Cynopsis

05/20/08

Good morning.  It’s Tuesday, May 20, 2008, and this is your first early morning briefing. 

Former Showtime executive, Mark Greenberg has been named President/CEO of the still unnamed premium pay TV venture between Viacom, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate and MGM. The new channel will launch in fall 2009 with a library of new film and TV titles generated from all collaborating partners.

Tonight’s Premiere:
BBC America: Not Going Out at 840p

Tonight’s Finales:
ABC: Dancing with the Stars at 9p
The CW: Reaper at 9p
CBS: NCIS at 9p; Shark at 10p

NBC officially ordered the new drama Kings to series yesterday, despite announcing back in April the drama was part of the winter schedule in the Sunday at 10p time period. Apparently, network executives had only ordered a two-hour movie but after viewing footage of the contemporary re-telling of the David vs. Goliath tale starring Christopher Egan and Ian McShane, they decided to make it official. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios.

MyNetworkTV (MNT) will begin airing WWE Smackdown on October 3 after the franchise completes its run on The CW as Friday Night Smackdown September 26. The weekly wrestling show moves to MNT where it will stay on Friday nights and resume its original title.

ION Media Networks, Inc. added two series on ION Life:

• New series Stories of the NFL commissioned from NFL Films with bios of players on and off the field airing daily at 8p beginning June 2.
• ION also acquired the rights to The 50 Greatest Moments at Madison Square Garden (MSG) the documentary series chronicling the most memorable events at the iconic arena airing simultaneously on ION Life and on ION Television Network on Sundays at 6p starting June 15.

The Ski Channel acquired Skiers World the long-running episodic international ski series that has been in production for 28 years from Toronto-based Double Black Diamond Productions. The deal gives The Ski Channel hundreds of episodes to air over five years. Additionally, The Ski Channel licensed the film library of classic ski film titles from action sports production company Level 1 Productions.

The voice talents behind the characters on FOX’s The Simpsons have not made a deal with 20th Century Fox TV for the 20th season of the show. Per Variety, despite FOX announcing The Simpsons would be back on Sunday nights during last week’s upfront presentation, production is on hold until this talent deal is resolved which may force FOX and the studio to reduce the number of episodes to 20 instead of 22. Currently the cast is reportedly make $360,000 per episode and if the new deal comes to fruition they could each possibly make $500,000 per episode in addition to other bonuses. Cowabunga!

Just when you thought Emeril Live shows were done for after Food Network announced a couple months ago it would no longer produce new episodes (repeats currently air in the afternoon), Fine Living Network has picked up the series.  Beginning July 7th, Emeril Live will air nightly, seven nights a week, at 7pm. New episodes will air each Monday. And an additional note, beginning this fall, Fine Living Network will be rated by Nielsen.

Sports and entertainment network MSG picks up two new original series this summer: Fans’ Most Wanted: Rangers opening this Friday at 8p and Fans’ Most Wanted: Knicks joining the schedule May 30 at 9p. Each series has eight 30m episodes highlighting the best historic moments of both teams.

Recreating historic aerial dogfights in its new series, Military Channel offers the world premiere of Showdown: Air Combat on June 15 at 10p. Hosted by U.S. Air Force Major Paul “Max” Moga, the 10-part series takes an in-depth look at each aircraft design in motion from the Red Baron’s Fokker Dr-1 triplace to the U.S. Air Force’s F-22A Raptor.

Switching networks, the eco-lifestyle series Living with Ed, starring actor/environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. and his wife Rachelle will now air on Planet Green when the network kicks off on June 4. The series had previously aired on HGTV.

In another Planet Green update, the network adds new series Alter Eco featuring actor/musician/director Adrian Grenier and his “Green Team” threesome as they make eco-friendly renovations to celebrity homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area. The 13-episode series premieres June 9 at 9p following a sneak preview on June 4 at 10p during Planet Green’s launch night programming. 

TV One announced its intention of launching TV One-HD later this year with a lineup including shows from TV One as well as newly produced originals in hi-def and acquired HD programming.

Documenting how a Canadian country music band navigates the U.S. music industry based in Nashville, GAC will debut a new series The Road Hammers on June 12 at 830p. After winning two Canadian Country Music Awards, the four-member band tries to conquer the U.S. during eight one-hour episodes directed by fellow Canadian Jason Priestley.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM HALLMARK CHANNEL

Fox has greenlit a new series Hole in the Wall from FremantleMedia N.A., which is already a hit in several foreign territories.  Based on the video game Tetris, contestants standing on a platform are required to move their bodies into certain shapes so that the wall moving toward them with the cutout shape successfully passes by them.  If they are not in the right shape, the wall pushes them into the water. Fox has ordered 13 episodes.

