UPN and The WB are merging.

[prydain]

From The Futon Critic (http://thefutoncritic.com):


Tuesday, January 24, 2006
CBS CORPORATION AND WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT FORM NEW 5TH BROADCAST NETWORK
Released by The CW

CBS CORPORATION AND WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT FORM NEW 5TH BROADCAST NETWORK

Each Company To Hold 50% Interest In The CW Television Network

Tribune Broadcasting and CBS Corporation Stations Agree To 10-Year Affiliation Agreements Covering 48% Of The Country

New Television Network To Utilize the Best Programming from CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.

Dawn Ostroff Is Tapped As President of Entertainment At The New Network; John Maatta Will Be Chief Operating Officer

The WB and UPN to Cease Operations in September 2006

January 24, 2006 (New York, NY) — CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced their intent to form a new 5th network, The CW, to be launched in the fall of 2006. The new broadcasting network will be a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, with each company owning 50%. In an important strategic move that secures major market distribution for The CW, it was announced that Tribune Broadcasting and the CBS Corporation's UPN affiliates have agreed separately to sign 10-year affiliation agreements with the new network.

The announcement for the new network was made today in New York by Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation and Barry Meyer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment. The Tribune Broadcasting affiliation agreements were announced by Dennis FitzSimons, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tribune Company.

At the same time, it was announced that CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment will cease operations of their respective networks -- UPN and The WB. The WB and UPN will continue to broadcast their respective network schedules independently until the fall.

The combination of Tribune's 16 major market stations and the 12 CBS-owned UPN major market affiliates give The CW instant coverage in 48% of the country. The remainder of the network's distribution system will be a combination of selected current UPN and The WB stations. The full distribution of the new network is expected to exceed 95% of the country.

Dawn Ostroff, currently President of UPN, will become President of Entertainment and John Maatta, currently Chief Operating Officer of The WB, will become Chief Operating Officer of The CW.

"This new network will serve the public with high-quality programming and maintain our ongoing commitment to our diverse audience," said Moonves. "It will clearly be greater than the sum of its parts, delivering excellent demographics to advertisers, and building a strong new affiliate body. Additionally, The CW will be able to draw from the creative talent and production resources from the top two television production studios in the business, while also seeking programming from all sources -- independent producers or other studios. With this move, we will be creating a viable entity, one well-equipped to compete, thrive and serve all our many publics in this multi-channel media universe. I'd like to thank Dawn Ostroff and all the talented people at UPN who have worked so hard. For many years UPN had financial losses, but under CBS's guidance, UPN has been able to effect a dramatic creative turnaround in a short period of time."

"This new network makes sound business and creative sense at every level -- for our viewers, advertisers, affiliates and for the shareholders of our companies," said Meyer. "Every key constituency of the network will now greatly benefit from this combination by being part of a highly rated, competitive, 5th broadcast network that is financially sound. As we form this new joint venture, we are also very pleased that in Dawn and John we have a management team of great creative vision and business acumen, one that will help to guide it successfully forward."

"This is a very exciting day for Time Warner and its shareholders in the creation of what we believe will be a very strong and viable 5th broadcast television network," said Jeff Bewkes, President & Chief Operating Officer of Time Warner. "This new network will have all the strategic asset value as an outlet for our programming that The WB presented us, but with a much firmer and more secure financial present and future. The credit goes to Barry Meyer, who continues to have tremendous vision and extraordinary business acumen as the long time leader of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a company that we are proud to say continues to be number one in its class."

"This is a great day for Tribune and its shareholders, and we are pleased to be the lead affiliate group of what will be a strong network," said FitzSimons. "We could not have had a better partner than Warner Bros. and Barry Meyer since we together launched The WB 11 years ago. Now, with the ownership role of CBS Corporation and the leadership of Leslie Moonves added to the mix, Tribune's viewers and advertisers will benefit from an even stronger programming lineup."

