to printable version ( ).

Vol. 1, No. 1, Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Dick Wien, Editor /212-975-5607/Fax: x8716/e-mail: [email protected]
CBS/UPN IMPRESS AT PRESS TOUR...
“NUMB3RS” CRUNCHES COMPETITION...
CBS/UPN STAGE UPBEAT PRESS TOURS
On Jan. 18 and 19, CBS and UPN presented their latest
programming plans and strategies to the national media at
a very upbeat TV Critics Association Winter Press Tour at
Universal City, CA.
Leslie Moonves, CoPresident and Co-COO,
Viacom and Chairman,
CBS, is joined at the
2005 Winter Press Tour
by Nancy Tellem (left)
President, CBS
Paramount Network
Television
Entertainment Group,
and Nina Tassler.
President, CBS
Entertainment.
CBS: At the opening executive session, Leslie
Moonves, Co-President and
Co-COO, Viacom and
Chairman, CBS, told the
gathering, "CBS continues to
be a network on the roll.
We've had an extraordinary,
extraordinary year. Our ratings have been phenomenal.
…. The prevailing theme this
year is of great, great success."
Noting that CBS is enjoying
the benefits of top programming “in every genre,"
Moonves listed the historic
number of recent Network
(Continued on page 2)
WE’VE GOT THE “NUMB3RS”
CBS’s NUMB3RS is a ratings hit
for the Network. Its special preview,
following the AFC Championship
Playoff Game on Sunday, January
23, was the highest rated and mostwatched debut of a new series this
season, and the most-watched new
drama debut since 1994 (averaging
24.9m viewers).
NUMB3RS stars (l-
And NUMB3RS kept the momenr) Judd Hirsch,
David Krumholtz
tum going in its first Friday regular
and Rob Morrow.
time period outing (January 28),
when it dominated its 10:00-11:00
PM, ET time period in key demos and viewers -- posting CBS's
best delivery in the hour with a regularly scheduled program in
viewers since 9/30/94 and in A18-49 and A25-54 since
10/6/00. NUMB3RS also scored the best delivery for any regularly scheduled Friday 10:00-11:00 PM program in viewers and
A25-54 since 4/4/03, and since 4/25/03 in A18-49. Plus,
NUMB3RS notched the best delivery for a Friday regularly
scheduled program on any network this season in viewers,
A18-49 and A25-54.
(Source: NTI)
(CBS Press Tour, continued from page 1)
"CBS continues to be a network on the roll. We've
had an extraordinary, extraordinary year. Our ratings have been phenomenal. …. The prevailing
theme this year is of great, great success."
--- Leslie Moonves, Co-President and Co-COO,
Viacom and Chairman, CBS.
achievements,
including winning the
November ‘04
sweep in A18-49
for the first time
since 1980, and Stars Ray Romano and Patricia
Heaton answer questions from
at midpoint in
reporters during the EVERYBODY
the ‘04-’05 sea- LOVES RAYMOND session of the CBS
Winter 2005 Press Tour.
son CBS is #1
in this demo for
the
first time in 17 years. He also reported that, season-to-date,
CBS is maintaining its lead in A25-54, is ahead by a huge
margin in total viewers and HH’s, has dominated Thursdays
in viewers, A25-54 and A18-49, and has lowered its primetime median age by a year and a half.
Moonves stressed that CBS’s primetime success stems from
the fact that the Network is programming for the widest
possible audience. "CBS will never become a narrowcaster,"
he promised. “We want everybody watching our shows, and big
hits are watched by everybody.” He noted that CBS's triumphs are not confined to prime time: LATE SHOW With
DAVID LETTERMAN is now in its most competitive position with "The Tonight Show" since 1994, THE EARLY
SHOW is delivering CBS’s most viewers in the M-F 7-9:00
AM slot since 1998 and the Network’s highest W18-49 rating in the time period since 1997, and the CBS owned stations is the only network group to post increases among
A18-49 and A25-54 in late local news.
Moonves addressed at length the recently released
Independent Review Panel report on 60 MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, noting, "We are taking steps to set the record
straight and to put CBS News on the right road to recovery. …
It's been a very painful process for all of us involved with CBS
News, but with this kind of challenge and this kind of change,
(Continued on page 3)
RED HOT CBS/UPN PROGRAMMING
ON TAP FOR THE FEBRUARY SWEEP
CBS: A month of special events,
reality premieres and finales, and
all-new episodes of CBS's comedies
and dramas are on the primetime
schedule for the February sweep.