Food Network started production this month on three new primetime series:

• Road Tasted with the Neelys – the husband and wife duo, Pat and Gina Neely visit family-operated businesses in other cities such as Las Vegas, Santa and Kansas City. Premieres this July.
• How’d That Get On My Plate – Host Sunny Anderson leads this new series focusing on a single ingredient as it begins with the raw product to how it ends up on a consumer’s plate. Premieres this July.
• The Chef Jeff Project (wt) – Former prison inmate turned chef of world-famous resorts, Chef Jeff Henderson will be mentor to six young adults who have had a rough start but want to turn their lives around. They will work under Jeff at his Los Angeles catering company learning about prepping food as well as life lessons. Debuts next October.

Casting Call: NBC’s new series Momma’s Boys from Ryan Seacrest Productions and Glassman Media would like mothers of eligible young bachelors to audition to be on the show. If you are a mom and want your son to settle down and find the right woman – and if your son is willing to work with you as a team to find his soul mate – send an email to casting producer Brenda Della Casa at
. Interested mother-son teams must send in two photos of mother and son; a brief paragraph describing your mother-son relationship; bios of both including your occupations; and contact info (include full name, phone number with area code; and email address; city and state. Be sure and put your name, city and state in the subject line.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY: Apple is working behind the scenes to get major music labels to increase the catalog of songs available for download to the iPhone, reports The New York Times. The company wants to add more ringtones as well, and be able to offer downloads directly to the iPhone instead of making consumers upload them from their hard drive. Not surprisingly the music labels have their own list of demands. Direct downloads should cost more, they figure. And like NBC, they would like pricing flexibility – the ability to charge more for hits and less for library product. Universal Music Group wants Apple to build a system offering music downloads with an expiration date, but the two sides cannot agree on a price.  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL. (Or to listen to the Cynopsis Digital Podcast click here or subscribe to it at iTunes here .)

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Noggin has set the premiere of the new animated series Toot & Puddle (26×30) for October 2008 (exact date is TBA).  The original series is produced by National Geographic Kids Entertainment and Mercury Filmworks and based on the popular Toot & Puddle book series by kid’s author/illustrator Holly Hobbie. Full edition: CYN KIDS.

CYNOPSIS INTERNATIONAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY: Through its Russian subsidiary TeleAlliance, Zodiak is opening up its 13th market with a new production and licensing office in Belarus overseen by Moscow’s Zodiak Vostok. The first project will be a 34-episode primetime entertainment series airing this fall, ordered up and financed by the Belarussian lottery company SportPari. Full edition: CYN INTERNATIONAL. 

Sunday – A18-49 Analysis:  ABC swept past the competition Sunday night with 4.7/13 A18-49, according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research. The season finale of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition began the night in first placed at 7p with 2.6/9 and hammered to the top again at 8p with 3.8/11. ABC maintained its winning streak with the two-hour finale of Desperate Housewives at 9p with 6.0/15 followed by a first place 6.3/16 during 10p. 

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Sunday, May 18, 2008 – (May Sweep Day 25) time period averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research

ABC: 8.4/14     Extreme Makeover: Home Edition [2-hour f] 6.0/11, Desperate Housewives [2-hour f] 10.8/17

CBS: 7.3/12       60 Minutes 7.0/13, Academy of Country Music Awards 7.4/12

FOX: 3.1/5        King of the Hill [r] 1.8/3, The Simpsons [r] 2.4/4, The Simpsons [f] 3.7/6, King of the Hill [f] 3.3/5, Family Guy [r] 3.9/6, American Dad [f] 3.6/6

NBC: 2.5/4        Dateline 3.0/6, The Office [r] 1.9/3, The Office [r] 1.9/3, The Office [r] 1.9/3, The Office [r] 2.0/3, Law & Order: SVU [r] 3.1/5

UNIV: 1.0/2       Hora Pico 1.0/2, Familia P. Luche 1.0/2, Noche de Estrella [2 hours] 1.0/2, Retro P. Luche 1.0/2

CW: 0.9/2         America’s Next Top Model [r] 0.8/1, Everybody Hates Chris [f] 1.0/2, Aliens in America [f] 0.9/1, The Game [f] 1.1/2, Girlfriends [r] 0.8/1

TELE: 0.5/1       Movie: Juan Charrasqueado vs. Gabino Barrera 0.3/1, Movie: Identidad Desconocida 0.6/1

A18-49: ABC 4.7/13, CBS 2.6/7, FOX 2.4/7, NBC 1.3/4, UNIV 0.7/2, CW 0.5/2, TELE 0.4/1

Trez Thomas joined Bravo Media as VP/Brand Strategy and Creative Director. Trez will supervise the Bravo brand and marketing efforts over all Bravo platforms that encompass on-air, online, as well as off-air trade and consumer campaigns and Bravo Media brand extensions. Trez will also manage Bravo’s on-air promotions and creative teams.