The 16 Tribune affiliated stations will include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami, Denver, St. Louis, Portland, Indianapolis, San Diego, Hartford, New Orleans and Albany. The 12 CBS Station Group television markets will include Philadelphia, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa, Seattle, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, West Palm Beach, Norfolk, Oklahoma City and Providence. Together, these top two station groups cover the top 13 television markets, 20 of the top 25 television markets and have a total coverage area of more than 48% of the country.

The CW will incorporate The WB's current scheduling model, which consists of a 6 night-13 hour primetime lineup including Monday through Friday nights from 8-10 (EST/PST); Sundays from 7-10 (EST/PST); Sunday from 5-7 (EST/PST) outside of primetime as well as a Monday thru Friday afternoon block from 3-5 (EST/PST) and a 5-hour Saturday morning animation block. Together, the network will program 30 hours a week over seven days for its affiliated stations.

As the top creative executive, Ostroff will have available a line-up of some of the most popular programming that appeals to young adults in the media business. These programming assets range from hit reality series such as "America's Next Top Model" and The WB's "Beauty and the Geek," to hit dramas like The WB's "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls," "Supernatural," and UPN's "Veronica Mars" as well as UPN's hit comedies "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Girlfriends" and The WB's hit comedy "Reba." In addition the WWE's "Smackdown," which has been a mainstay at UPN, is expected to play a role in the schedule.

In addition, The CW will also broadcast the schedule of children's programming now known as Kids' WB!, a 5-hour original programming block on Saturday mornings from 7:00 am-Noon, considered primetime for kids. Kids' WB! has been the broadcast network ratings champion since Fall 2000, capturing 16 consecutive sweep victories as the Number One Saturday morning kids' broadcaster.

All programming, marketing, scheduling, publicity and research functions will report to Ostroff.

Maatta will be responsible for the network's business operations. Bill Morningstar, The WB's Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales will become the head of sales reporting to Maatta. Other responsibilities that will report to Maatta include business affairs, network distribution, legal, finance and human resources.

Meyer added: "This could not have happened without the tremendous energy and talent of Bruce Rosenblum, President of Warner Bros. Television Group and Nancy Tellem at CBS who worked tirelessly and cohesively together to make this new network a reality. I would also like to thank Dennis FitzSimons, who saw the great opportunity this new network presents for the Tribune Company and who continues to be one of the great professionals and broadcasters in the business today."

Moonves added: "This idea becomes a reality only when a great station group like Tribune comes on board with us and delivers the powerful reach a new network requires. With formidable flagship Tribune stations in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, a great CBS line-up of owned and operated UPN stations, and strong affiliates from every available market, The

CW launches as a strong competitor to the Big Four, and that's good for our business, for the viewing audience, and for free, over the air broadcasting. It is also good news for our shareholders, who will benefit from a much stronger business model, improved economics for our stations and new opportunities for our production businesses."

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and UPN), cable television (Showtime), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Television and King World), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), theme parks (Paramount Parks), digital media (CBS Digital Media Group and CSTV Networks) and consumer products (CBS Consumer Products). For more information, log on to www.cbscorporation.com.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, a fully-integrated, broad-based entertainment company, is a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. Warner Bros. Entertainment, a Time Warner Company, stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, from feature films to television, home video/DVD, animation, comic books, interactive entertainment and games, product and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.

TRIBUNE (NYSE:TRB) is one of the country's top media companies, operating businesses in publishing and broadcasting. It reaches more than 80 percent of U.S. households and is the only media organization with newspapers, television stations and websites in the nation's top three markets. In publishing, Tribune operates 11 leading daily newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Newsday, plus a wide range of targeted publications such as Spanish-language Hoy. The company's broadcasting group operates 26 television stations, Superstation WGN on national cable, Chicago's WGN-AM and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune's print and broadcast properties and extend the company's nationwide audience.

[prydain]

For some reason, I don't like this idea at all. It scares me.

[goldenboy]

OK, so, I hope this means more highly concentrated good shows, not more highly concentrated crap.

I wonder if this "CW" thing will try for a wider audience, not just teens, young adults? Hmm.

[prydain]

"Supernatural" isn't exactly a teen show. Dean's a few years from thirty and Sam is like 23. Which isn't old either, but most shows on The WB feature high school kids, lol.

