Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 9, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing.
Nielsen Media Reserach has 11 community leaders and television execs to serve on an independent Task Force on Television Measurement. The panel was chosen in consultation with Congressman Rangel. The Task Force is charged to help Nielsen be sure its measurement is representative of the viewing audience, particularly the various ethnicities of that audience, in both its national and local samples. Heading up the Task Force as Chairwoman is former Illinois Congresswoman Cardiss Collins. The remaining ten members are: Bob Barocci, President/CEO of The Advertising Research Foundation; Melody Spann-Cooper, President/VM WVON-AM, Chicago; Rev. James L. Deemus III, Executive Director of the NAACP Chicago (Southside); Ray Durazo, Chair of the Latin Business Association in LA; Mary Gonzales Koenig, President/Spanish Coalition for Jobs, Inc.; Scott McDonald, SVP/Market Research at Condé Nast Publications; Byron E. Lewis, Chairman/CEO of UniWorld Group; Guillermo Linares, former member of the New York City Council; Manuel Mirabal, President/National Puerto-Rican Coalition, Inc.; and Elinor Tatum, Publisher of The Amsterdam News.
And while the Media Ratings Council issued a statement saying it would issue no more statements on the Nielsen Media Research matter because it doesn’t want its statements to be the launch pad of other group’s public sparring with Nielsen, the situation in Chicago seems to be gathering momentum. LPMs are due to launch in Chicago this August. Yesterday, Illinois House Resolution 985 was passed by the Illinois Black Legislative Caucus, calling on Nielsen to delay that LPM launch until “it has thoroughly investigated and explained the undercount of minorities as a result of the use of this technology and developed and tested new approaches that correct that deficiency.”
WB has made a couple of primetime fall program changes — Blue Collar and Drew Carey’s Green Screen will now air on Thursdays at 8pm, while The Mountain will go to Wednesdays at 9pm. The network cites competitive reasons. The change also give The Mountain, a 60m drama series, a fighting chance. Thursday nights are tough for everyone and perhaps offering up a couple of light easy watching half hours gives these two 30m series a shot as well.
After nearly three weeks of network primetime upfront activity, the guestimates now put the upfront revenue at or slightly less than last years $9.3 billion mark. Various reports are widely different, but the consensus seems to be that CBS is holding firm on its rates (asking increases of up to 10%) and has thus far sold approx 50% of its inventory, ABC is being fairly aggressive in its rates (asking between +5% and +6%) and is expected to finish down about 6% from last year, though they are also selling less inventory vs. a year ago; NBC is expected to finish at around $2.9 billion, down slightly from last year though they are also retaining more inventory than a year ago; Fox is looking at $1.6 billion in upfront ad sales revenue, approx on par with last year, and like NBC, is holding onto more inventory at this point.
If you were there for the NBC Upfront, then you saw the full pilot episode of Joey, the Friends spinoff slated for Thursdays at 8p in the fall. While that audience found the episode LOL funny, some may have wondered what the deal was with the sexy married neighbor character, who seemed superfluous and even out of place. Well, she’s gone, both the character and the actress. The writers/creators of the show will re-think this character and how she fits into the fabric of the show, and then recast and reshoot her scenes.
Daily Variety reports the syndicated series The 5th Wheel won’t be around next season. NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution has apparently pulled the show says Variety, taking the show’s producers Renegade 83, and no doubt its local stations, by surprise. Advice to local stations expecting to carry the show this fall – check with your NBC Uni rep.
Canada’s CTV has unveiled their 52-week programming strategy designed to provide ongoing first run programming and less repeats throughout the year. CTV has picked up quite a bit of new US primetime programming for its schedule including CSI:NY, L&O: Trial by Jury (mid-season launch), Medium, Medical Investigation, Dr. Vegas, Kevin Hill, Veronica Mars, Athens, Desperate Housewives, commando Nanny, Wife Swap, Jessica Simpsons: The Specials, Related by Family, The Benefactor, Grey’s Anatomy, Hope & Faith as well as The O.C., American Idol and ER. This summer CTV will launch several new series including these US network pgms: The Casino, Ultimate Love Test, Pimp My Ride, For Love or Money, Next Action Star, The Simple Life, The Osbournes, Amazing Race, Nip-Tuck, and Punk’d.
Hallmark Channel will launch off-net series JAG in October and has also picked up the off-net series Walker Texas Ranger. Both series deals are shared with cable net USA. Hallmark’s deal for JAG includes airing the current season’s episodes one week after they’ve aired on CBS. Walker Texas Ranger deal calls for Hallmark to air the show between 6p and 6a. Both are multi-year deals. According to Variety, Hallmark is paying in the neighborhood of $30 million for its nonexclusive rights to Walker, which will likely air in early fringe or prime access when it premieres this October.
Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among Total Viewers for the week of May 31-June 6, 2004: Primetime (000) Total Day (000) TNT 3056 NICK 2096 USA 2466 TNT 1479 NICK 2165 NAN 3480 NAN 2032 CARTOON 1270 LIFETIME 1708 USA 1049 CARTOON 1657 LIFETIME 990 ESPN 1653 TBS 952 TBS 1619 FX 788 A&E 1468 FOXNEWS 760 HISTORY 1414 ESPN 729 Source Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data. All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 108,400,000 homes
Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among A18-49 for the week of May 31-June 6, 2004: Primetime (000) Total Day (000 TNT 1450 TNT 799 USA 1189 NAN 673 TBS 891 TBS 561 ESPN 771 USA 515 DISCOVERY 735 LIFETIME 462 LIFETIME 690 NICK 447 SCIFI 660 FX 438 MTV 656 ESPN 398 NAN 611 DISCOVERY 362 TLC 604 TLC 335 Source Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data. All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 108,400,000 homes.
News Viewer Index for the week of May 31-June 6, 2004 in Total Viewers Total Day Total Fox News/CNN/MSNBC/Headline Cable News Viewers 1.598(000) Total Viewers. (+2% vs. previous week). Of the cable news viewership, Fox News had 48% of the viewing, CNN 27%, MSNBC 14%; and Headline News 12%. Primetime Total Fox News/CNN/MSNBC/Headline Cable News Viewers 2.562(0000) Total Viewers (+2% vs. previous week). Of the primetime cable news viewership, Fox News had 50%, CNN 31%, MSNBC 11% and Headline News 7%. Source Nielsen Media Research
NBC‘s summer premiere of For Love or Money aired on Monday night with a 2-hour debut, averaging a 2.6/7 for the 9-11pm time frame according to Nielsen Media Research. The highest demo performance was among W18-49 who delivered a 3.4/9, while W18-34 earned a 3.2/9. and W25-54 a 3.7/9.
ABC‘s seventh and final game of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup finals delivered a 2.5/7 according to Fast Affiliate ratings. It should be noted if you’re not already aware, that Nielsen fast national numbers are time period only data, not program data. Therefore, once the final numbers come out, the result can easily change, particularly for live sporting events. With that noted, and knowing these numbers can change, the fast nationals indicate M18-34 delivered a 3.0/11, while M18-49 a 3.3/10 and M25-54 a 3.6/10.
Later in the day, ABC sent along final numbers for the Stanley Cup final game on Monday night. Note the difference in finals vs. fast affiliate ratings: Men 18-34 (3.3/12), Men 18-49 (3.5/12) and Men 25-54 (3.9/11) in primetime. In fact, the game ended at 11 minutes after 11, so the number for the full 8-11:11pm coverage was Men 18-34 (3.2/12 – #1 for the night) and Men 18-49 (3.5/12 – tied for #1).
For its part in the Sunday night viewing, HBO had nearly 11 million viewers watching the season finale of The Sopranos, posting a 21.7/30 HH Rtg in the HBO universe of some 30 million households. The total viewer count was down from the 12.5 million who watched the finale of Season #4, but was also higher than the finale of S#x and the City which gathered 10.6 million viewers in February.
CASTING CALL: Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship ….. TBS is conducting casting calls across the country for its new reality series, The Real Gilligan’s Island, produced by Next Entertainment (Michael Fleiss). They’ll be looking for seven castaways, each one personifying an original Gilligan’s Island character – skipper, first mate, movie star, mid-western farm girl, millionaire couple and a professor. In this rendition, as in the original, the seven will work together to try and get off the island, and deal with various situations as they are presented to them – situations based on the original show. For casting dates/cities, applications and further information, check out www.tbs.tv or call the Casting Hotline at 888-634-4550.
This notice was provided by WBKI/Louisville: Michael Barich, VP/Director of Sales WBKI/Louisville; formerly w/Scripps Howard Tampa & Phoenix; Canadian Broadcasting; Cascade Broadcasting in Tucson, died Saturday, June 5th. His wit, fire and professionalism will be greatly missed. Donations in his memory may be made to the Nicolas and Amanda Barich Educational Trust. Please visit www.wbki.tv if you knew Michael and for further details.
Lifetime Entertainment Services has upped Bruce Tyroler to VP/Research. The announcement was made by Tim Brooks, EVP/Research. Bruce will be responsible for strategic analysis of audience data for Lifetime’s Programming and Affiliate Sales departments. He is based in the company’s New York offices.
