CYNTHIA TURNER’S
CYNOPSIS

04/07/04

Good morning.  It’s Wednesday, April 7, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing. 

Nielsen Media Research has announced it will delay the launch of Local People Meters in New York City.  The launch was originally scheduled to kick off tomorrow, Thursday April 8, and will now begin on Thursday, June 3.  According to a statement from Susan Whiting, CEO/President NMR, “The introduction of this advanced technology in local markets will produce more precise and reliable data about African American and Latino television audiences. However, it is clear there is widespread concern about the introduction of this technology in New York City. Out of respect for the elected officials and community leaders who have voiced concern about People Meters, we are rescheduling the launch in New York City so that we can fully answer all their inquiries.”  The announcement was made in conjunction with Congressman Charles B. Rangel and in response to criticism and/or concern the LPM sample would under report African Americans and Latinos. During the time period fo April 8 to June 3, Nielsen will take the opportunity to meet with elected officials, Nielsen clients and community leaders.  Congressman Rangel and Nielsen will also create a task force on TV measurement to ensure these two multi-cultural demographic groups are fully counted and to make sure all Nielsen clients have the best information and data to make decisions.

Tomorrow morning at 9am, CBS, NBC and ABC will all carry live coverage of National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice’s testimony before the Commission investigating the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Fox will offer coverage to its affiliates.

Premiering Tonight:   Which will you watch?
The Bachelor on ABC at 9pm
The Swan on Fox at 9pm

No longer premiering on CBS …. The Stones has fallen off the schedule having sunk like ….never mind. Tonight CBS will air a second ep of King of Queens.  There are six Stones left in the can, as yet unseen.  A good thing?

And Fox has pulled Cracking Up off the schedule on Monday nights after its less than stellar performance this past Monday evening.  For the time being, look for Fox to double pump Bernie Mac 8-9p.

Canadian documentary filmmaker David Paperny is pulling together a new reality show – the reality of gay couples from the United States getting married in Canada.  According to Hollywood Reporter, Paperny is chronicling the number of same sex marriages being performed between American couples who have made the trek across the border to become wed.  The Gloucester Square Inns in Toronto is offering gay couples wedding packages and Paperny will be installing his cameras at the hotel to follow the weddings, the receptions and all the trimmings.  Paperny isn’t the only one taking pictures.  Albert Neremberg, another filmmaker based in Toronto, documented the Valentines Day gay marriages on the steps of the Toronto City Hall, again featuring primarily American couples. Look for these series and documentaries to be pitched to your network in the week’s ahead.

Merv Griffin Enterprises is getting into the reality business with a new series based at Toronto’s Humber College’s school of comedy.  Merv will team up with Ernie Chambers, says Variety, to produce the series, which will be pitched to the networks in upcoming weeks.  There will likely be a competition/elimination element to the show as the students try out their routines in various clubs and in the classroom. Says Merv:  “It’s like ‘American Idol,’ except they don’t sing — they do comedy.”

The Surreal Life will return for a third season – only this time it goes to VH1, not the WB.  The series will include 10 one hour episodes and is scheduled to premiere in third quarter this year, and though who the B, C and D list celebs are living in the Hollywood house are still not known, casting is underway. 

Mark your calendars – here are UPN‘s season finale dates:  The Parkers will have its series finale on May 10 at 8pm; I’m Still Alive, May 12 at 9p; Half & Half, May 17 at 930p; Eve on Monday May 24 with a special one hour finale at 8pm; Girlfriends finale, also one hour, airs on May 24 at 9p; One On One, season finale airs in two parts, back to back, May 25 at 8p and 830p; Rock Me Baby finale is May 25 at 930p; Star Trek Enterprise, May 26 at 8pm

Sidebar:  How cool is it for UConn to win both the Men’s and the Women’s NCAA Championship! 

Apuesta Pictures is bringing more content to Spanish-language television in the US and in international markets with several projects in development.  Apuesta has a first look deal with Reveille (The Restaurant, etc.), Ben Silverman’s production company at Universal.  According to Variety, projects in development include a spinoff of the popular film Y Tu Mama Tambien (co-produced by Apuesta Pictures’ owner Jorge Vergara), and a reality show focusing in on the Mexican Soccer team Chivas, which Vergara also owns. Another project on the slate is a speech-less (literally) animated series called Chivaldo y Pancho, and because it lacks speech, overcomes all language barriers and therefore is expected to sell well internationally.

Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among Total Viewers for the week of Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2004
Primetime        (000)     Total Day            (000)
NICK*           3376    NICK*           2269
USA             2407    NAN**           1305
TBS             2383    TNT             1215
TNT             2133    TBS             1056
ESPN            1882    CARTOON 1052
NAN**           1849    USA             991
FOXNEWS 1571    FOXNEWS 920
LIFETIME        1513    LIFETIME        914
CARTOON 1395    ESPN            706
MTV             1336    MTV             677
Source  Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 108,400,000 homes
*Nickelodeon: M-Th 6:30a-9p; Fri 6:30a-10p; Sat 6a-10p; Sun 6a-9p
**Nick at Nite (NAN): S-Th 9p-6a; Fri-Sat 10p-6a

Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among A18-49 for the week of Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2004
Primetime        (000)     Total Day           (000)
TBS             1243    TNT             647
USA             1077    NAN**           630
TNT             971     TBS             612
MTV             760     NICK*           523
NICK*           709     USA             490
ESPN            687     LIFETIME        421
TLC             641     MTV             376
COMEDY  611     ESPN            368
SCIFI           597     FX              333
SPIKE           594     COMEDY  330
Source  Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 108,400,000 homes.
*Nickelodeon: M-Th 6:30a-9p; Fri 6:30a-10p; Sat 6a-10p; Sun 6a-9p
**Nick at Nite (NAN): S-Th 9p-6a; Fri-Sat 10p-6a

News Viewer Index for the week of March 29 – April 4, 2004 in Total Viewers
Total Day Total Fox News/CNN/MSNBC/Headline Cable News Viewers  1.827 (000) Total Viewers. (-.5% vs. previous week). Of the cable news viewership, Fox News had 50% of the viewing, CNN 27%, MSNBC 13%; and Headline News 10%.
Primetime Total Fox News/CNN/MSNBC/Headline Cable News Viewers  2.944 (0000) Total Viewers (+5% vs. previous week). Of the primetime cable news viewership, Fox News had 53%, CNN 29%, MSNBC 11% and Headline News 7%.
Source Nielsen Media Research

Intermedia Advertising Group’s Top Ten Most Effective New Ads for new campaigns airing the weeks of
March 15-128 2004. The list is ranked by viewer’s ability to recall the new ads and their associated products and brands.  The Recall Score is the percentage of TV viewers who within 24 hours are able to remember the brand of the ad they saw during normal TV viewing.  The scores are then indexed against the mean score for all ads during the time period to create the Recall Index; 100 is Average. For example, with a Recall Index of 239, the top-ranked Burger King spot was recalled more than twice the average new ad during the period.   Source Intermedia Advertising Group Inc.’s 2004 Ad Performance Data Series (www.iagr.net)
– 239   BURGER KING:  Tender Crisp–Ethan tells boss that they got the same thing
– 217   SIX FLAGS:  Elderly man gets off bus & dances in suburban neighborhood, shots of theme park (:60)
– 209   PROPEL:  Fitness Water–water drops turn into athletes
– 191   LISTERINE:  PocketPaks–man on airplane falls asleep on woman’s shoulder
– 198    OLD NAVY:  Spring Break–reporters in different locations toss microphone to each other        
– 185   DANNON:  Frusion–man asks people on street to trade in their breakfast
– 183   TACO BELL:  Fiesta Taco Salad–woman confronts husband at his office
– 181   SIX FLAGS:  Elderly man gets off bus & dances in suburban neighborhood, shots of theme park (:30)
– 176    VERIZON WIRELESS:  In-Network Calling–man fired by Donald Trump because he is not member of calling plan
– 164   UPS:  Global Shipping–woman in Chicago and Beijing send packages to each other’s city

Monday night was the NCAA Men’s Championship night, and NBC took the night among A18-49 in fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research, thanks not to basketball (that was on CBS), but to Fear Factor and the finale of Average Joe Returns.  NBC led with a 5.1/14 A18-49 for the evening, quickly followed by CBS 5.0/13, and then ABC 3.0/8, FOX 2.6/7, WB 1.3/4, UPN 1.1/3.  At 8pm NBC’s Fear Factor drew a 5.3/16, over CBS’ repeat sitcoms (3.5/10) and the first hour of ABC News special (2.8/9).  Bernie Mac and Cracking Up on Fox earned a 1.9/6; a repeat of 7th Heaven on the WB a 1.2.4; and repeat sitcoms on UPN a 1.1/3.  At 9p CBS was in front with the first hour of the UConn v. Georgia Tech game earning a 5.7/14 A18-49, and a 7.4/19 M18-49, and 8.6/20 among M25-54.  Whereas the first hour of the 2-hour finale of Average Joe Returns drew a 4.7/12 A18-49, and was logically stronger in the female demos: 6.4/16 W18-49, 6.7/15 W25-54. Fox and ABC tied at an 8 share. At 10p, UConn won for the school and the network with a 6.0/15 A18-49 (7.7/20 M18-49, 9.0/21 M25-54), followed by NBC’s 5.3/13 for the final hour of Average Joe (7.4/18 W18-49, 7.8/18 W25-54). 

Hildi Santo Tomas, my favorite designer to watch (though she’s not stepping foot in my house) of Trading Spaces has turned her attention to the family pet.  Santo Tomas has teamed up with The Iams Company to help pet owners with quick and inexpensive ways to transform their pets from ordinary to extraordinary and healthy.  With the makeover kit from Iams comes a contest entry where pets and their owners can win a free trip. But back to the pet thing and Hildi — do you think she’ll paste hay to the dog or give the cat a collar of plastic flowers? 

