Cynopsis

03.17.09

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, March 17, 2009, and the top of the mornin’ to ya! 

Tuesday’s Premiere:
IFC: Modern Toss at 11p

The Sci FI Channel is getting a new name.  On July 7th, both the on-air and online will have the new name Syfy (pronounced sci-fi).  The network hopes that by changing the name, it broadens the brand beyond traditional science fiction and into an area more diverse in imagination-based entertainment, including fantasy, mystery, action and adventure, while not ignoring the science fiction element.  The tagline will be “Imagine Greater.”   On July 7th when the new name becomes official, the network will debut its newest scripted drama Warehouse 13, and celebrate the return of its summer series Eureka. 

DIY Network is launching a new program next month, and sees the return of several others:

• New Series – King of Dirt – premieres 4/6 at 930p – an irreverent half hour series follows outspoken landscaper Gino Panaro in his effort to create some of the most high-end landscapes.
• Returning Series – Desperate Landscapes returns with Season #4 on April 2 at 10p.  Rock Solid season #5 premiere on 4/6 at 10p; Indoors Out premieres the same night, 4/6 at 1030.  And the third season premiere of Yard Crashers debuts on May 4th at 9p.

ABC’s Season Finale dates:

Wednesday, April 29:  Better Off Ted

Thursday, April 30: In the Motherhood, Samantha Who? and Private Practice

Friday, May 1:  Wife Swap, Supernanny

Tuesday, May 5: According to Jim

Wednesday, May 6: Scrubs

Sunday, May 10: Brothers and Sisters

Monday, May 11: Castle

Tuesday, May 12: Cupid

Wednesday, May 13: Lost

Thursday, May 14: Grey’s Anatomy

and on Thursday, May 7th, Ugly Betty returns to ABC at 8p.

MIP TV 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 Thursday 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.

The History Channel revealed the first look at Mark Burnett Productions’ Expedition Africa: Stanley & Livingstone yesterday, fittingly at New York City’s Explorers Club.  You may recall we first heard about this series last April at History Channel’s Upfront presentation.  On hand for the big reveal were the four explorers who traversed the historical path originally made by New York Herald reporter Henry Morton Stanley in search of Dr. David Livingstone in the 19th century.  The trek took our four intrepid explorers from the island of Zanzibar across Tanzania to the small village of Ujiji, a trip of nearly 1000 miles, over all manner of terrain.  The search took Stanley nine months to complete; whereas our modern day explorers – navigator Pasquale Scatturro, wildlife expert Mireya Mayor, survivalist Benedict Allen and journalist Kevin Sites – completed the trip in just 30 days.  Executive Producer Mark Burnett suggests this series may be his company’s greatest work, and if the first rough clips are any indication at all, he may well be right.  The views and expanse are stunning, the scenes are beautifully shot, the threat of nature to the explorers (and surely the crew as well) – be it four footed, slithering or Mother Nature herself – is very real and palpable.  I know you don’t usually catch me gushing, but this is television at its best.  With over 300 hours of footage, it seems a shame only 8 hours will be seen on television.  Expedition Africa: Stanley & Livingstone will premiere in late 2nd quarter 2009. 

Spike TV has ordered 13 episodes of Blue Mountain State, a half hour comedy series produced by Varsity Pictures and Lionsgate.  The series is set to premiere this summer.  The show is centered around incoming freshman to Blue Mountain State University, all on the football team and navigating life as a freshman.  Ed Marinaro has been cast at the football coach. 

Turner Classic Movies has commissioned Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (working title), a 10-part documentary series produced by Bill Haber’s Ostar Productions and TCM.  The series tells the true story behind the making of the American movie industry, feature the men and women who created and ran the Hollywood machine.  Such notables featured in the series  include Mayer, Goldwyn, Warner, Fox, Zanuck and Selznick. The story begins more than 100 years ago with Thomas Edison and travels to modern day with Steven Spielberg.  Moguls and Movie Stars is set to premiere in 2010, with each episode focusing on a different Hollywood era.