Headlining the lineup is the live
broadcast from L.A. of THE 47TH
ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS
(Sunday, 2/13). In addition, the
International supermonth's special events include a
star, and Grammywinnning artist,
DR. PHIL PRIMETIME SPEQueen Latifah will
CIAL: ROMANCE RESCUE
host and perform on
(Tuesday, 2/15); STONE COLD, a CBS’s 2/13 live
broadcast of THE
new television movie starring Tom 47th ANNUAL
GRAMMY AWARDS.
Selleck and Mimi Rogers (Sunday,
2/20); a ONE DAY AT A TIME REUNION featuring the
entire cast of the hit '70's-'80's comedy (Tuesday, 2/22), and
THE GREATEST COMMERCIALS: SUPER BOWL VS.
THE WORLD, hosted by Pat O'Brien and MTV’s Vanessa
Minnillo (Friday, 2/4). Among the riveting CSI series will be
a special 90-minute CSI: MIAMI on Monday, 2/21, while
YES, DEAR will debut for its fifth season on Wednesday,
2/16.
On the reality front, SURVIVOR: PALAU, which shakes up
the game with new twists and turns, premieres Thursday, 2/17.
On Tuesday, 2/8, THE AMAZING RACE 6 heads to the finish line, while racers on THE AMAZING RACE 7 will take
off on Tuesday, 3/1.
Guest starring in February in CBS series are Haylie Duff
(JOAN OF ARCADIA), The Black Eyed Peas' Will. I. Am
(JOAN OF ARCADIA), Kelly Hu (CSI: NY), Burt
Reynolds (THE KING OF QUEENS), Bo Derek (STILL
STANDING), Paul Sorvino and Sally Struthers (STILL
STANDING), Neil Patrick Harris (NUMB3RS), David
Eigenberg (JUDGING AMY) and Danica McKeller (NCIS),
while THE EARLY SHOW’s Dave Price pops up in a primetime program every night during the week of Feb. 14.
UPN: Highlighting UPN’s upcoming February sweep events
will be the return of AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL
(cycle 4) on Wednesday, March 2 (8:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the finale of the THE ROAD TO STARDOM
(Continued on page 3)
(CBS Winter Press Tour, continued from page 2)
(UPN February sweep highlights, continued from page 2)
great opportunities lie." He stressed the fact that, "Ninety
nine percent of the stories we do are accurate. Ninety-nine
percent of the people we have at CBS News are fair and do
their job extremely professionally." And he reminded his
audience that, “No organization should feel such things couldn't happen in their shops, and I think it's been a wake-up call
for us and probably everybody in the news business.”
Responding to a question about the CBS EVENING
NEWS, Moonves said, “there are a lot of alternatives for us
to deal with,” including the possibility of making changes
to the broadcast’s format after anchor Dan Rather retires
in March.
WITH MISSY ELLIOTT. The sweep
will also feature a one-hour special with
the cycle 3 TOP MODEL girls on
Tuesday, March 1. Plus, the mid-season
comedy CUTS premieres Monday,
February 14.
Turning to the Network’s upcoming schedule, CBS
Entertainment President Nina Tassler reported that
between February 28 and March 28, CBS will air the five
favorite EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND episodes
selected by viewer votes on the Internet. RAYMOND’s
half-hour May 16 finale will be preceded by an hour-long
retrospective on the series. SURVIVOR: PALAU's twohour finale is set for Sunday, May 15 (8:00-10:00 PM,
ET/PT), with a one-hour live reunion show to follow from
the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. Plus, CBS has
a “King”-size week of Elvis planned for the May sweep,
including the four-hour ELVIS miniseries (May 8 and May
11), and a two-hour special, ELIVIS BY THE PRESLEYS
(May 13).... Tassler also made a number of February sweep
scheduling announcements (see sidebar on this page).
CBS’s Press Tour featured panel sessions with the stars of
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, NCIS, THE LATE
LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON, NUMB3RS,
and the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation of THE
MAGIC OF ORDINARY DAYS. In addition, David
Poltrack, CBS Television EVP, Research and Planning,
presented the most recent information on how viewers are
adapting to the new television landscape.
******
UPN: In his Press Tour opening remarks, Leslie
Moonves reviewed the success of UPN's strategy to create
a top quality, five-day schedule that has much better flow
from night to night and, most importantly, is geared
towards the Network's female target audience.
As a result, he pointed out, UPN's audience up significantly in women year-to-year, among other achievements.
Guest stars appearing on UPN comeAMERICA'S
dies, dramas and reality shows include
NEXT TOP
MODEL creator,
R&B group New Edition and David
executive proFaustino on ONE ON ONE; comedian ducer and host,
Tyra Banks.
