CYNTHIA TURNER’S
CYNOPSIS

06/15/04

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, June 15, 2004, and now on with your first early morning briefing. 

With two years still to go on his contract, Jordan Levin, CEO of The WB Network, has left the building.  According to the WB, Levin chose not to let go of his network executive duties and take on title of President of Entertainment, so he has been given an independent multi-year production deal at Warner Bros.  Garth Ancier will be sole CEO, and will soon name a new President/Entertainment to oversee primetime and WB Kids!.  Garth will report to Barry Meyer, Chairman/CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.  And Bruce Rosenblum, EVP/Warner Bros. Television Group, continue to have day-to-day corporate responsibility for The WB.

ABC has completed its 2004 upfront sales, and according to the net has brought in $2.1 billion in total primetime sales revenue for the upcoming season, including $500-$600 million in primetime sports sales, specifically Monday Night Football, the NBA and Bowl Championship series, as well as other OTO major events, i.e., the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmy awards.  The announcement was made by Mike Shaw, President/Sales and Marketing.  ABC saw CPM increases of 5%-6%, and sold approx 5% less of its inventory that in past years, preferring for a larger reserve for the scatter market. 

In other reports, CBS has finished up its upfront sales, coming in at an estimated $2.4 billion, up a bit from last year’s $2.2 billion, with estimated rate increases of 9%-11%.  CBS’ sister net UPN was also up year to year, from $250 million for the 2003-04 season, to an estimated $350 million for the upcoming season.   NBC came in at approx $2.9 billion (not including Olympic money), flat with last year. Fox was also flat year to year with approx $1.6 billion, while WB was down by approx $25 million, finishing up at around $675 million.  NBC, Fox and WB are each averaged an estimated 7%-8% in CPM increases.   By all accounts, the upfront should wind up flat year to year, coming in at approx $9.1 billion.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition will join Univision’s strategy and file its own legal suit against Nielsen Media Research later on this week.  Alex Nogales, President of the group said they will file suit in Los Angeles to stop Nielsen from rolling out its planned Local People Meter service in July if the Don’t Count Us Out Coalition hasn’t already done so.  NHMC also issued its own white paper authored by Edward T. Rincon, Ph.D., outlining what it sees as the consequences of under-counting the Latino audience via LPMs, which include: the premature cancellation of new programs; the exclusion of Latino actors from television shows and movies; reluctance among network executives to invest in future Latino-themed shows; and the networks’ loss of millions of advertising dollars from advertisers who want to target Latino audiences.  The white paper also answers some of Nielsen’s criticisms of the Latino Television Study which was also prepared by Rincon.  To see the full white paper, check out www.nhmc.org.

TBS and TNT have picked up a package of feature films from Paramount, according to Variety, titles including Mean Girls (shared with ABC Family), Paycheck and Twisted, all for a final tab of some $13 million.  Mean Girls will be seen first on cable in first qtr 2007.  Both Paycheck and Twisted may both end up with another cable network to share with TBS/TNT.  Other titles in the deal include The Prince and Me, The Perfect Score, both of which will get their first cable plays on ABC Family before moving over to TBS/TNT.

A new reality series has been ordered up at Animal Planet called Who Gets the Dog? (LMNO Prods). Each episode chronicles a shelter dog’s quest in search of the perfect family. The 15-ep series is scheduled to debut in early 2005. In each ep, the dog goes to stay with three different families over the course of three days. At the end of the those three days, the pooch, with the help of some human pet experts, will chose which home he prefers. As you may have guessed, a lot of screening goes into choosing the participating families.

Formerly on the WB, now migrating to VH1, The Surreal Life (Mindless Entertainment) is like watching a train wreck – its hard to turn away.  The next rendition of this bizarre reality series will include Charo, Flava Flav, Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block), Dave Coulier (Full House), Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja) and Ryan Starr who competed for American Idol. This third series of the show is scheduled to premiere on September 6.

CASTING CALL:  Fox’s The Swan is look for a few good ugly ducklings.  Casting directors will be in LA tomorrow at the Embassy Suites LAX South, 10am, Valencia Room, 1440 E. Imperial Avenue, El Segundo.  Applicants must be healthy, between 21 and 45, have health and dental insurance, and not be recovering from any illnesses or surgeries.

CASTING CALL:  VH1 is looking for a few good partridges.  Enough to make a family in fact.  If you look like, sing like and act like a Partridge Family member, then you should be present at one of the casting calls being held in July in Orlando, NY, Minneapolis and LA.  the net is shooting 7 episodes of the reality series, and auditioners will be asked to sing, perform a scene from the original series. More info and the application at www.vh1.com. Sing with me now …. Cherish is a word I use to describe, all the feelings that I have hiding here for you inside …..

