to air on an episode of Frontline, which typically airs at 9pm, is a documentary on the war in Iraq called A Company of Soldiers, that includes several incidents of profanity.  PBS will offer to its 349 affiliates across the country two versions of the doc – one with the expletives bleeped out, and the other as originally produced.  Of the PBS affiliates around the country, approx 33 will air the original version of the show; while the rest have opted for the bleeped version. And just to be doubly sure, a few affiliates will air the show at 10p, rather than 9p.  While PBS is assuring its affiliate body the documentary will not generate FCC fines, it also says that on the off chance the stations are fined, PBS cannot cover those fines on the stations’ behalf.

Nielsen Media Research has announced it will set up a plan to create a research fund to the tune of $2.5 million.  The fund would support a year’s worth of research, which Nielsen proposes to conduct in conjunction with its client body.  Depending on the success of the first year’s research, a budget will be established for future years.  The project is designed to answer the ongoing and growing concerns of the Nielsen client base, as well as focus on the rapid growth of Hispanic and Asian populations, as well as hone in on the increase in home technology (VOD, DVR, Tivo, etc). 

Here’s a new twist in the world of guerilla marketing – CMT will pay the right person $100k to watch and be an expert on their primetime off-net series The Dukes of Hazzard. It’s a 12 month position, complete with VP stripes, that calls for the in-house expert to represent the CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute, taking interviews, contribute to a CMT/Dukes of Hazzard web blog and knowing everything there is to know about the show. Atlanta based GREAT! promotion agency is overseeing the executive search on behalf of CMT.  Thinking this may be the gig for you? Check below – the classified ad is there.

Russia has launched a new, albeit experimental, television channel designed to develop “the feeling of national pride among its citizens … a feeling of responsibility for Russia’s fate and pride for the nation’s great historic past and belief in its future.”  Called Zvezda (translation: Star) the channel launched yesterday and hopes to build pride and counter negative stories about Russia’s armed forces, and hopes to answer President Vladimir Putin’s call to generate patriotism in the country’s youth population.   With that said, the channel’s director says content will include just 10% on military themes including a reality show documenting the day to day life in the barracks.  The channel will also carry children’s programs, sports and music.  At least for the first twelve months, the channel does not plan to carry any news coverage. Unlike the four other television channels in Russia, Zvezda is not owned and/or controlled by the government; but rather was funded by independent investors and is characterized as a commercial venture.  Zvezda is expected to grow and spread to many of Russia’s other 89 regions some time this spring.

Starz Entertainment Group has named Joseph A. Cantwell to the newly created position of VP/Marketing, Advanced Services effective immediately. Joe will oversee marketing, branding, and subscriber growth for SEG’s broadband-delivered subscription movie download service, STARZ! Ticket on Real Movies, and other related advanced product offerings.

Sunday, February 20, 2005. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks – time period averages.  Source: Nielsen Media Research. 

CBS     10.2/16  60 Minutes 8.9/15, Cold Case 9.5/14, Movie: Stone Cold 11.3/17

ABC     9.9/15   AFV 5.9/10, EM: Home Edition 10.2/15, Desperate Housewives 14.7/21, Boston Legal 8.9/14

NBC     6.8/11   Dateline 5.8/10, L&O: Criminal Intent 6.1/9, First 5 Years of SNL 7.6/12

FOX     4.5/7    King of the Hill [r] 3.9/7, Malcolm 3.8/6, Simpsons 6.0/9, Simpsons [r] 5.5/8, Family Guy [r] 4.5/7, King of the Hill 3.6/5

WB      1.5/2    Summerland [r] 1.1/2, Charmed 2.0/3, Steve Harvey 1.5/2

A18-49  ABC 7.0/17, Fox 3.6/9, NBC 3.5/8, CBS 3.3/8, WB 1.0/2

A MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1821 – Spain sold Florida to the United States for the price of 5 million dollars
 
Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:   True or False – the original Broadcasters Code of Ethics stated, among other things, that on TV you’ll never see a bad guy get away with it, good guys would never be ridiculed, and shows would never disrespect such respectful traits as honesty, honesty, goodness or innocence. True or False?  TRUE, QUITE TRUE. The Code of Ethics was originally proposed by the NAB an agreed upon by the broadcasters in March 1951.  Kudos to: Mark Berger-MediaMaz Network/NY; Lewis Cosby-WMAK/Knoxville; Carol Caracappa-Allscope Media/NY; Bob Eisenstaedt-Granite Springs Prods/Tampa; Mark Meadors-Natural State Prods/Little Rock; Travis Baker-KVUE/Austin; Todd Hoyt-Comcast Spotlight/Grand Junction; Jerry Wise-KTVT/Ft. Worth; Phil Olsman-LA Marathon/LA; Marty Webb-RPA/Santa Monica; Jennifer Duncan-WRP/LA; Laura Black-Lulupix.

A MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

Today’s Oscar Movie Trivia Question: This actor was in his mid-70’s before he won his first Oscar – was it Henry Fonda, Charleton Heston or Jimmy Stewart?   (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.)

Later — Cyn
02.22.05  5:07am

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Cyn opsis  CLASSIFIEDS – read by 101,600+ Cynopsis & Cynopsis Kids! readers every day.

JOB OPENING:  MEDIA SALES PLANNER (NY)-Warner Bros. Television Dist. Direct contact-Sales Team & Ad. Agencies. Min 1-2 yrs agency, buying, planning or coordinating exp. Req. Email:
RE: “UCTC/33447BR”  (3/1)

JOB OPENING:  new VICE PRESIDENT, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute.* Get paid $100,000 for one year to watch television. Job responsibilities include: watch The Dukes of Hazzard weeknight on CMT; know the words to The Dukes of Hazzard theme song, Good Ol’ Boys; write The Dukes of Hazzard Institute online blog for cmt.com; serve as expert on all things The Dukes of Hazzard; maybe take The General Lee for a spin now and then. For Job Application, visit: CMTDukesInstitute .com . *The position requires the execution of a one-year, $100,000 Independent Contractor agreement with GREAT! (3/1)

JOB OPENING:  National Broadcast Supervisor-ICON International/Stamford CT. 4-7 yrs buying exp in nat’l bcst w/major ad firm. Strong math, negotiating & comm. skills, detailed and comp. Proficient. Apply www.icon-intl.com EOE   (3/1)

JOB OPENING:  APs/RESEARCHERS -NY. Strong research skills, experience on late night/comedy/variety series, and a broad knowledge of current events/entertainment/pop culture. Creative thinkers email resumes to: APResearcher
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JOB OPENING:  HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. For prominent NY-based non-fiction prod. co. Must have significant exp/contacts w/cable nets, int’l, etc. Part sales, part creative, part who knows? Resume:

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JOB OPENING:  NTR MANAGER-WGNO/WNOL, Tribune Broadcasting’s New Orleans TV cluster. Increase market share by developing targeted marketing strategies. See www.abc26.com for more info. Resume/cover letter to

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JOB OPENING:  SR. RESEARCH ANALYST/AUDIENCE SALES/FOX BROADCASTING, NY. 1-2 yrs w/cable, net, agency, rep firm, knowledge of Nielsen, Galaxy, etc.; strong analytical & strategic thinking skills. Apply: www.foxcareers.com (2/24)

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

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: FEBRUARY 22, 2005:  February sweep 2/3/05 – 3/2/05

ABC              My Wife & Kids (8-840p), George Lopez (8:40-9:20), According to Jim (920-10p), NYPD Blue
CBS              NCIS, One Day at a Time Reunion Special (OTO), Judging Amy
FOX              American Idol, House
NBC              L&O: Criminal Intent, Scrubs, Committed, L&O: SVU
PAX              Young Blades, Early Edition, Cold Turkey
UPN              All of Us, Eve, Veronica Mars
WB               Gilmore girls, One Tree Hill
TELE             La Mujer en el Espejo, Gitanas, Te Voy a Ensenar a Querer
UNIV             Rubi, Amor Real, Jugando al Amor