TLC and Investigation Discovery have ordered up eight one hour episodes of the new series Royal Inquest from Atlas media Group. The series promises to go behind the scenes of the world’s most intriguing royal scandals. The series is set to premiere on TLC on March 29th at 10p, with encore airings on Investigation Discovery beginning in May. 

David Chase returns to HBO to develop a new scripted drama miniseries about the invention of cinema and subsequent growth of the Hollywood film industry, called A Ribbon of Dreams.  The miniseries will begin in 1913, following two fictional characters as they maneuver and negotiate business in the film industry.  One guy is a college-educated mechanical engineer, and the other is a cowboy with a past. Together they form an unlikely producing partnership and together become film pioneers.  The series is from HBO/Paramount Pictures/Chase Films, and Paramount Pictures Chairman/CEO Brad Grey will executive produce with Chase.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  The gaming and movie worlds continue to cross-pollinate. Screenwriter David Hayter (Watchmen, X-Men) – who also provides the voice of Solid Snake in the Metal Gear games – is teaming with Benedict Carver, producer of the upcoming Tekken movie, to form Dark Hero Studios, a new entity out to develop film, TV, internet, comic and videogame projects in the action, sci-fi and horror genres. The idea is to finance through pre-sales and equity so that Dark Hero can retain negative ownership in order to build a library of films. Dark Hero’s first project will be “Demonology” written and directed by Mr. Hayter, per Variety, based on his experiences attending an international high school in Japan. (ASIJ?)  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:   Red Willow Films is moving forward on Eco Company, its new half-hour environment focused series.  Set to launch in fall 2009, Eco Company is a FCC friendly Educational and Informational (FCC E/I) series with clearances from station groups including Tribune Broadcasting, Cox Communications, Granite Broadcasting, Local TV, Newport Television, and the Journal Broadcast Group among others.  Hosted by a group of teens, the live-action series explores the importance of making ‘green’ choices and understanding how our actions impact the planet.  The series will be supported by the interactive website www.eco-company.tv , where teens will be invited to submit their ideas and upload their videos, which will be displayed on the site.  Full edition: CYN KIDS.

Friday – A18-49 Analysis:   CBS was ahead by two tenths of a rating point among A18-49 over Univision on Friday night, according to fast national ratings from Nielsen.  Ghost Whisperer kicked it off for CBS with a 2.5/9, with #2 Univision posting a 1.9/7 for Cuidado con el Angel at 8pm.  At 9p Univision took the lead with Manana es para Siempre’s 2.1/7, beating Flashpoint’s 1.7/5 on CBS and Dollhouse’s 1.6/5 on Fox. At 10p ABC and CBS tied, each earning a 1.9/6 for 20/20 and Numb3rs, respectively.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Friday, March 13, 2009  time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

CBS: 6.1/11     Ghost Whisperer 6.6/12, Flashpoint 5.5/10, Numb3rs  6.0/11

ABC: 3.4/6      Wife Swap 2.7/5, Supernanny 3.1/5, 20/20  4.4/8

NBC: 2.8/5      Howie Do It 2.5/5, Howie Do It [r] 2.5/4, Friday Night Lights 2.5/4, Dateline  3.5/6

FOX: 2.3/4      Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles 2.1/4, Dollhouse 2.5/4

UNIV: 2.2/4     Cuidado con el Angel 2.4/4, Manana es para Siempre 2.5/4, La Rosa de Guadalupe 1.8/3

MNT: 1.9/3      WWE Friday Night Smackdown  1.9/3

CW:  1.0/2      Everybody Hates Chris 1.0/2, The Game 1.0/2, America’s Next Top Model [r]  1.0/2

TELE: 0.6/1     Dona Barbara 0.5/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.6/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 0.7/1, El Cartel 0.7/1