Pryor & Associates has announced the addition of Marc Grossmann as Senior Director, reporting to Jeff Pryor, founder and CEO. Marc was Sr. Press Mgt at NBC for six years working on several high profile series as well as the net’s TNBC Saturday morning block.

Sony Pictures Television has upped Flory Bramnick to SVP/West Coast Sales.  She reports to John Weiser, EVP/SPT.  Flory will be responsible for cable sales of SPT product together with John Rohrs, EVP/Cable Sales.  She will also evaluate and develop strategic opportunities for SPT, including finding new distribution channels for SPT content.

Saturday, June 12, 2004. Fast Affiliate Household Ratings for all Networks. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat

FOX     3.8/8   Cops 3.1/7, Cops 3.7/8, America’s Most Wanted 4.1/8

CBS     3.5/7   Two and a Half Men 3.1/7, Movie: Mission Impossible II 3.5/7

NBC     2.9/6   US Olympic Trials 2004 2.3/5, L&O 3.1/6, Crime & Punishment 3.3/6

ABC     2.6/5   Lucy Must be Traded, Charlie Brown 1.9/4, Movie: Field of Dreams 2.6/5

A18-49  Fox 2.2/9, CBS 1.7/7, ABC 1.4/5, NBC 1.2/5

Sunday, June 13, 2004. Fast Affiliate Household Ratings for all Networks. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat

ABC     8.6/15  America’s Funniest Home Videos 6.9/13, Hang Time 8.0/13, NBA Finals – Game 4 10.1/17

CBS     6.4/11  60 Minutes 6.9/14, Cold Case 7.3/13, Movie: See You in My Dreams 5.7/9

NBC     5.5/10  US Olympic Trials 2004 3.2/6, Dateline NBC 5.3/9, L&O: CI [r] 6.8/11, Crossing Jordan [r] 6.8/12

FOX     2.8/5   Oliver Beene 2.2/4, King of the Hill [r] 2.4/5, The Simpsons [r] 3.8/7, Arrested Development [r] 2.8/5, Malcolm in the Middle [r] 2.8/5, Arrested Development [r] 2.4/4

WB      1.5/3   Steve Harvey’s Big Time [r] 1.5/3, Steve Harvey’s Big Time [r] 1.6/3, Charmed [r] 1.5/3, Summerland [r] 1.4/2

A18-49  ABC 5.9/17, NBC 2.4/7, CBS 2.1/6, FOX 2.1/6, WB 0.9/3

A MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

This summer, ratings are heating up on Court TV: The Investigation Channel…

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1215 – King John of England puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta 

Answer to yesterday’s Trivia Question:  Where will you find the nightclub After Dark? BEVERLY HILLS 90210.  Kudos to:  Meredith Kawer-Media First Int’l/NY; Lisa Nguyen-Scripps Networks/Knoxville; Dennise Kellogg-MTV Networks/Detroit; Alison Gay-Showtime/NY; Heather Contreres-SpotPlus/Dallas; Jennifer Bentley-Rubin Postaer Media/Dallas; Christine Kubisztal-Sears Roebuck & Co/Hoffman Estates; Tara Schwed-KBCI/Boise; Lynn Stirling-NBC Universal Cable/Burbank; Jodi Farber-Fox Sports Net/LA; Evette Petrosian-KABC/Glendale; Michelle Habel-Gemstar TV Guide Int’l/LA.

A MESSAGE FROM WARREN COMMUNICATIONS NEWS

Warren’s Television & Cable Factbook:
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740,000 records covering every TV station and all 9,300+ cable
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Go to www.Warren-News.com/factbookcynopsis.htm or call 1-800-771-9202.

Today’s Trivia Question:  The Anheuser-Busch dog, Spuds McKenzie – what kind of dog was he? (click here to respond to the trivia question and please be sure to include with your answer your name, company, city and time zone. Only the second four correct responses from each time zone will be listed in tomorrow’s kudo list.)

Later — Cyn

Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis
06/15/04  5:18am
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CYNOPSIS CLASSIFIEDS

JOB OPENING:  SUPERVISING PRODUCER, Discovery Channel/Silver Spring, MD. 5-6 yrs advertising/on-air promotions exp. as writer/producer, promo editorial, field prod exp. Apply at http://corporate.discovery.com, Job #1443  (6/22)

JOB OPENING:  AFFILIATE SALES/DATABASE COORDINATOR-Oxygen-NY. Manage dept. database (Medea) Track sub info, act as launch support. Support 6 reps, maintain materials. Cov’r Letter /resume to Neily Buff at
   (6/22)

JOB OPENING:  SR RESEARCH ANALYST, CARTOON NETWORK/KIDS WB/ADULT SWIM, NY Ad Sales. Strong analytical/writing skills. Nielsen software experience.  2+ yrs exp as rsch analyst req’d. Apply to:
req #26841BR   (6/19)