And then there's Everybody Hates Chris. And Gilmore Girls and Smallville have very loyal fans who are older. But I think it would be a bad idea for them to try to have specific shows that would mainly appeal to older people *coughCBScough*...The POINT of these two networks in the first place was to serve to the young people, right? So they could have shows that are maybe mature enough for older people to appreciate and watch on a weekly basis, but for the shows to lose their somewhat youthful vibe would be weird.

[goldenboy]

I've always read that the magic demo for advertisers is 18-29. Even though older folks are generally more affluent. But maybe they're thriftier too, heh.

Cable and video games and everything steadily eats away at the broadcast pie, each year...I dunno.

Hope this is a good thing...

[Angels baby101]

hmm i dunno but i dont want them to get rid of Supernatural, or One Tree hill or Smallville(dont think they are) or alot of others lol

[eponinethen]

Hm, this is weird. I still don't really understand the whole network thing (yea yea I'm slow), cause we have a different system in my country ;)
But yeah, sounds strange and there's a lot of shows I definitely don't want them to get rid of..

[Vilandra]

OK, so, I hope this means more highly concentrated good shows, not more highly concentrated crap.

I wonder if this "CW" thing will try for a wider audience, not just teens, young adults? Hmm.
What they said on the news here is that they are going to focus the primetime slots on the 18-34 age group.

The problem with this is that it's a slippery slope into one big conglomerate owning everything. Luckily at the moment there are laws limiting that but...

What scares me is that this makes less room for shows - the UPN crap like the WWF taking up airtme that could go to shows like Supernatural or, you know, some new show that needs a place to build an audience.

I'm just wondering if they're going to show the same programming on both networks or just put one off the air or what?

[prydain]

Well in some cities I think there will be some independent stations now that can air whatever the hell they want, lol. But here UPN and The WB share an affiliate so I'm sure it will become The CW.

What. a. retarded. name.

[goldenboy]

I guess the WC would sound too familiar? Heh. Even though it rolls off the tongue a little easier. Columbia/Warner Bros, I guess.

I just hope whatever affiliate in my neck of the woods gets it is on the right channel. My antenna can't pick up UPN worth a damn...

[goldenboy]

Huh. Just don't know. But this bit sounds right:

what the programming on both the WB and UPN has established is that slavishly chasing after young eyeballs requires courting what is a more fickle audience — less conditioned to turn to network television for its entertainment and even less inclined to forge loyalties to any particular brand.
The merger, then, amounts to building a better mousetrap, even if many of the mice are harder to attract, given that they're also surfing the Net or listening to their iPods.

That wasn't so much the case in the mid- and late '90s, when the WB rose to prominence with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dawson's Creek," establishing a blueprint for the kind of show the network came to be about: highly articulated youth-filled angst wrapped in model-thin actresses such as Katie Holmes and "Felicity's" Keri Russell, who came to represent the scrubbed faces of the network.

http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/cotown/la-fi-critical25jan25,0,6535508.story?coll=la-tot-promo

[Vilandra]

Well I know that there was a time when I virtually ONLY watched the WB. But the number and quality of shows declined, so now I have to watch elsewhere.

But I mean, when they had Buffy, Angel, Roswell, Dawson's Creek, Charmed, Smallville...that was a strong lineup.

[prydain]

Well The WB could've gotten even better if they picked up some of the shows they had in development but now it looks like they're all gonna get forgotten. :(

[goldenboy]

WORD is that the name of the new network created by the merger of the WB and UPN — the CW — does not have long to live.

Execs at the new net say there may be a change, despite the insistence of CBS boss Les Moonves that they'd stick with the clumsy name.

Already, jokes are flying about "the WC" (short for water closet) and that CW stood for "Could Work" network.

The name was created by combining the C from CBS, parent company of the old UPN, and the W from the WB.

The new network does not premiere until September so there is time to make a change...

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/62346.htm

Hmm. What's a good alternative, I wonder?