ION: 0.3/1      Movie: Three Kings (630p) 0.3/1; Movie: Three Kings  0.3/1

A18-49:   CBS 2.0/6, UNIV 1.8/6, ABC 1.6/5, FOX 1.4/5, NBC 1.4/4, MNT 1.1/4, CW 0.6/2, TELE 0.5/2, ION 0.1/0

UK based multiplatform distributor Digital Rights Group named Ben Hall to the newly-created post of Chief Creative Officer/Entertainment.  Previously Creative Director at BBC Worldwide and, before that, co-founder of format company The Chatterbox Partnership, Ben will be managing a significant format development fund at DRG. 

BitGravity, Inc. appointed Perry Clarke as VP/Engineering, overseeing the team who designs, develops, and optimizes the core BitGravity platform and products. Perry has over 25 years of engineering and management experience and joined BitGravity in 2007 as one of the company’s first employees.

George Kliavkoff named EVP/Deputy Group Head of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication. The announcement was made jointly by Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Vice Chairman/CEO, Hearst Corporation, and Scott Sassa, President/Hearst Entertainment & Syndication.  George will report to Scott and will be charged with leading the digital expansion of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, the operating group responsible for Hearst’s interests in cable television networks.

Lifetime Networks appointed Danielle Carrig as SVP/Advocacy and Public Affairs and Amanda Crumley as VP/Advocacy and Public Affairs.  Danielle joins Lifetime from Step Up Women’s Network. She will develop and manage Lifetime’s public affairs and advocacy campaigns, oversee corporate giving and events, while maintaining and initiating the company’s partnerships with hundreds of leading women’s organizations, governmental agencies and media entities.  Amanda’s responsibilities will include public awareness campaigns and liaising among Lifetime’s departments on the development of advocacy-inspired content and community outreach on key programs and issues for women.  She also will be charged with leading Lifetime’s policy efforts and advocacy on its viewers’ behalf in Washington, DC, a dimension of public service unique to Lifetime that has resulted in the passage of five bills into law.

Andy Scott has been hired by Apparent Gravity Media to the newly created position of Bureau Chief for Asia/Australasia. The announcement was made today by George Krieger, Apparent Gravity Media’s President. Based in Honolulu, Andy will be responsible for sales, marketing and licensing of all AGM events and series programming including the Dew Tours, The China Invitational, Mavericks Surf Contest and successful series such as 10Count, UNTRACKED and Project Detention.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE CABLE SHOW ’09

The Cable Show ’09 features a rich slate of nearly 40 panel discussions that will illuminate emerging cable industry opportunities, including; ” Advertising 360  The Viewer Gets into the Picture” and ” Air Play: Cable’s Wide-Open Wireless Future“. Plus, you’ll hear from advanced advertising experts, leading video programmers, technology visionaries and more.

This day in History: 1756 – St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in New York City for the first time. The event took place at the Crown and Thistle Tavern.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:    Who am I?  I am three times divorced and a widower. I am now probably considered something of a loner, tho i most often seen in the company of four others.  I live by an extensive list of rules, and generally require those around me to adhere to the same rules.  For those who don’t go by my rules, a quick smack generally gets them to see things my way.  Who am I?  LEROY JETHRO GIBBS (NCIS)  Kudos to:  Debra Haut-AdServices Inc./Hollywood, FL; Judi Mickmac-WTNH/New Haven; Fred Petrosino-JSBG/NY; Kathryn Voskuil-Bright House Networks Advertising/St. Petersburg; April Schwingle-Strata Marketing, Inc/Chicago; Stephanie Brom-Petry Networks/Dallas; Chuck Gordon-Charter Media/Birmingham; Kathryn Kieser-Haworth Marketing and Media/Minneapolis; Frank Belcastro-High Noon Entertainment/LA; George La Fountaine-How I Met Your Mother/PST; Heidi Flydal-KFMB/San Diego; Phyllis Becker-KCBS/LA; Mirren Lee-The Creative Coach/Sydney; Robin Goret-Misaloka Marketing and Research/London; Karine Bengualid-the Event Company/Toronto

