Cynopsis

05.20.09

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, May 20, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing. 

Tonight’s Finales:
CBS: The New Adventures of Old Christine at 8p; Gary Unmarried at 830p; Criminal Minds at 9p
FOX: American Idol Part 2 at 8p

News out of the 2009 Upfront week includes the fate of some older primetime series and more pilot pickups:

• The CW will officially present its upfront on Thursday and in anticipation of its primetime schedule, approved the pilot dramas Melrose Place, Vampire Diaries and Beautiful Life. CBS Television Studios produces the new version of Melrose Place while Warner Bros. TV produces Vampire Diaries which is also based on Alloy’s book series. Beautiful Life is from CBS Television Studios and Katalyst.
• CBS is cancelling its military themed drama The Unit after four seasons (tho check below for the Twentieth Television syndication deal!) and its long-running drama Without a Trace after seven seasons, as well as frosh drama Eleventh Hour, cites THR.
• Prior to its upfront presentation today, THR reports CBS is bringing back dramas Cold Case and Numb3rs and the comedies The New Adventures of Old Christine, Rules of Engagement and Gary Unmarried.

Tomorrow’s edition: News from Turner Entertainment Networks presenting their Upfront programming this morning in NYC, and CBS presenting this afternoon.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TURNER ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS

Travel Channel continues to scare up supernatural activity as Ghost Adventures returns with new episodes June 5 at 9p. Paranormal investigators, Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin explore haunted locations both domestically and internationally in new episodes airing each Friday through July 24. The series is produced by MY Tupelo Entertainment for the Travel Channel.

BET debuts the new reality series, Frankie and Neffe which is a spin-off of its popular reality series Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is. The new series, opening August 25 at 10p, centers on the mother and sister of Keyshia Cole, who try to gain financial independence for themselves and maintain a more positive lifestyle away from Keyshia. The eight-episode series is produced for BET by DuBose Entertainment.

The season two finale of HISTORY’s Ax Men on Monday at 10p attracted 1.1 million A25-54 and 1.9 million total viewers.

Note to self – time to get that Tivo: News of the 47 million year old fossilized remains of a female primate known as “Ida” has rocked the scientific world. HISTORY will air a two-hour special, The Link documenting this extraordinary find May 25 at 9p, presented with limited commercials sponsored by Ally Bank. The special is produced by London-based Atlantic Productions.

2009 UPFRONT: ABC

ABC introduced its 2009-2010 fall schedule to the advertising and media world during a presentation at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. Stephen McPherson, President/ABC Entertainment Group ushered in the new schedule with this statement, “Our focus is always on delivering the best stories with the most memorable characters on TV, whether that’s established audience favorites or innovative new shows,” said McPherson. “This year we’ve got the best of both. We’re headed into the season with a strong slate of returning series as well as great new shows from one of our best development seasons ever.”

New fall drama series include:

• Eastwick – Three women are drawn together when a mysterious man comes to town, unlocking each woman’s unique powers. Based on the popular movie The Witches of Eastwick and the novel of the same name by John Updike. Series stars Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Jamie Ray Newman among others. Produced by Warner Bros. Television.
• Flash Forward – Joseph Fiennes headlines this series about a mysterious event that causes the world to black out and every human is granted a glimpse into the near future. ABC Studios produces.
• The Forgotten – From executive director Jerry Bruckheimer, this crime series centers on a team of loyal amateurs working on unidentified victims’ cases. Produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television.

New fall alternative series:

• Shark Tank – Reality series gives up-and-coming entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and possibly become successful business people. They must first convince five hard-as-nails tycoons to invest their own money to fund their ideas. From Mark Burnett and Sony Pictures Television.

New fall comedy series:

• Cougar Town – Courteney Cox stars as a recently divorced single mother who rediscovers the world of dating in a young-centric world. From ABC Studios.
• Hank – Kelsey Grammer stars in this comedy as Hank Pryor, a business big shot who loses his job, has little money left and finds himself spending more time with his wife and kids.  Produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with McMonkey Inc., Grammnet Productions, Werner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
• The Middle – Patricia Heaton is back on a family sitcom, this time as the wife and mother of a middle-class family, The Hecks, living in the middle of Indiana. From Warner Bros. Television.
• Modern Family – Shot documentary-style, this series looks at several different versions of the modern family. Produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

Midseason series include:

• “V” – Based on the 1980s miniseries about the world’s first encounter with an alien race called The Visitors. Produced by HDFilms in association with Warner Bros. Television.
• The Deep End – Four young lawyers join Sterling Law, one of LA’s most prestigious law firms, supporting each other even as they do battle against each other. Produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.
• Happy Town – Small-town murder mystery set in Haplin, Minnesota where dark secrets resurface following the town’s first new crime in seven years. From ABC Studios.