[prydain]

I really really hope they change the name, I wish they'd let it be The WB. lol

[darkangl2025]

I'm a bit worried about the new merging of the two channels...but as long as they keep Supernatural on whatever they call this new network then I think I'll be ok. (perhaps leave Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on the list too)

[prydain]

It looks like The CW won't be covering the 95% of the country that they were hoping...FOX is launching the most retarded network ever and since they're not asking for reverse compensation, affiliates are signing up with them...if UPN had joined with The WB's resources it could have covered more of the country and this problem wouldn't exist. -_-

[goldenboy]

here's some updates...

The CW on Wednesday announced pickups of 13 WB and UPN series for the new network's inaugural 2006-07 season. The series announcements came during the network's pre-upfront meeting for ad sales executives.

The CW is picking up six series currently airing on UPN: comedies "All of Us," "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Girlfriends"; reality series "America's Next Top Model" and "Friday Night Smackdown!"; and drama "Veronica Mars."

Seven WB series have made The CW's cut: dramas "Everwood," "Gilmore Girls," "One Tree Hill," "Smallville" and "Supernatural"; comedy "Reba"; and reality series "Beauty and The Geek."

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9560


CW Staying CW, Says Moonves

CBS Corp. President and CEO Les Moonves said Wednesday the new CW network will keep its name, but unveil a new logo before its launch in the fall, and probably before the May upfronts.

Speaking after a CW presentation to advertisers Wednesday on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Moonves said there is “zero chance” the name will change.

He pointed to research that said 48% of 18- to 34-year-olds polled were aware of the name “CW.”*

“We thought if we changed it, it should be before this meeting, then we got that research back,” Moonves said.

At the presentation, CW executives revealed little about their first fall schedule, which will be announced in May.* They confirmed only that America’s Top Model and WWE Smackdown! will both be on the fall slate.

Regarding their development slate, they only outlined the six pilots already announced.*

The list includes dramas Split Decision, Palm Springs, Runaways and Aquaman.* The presentation also included comedies She Said, He Said and Girlfriends spinoff The Game, though CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff said after that she expected to pick up “a couple more comedies.”*

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6316450.html?display=Breaking+News

[prydain]

The link for TV Week doesn't work...:(

I hope that info is accurate.

EDIT:

I don't think it CAN be accurate. The CW will have 13 hours of programming. That's like 12 hours listed.

[goldenboy]

Hmm, that link crapped out for some reason. That site is goofed up.

I only care about 3 or 4 hours worth of that programming, maximum, heh. I can't imagine how Aquaman will work as a TV show...

[prydain]

I'm actually quite looking forward to the Aquaman show (which I think will be called Mercy Reef). And from what the writers are saying, it could EASILY last just as long as Smallville has.

As for current programming eligible to be on The CW, these are the shows I'm worried about:

Supernatural
Smallville
One Tree Hill (only slightly, it's ok)
Modern Men
Veronica Mars (my new love)
Everybody Hates Chris

I'm appalled that WWE Smackdown is going to take up a whole night. That's just awful. Grrr.

As for pilots currently in production, all of the hour-long shows sound good and I'll check them out if they get picked up:

Palm Springs: coming-of-age drama about a troubled teen who moves to a gated community in palm springs where he uncovers some dark secrets

Runaways: drama about a family who become fugitives in order to prove the innocence of the family's patriarch - who's convicted of murder

Split Decision: "sliding doors"-esque project which tracks a girl who gets a chance to reinvent herself upon moving to a new high school, with dual plotlines following her decision to sit with either the popular kids or the arty outsiders on the first day of school

Untitled Aquaman Project: small screen take on the dc comics hero aquaman in the same spirit of "smallville" (but not a spin-off) about arthur curry (justin hartley), the twentysomething owner of a dive shop who's actually the lost king of atlantis

Split Decision sounds really interesting, but I'm doubtful that it could last long.

[goldenboy]

I haven't actually seen Veronica Mars. I might give it a go on DVD...

[prydain]

I just started watching a couple of months ago and got so into it that I ended up catching up with all the aired episodes in two weeks. It started off a bit slow but by episode five I was freakishly obsessed, lol.