Today’s Trivia Question:  This well known actress said a particular non-word/noise that she carried over from her days on radio to her ridiculously successful television sitcom.  The crew called the sound the “spider.”  Who was this actress and see if you can attempt to spell the sound she was so well known for?   (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
03.17 .09

Cynopsis Ad Sales:
Chuck Bolkcom – 646-468-6180 /

Mark Bohn- 203-583-1224 /

Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 /

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

JOB OPENING: VP PRODUCTION/Discovery/MD: Focus on specials and series. Req editorial interest and proven exp from a domestic cable network. 10+ yrs exp in film or video documentary. Apply: www.discovery.com/careers #8845 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: BRAND RESEARCH MANAGER/ DIY NETWORK/ Knoxville, TN: Develops, analyzes, & interprets research. 5 yrs exp in market research at a TV network/ studio. Nielsen exp required. www.scrippsnetwroks.com #388 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC, AFFIL SALES/MKTG/WWE/Stamford CT: Seeks for distribution of all products to implement marketing, P.O.S. &community relations campaigns. Must have 3+ yrs experience & willingness to travel www.wwe-careers.com (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIR AUD DEV/BBC/NY: Grow mkt BBC online news. Dev traf-driving initvs, cons mktg, prtnrshp mngmnt. Anlyz traf & usage pttrns, mng synd rltnshps, up 3^rd party links to bbc.com news cont. www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: RSRCH ANALYST/BBC/Miami: Rsrch for Programming & ad sales. Maintain rsrch sales systems, track performance of shows, monitor industry trends. 2+ yrs exp. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: GRP REPORTING MGR/BBC/NYC: Prod, consolidation & reporting for BBCWW. Set acct’g policies, analyze & challenge perf., improve process, ensure fin. control maintained. CPA pref’d. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: SALES DIR/BBC/NYC: 5+ yrs exp mng sales team, solid sales track record, media licensing exp, direct selling. Est & imp strat, mng sales pipeline, lead team to grow biz. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL NTWRK OPS MGR/BBC/NYC: ensure dig ad campaigns supported & trafficked. Set-up, insert orders & comm discrepancies. Analyze success of campaigns & relay to ad sales team. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: SR ACCT EXEC/ACCT DIR Out-of Home media sales/NY: 5+ yrs nat’l sales exp w/clients & advrtsng agencies strat. plan’g groups. Proven track rec of new bus/acct dvlpmnt req’d. Exp w/Youth mkt a + Res to:
(3/21)

JOB OPENING: MGR/SPIKE MOVE STUDIO PRODUCTION/MTV/NYC: Promo production for movie studios. 3-5 yrs exp. in production & mktg. Passion for movies and exp with talent. Dynamic personality, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED CONTENT & BREAK STRATEGY/MD: Work with Programming/Development, Ad Sales, Marketing& Digital for TLC. 8+ yrs in sales is required. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8817 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR – OPERATIONS/LA: work with special projects relating to new business development with TLC. 5+ yrs in buds. dev.& production required. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8836 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: MKTG MGR/General Electric/NY: Responsible for working w/NBC & msnbc.com’s sales team to dvlp sales prgrms & mktg solutions. Apply: https://sjobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_jobdetail.asp?partnerid=54&siteid=5346&oreq=1022190   (3/21)

JOB OPENING: EXEC ASSISTANT, CONTENT DEVELOPMENT/MTV/NYC: 2+yrs exp. Exec Assist, Strg org/detail skills, Superior Cust. Service, Strng comm/comp skills, Able to prioritize/Meet deadlines EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (3/20)

JOB OPENING: RSRCH PROJECT MGR/CNN/ATL: Supporting Strat Mktg & On-Air Promo w/ ability to translate raw data into useable & actionable insights. Solid media math skills/5+ yrs. brdcst and/or cable TV Apply:
(3/20)