ABC confirmed the following returning series Better Off Ted, Castle, Scrubs, True Beauty, America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Brothers & Sisters, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, Supernanny, Ugly Betty, Wife Swap, 20/20 and Saturday Night College Football.

ABC Fall 2009 Primetime Schedule:
Monday: Dancing with the Stars, Castle
Tuesday: Shark Tank, Dancing with the Stars Results Show, The Forgotten
Wednesday: Hank, The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Eastwick
Thursday: Flash Forward, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice
Friday: Supernanny, Ugly Betty, 20/20
Saturday: Saturday Night College Football
Sunday: America’s Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters

Note: The Bachelor will air Mondays at 8p following the run of Dancing with the Stars and Scrubs and Better Off Ted will air at 9p and 930p following the run of Dancing with the Stars the Results Show.

2009 UPFRONT: NBC

NBC laid out its 2009-2010 primetime schedule yesterday featuring more original programming and a shared time period strategy revolving around NBC’s Olympics coverage, allowing the network to broadcast new content year-round. Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios said this from their press announcement, “We’re incredibly excited about our new and returning series and have more comedy programming than anyone else, as well as two of the most buzzed about new shows, Community and Parenthood. We can’t wait for the fall.”

NBC’s shared time period strategy will begin this fall on Mondays with the debut of Heroes at 8p and new originals will air until Chuck takes over the time period after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Other NBC primetime changes:

• NBC confirmed the fan-favorite series Chuck will return for the 2009-2010 because of an advertising partnership with Subway.
• The network also confirmed Law & Order will return for an unprecedented 20th season with 16 episodes.

NBC Fall 2009 Primetime Schedule
Monday: Heroes, Trauma, The Jay Leno Show
Tuesday: The Biggest Loser, The Jay Leno Show
Wednesday: Parenthood, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Jay Leno Show
Thursday: SNL Weekend Update Thursday, Parks and Recreation, The Office, Community (moves to Thursdays at 8p after multi-episode run 30 Rock returns), The Jay Leno Show
Friday: Law & Order, Southland, The Jay Leno Show
Saturday: Dateline NBC, Trauma (encores), Law & Order: SVU (encores)
Sunday: Football Night in America, NBC Sunday Night Football

NBC Midseason 2010 Schedule
*Note: 2010 Winter Olympics preempt regularly scheduled programming from February 12-28, 2010
Monday: Chuck, Day One, The Jay Leno Show
Tuesday: The Biggest Loser, 100 Questions, The Jay Leno Show
Wednesday: Mercy, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Jay Leno Show
Thursday: Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rocks, The Jay Leno Show
Friday: Law & Order, Southland, The Jay Leno Show
Saturday: Dateline NBC, Southland (encores), Law & Order: SVU (encores)
Sunday: Dateline NBC,  The Marriage Ref, The Celebrity Apprentice

New Programming Slate: Chiller

Chiller, the cable network filled with round-the-clock scary programming from NBC Universal, introduces two new series this June:

• Spine Chillers – 45-minute British series focused on urban fables ranging from romantic comedies to psychological thrillers to horror. US Television premiere airs Sundays at 10p.
• Strange – Murder mystery series about a former priest with a hidden past and a nurse who together investigate bizarre deaths in a medieval cathedral city in present-day England. Airs on Sundays at 1045p.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TURNER ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS

On the heels of CBS cancelling The Unit from its primetime schedule, Twentieth Television, Inc. will usher the one-hour drama series into the broadcast syndication marketplace for Fall 2010. Already the series has been sold in all top 15 markets and cleared in 56% of the country.  Stations acquiring the program include:

• FOX Television Stations: WNYW-WWOR/New York, KTTV-KCOP/Los Angeles, WFLD-WPWR/Chicago, WTXF/Philadelphia, KDFW-KDFI/Dallas, WTTG-WDCA/Washington, D.C., KRIV-KTXH/Houston, KSAZ-KUTP/Phoenix, KMSP-WFTC/Minneapolis, WOFL-WRBW/Orlando, WHBQ/Memphis and KTBC/Austin;
• CBS Station Group: KPIX-KBCW/San Francisco, WBZ-WSBK/Boston, WUPA/Atlanta, WTOG/Tampa, KSTW/Seattle, KOVR-KMAX/Sacramento, WJZ/Baltimore, WGNT/Norfolk, WOGX/Gainesville;
• As well as WXYZ/Detroit; WSFL/Miami; WTAE/Pittsburgh; KCTV-KSMO/Kansas City; WTMJ/Milwaukee; WDRB-WMYO/Louisville; WNEP/Wilkes Barre; WRGB-WCWN/Albany; and  WKYT/Lexington.