Three announcements from KWGN/Denver – Roanne Coffey has been named Research Director. She makes the move from KHWB/Houston. Madelyn Gonzalez Dellere joins the station as an Account Executive, moving from NBC Telemundo/Denver. And Kari Beethe arrives at the station as an Account Executive, making a shift from software sales to television.
Monday, June 7, 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 7.5/13Yes Dear 5.3/10, Still Standing 5.8/10, Raymond 8.8/15, Two & a Half Men 8.6/14, CSI: Miami 8.2/14
NBC 4.7/8 Fear Factor 5.2/9, For Love or Money [series premiere] 4.4/7
ABC 4.1/7 NHL Stanley Cup Finals 4.1/7(fast affiliate ratings reflect time period data, not pgm data, and can change once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming)
FOX 3.5/6 Movie: American Pie 2 3.5/6
WB 2.2/4 7th Heaven [r] 2.2/4, The WB’s Superstar USA 2.3/4
UPN 1.8/3 The Parkers 1.8/3, Eve 2.1/4, Girlfriends 1.8/3, Half & Half 1.7/3
A18-49 CBS 3.6/11, NBC 2.9/8, ABC 2.5/7, Fox 2.3/7, WB 1.3/4, UPN 1.1/3
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The History Channel presents This Day in History: 1954 – On national television, Communist witch-hunter Sen. Joseph McCarthy receives a striking rebuke from Joseph Welch, special counsel to the U.S. Army, over McCarthy’s charges of widespread Communist infiltration in the armed forces. Welch’s verbal smackdown ends the period of McCarthy’s broad influence and marks the beginning of the end of the most hysterical period of the postwar “Red Scare.”
Answer to yesterday’s Trivia Question:How many cases did Perry Mason lose? According to our guest trivia master, Mr. Fontana, PERRY MASON LOST JUST ONE CASE in 1963, when his client refused to reveal evidence that would save her. (Perry found the real culprit anyway). Kudos to: Jim Halling-NewsChannel 8/Washington DC; Paul Gaulke-Media General/Richmond; Alan Browdy-Lifetime/NY; Melody Lang-Adelphia Media Services/Orlando; Charlie Conner-KOKI/Tulsa; Allan Kuenn-MediaChoice/Phoenix; Sophia Thompson-Mindshare/Dallas; Neal Sabin-WCIU/Chicago; John Selig-KSWB/San Diego; Peter Newgard/LA; Alan Perris-Perris Hubert Prods/LA; Jennifer Liu-Edelman/LA; Laura Black-Lulu Pix/LA; Karen Markham-KYES/Anchorage; and Monica Marcott-KYES/Anchorage.
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Today’s Trivia Question: Who stayed/lived at the Susan B. Anthony Hotel?(click hereto 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 06/09/04 5:22am Subscriptions to Cynopsis: email
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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: (6/16)
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: (6/16)
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: (6/16)
JOB OPENING: ASSISTANT, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS-Oxygen-NY: Admin. support to VP & Director. Handle projects for Rights & Clearances team. Organized, detail oriented. Word/Excel. Min 2 yrs exp. Email resume: (6/15)
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JOB OPENING: RESEARCH MGR- KVEA & KWHY Telemundo LA. 3+ yrs TV res. exp (Spanish lang pref). Skill w/ research tools incl Nielsen & solid computer skills. More info & apply: http://nbcjobs.com Job Opps, keyword: Research Manager (6/12)
JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC COORD., AMC/We, Jericho, NY. Compile daily logs for network, incl. strategic placement of promos/wraps/bumpers/tags/interstitial elements. Strong knwldg of film/tv mktplace. Apply: (6/12)
JOB OPENING: AFFILIATE SALES ASST/G4techTV-NY. Daily admin. support to VP & Account Execs. Proficient in Word, Excel & PowerPoint. Good comm. skills & results oriented. Min 2 yrs exp. Email resume & salary to (6/11)
JOB OPENING: FREELANCE ONLINE PROJECT MANAGER, Nickelodeon. Production of behind the banner promo areas for advertisers. 3 yrs exp as online producer/project manager. Min 3 month position. Email: projectmanagernick
(6/11)
JOB OPENING: MGR, MEDIA RELATIONS, NBC Universal Cable/Englewood Cliffs NJ. Prep releases re: distrib, affil mktg, local ad sales, VOD, HDTV. Pitch execs for industry panels.3+ yrs cable pr exp. Email: (6/11)
JOB OPENING: MGR ORIGINAL SERIES, ANIMATION, Spike TV NY.4+ yrs TV dev/prod exp & 2 yrs scripted pgming. 2+ yrs exec level. Animation Dev exp pref. Find/dev/sprvse orig. series thru all phases. Apply: www.mtvncareers.com (6/10)
JOB OPENING: SENIOR RESEARCH ANALYST, MTVN Int’l/NY. 2-3 yrs media/mkt research exp; Nielsen software or equiv. a plus; create presentations, reports, analysis. Int’l exp strongly pref.EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply: www.mtvncareers.com (6/10)