Dana Walden, President of 20th Century Fox Television, was named VP/The Hollywood Radio & Television Society (HRTS). Dana reports to Jordan Levin, President of HRTS and Dave Ferrara, Executive Director of HRTS and is based in LA.  The Hollywood Radio and Television Society is an organization of West Coast executives from the networks, stations, studios, production companies, advertisers, ad agencies, cable companies, media companies, legal firms, publicity agencies, talent and management agencies, performers, services, suppliers and allied fields.

Gregg H. Liebman was named VP/CNN Ad Sales Research for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) .  Gregg is leading staff research analyses and strategy support for the CNN News Group ad sales function, including CNN/U.S., CNN Headline News, CNNfn, CNN.com and other CNN-branded news networks and services.  He is based in New York and reports to Jack Wakshlag, Chief Research Officer for TBS, Inc. and works closely with Greg D’Alba, COO/CNN Ad Sales.

Monday, April 5, 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

CBS     9.4/15  Everybody Loves Raymond [r] 7.6/13, Two and a Half Men [r] 7.3/12, NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship 10.3/16
                Due to the nature of live sports, CBS ratings are approximate.

ABC     7.8/12  Peter Jennings Reporting: Jesus and Paul – The Word and the Witness 7.8/12

NBC     7.4/12  Fear Factor 7.3/12, Average Joe: Adam Returns [finale] 7.4/12

FOX     3.5/6   Bernie Mac Show 3.3/6, Cracking Up 2.5/4, That 70s Show [r] 3.9/6, That 70s Show [r] 4.4/7

WB      2.6/4   7th Heaven [r] 2.3/4, Everwood 2.8/4

UPN     2.0/3   The Parkers [r] 1.9/3, Eve [r] 2.1/3, Girlfriends [r] 2.1/3, Half & Half [r] 1.8/3

A18-49  NBC 5.1/14, CBS 5.0/13, ABC 3.0/8, FOX 2.6/7, WB 1.3/4, UPN 1.1/3

Source: NTI Explorer, 3/24/04 or as noted. TP: Wed 9-10pm.  New drama rank based on 18-34 demos.  US Rating.

The History Channel presents This Day in History: 
1985 – At the World Table Tennis Championships in Goteborg, Sweden, China continues its longstanding domination of international table tennis by winning top honors in every category but one – men’s doubles.

Answer to yesterday’s Trivia Question: “It’s this dumb thing that Ross made up because he was trying to fool our parents. It’s a way of giving the finger, without actually having to give it. I remember I cried the night he made it up, `cause it was the first time that I realized that I was actually cooler than my older brother.”  What is Monica describing?  WHEN ROSS IS SECRETIVELY FLIPPING OFF HIS PARENTS, HE’D TURN HIS FISTS TOWARD HIMSELF AND BANG THE SIDES OF HIS FISTS TOGETHER TWICE. Kudos to:  Rose Miller-CABLEready/Norwalk CT; Courtney Burke-Deutsch/NY; Keith Sklar-Active Media/NY; Laura Savia-Unified Resources/NJ; Christina Mejia-KCEN/Waco; Karen Cain-Lowe Worldwide/Dallas; Jessica Young-Turner Bcsting/Chicago; Berry Ellis-Superstation WGN/Chicago; Stephanie Schwartz-Warner Bros./LA; Cheryl Diaz-Dailey & Assoc/LA; Brian Dailey-Paramount Pictures/LA; Maria Stasi-Pitch Perfect PR/Sherman Oaks; Nashwa Nasreldin-Showtime/London; Laura Davis-Tiger Aspect Prods/London; Jessica Weller-RTR Media/Toronto.

A MESSAGE FROM COMCAST SPOTLIGHT

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Today’s Trivia Question:   This dance craze was first introduced at a cocktail party at Harlow’s, an “in” discotheque in New York City.  It has several distinguishing characteristics, including moving ‘v’ shaped fingers over the eyes and outward away from the face.  What was the name of this dance craze? (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
04/07/04  5:26am
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7,  2004

COURT TV:       Caught, I, Detective, Forensic Files, Psychic Detectives, The Investigators
ABC             My Wife and Kids [r], My Wife and Kids [r], The Bachelor [p]
CBS             60 Minutes II, The King of Queens, The King of Queens, 48 Hours
FOX             American Idol, The Swan [p]
NBC             The Apprentice [r], Law & Order [r], Law & Order [r]
PAX             AFV, AFV, Early Edition, Diagnosis Murder
UPN             Enterprise [r], Enterprise [r]
WB              Smallville [r], Smallville
TELE            Prisonera, El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas
UNIV            Mariana de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Don Francisco Presenta