Comcast Corporation and the National Football League have patched things up, announcing they formed a new, long-term deal involving the carriage of the NFL Network and a full settlement of all outstanding legal arguments. The carriage deal includes the live, 24/7 NFL Network, VOD of game highlights and more for Comcast’s Digital Classic cable subscribers and the carriage of the NFL’s RedZone Channel once it is launched. Additionally, Comcast will now reposition NFL Network from its Sports Entertainment Package to its Digital Classic level with a full launch by August 1, reaching close to two-thirds of the Comcast’s total digital customer base.

Comcast Corporation also made an agreement with Disney and ESPN Media Networks to add ESPNU to its Digital Classic level as well as ESPN360.com to Comcast.net. The launch of ESPNU will coincide with the opening of the college football season. This launch takes ESPNU to more than 46 million subscribers and ESPN360.com will be available to almost 41 million homes.

Furthermore, Disney and ESPN Media Networks agreed to add ESPNU to DIRECTV’s CHOICE programming package starting July 1. The agreement also includes DIRECTV launching ESPNU HD by the end of first quarter 2010 and ESPN Classic will be repackaged into the DIRECTV SPORTS PACK.

Liberman Broadcasting (LBI) made an affiliation deal with Belo Corp. allowing four Belo-owned stations to broadcast LBI’s Hispanic network, Estrella TV. The stations involved in the deal are: KENS/San Antonio, KVUE/Austin, KTTU/Tucson and KGW/Portland. Estrella TV’s distribution is now close to 60% of Hispanic TV households taking into consideration all of LBI’s current O&Os and affiliated stations. Estrella TV is scheduled to launch in third quarter 2009.

Lifetime Television approved 12 episodes of the new multi-camera comedy series Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, comedienne and co-host of The View. Lifetime Studios will produce the series in New York and this is the first comedy series to be completely owned by Lifetime. Sherri is about a newly single working mom who dabbles in acting on the side and tries to put her life back together after divorcing a cheating husband. Shepherd will remain as co-host on The View while also serving as co-executive producer of the series.

Casting Call: TLC and Kelly Ripa are seeking female inventors who want to turn their ideas into million-dollar businesses. A new series on TLC from Milojo Productions will help women inventors get their ideas from concept stage to the manufacturing and marketing stages to sell it on the Home Shopping Network. Women who are ambitious and have an idea or are working on a prototype should apply now at www.milojo.com/casting .

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  The once-mighty gadget makers at Palm announced the street date for the much-anticipated Palm Pre. The touchscreen/keyboard hybrid will go on sale at Sprint, Best Buy, RadioShack and some Wal-Mart stores on June 6 for the iPhone-matching price of $200 with a 2-year commitment. By combining the touchscreen of the iPhone and the QWERTY keyboard of the BlackBerry, Palm hopes to snag both the professional and casual users. One of Palm’s new WebOS claims to fame is its ability to run more than one app at a time – meaning you can check your email then zing over to your Facebook profile with a flick of your finger, instead of having to shut down and open up a new application. Palm’s innovative Synergy messaging service allows you to group all your conversations with the same person together in a single chat-style view, enabling you to reply via IM, email, text or phone.  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.  update the links

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  V-me, a US Spanish broadcast network, will introduce the new short-form parenting series, Las aventuras de eebee (eebee’s adventures), hosted by Latina singer/star/mom, Thalia, at its 2009-2010 upfront presentation today.  Created by the Every Baby Company, Las aventuras de eebee aims to engage viewers and their babies (six months and up) as they find play and learning in everyday experiences.  The new series will be featured in V-me’s preschool block that also includes the network’s parenting program, Los Ninos en su Casa.  The network will also another season LazyTown, among other kid-aimed series.  Full edition: CYN KIDS. 

Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among A18-49 for the week of: 5/11-5/17/09
Primetime       (000)          Total Pgm Day        (000)
TNT                2012         TNT                        855
USA                1114         USA                        627
ESPN                852         NAN*                      620
TBSC                829         ADSM*                    549
CMDY               616         NICK                        539
NAN                 563          ESPN                       523
DISC                561         TBSC                        514
AEN                  558         FX                            348
FX                    546         AEN                          346
HIST                 511         CMDY                       339
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 114,500,000 homes
* = Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24 hour day. Primetime listing only includes those networks broadcasting more than 51% of the primetime hours (M-Su 8p-11p)

Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among Total Viewers for the week of: 5/11-5/17/09      
Primetime       (000)        Total Pgm Day               (000)
TNT                3638        NICK                            2044
USA                2653        TNT                             1549
FOXN              1943        USA                             1470
ESPN              1758        NAN*                           1430
NAN                1572        FOXN                           1106
TBSC              1398        ADSM*                           996
AEN                1204         TOON                            866
HIST               1049         ESPN                             861
TOON              1048         TBSC                             824
DISC               1044         AEN                               720
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 114,500,000 homes
* = Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24 hour day. Primetime listing only includes those networks broadcasting more than 51% of the primetime hours (M-Su 8p-11p)

Top 10 Cable Programs among A18-49 (000) for the week of: 5/11-5/17/09
TNT       Magic/Celtics 5/17                                           4756
ESPN     Lakers/Rockets                                                4288
TNT       Rockets/Lakers                                                3215
TNT       Nuggets/Mavericks                                           2885
TNT       Magic/Celtics 5/12                                           2871
TNT       Mavericks/Nuggets                                          2734
USA       WWE Entertainment 10p                                   2531
ESPN     Celtics/Magic                                                  2498
CMDY    Dane Cook: Isolated Incident                             2368
TNT      Inside The NBA Playoffs                                     2285
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 114,500,000 homes

Top 10 Broadcast Programs among A18-49 rating/share and (000) for the week of 5/11-5/17/09
FOX    American Idol – Wednesday                         8.7/22      11,422
FOX    American Idol – Tuesday                              8.0/23      10,591
ABC    Grey’s Anatomy                                          5.9/16        7,773
ABC    Desperate Housewives                                4.7/12        6,192
FOX    House                                                      4.7/14        6,192
NBC    The Biggest Loser                                       4.7/13        6,242
CBS    Two and a Half Men                                    4.5/12         5,977
ABC    Lost                                                         4.4/11        5,776
ABC    Dancing with the Stars                                4.2/11         5,563
CBS    Survivor: Tocantins Finale                            4.2/11         5,609
Source: Nielsen Media Research, Galaxy Explorer, Live + SD Data

Saturday – A18-49 Analysis: It was a squeaker, yet FOX won A18-49 Saturday night with a 1.4/5, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. At 8p, the double Cops episodes on FOX averaged a 1.3/6 while ABC’s Harry Potter encore movie came next at 1.0/4. During 9p, a tie occurred between ABC’s movie and FOX’s America’s Most Wanted at 1.4/5 apiece, followed by CBS’ Crimetime Saturday repeat at 1.0/4. ABC’s movie squeezed into #1 at 10p with a 1.6/5, while CBS’ 48 Hours Mystery was a close second at 1.5/5.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Saturday, May 16, 2009 (May Sweep Day 24) time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

CBS: 3.9/8          Crimetime Saturday [r] 3.2/7, Crimetime Saturday [r] 3.9/7, 48 Hours Mystery 4.7/9

FOX: 2.5/5           Cops 2.1/4, Cops 2 2.6/5, AMW: America Fights Back 2.7/5

NBC: 2.5/5           Law & Order: SVU [r] 2.3/5, Southland [r] 1.9/4, Law & Order [r] 3.1/6

ABC: 2.3/5             ABC Saturday Movie of the Week: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [r] 2.3/5 

