A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE CYNOPSIS FOUNDATION, INC.

Cynopsis: Kids!

10/17/07

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, October 17, 2007, and this is your first early morning.

KOL and RED, AOL’s kid and teen services respectively, appear to have come to an end as AOL laid off the staff yesterday, as part of an overall 20% reduction in AOL staff.  The news comes after months of rumors about the demise of KOL and RED.  Will the kid-targeted service continue?  According sources, there is but one KOL staffer who will remain on the job, with a handful staying on for a 60-day transition period.  More on this as we get it.

Nickelodeon Arabia, a 24/7, localized, Arabic language free-to-air channel for kids, is set to launch in 2008, under a newly expanded agreement between MTV Networks International (MTVNI) and Arab Media Group (AMG) and its Arabian Television Network (ATN) division.  Nickelodeon Arabia will be the first kid-targeted free-to-air Arabic service to be broadcast in the Middle East and the Gulf.  ATN and MTVNI are also working on the debut of MTV Arabia and three other stations all of which will bow before the end of 2007.  At launch Nickelodeon Arabia will be available to 36 million TV HH via satellite, with a potential audience of 190 million people in the region, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.  Programming on the new channel will include a combination of Nick content from around the world as well as original local Arabic productions.  The network will also have a corresponding website.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Production has begun on Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning, a 3-hour TV movie slated to premiere on CTV in 2008.  A prequel to the original Anne of Green Gables TV mini-series (1985), A New Beginning takes place prior to Anne arriving at Avonlea.  Produced by Sullivan Entertainment in association with CTV, the movie co-stars Rachel Blanchard and Barbara Hershey, who portrays Anne as a woman in her 50s reflecting on her past.  Twelve-year-old Hannah Endicott-Douglass plays the role of young Anne Shirley.  The new and past movies are based on the Anne of Green Gables books by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery.  The movie will shoot on location in Ontario now through November 7, 2007.

MORE KIDS STUFF

CBBC will produced Serious Ocean, the sixth installment in the factual kids “Serious …” franchise (e.g. Serious Amazon, Serious Arctic, Serious Desert, Jungle etc), will be distributed by All3Media international.  In Serious Ocean, a group of eight kids/tweens head off on a sailing adventure around Cape Horn.  Serious Andes will air here in the US on Discovery Kids.

Alfred Haber Distribution, Inc., has entered into an deal with Dick Clark Productions, Inc., to be the international distributor for the 2007 35th Annual American Music Awards (AMA), which will air live in the US on ABC from the new, Nokia Theatre, on Sunday, November 18, 2007.  Jimmy Kimmel will host the AMA’s for the fourth year in a row.  As of now sales of the AMA’s include to ITV2 (UK), STAR (pan-regional SE Asia), Foxtel (Australia), TV2 (Denmark), Kanal 5 (Sweden), MNET (South Africa), NHK (Japan), City TV (Columbia), Telemicro (Dominican Republic), ITC (Iceland), Tel-Ad (Israel), Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America), MBC (Middle East), Telefuturo (Paraguay), Bangkok Broadcasting (Thailand), and Shant TV (Turkey).

MARKETING/LICENSING

Frosted Flakes, in association with ESPN, has launched the Earn Your Stripes Sports Page, a for-kids-by-kids sports website ( www.espn.com/earnyourstripes ).  The site is designed to be a forum for kids to talk to one another about things going on in the world of sports.  In addition to voicing their opinions and those of others, kids can also take part in sports-related polls, submit stories about their own experiences, and take part in Sports Speak, a message board for general sports information conversation.  Additionally, the site will feature sports articles written by kid correspondents.  The basic messaging behind on the Earn Your Stripes Sports Page is that kids should “Work Hard” and “Eat Right,” in order to achieve your goals.  The site will feature kids (and/or teams) from around the country in Earn Your Stripes Award Shorts, the one-minute videos will showcase their love of sports and dedication and achievements.