JOB OPENING: SR. COUNSEL, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/NY: Negotiate production, programming & talent agreements for AMC NETWORK. L.A. Contacts, JD & 8+ yrs ent law experience required / M&A exp a +. 
(3/19)

JOB OPENING: OFFICE MGR/MGM AD SALES/NY: Mng all aspects of A/R including prep of wkly & monthly accounting reports. Provide sales & admin support to dept. Back up Sales Plan & Traffic Mgrs. Apply www.MGM.jobs #6440 (3/19)

JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC MGR/MGM AD SALES/NY: Resp for proper plcemnt of commercials & copy assgnmnt. Mng prod & reconcil of logs. Liaise betw Ad Agncies, Sls, Mktg & Prog depts to gather fitting copy materials. Apply www.MGM.jobs #6441 (3/19)

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
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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: MARKETING/Urtak.com: user-generated public opinion site. Resp: Prdct dev, mkt expansion, corp svcs, for innovative startup. Work remotely, w/ few meetings in NYC. ~35hrs/wk. Send cv & CL to
(3/19)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: PROGRAMMER/Urtak.com: user-generated public opinion site. Resp: prgrm’ing & user interface design for innovative startup. RubyOnRails exp. Work remotely, w/ few NYC meetings. ~35hr/wk. Send cv&CL to
(3/19)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  Doc production co. seeks exp’d, orgnzd & energetic JRS/SRS. Driven to gain exp in fast-paced envir. Pls specify “dvlpmnt” or “prod” in app. Resp. incl office, shoot, & post-prod & dvlpmnt asst. Email
(3/19)

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

SITUATION WANTED: DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email:
(3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: OFFICE PA OR EXEC ASST /NY: 3 yrs exp in customer service working at CBS. Former intern at film & talent agencies. Working knwldg of media industry. Creative, reliable, and a team player. E-mail:
(3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: INTERN IN MEDIA/ THEATRE: Seeks work in Film / Theatre in NYC. Theatre and Media Studies at ScrippsCollege. Work experience in communications. Email:
(3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING/PROMOTIONS/Boston: Marketing/promotions professional seeks television, web marketing, social networking focused position. Experienced in international markets. Creative + will travel.
(3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: NON-FICTION PRODUCER/WRITER (STORY & FIELD).10+yrs exp. NBC, VH1, CMT, TLC, E!, Disney, CNN, etc.; reality, ent, news, talk, developmt; LA based, will travel.
(3/18)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/ ASSOC. PRODUCER (LA) Out-of-the-box thinker, creative, award- winning, all formats, all genres. Budgets, schedules, breakdowns, crewing, casting, post and more. Over 20 yrs. exp.
(3/18)

SITUATION WANTED: Top-tier agency ACCOUNT MANAGER/SUPERVISOR seeks full-time employment in LA area. If your agency needs a professional w/ multi-platform technology, entertainment or interactive experience, e-mail
(3/18)

SITUATION WANTED: SR. MARKETING/BRAND MANAGER with home video, TV, animation and indie film experience is seeking a dynamic opportunity with a Los Angeles area studio or agency. E-Mail
for a resume (3/18)

E-mail
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
for specs.

WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2009

ABC: Dancing with the Stars – Recap; Dancing with the Stars, Primetime: What would you do?
AZTECA: Los Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Los 25 Mas, Al Extremo
CBS: NCIS, The Mentalist, Without a Trace
CW: The Reaper, 90210
FOX: American Idol
ION: Boston Legal, Boston Legal, Boston Legal
MNT: Street Patrol, Street Patrol, Jail, Jail [r]
NBC: Biggest Loser: Couples, L&O: SVU
PBS: Nova, Frontline, Independent Lens
TELE: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, El Cartel
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Manana es para Siempre, Aqui y Ahora

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