UNIV: 1.3/3          Sabado Gigante 1.3/3

MNT: 0.5/1           My Saturday Night Movie: The Vanishing [r] 0.5/1

TELE: 0.5/1          Futbol Estelar 0.6/1, Accion Extrema 0.2/1

ION: 0.4/1            Saturday 9PM Movie: You’ve Got Mail [r 830p start] 0.4/1

A18-49: FOX 1.4/5, ABC 1.3/5, CBS 1.1/4, NBC 0.7/3, UNIV 0.7/3, TELE 0.5/2, MNT 0.3/1, ION 0.2/1

Sunday – A18-49 Analysis: On the final Sunday night of May Sweeps, ABC characteristically held onto the #1 spot with A18-49 at 3.6/10, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. Overall in primetime, CBS was close behind with a 3.5/10, though starting the evening at 7p, ABC won with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s first of two season finales at 1.9/7 followed by CBS and 60 Minutes at 1.5/5. CBS fought back as Survivor: Tocantins’ two-hour season finale opened at 8p with a 3.8/11 with ABC’s second Extreme Makeover: Home Edition finale next at 3.1/8. During 9p, it was dead even as ABC’s Desperate Housewives finale and CBS’ Survivor finale tied with 4.6/11 each. Then at 10p, ABC saw an opening and the second hour of Desperate Housewives claimed #1 with 4.8/13 while CBS’ Survivor Reunion special was #2 at 4.1/10.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Sunday, May 17, 2009 (May Sweep Day 25) time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

ABC: 6.7/11       Extreme Makeover: Home Edition [f] 3.7/7, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition [f] 5.6/9, Desperate Housewives [f] 8.7/14

CBS: 6.7/11      60 Minutes 6.4/12, Survivor: Tocantins Finale 7.0/11, Survivor: Tocantins Reunion 6.4/11

NBC: 3.2/5         Dateline 3.9/7, SNL: Just Shorts 2.4/4

FOX: 2.9/5         King of the Hill [r] 1.6/3, American Dad [r] 1.7/3, The Simpsons [f] 3.4/6, King of the Hill [f] 3.0/5, Family Guy [f] 4.2/7, American Dad [f] 3.4/5

UNIV: 1.9/3       Confesiones P Alberto 1.4/3, Nuestra Belleza 2.2/4, Nuestra Belleza Latin 1.7/3

CW: 0.8/1         Jericho 0.4/1, The CW Sunday Movie: License to Kill 0.9/2

ION: 0.5/1         MASH 0.3/1, MASH 0.3/1, MASH 0.4/1, MASH 0.5/1, MASH 0.6/1, MASH 0.6/1, MASH 0.7/1, MASH 0.5/1

TELE: 0.3/1       Cine Millonario [8p start] 0.3/0

A18-49: ABC 3.6/10, CBS 3.5/10, FOX 2.4/7, NBC 1.4/4, UNIV 1.3/3, CW 0.3/1, TELE 0.3/1, ION 0.2/0

 
Monday – A18-49 Analysis: CBS captured a solo win Monday night delivering a 4.0/11 A18-49, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. ABC’s Dancing with the Stars wowed viewers during 8p at 4.4/13 followed by CBS at 3.2/9, the average of Rules of Engagement and the finale of How I Met Your Mother. CBS ruled at 9p with the back-to-back finales of Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement averaging a 4.9/13 followed by the season finale of 24 on FOX at 3.3/8 and the premiere of ABC’s The Bachelorette at 3.1/8. CBS remained in control through 10p with the season’s concluding episode of CSI: Miami at 3.8/10 with ABC’s The Bachelorette wooing viewers at 2.9/8.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Monday, May 18, 2009 (May Sweep Day 26) time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

ABC: 8.1/13        Dancing with the Stars 12.2/20, The Bachelorette [p] 5.9/10

CBS: 7.6/12          Rules of Engagement 4.7/8, How I Met Your Mother [f] 5.4/9, Two and a Half Men [f] 9.9/15, Rules of Engagement [f] 7.9/12, CSI: Miami [f] 8.9/15

FOX: 5.7/9             24 [f] 5.7/9

NBC: 3.5/6             Deal or No Deal 2.8/5, Deal or No Deal 3.4/5, Medium 4.4/7

UNIV: 2.4/4          Cuidado con el Angel 2.1/3, Manana para Siempre 2.7/4, Cristina 2.5/4

CW: 1.7/3            Gossip Girl [f] 1.6/3, One Tree Hill [f] 1.8/3

MNT: 0.8/1           Masters of Illusion 0.7/1, Magic’s Biggest Secrets Revealed 1.0/2

TELE: 0.7/1          Dona Barbara 0.8/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.8/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 0.7/1, Cartel M 0.7/1

ION: 0.6/1           Reba 0.3/1, Reba 0.3/0, NCIS [r] 0.8/1, NCIS [r] 0.8/1      

A18-49: CBS 4.0/11, ABC 3.5/10, FOX 3.1/9, UNIV 1.8/5, NBC 1.5/4, CW 1.2/3, TELE 0.7/2, MNT 0.5/1, ION 0.2/1

Crown Media Holdings, Inc., owner and operator of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel announced David Kenin, EVP/Programming will depart the company as of May 31. Until a replacement is appointed, Barbara Fisher, SVP/Original Programming and Michelle Vicary, SVP/Acquisitions and Scheduling will share David’s roster of duties. David joined Crown Media in 2002 and is credited with increasing the network’s original and acquired programming and was a creative supporter of the launch of Hallmark Movie Channel.