JOB OPENING: AD SALES RESEARCH analyst/ Galavision/ NY: 2-3 yrs experience; Proficient Knowledge of National Nielsen products; strong analytical skills required. Email ~ specify research (6/10)
JOB OPENING: HGTV, NYC. DIR. PROGRAM PROD. Will manage all commission prod & acquisitions. 5-7 years TV prod & dev. exp, lifestyle & series prog a must. Resume to: (6/10)
JOB OPENING: AFFILIATE SALES/DATABASE COORDINATOR-Oxygen-NY. Manage dept. database (Medea) Track sub info, act as launch support. Support 6 reps, maintain materials. Cover Letter/resume to Neily Buff @ nbuff
(6/10)
JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/Tribune WLVI Boston. 1-3 yrs radio or TV sales exp; solid communication skills. Resp for generating local ad sales rev, dev/maintain relationships with agencies/clients. Fax resume: 617- 474-5334 (6/10)
JOB OPENING: JUNIOR BUYERS, SALES ASSISTANTS AND EXEC. ASST TO MEDIA DIRECTOR positions open for political period (June-Nov 15)– Encino, CA.Interested candidates should send their resume and references to (6/10)
SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED —
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(6/16)
SITUATION WANTED: COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST/PUBLIC SPEAKING COACH: 15 years teaching Communication at the university level. Owned business for 5 years – skilled in public relations, promotions.
(6/15)
SITUATION WANTED: Full time/part time PRODUCTION ASSISTANT position for film/television projects in NY. Experience in television; interned at MTV Networks, Nick GAS. Contact Jesse Menardat
(6/15)
SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER – New York – Experienced producer; credits include years with ABC Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, CNN; also p.r. experience in VNRs & SMTs. Email
(6/15)
SITUATION WANTED: ANIMATOR/PRODUCER of interstitials for kids. Focus on science. HBO Family currently broadcasting 40 of our interstitials. Samples at www.kristinharrisdesign.com
703-536-9594 (6/11)
SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/CASTING DIRECTOR in NYC specializing in projects targeting Latinos in the U.S. Adaptations, promos, campaigns, documentaries production + postproduction
(6/11)
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2004
COURT TV:The Investigation Channel
SPOT CHECK: I-Zone A18-49 audience +12% vs 2003 + YOUR SPOT = Great ROInvestigation Click here for source
COURT TV: Special: People v. Simpson, OJ Simpson: LIVE Int. w/ Catherine Crier, Trace Evidence ABC My Wife & Kids [r], My Wife & Kids [r], Drew Carey, Drew Carey, Ultimate Love Test CBS 60 Minutes, King of Queens [r], Still Standing [r], 48 Hours FOX The Simple Life (x4) [r] NBC NBC News Special: Ronald Reagan State Funeral; Scrubs, Last Comic Standing PAX AFV, AFV, Early Edition, Diagnosis Murder UPN Enterprise, Enterprise [r] WB WB Movie Event: O TELE Prisonera,El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas UNIV Mariana de la Noche, Bajo la Misma Piel, Don Francisco Presenta
A MESSAGE FROM AIM TELL-A-VISION
Coverage AND Content is King! More Full-power TV Coverage than Univision!
Sunday April 26, 2026 UPFRONTS Position Early. Win the Upfront. The most valuable Upfront conversations happen before presentations begin. The Cynopsis Upfront Package ensures your brand is seen, trusted, and remembered across the full cycle. Lead the conversation from the start. Discover the 2026 Upfront Package. REACH OUT TODAY FEATURED JOB […]
Thursday April 23, 2026 IN THE NEWS Consumers bounce hourly as “couch commerce” reshapes the path to purchase, says MiQ’s From Funnel to Flexibility report, which focuses on the ways people watch, browse, and buy. “Couches have become the new storefronts as consumers move from screen to screen, almost in the […]
A Cynopsis Message From ITN Wednesday April 22, 2026 IN THE NEWS Peacock’s ad-free Premium Plus tier is coming to Roku Premium Subscriptions through a new deal between NBCUniversal and Roku. The top-tier plan remains ad-free except for live sports and includes offline downloads and access to geo-targeted local TV stations. It’s […]
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM PREMION Tuesday April 21, 2026 IN THE NEWS Midterm spending for the 2026 cycle is on track to top $10 billion – just 8% shy of the 2024 presidential cycle ($11.2 billion) and 16% higher than the 2022 midterms ($8.9 billion), according to Kinetiq’s The […]