Digital Interactive Systems Corp. (DISCover), a provider of technology solutions for the PC gaming industry, has partnered with Her Interactive to start delivering downloadable versions of the Nancy Drew game series through DISCover’s InstaPlay and Hardcore White-Label Gaming System.  Her Interactive designs, develops and distributes Nancy Drew mystery/adventure video games for PCs; there are currently 16 games available.  Releasing this month is Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull.

Hitting stores this week is Activision, Inc.’s new game title Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground.  Developed by Neversoft, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is rated T for Teens for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, the Wii, PlayStation 2, while the Nintendo DS version of the game is rated E 10+ for people 10 and older.  The action game includes a soundtrack with 50+ songs from bands including Block Party, Foo Fighters, Jurassic 5, Nirvana, The Rolling stones and so on.  Additionally, on the game disc, Xbox 360 players will have the chance to play a demo of 5 songs from the video game, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The title, which is also being developed by Neversoft, will be available at retail on October 28.

20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising has completed a raft of deals for its TV and movie properties across various product categories:

• 24: DK Publishing (the Ultimate Guide); Rubie’s Costume Co. (Jack Bauer Satchel Kit)
• Alien Vs. Predator: Rubie’s Costume Co. (Halloween costumes)
• Bones: Titan Books (The Official Companion to Seasons 1 & 2); Diamond Select Toys (Bobble-heads)
• The Simpsons: Solutions 2 Go (Otto’s Axe Wireless Guitar Hero Controller); McFarlane Toys (Lard Lad Box Set & Dr. Hibbert Box Set)

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Stepping down is David Hulbert the CEO of Sparrowhawk Media.  Hulbert he has also resigned as Chairman of KidsCo, the multi-platform global channel and Sparrowhawk joint venture with DIC Entertainment and Nelvana Enterprises.  The move comes on the heels of NBC Universal’s $350 million acquisition of Sparrowhawk Holdings, announced at the end of August, from Providence Equity partners, 3i and management shareholders.  Furthermore, unconfirmed reports have Sparrowhawk and KidsCo COO, Tim Richards also exiting the company as well, with others expected to follow. Currently, Chairman David Elstein continues to head the company.

Universal Pictures promotes two of its senior marketing executives who will add expanded responsibilities.  Adam Fogelson has been upped to President/Marketing and Distribution, and Eddie Egan moves up to President/Marketing.  Meanwhile, Nikki Rocco continues to serve as President/Distribution, a role she has held since 1996.

• Fogelson will now oversee Universal’s domestic marketing and distributions divisions, and he will also supervise the marketing and distribution of Rogue Pictures.  He will report to March Shmuger and David Linde, Chairman and Co-Chairman of Universal Pictures.  Fogelson joined the company in 1998, most recently serving as President/Marketing from may 2002.  Before coming to Universal, Fogelson was SVP/Worldwide Marketing, Trimark Pictures.
• In his new position Egan directs all aspects of marketing for Universal’s domestic feature film releases including creative advertising, media, publicity, promotion, digital marketing and so on.  He will now report to Fogelson.  Prior to this Egan was Co-President/Marketing, a role he has held since May 2002.  He joined Universal in 1994 as SVP, moving up to EVP/Marketing several years later.  He previously served in multiple marketing roles at Sony Pictures Entertainment, TriStar Pictures, Fox and Paramount.