Sonya McNair was appointed VP/Communications with CBS News, effective immediately. Sonya will work in tandem with Jeff Ballabon, SVP/Communications, CBS News, to manage media relations and publicity for the news unit.

Aegis Media named Nigel Morris as CEO of Aegis Media North America, where he succeeds Sarah Fay who is departing the company after 11 years in management positions. Additionally, Mark Cranmer comes to Aegis Media as CEO of Isobar, the company’s digital unit. Both new appointments are effective immediately.

ESPN Deportes tapped Jorge Ramos to be part of the network’s television commentator team starting this August with the ESPN Deportes Radio daily program Jorge Ramos y su banda. Most recently, Jorge was the lead commentator for ESPN Deportes Radio for the last four years.

The Weather Channel added Helen Swenson to the new position of VP/Live Programming. Helen will be in charge of more than 120 hours of live programming each week for TWC in addition to managing the editorial agenda for the network.

Barry Watts becomes the new CEO of Seattle-based Screenlife Games, creator and developer of DVD games including Scene It? Screenlife Games is a subsidiary of Paramount Digital Entertainment, a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation which is part of Viacom.

This day in History:    1874 – Levi Strauss began marketing blue jeans with copper rivets.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  What do all of these NBC TV characters have in common?  Bob Widette, Mel the Butcher, Fred Garvin, Sheriff Brody and Jimmy Joe Red Sky  ALL CHARACTERS PLAYED BY DAN AYKROYD ON SNL Kudos to: Bob Brewer-Opus 3 Artists/NYC; Mike Seidel-CBS Television Stations/NY; Gary Saginaro-NBCU Cable Ent./NY; Chris Claro/Westbury, NY; Brett Calvert-ECCA/San Antonio; Skip Engle-Editech Inc/Omaha; Jason Bowers-Dial-Global/Los Angeles; Todd Schliewen-KMSB/Tucson; Mark Simmons-Toyota/Torrance; Richard Levine-AT&T Operations, Inc./Los  Angeles

Today’s Trivia Question:  What NBC show is described as “Son Of Mobster Turns Police Detective”  (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
05.20.09

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JOB OPENING: SR RSRCH ANALYST, DISTRIBUTION/AETN/NY: Support trad’l & new distrib platforms. Create reports/review synd res studies. 2+ yrs media res exp. Know Nielsen syst & other res sources. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (5/23)

JOB OPENING: WRITER/PROD ON-AIR MKTG/TLC/SS: Conceive/write/prod. high profile TV/radio campaigns that maint brand/msg. BA in Video/Film, 4+ yrs exp. writing/prod mktg. projs, exp mngng editors a must. Apply: www.discovery.com Req#8958 (5/22)

JOB OPENING: SR PRODUCER/SOAPNet.com/Burbank: Lead site-wide development initiatives for mobile, community & viral digital mktg. 8yrs exp. web/entertainment www.disneycareers.com REQ 195331 (5/21)

JOB OPENING: ONLINE CONTENT MGR/Discovery/MD: Seeking Mgr w/ strong online prod exp. TV exp pref’d, proj mngmnt exp a must. Solid relationship building/negotiation skills; Int’l exp pref’d; Apply: www.discovery.com/careers job 8954 (5/20)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR ACCOUNTANT/WASH DC: Outgoing financial expert needed for financial statements, GL, budgets, payroll, cash flow, contracts, reporting. For descr. & to apply: www.teampeople.tv (5/20)

JOB OPENING: DIR, DEVELOPMENT/TLC/MD: Research/vet new prog. show ideas, Exec. writing skills, 7+ yrs broadcast exp., Strng. Resch. background Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8935 (5/20)

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
.