Weigel Broadcasting Co. hired Randy King as Production Manager and his goal is to take the company’s production to a higher level working with Harvey Moshman who was recently added as Executive Producer/Program Development.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CABLEU

This day in History: Born on this day: Jimmy Stewart (1908), Joe Cocker (1944), Cher (1946), Dave Thomas (actor) (1949)

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  Scott Brady played a Private Eye/Western hero in this series that ran from 1959-1961. Some of the famous guest stars that appeared included Ernie Kovacs, Johnny Cash, Tex Ritter and several famous sports figures. What was the name of this show?  SHOTGUN SLADE   Kudos to:  Michael Seidel-CBS Television Stations/NY; Bob Brewer-Opus 3 Artists/NY; Earl Williamson Jr.-National Cable Communications/NY;  Heather Weldin-Active Media Services/Pearl River, NY; Robb Gray, Jr.–Apex Media/Tucson; Lorrie Shilling-DIRECTV/El Segundo, CA; Robin Schmelling-BCMI/Palm Desert, CA; Richard Nibbler-ABC Comedy Department/LA; Sheldon Wiebe-EclipseMagazine.com/Calgary

Today’s Trivia Question:   On what ’50s TV series could you find the main characters fighting super-villains Mr. Proteus and Prince Baccarratti in order to keep peace in the solar system?  (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
05.20.08

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM SUPERSTATION WGN

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JOB OPENING: ONLINE MEDIA PLANNER/NYC: 1+Online media planning/buying exp.; Proven ability managing multiple campaigns & client relationships; Entertainment industry client exp. a PLUS! Contact
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JOB OPENING: VP, WOMEN@NBCU RESEARCH/NBCU/NYC:  Dev. rsrch strategy incl ROI measurement. High visibility opp. Ext. cross-sectional analytic bckgrd req’d, incl cross-platform, primary, & sales rsrch Apply @ www.nbcunicareers.com   (815762)  (5/27)

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JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC/CLEARANCE/DYNAMIC NYC MEDIA BUYING/PLAN’G AGENCY:  Handle all client commercial clearances & TV trafficking to networks. 1yr exp a + but college appl welcome. Cptr skills needed. Contact:
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JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, AD SALES/MUSIC CHOICE/NY: 5+ yrs nat’l ad sales exp with strong relationships, proven track record of success, exp selling multi-platform/integrated ops a +.
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JOB OPENING: ASSOC RESEARCH ANALYST/CNN Digital/NY: Support sales & research across multiple digital platforms. BA, Strong analytical aptitude, relevant internships pref’d. Apply:
  EOE (5/27)

JOB OPENING: SR PRODUCER/Reach Media, Inc/Dallas:  Experienced for the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show to impact audience of 8 million four hours daily. Send materials to
. EOE. (5/27)

JOB OPENING:  RESEARCH SPECIALIST/(The CW/New York): Sales Media Research Analyst experience. Proficient w/Galaxy,  NPower, Adviews & MRI. Team player, ability to juggle many projects.  Email:  
RE: UCTC/98308BR  (5/24)

JOB OPENING: SUPERSTAR SALES DIRECTOR: Needed For Tribeca Internet Company. Sell the CPM inventory at theU.com and partner sites. Must be aggressive and self motivated. Contact: 
  include your resume and sales history  (5/24)

JOB OPENING: VP, MKTG & LICENSING/NY, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc:  Brand Marketer, Client Services, Strategic, Creative, Team Oriented w/ exp in Toys & Games Mkting/Dev., min. of 10 yrs exp. BS req.  Resume to: 
(5/23)

JOB OPENING: MGR PLANNING & SCHEDULING/USA NETWORK/NYC: Manage all day-to-day on-air promo scheduling, including scheduling all on-air promotion in the traffic system. 3-4 yrs exp and BA degree req. Go to www.nbcjobs.com 820304 (5/23)

JOB OPENING: DEV ASST/LA:  Need long term temp to support VP of Devt at major cable network. Hard working,  highly organized/eager to help. Incredibly fast past paced office. Submit resumes to: 
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JOB OPENING: TELEVISION PROGRAM ESTIMATOR/NYC:  2+ years exp estimating broadcast television programming for Upfront in a media/advertising agency. Freelance assignment  lasting approx. 3-4 wks.  Apply
(5/23)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER CONTENT DISTRIBUTION/FUSE/MSG Media-Santa Monica office:  3 yrs exp & travel required. For more info and to apply, go to www.thegarden.com and click on employment   (5/23)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR CONTENT DISTRIBUTION/FUSE/MSG Media-NY Office: 5 yrs related exp. required. For more info and to apply, go to www.thegarden.com and click on employment  (5/23)