JOB OPENING:  ACCT EXEC, ABC Cable, IL, to increase distribution; 5yrs sales exp; heavy new client dev sell’g to VP level affiliates; Chicago-based w/ 50% travel to MI & OH. Ref: Cyn40590AcctRep; RESUMES:
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JOB OPENING:  New York based broadcast design shop seeks full time GRAPHICS / ANIMATION PRODUCER (5 yrs industry experience).  Excellent client skills a must. Resume and cover letter to

NO CALLS / FAXES  (6/18)

JOB OPENING:  MARKETING RESEARCH MGR/CNN Newsource Sales, Atlanta. 5+ yrs research exp. in sales. Resp. for analysis of client bases/mktplaces, create ops for sales, mktg strategies. Apply online www.turnerjobs.com #25854. EOE  (6/18)

JOB OPENING:  SR. RESEARCH ANALYST, AD SALES RESEARCH-Comedy Central/NY. 2-3 yrs media/market research. Expert w/Nielsen & related systems. Strong analytical skills, exp w/ quant./qual. analysis. Apply: www.mtvncareers.com (6/17)

JOB OPENING:  SUPERVISING PRODUCER, Discovery Health Channel, Silver Spring, MD. 5-6 yrs advertising and on-air promotions exp. as producer, live-action production exp. Apply online at http://corporate.discovery.com, Job #1394.  (6/17)

JOB OPENING:  MEDIA SUP/Arenas Entertainment, LA. Seeking candidate with 5+ years as media buyer/planner of Hisp TV & radio; excellent org/comm skills; Spanish speaker & Ent. exp. a +. Send resume to:
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JOB OPENING:  TRAFFIC COORD./Lifetime TV, NY. Resp incl placing comm’l spots onto pre-logs, scheduling of comm’l copy onto logs. More info: www.lifetimetv.com/about/jobs; email resume/cover ltr:
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JOB OPENING:  (3) CREATIVE DIRECTORS: IFC, We, & Fuse On-Air Promotions. Must be creative, strategic brand-builder, able to drive tune-in. Major network exp. & amazing reel req. Res/reel: D.Platt RMCS 11 Penn Plaza, 2fl NY, NY 10001  (6/16)

JOB OPENING:  Successful TV NY Music Company seeks VP/MANAGING DIRECTOR. Passionate, business side leader, great client mgr, driven & innovative. 3-5 yrs exp in dept/company mgmt. $90K-105K Email resume:
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JOB OPENING:  CONTROLLER/Mike Young Prods/LA. 5+ yrs TV and/or Film dist exp. Kwldge of distrib accting incl film amort, GAAP accting principals, general ledger maint., participation rpting. Email:
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JOB OPENING:  MGR LICENSING  & LIC. COORD/Mike Young Prods/LA. 2+ yrs exp in ent. Licensing; computer literate; exp with approval processes/style guides/deal memos/mktg. Good comm. Skills. Email:
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SITUATION WANTED:  Organized, efficient, multi-tasker, with BA Comm/Mktg/Psych seeking ENTRY-MID LEVEL POSITION IN TV in NYC. Please contact: 
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SITUATION WANTED:  Dynamic TELEVISION PRODUCER looking for new project! Wide range of production experience, field and post. NYC based. Will travel.
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SITUATION WANTED:  ON-AIR PROMO STRATEGIST/NY specialty in forecasting/analysis, long/short term promo planning & campaign execution. News/entertainment, 7+ years mjr cable net experience: CONTACT:
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SITUATION WANTED:  DIRECTOR-3 time Emmy Award-Winner seeks new project to dive into. Extensive experience with children’s (esp. puppets), talk & specials. Creative/Musical/Collaborative. Reel/resume on request.
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SITUATION WANTED:  20+ yrs exp in Spot Buying as MGR IN TOP NY SHOPS now living in Fl. but in LA as Brd Mgr until end of July. I can reorg/open ANY Media dept.for you to be the BEST in the biz e-mail:
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2004

COURT TV:       The I-Zone, Forensic Files, The Investigators
ABC             8 Simple Rules [r], Hang time, NBA Finals – Game 5
CBS             Navy NCIS [r], The Guardian [r], Judging Amy [r]
FOX             The Bernie Mac Show [r], The Bernie Mac Show [r], The Jury
NBC             Next Action Star, Last Comic Standing, L&O: SVU [r]
PAX             AFV, AFV, Early Edition, Diagnosis Murder
UPN             One on One [r], All of Us [r], Top Model: Cycle One [r]
WB              Gilmore Girls [r],Summerland
TELE            Prisonera, El Alma Herida, Protagonistas VIP
UNIV            Mariana de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Al Filo de la Ley