RATINGS

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K2-11 (000) 10/8-10/14/07 :
Total Day     (000)   Primetime    (000)
NICK°:           1155   DSNY*:           1714
DSNY*:            869   CARTOON:        651
CARTOON:       585   NAN**:             356
NAN**:            243   TOON DIS:        190
ADSM**:          156   ESPN:               131
TOON DIS.:      136   NICKTOONS:       91
NOG/THE N:     108   DISCOVERY:       90
NICKTOONS:      58   ANIMAL PLANET: 70
DISCOVERY:       52   BET:                  59
ESPN:                47   TLC:                   49
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
°Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K6-11 (000) 10/8-10/14/07 :
Total Day      (000) Primetime       (000)
NICK°:             628   DSNY*:            1318
DSNY*:            573   CARTOON:         449
CARTOON:        374   NAN**:             276
NAN**:            176   TOON DIS:         111
ADSM**:          107   ESPN:                 84
TOON DIS.:        79   DISCOVERY:        64
NICKTOONS:      40   NICKTOONS:        51
DISCOVERY:       35   ANIMAL PLANET:  42
ESPN:                28   MTV:                    33
MTV:                  21   BET:                    32
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
°Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among Tweens 9-14 (000) 10/8-10/14/07 :
Total Day (000)   Primetime   (000)
DSNY*:       500     DSNY*:         1185
NICK°:        486     CARTOON:      424
CARTOON:   276     NAN**:          326
NAN**:       208     MTV:              111
ADSM**:     141     ESPN:              92
MTV:             67     DISCOVERY:     90
DISCOVERY:  53     TOON DIS.:      71
ESPN:            40    COMEDY:          69
BET:              39    THE N:              50
COMEDY:       32     BET:                49
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
°Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Friday, October 12, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1177; K6-11 822; TWEENS 9-14 782
NICKELODEON:          K2-11 1086; K6-11 489; TWEENS 9-14 344
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   509; K6-11 347; TWEENS 9-14 257
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   164; K6-11   93; TWEENS 9-14   54
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Saturday, October 13, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1375; K6-11 911; TWEENS 9-14 671
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1140; K6-11 757; TWEENS 9-14 567
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   718; K6-11 502; TWEENS 9-14 387
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   179; K6-11 118; TWEENS 9-14   76
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Sunday, October 14, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1313; K6-11 898; TWEENS 9-14 727
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1087; K6-11 720; TWEENS 9-14 641
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   697; K6-11 475; TWEENS 9-14 327
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   157; K6-11   99; TWEENS 9-14   66
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Monday, October 15, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1120; K6-11 514; TWEENS 9-14 382
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   859; K6-11 509; TWEENS 9-14 373
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   481; K6-11 287; TWEENS 9-14 242
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   145; K6-11   77; TWEENS 9-14   54
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: On the Nickelodeon show Unfabulous, what school does Addie (Emma Roberts) attend? ROCKY ROAD MIDDLE SCHOOL   Kudos to: Kimberly Keeley-Safety4Kids/ Stamford, CT; Kyle Luna-Animation Insider/Tobyhanna, PA; Bill Pinkston/Club Corp
 
Today’s Trivia Question: What short-lived late 70’s series revolved around the life of a young man who’s family moves from Oregon to Boston?    (Click here 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 — Gwen
Gwen Billings for Cynopsis: Kids!
10.17.07

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Jennifer Franko – 203-583-9796 / [email protected]
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JOB OPENING: VP/SR DIR, AD SALES /NY (tivo724): 10 yrs w/nat’l tv & cable ntwk exp/seek new deals/lead hire & train sales staff. Visit http://www.jobvite.com/CompanyJobs/Job.aspx?j=oYM9Vfwy&s=Cynopsis   for job description (10/24)

JOB OPENING: DIR, AD SALES/Central Region (tivo471): 5 yrs nat’l broadcast or cable sales exp/prospect for ad & research bus. Visit http://www.jobvite.com/CompanyJobs/Job.aspx?j=oYK9Vfww&s=Cynopsis   for job description (10/24)

JOB OPENING: ADMIN ASST/Sony Pictures TV Research: Research & Sales Supp’t plus Admin duties report to SVP Sales & Mktg. Strong comp skills inc Pwrpt. Vry detail orientd. Apply: www.sonypicturesjobs.com (10/24)

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JOB OPENING: DIGITAL RESEARCH MGR/ABC TV NTWK/Burbank: Degree, 5+yrs media/ent/advtg rsrch; qual/quan primary rsrch, stat analys, excllnt writing/presentatn skills req, digtl bckgrd pref. www.disneycareers.com (Req ID 113023) (10/24)

JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC COORDINATOR/Cablevision/Woodbury, Long Island: 2 yrs related work exp. Process/schedule orders for Ad time. See full posting and apply to 4675BR at www.cablevision.jobs (10/24)

JOB OPENING: WRITER/PRODUCER/Fine Living/TN: Develop, write & produce on-air& off-air creative. 4+ yrs TV station/Cable Network exp. Mac/Windows exp req. Familiar with editing & graphics. Apply on line at www.scrippsnetworks.com (10/23)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLAN’R/SONY PICTURES: Asst w/ maint’g accts across all Dig prop’s. Work w/Mgr Pricing/Analysis on invtry issues, moving invtry. tracking accts, & ensuring media sched run precise. Apply: www.sonypicturesjobs.com (10/23)

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JOB OPENING: INVENTORY MANAGER/ LIFETIME NY: Analyze, report & manage placement of all Nat inv to optimize revenue & delivery. 1 yr Gabriel Deal Maint rqd. Strong Excel BA/BS Apply at: http://www.lifetimetv.com/about/jobs.html (10/20)

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JOB OPENING: NAT’L TV BUYER/NYC: Midsize agency, quality account.  6mnths – 2yrs exp negotiating ntwrk cable and syndi plans. DDS exp a plus. Strong MS Skills/Excel. Excellent salary offered.  Email res to: [email protected] (10/20)

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JOB OPENING: LOCAL SALES MANAGER/Comcast Spotlight: Guilford, CT: 5-7 yrs media/mgt exp. Oversee promotion dev’t. Manage team, rel’ship w/sales/network/clients.  http://careers.comcast.com/choices/searchjobs.asp ref. 55326BR  (10/20)

JOB OPENING: SR MGR, AUDIENCE RSRCH/MTV Networks/Chicago: Exciting opp to join one of the world’s leading creators of prgrmng/content across all media platforms. Full job description: log on to www.mtvncareers.com (10/20)

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JOB OPENING: FREELANCER / Vh1 Ad Sales Research/NYC: Working knowledge of Nielsen TV ratings and their systems, MRI, Prof in MS Office. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply [email protected] (10/19)

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JOB OPENING: CLIENT SERVICE EXEC/Nielsen Media Research/NY: Media-focused sales and client services professional. 3+ years exp w/strong analytical skills.Interested candidates can apply on line at www.nielsen.com position #3717 (10/18)

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JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/Univision/NY: Generate upfront & scatter plans. Handle all aspects of ongoing deal maintenance & stewardship. 2-4 years Buying or Planning preferred. Send resume: [email protected] EOE (10/18)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, PUBLICITY/SciFi: Gen. positive press for SciFi’s programming. Assist in developing PR strategy & campaign plans. Min. 7 yrs Publicity exp req. Apply to job# 627355 www.nbcunicareers.com (10/18)

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JOB OPENING: MANAGER, DIST. & FIELD MKTING/LIFETIME NY: Manage account and state territory to drive distribution of Lifetime Networks, HD and various Lifetime VOD services. Apply at: http://www.lifetimetv.com/about/jobs.html (10/18)

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FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  FALL/WINTER PROD INTERN/Westport, CT: CNBC’s “dLife TV” seeks office intern to assist producers 3-5 days/wk. Rsrchng, organizational & on-set help. Email: [email protected] with Ref: prod intern in subject line. (10/24)

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FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Editorial interns w/great writing and web skills for Los Angeles-based dining/travel website. Assist editors, create & maintain web pages. PT/FT. Email [email protected] SUBJECT: INTERN (10/19)

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SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/ PROD COORD/ L.A. area: 7+ yrs exp. mult shows at one time, great work ethic; have TV & Film exp. as Prod, Dir, Writer, talent coord, great verbal skills, resourceful,team player.email: [email protected]  (10/20)

SITUATION WANTED: ENTRY LEVEL POSITION/NY/NJ area: Motivated, hard-working Fordham University grad with production/talk show and other varied experience seeks assistant/entry level position in creative environment. [email protected] (10/20)

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