Louie Anderson, MTV Veejay
Quduus, music producers Jimmy Jam
& Terry Lewis, and T.C. Carson and Erika Alexander reprising their roles from "Living Single" on HALF & HALF; Idris
Elba and Mo’Nique (THE PARKERS) on GIRLFRIENDS;
Rapper Warren G, tennis great Serena Williams, "American
Idol" winner Fantasia and Toccara Jones (AMERICA'S
NEXT TOP MODEL 2) on ALL OF US; and Vivica A. Fox,
David Carradine, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Sharif Atkins and
Yaya Johnson (AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL 3) on
EVE. Guest stars on UPN dramas include Anthony Anderson
and Alyson Hannigan ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer") on
VERONICA MARS, and Michael Warren, Randy Jackson
("American Idol"), Meagan Good and AMERICA'S NEXT
TOP MODEL 3 winner Eva Pigford on KEVIN HILL.
Moonves also reported that
the scheduling strategy UPN
has employed this season has
been particularly successful
on Wednesday’s, where the
move of AMERICA'S
NEXT TOP MODEL and
KEVIN HILL has improved
ratings by more than 120%
Leslie Moonves, Copercent
in A18-34 and
President and Co-COO,
Viacom and Chairman,
almost 250% among W18CBS, with Dawn Ostroff,
President,
34. "We've laid out a great
Entertainment, UPN.
foundation to go forward into
the future," he said. "The building blocks for UPN are in
place: stronger management, smarter scheduling, quality
(Continued on page 4)
(UPN Winter Press Tour, continued from page 3)
"We've laid out a great foundation to go forward
into the future. The building blocks for UPN are in
place: stronger management, smarter scheduling,
quality programming. We're all heading in the right
direction, and we're very pleased with the results.
… The network now has a clear strategy and is
absolutely on the right track."
join them as they embark on the next phase of their
careers.
Also, UPN announced that AMERICA'S NEXT TOP
MODEL will return for a fourth cycle on Wednesday,
March 2 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), and that cycles five and
six have been picked up for the 2005-06 season.
--- Leslie Moonves, Co-President and Co-COO,
Viacom and Chairman, CBS.
PROGRAMMING NOTES
programming. We're all heading in the right direction, and
we're very pleased with the results. … The network now has a
clear strategy and is absolutely on the right track."
In her remarks, Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment,
UPN, reinforced Moonves' point that the current season
has been a dramatic leap forward for UPN. "We raised the
bar this fall in terms of the quality of our programming and our
talent," she said. Ostroff went on to underscore UPN's
ongoing goal to bring top talent such as Taye Diggs, Tyra
Banks, Missy Elliott, Jenny McCarthy, Shannon
Elizabeth and this year’s breakout star Kristen Bell to the
Network. "By producing quality shows that appeal to our
young adult audience, UPN has come a long way in a relatively short period," she said. "We've created a more cohesive
schedule and strengthened our identity, and as a result, we've
improved our performance, as you've heard, with young
women."
After showcasing UPN's February sweep schedule (see
next week’s UPDATE for complete details), Ostroff noted
that UPN's new comedy CUTS, a spin-off of Monday
comedy ONE ON ONE starring Shannon Elizabeth and
Marques Houston, will premiere Monday, Feb. 14 (8:309:00PM, ET/PT). Later in the year, the Network will premiere the comedy THE BAD GIRL'S GUIDE, inspired by
the best-selling series of books created by Cameron Tuttle
and starring Jenny McCarthy.
Looking to summer, Ostroff previewed the new reality
show R U THE GIRL WITH T-BOZ AND CHILLI, in
which the remaining members of the Grammy-winning
group TLC will offer a female performer the chance to
NFL WINS FOR CBS: CBS Sports'
coverage of the 2004-05 NFL regular and
post-season earned a combined average
national household rating/share of 11.1/24,
which tied with the 2002-03 season as the
highest results since the 1999-00 and 199899 seasons. CBS's NFL pre-game show, THE NFL
TODAY, earned a combined national rating/share (3.3/9)
that tied as the best overall average for the broadcast in the
regular and post-season since the since the 1999-00 and
1998-99 seasons. ... The Network’s January 23 broadcast of
the AFC Championship Game (New England vs.