SUMMER/FALL INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: PROD ASST/Aces Deuce Productions/NYC: Asst in promoting& publicizing TV pilot along w/ rsrch, updates, coord world premiere. Resume:
include “LWG Intern” in subject www.acesdeuce.com (5/22)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: MKTG INTERN/MTVN/NY: Provide support for intl format sales & mktg of localized productions of MTVN programs; be TV/media savvy w/ strong writing & research skills. Please send resume to:
(5/22)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: TV Clearance/Permissions/Warner Bros. TV/Burbank: Contact licensing boards & police to clear names, rsrch for artwork/props/set dress items, maint inv./PC/Resumes:
incl “NENT/112427BR” in subject (5/21)

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: EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER (LA) Reality-TV, Film, Commercial, Documentaries & Corporate. Creative & Flexible. Seeking Freelance or Staff Position, Remote or In-House. Reel & Contact Info: www.ChaztizedMedia.com (5/28)

SITUATION WANTED: ACE PRODUCER/DIR/WRITER: all things non-fiction: news, ent, talk, and docs; NBC, TLC, Discovery, E!, CMT, CNN, Disney, etc.  LA based, will travel.
(5/27)

SITUATION WANTED: DOCUMENTARY. PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email:
(5/23)

SITUATION WANTED: WRITER’S ASSISTANT/STORY CO-ORDINATOR/TORONTO: Dedicated, creative, willing to learn, has experience in writer’s room. Willing to move. Contact:
(5/23)

SITUATION WANTED: A WRITER’S WRITER! The economy’s not as bad as CHEMO! Just survived cancer! Grateful to be alive, grateful for crumbs! MTV, NY Post writer will write (copy, scripts, etc) until you’re happy!
(5/22)

SITUATION WANTED: EVENTS/PRODUCTION/TALENT BOOKING, COORD’N & MGMT NY – Produce high-profile int’l events/productions; corporate/non-profit; nat’l TV credits, superb contacts. Freelance or FT. Contact Jodi:
(5/22)

SITUATION WANTED: MULTI-PLATFORM BRANDING & STRATEGIC BUSINESS DVLPMNT CONSULTANT, 15+ yrs of ent exp as producer, program supplier, extensive corp alliances, orgnztn’l mngmnt, & funding capabilities & resources. Email
(5/22)

SITUATION WANTED: 20+ yrs. experience in TV Broadcasting & Cable ACCOUNTING/FINANCE . Seeking FT, PT or Temporary position: immediate start. Please contact
(5/21)

SITUATION WANTED: AVAILABLE NOW: 15-year LOS ANGELES Audio Post supervisor/editor/sound-designer/mixer CREATIVE with ProTools and series television, national radio, corporate and feature film credits.
(5/21)

SITUATION WANTED: EXECUTIVE/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT for 30 plus years. Worked in Production for Executive Producers, Writers, Directors and high level executives. Excellent skills … email:
(5/20)

SITUATION WANTED: CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGNER/ILLUSTRATOR/NYC: Experienced & unique. Concept through completion. Freelance or staff. Email:
(5/20)

SITUATION WANTED: EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER (LA) Reality-TV, Film, Commercial, Documentaries & Corporate. Creative & Flexible. Seeking Freelance or Staff Position, Remote or In-House. Reel & Contact Info: www.ChaztizedMedia.com (5/20)

SITUATION WANTED: WRITER’S ASSISTANT/PRODUCTION ASSIST/NYC: hardworking, proactive, self starter,strong work ethic, experience in writer’s room.contact email:
(5/20)

SITUATION WANTED: Business development, strategic planning, partnership MARKETING MANAGER; experience within film studios and advertising agencies; from concept through execution.
646.719.1836 (5/20)

SITUATION WANTED: SR RSCH ANALYST from National Cable Communications, 8 yrs exp. Critical role on corporate research and industry driven projects. http://www.linkedin.com/in/keithlegaz Email
(5/20)

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 –  WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2009

ABC: Movie:  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
AZTECA: Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Vidas al Limite, Al Extremo
CBS: New Adventures of Old Christine [f ], Gary Unmarried [f ], Criminal Minds [f ], Criminal Minds
CW:  Movie:  Take the Lead
FOX: American Idol [f ]
ION:  Reba, Reba, Movie: American Outlaws
MNT: World Funniest Moments, World Funniest Moments
NBC: Law & Order: CI, Law & Order: SVU [r], Law & Order
PBS: Blueprint America, WWII Behind Closed doors
TELE: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, El Cartel
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Manana es para Siempre, Don Francisco Presenta

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