JOB OPENING: AUDIO/POST PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR/NICKELODEON/NY: Sup & schedl audio for animated series, incld post SFX/mix/layback & delivery. Exp w/music, cast, direct, producing A+. Email: 
  (5/23)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER, SHORT-FORM ORG. PROGRAMMING-LOGO/MTV/NYC: 4+yrs Programming exp, Strg editorial skills, Knwldge of content creation mobile/wireless. Knwldge of LOGO brands. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (5/22)

JOB OPENING: SALES ASST-DR/SUPERSTATION WGN/NY: Provide admin. & sales support to DR Dept; order entry, confirmations, pre & post logs to clients, etc. Apply @
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JOB OPENING:  PRODUCER/ SCRIPPS NETWORKS (HGTV/DIY/Food/FL/GAC) Knox: 5+ yrs prod exp long/short form Lifestyle TV/taped live/Online exp A+/exlent interpersonal skills. Full job descrip/apply at  www.scrippsnetworks.com Knoxville Based  (5/22)

JOB OPENING:  PR COORDINATOR/HGTV/New York: manage press inquiries, requests & events, liaison w/ HGTV talent & production companies, provide Admin support to PR team. 1-3 yrs PR exp. Full details & apply  www.scrippsnetworks.com (5/22)

JOB OPENING:  DIR PRODUCTION/LA: Mng movie prod for Disney Chl/ABC Family/Jetix; frm decision-mkg/budgt/prod to post. 7-10yrs TV, movie prod exp. Knowldg in guild and union agreemnts. Apply at: www.disneycareers.com Req# 162325  (5/22)

JOB OPENING: DIG ASSET & CONTENT MGR/Starzmedia/NYC: 3+yrs dig asst mgmt & databas, vid/aud & techncl format knowldg. Mang dig cont assets(lng/shrt-form vids/trlrs/clips/imgs/sound)for co. Dig Media div. Apply: 
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JOB OPENING: EXEC ASST to PRES/CEO TV prod/Burbank: Manage daily schedule & travel/roll& track calls/excellent oral & written skills/well organized. 2-4 yrs exp. MAC, Word, Excel, Filemaker, Entourage.  Apply:
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JOB OPENING: DIGITAL SALES PLANNER/AETN, NY: Create Proposals, steward accts, servicing orders. 2yrs exp in advertising or sales research. Exc comm skills. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (5/21)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE JUNKET WRITER-PRODUCER/HALLMARK CHANNEL/LA: Create 30 minute hosted entertainment pieces. 3-5 yrs. experience. See full posting and apply at www.hallmarkchannel.com (5/21)

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY:  Film Prod. company and financier is looking for self starters. Learn all aspects of film production. Strng comm skills & good attitude, begin ASAP. thru summer.
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SUMMER INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY:  MKTG/ON-AIR: Fox Reality Channel-LA – summer intern for mktg & on-air production. 30-40 hrs/wk. Majors: Mktg, Adv, PR/Comm, TV/Film. Skills: Writing & computer; On-Air Pro/Avid a plus.
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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  DIG MEDIA INTERN/Starzmedia/NYC: Undergrads/3.0+ GPA/currently enrolled in univ., 20-35 hrs/wk. Work on several chllnging projects (i.e. viral distrib and Broadband Channel comp. review) Apply:
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SITUATION WANTED: NY SHOW RUNNER/DIRECTOR: Accomplished 12 yr tv veteran exp’d in developing & producing all different formats:hidden camera, talk, sports, game show, sketch comedy & music perf.Contact:
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT – Tuesday, May 20, 2008

ABC: Dancing With The Stars [r], Dancing With The Stars [f ]
AZTECA: Lo Que La Gente Cuenta, Historias Engarzadas, Bellezas Indomables
CBS: NCIS [f ], Shark [f ]
CW: Reaper [r], Reaper [f ]
FOX: American Idol, Hell’s Kitchen
ION: Mama’s Family, Mama’s Family, Quantum Leap, Drew Carey Show, Drew Carey Show
MNT: Jail, Jail [r], Jail, Jail [r]
NBC: Most Outrageous Moments, Most Outrageous Moments [r], Law & Order: SVU [r], Law & Order: SVU [r]
PBS: Nova, Frontline [r], Independent Lens
TELE: La Traicion, Victoria, Pecados Ajenos
UNIV: Al Diablo con los Guapos, Fuego en la Sangre, Aqui y Ahora

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