Pittsburgh) was the most-watched primetime broadcast so
far this season (44.3 million viewers). It was also the highest rated AFC Championship Game since 1999, the second highest rated AFC Championship Game since the
NFL returned to CBS in 1998 and had the highest average
number of viewers for an AFC Championship Game since
1997. (Source: NTI)
RISING AND SHINING: Since
the re-launch of THE EARLY
SHOW just over two years ago,
the broadcast is up double-digits in
A25-54, W25-54 and total viewers, and +9% in W18-49
compared to last year, season-to-date. So far in 2004-05,
THE EARLY SHOW is averaging nearly three million
viewers and is in CBS's best competitive position against
the "Today" show in nine years in total viewers. Season-todate, in the M-F 7-9:00 AM slot, the program has posted
CBS's best delivery in seven years in W18-49 and in six
years in total viewers. (Source: NTI).
(Continued on page 5)
THE IDENTITIES OF THE 20 CASTAWAYS
OF "SURVIVOR: PALAU" REVEALED
SURVIVOR: PALAU castaways: back row, Angie
Jakusz, Jonathan Libby, James Miller, Coby
Archa, Ian Rosenberger, Jolanda Jones, Janu
Tornell and Ibrehem Rahman; (middle row) Gregg
Carey, Tom Westman, Kimberly Mullen, Stephenie
Lagrossa, Bobby Jon Drinkard and Ashlee Ashby;
(bottom row) Wanda Shirk, Williard Smith, Katie
Gallagher, Caryn Groedel, Jeff Wilson and
Jennifer Lyon.
The identities of the 20 hopefuls competing on SURVIVOR:
PALAU were unveiled on January 13 on THE EARLY
SHOW. The castaways will begin as one group of 20, with
three being sent home in the first episode when the tenth
installment of the hit series premieres Thursday, February 17
(8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). SURVIVOR: PALAU takes place
amid the 83 islands located just north of the equator in the
remote waters of the Pacific
The castaways for SURVIVOR: PALAU (in alphabetical
order) are: Coby Archa, 32, hairstylist, Athens, TX; Ashlee
Ashby, 22, student, Easley, SC; Gregg Carey, 28, business
consultant, Chicago; Bobby Jon Drinkard, 27, waiter, Santa
Monica, CA. (originally from Troy, AL.); Katie Gallagher,
29, advertising executive Merced, CA; Caryn Groedel, 46,
civil rights attorney, Solon, OH (originally from Yonkers,
NY); Angie Jakusz, 24, bartender, New Orleans; Jolanda
Jones, 39, lawyer, Houston, TX; Stephenie LaGrossa, 25,
pharmaceutical sales representative, Philadelphia, PA;
Jonathan Libby, 23, sales and marketing, Dallas; Jennifer
Lyon, 32, nanny, Encino, CA; James Miller, 33, steel worker,
Mobile, AL; Kimberly Mullen, 25, graduate student, Huber
Heights, OH; Ibrehem Rahman, 27, waiter, Birmingham, AL;
Ian Rosenberger, 23, dolphin trainer, Key Largo, FL (originally from Ambridge, PA); Wanda Shirk, 55, English teacher,
Ulysses, PA; Williard Smith, 57, lawyer, Bellevue, WA; Janu
Tornell, 39, showgirl, Las Vegas ; Tom Westman, 41, firefighter, Sayville, NY; and Jeff Wilson, 21, personal trainer,
Ventura, CA.
(Programming Notes, continued from page 4)
ANOTHER WINNING PARTNERSHIP: CBS and Mark
Burnett, the duo that launched
SURVIVOR as cultural phenomenon
in the summer of 2000, are teaming
up again -- this time to find the lead
singer of the internationally
renowned band INXS. The new
Mark Burnett
reality show -- UNTITLED ROCK
STAR PROJECT (working title) -- will debut in the
Summer of 2005 and combine the world of rock music with
relationship-style unscripted drama, performance competition and a weekly contestant elimination. Each week will
feature a performance competition, along with taped reality
segments focusing on the relationships and conflicts that
develop between the competitors living in a house in the
Hollywood Hills. The winner will be determined by a combination of viewer participation, judges and INXS band
members.
And... Bob Barker, the Emmy Award-winning host of
THE PRICE IS RIGHT, has agreed to continue to host
the show in 2005-06, marking an unprecedented 34th season that he has assumed these duties.
EYE ON PROMOTION
To build the buzz for the 1/23 premiere of the new
drama series NUMB3RS, the CBS Marketing Group
had street teams out in force in NYC and L.A. distributing thousands of free New York State and
California State lottery tickets to passerbys. We
can’t say if any of the lottery ticket recipients were
winners, but the NUMB3RS’ special premiere certainly hit the jackpot.
UPDATE is published by The CBS Communications Group.
Gil Schwartz, Executive Vice President.
Richard Wien, Editor, (212) 975-5607 (N.Y.)