[Vilandra]

I watched the pilot and it didn't hold my interest at all. I think I'm maxed out on the geeky girl shows lol

Am I going crazy or didn't I hear Everwood was being cancelled?

And WWE is UPN's bread and butter - it's what made the network (eerily enough). So that's probably why they're keeping it.

[prydain]

Veronica Mars isn't technically a geeky girl show...she's never REALLY much of an outsider, she can't be compared to Willow, either. Snazzy (is that even a WORD?) dresser, lots of self-confidence, etc....she's cooler than the cool girls. And she frequently associates with the "cool" kids, lol. And as of season two she doesn't even call herself an outsider any more. All of her boyfriends seem to be the most popular guys in school...hmm.

But anyhoo.

[goldenboy]

I think I'd rather watch a show about sewing or helpful tax tips than professional wrestling.

[Black Eye Guy]

Is the whole wrestling craze not over?? Over here, about 4/5 years ago Wrestling became the thing to watch, with everyone buying the games, T-Shirts and watching the programs, but It was beaten put by the skateboard, and has been dead for a while now?

[Vilandra]

It's dead in mainstream America, but like UPN built their network on the teenage boy demographic, which apparently still is really into wrestling.

[goldenboy]

It's still huge in the States, I think. You can go to that superherohype website and you'll notice gigantic, endless threads dedicated to professional wrestling. So somebody's watching it, lol.

It's dead in mainstream America, but like UPN built their network on the teenage boy demographic, which apparently still is really into wrestling.

Yeah, I guess it used to be bigger with adults...when it was sort of presented as a pseudo-realistic "sport".

[goldenboy]

'Aliens' lands pilot at new CW network

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The new CW network, which will rise from the ashes of the WB and UPN this fall, has given a pilot order to the comedy "Aliens in America."

The show centers on a 16-year-old outsider living in Altoona, Wis., whose well-meaning mom believes that having an exchange student will bring instant coolness to her son. But when the exchange student arrives, he turns out to be a 16-year-old Pakistani Muslim.

The project is being targeted for a midseason slot and is being eyed as a potential companion for "Everybody Hates Chris," the UPN comedy that's likely to be among the returning series on the CW's 2006-07 schedule. The pilot shoots in June.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=televisionNews&storyID=2006-04-04T152439Z_01_N032118_RTRIDST_0_TELEVISION-ALIENS-DC.XML&archived=False

This is apparently gonna be shot “single-camera” style. Spinal Tap and the Christopher Guest mockumentaries really got this ball rolling and now it’s absolutely everywhere. I think it tends to help a lot of comedies...makes them feel more spontaneous and “real”. But it doesn’t feel as nearly as fresh anymore...

[prydain]

That sounds like a failure waiting to happen if you ask me, but maybe they'll make it work.

[Vilandra]

Yeah, I've lived with a Pakistani Muslim lol

[prydain]

OK, well it appears that The CW was unhappy with all of its pilots. The Aquaman pilot is supposedly cancelled. The CW was desperate enough to renew 7th Heaven for 13 more episodes.

Fortunately, The CW is now very interested in picking up Invasion which ABC supposedly cancelled this weekend. They're also interested in picking up the sci-fi CBS pilot "Ultra".

[Angels baby101]

hmm i should really read this thread more often... lol

Cuz now i'm confused is there any thing postivilly that we know of gonna be moving to CW?

[prydain]

The only stuff they've confirmed is WWE, The Beauty and the Geek, and America's Next Top Model, and maybe Everybody Hates Chris. Supernatural, Smallvillle, and Veronica Mars will probably all make it.

[Angels baby101]

Ok thats cool Beauty and the Geek is a great show... Hopefully Smallville, Supernatural will make it too

[goldenboy]

Fortunately, The CW is now very interested in picking up Invasion which ABC supposedly cancelled this weekend. They're also interested in picking up the sci-fi CBS pilot "Ultra".

I hope they pick up Ultra. That sounded really fun—and also like it didn't belong on lame-o CBS.

[Vilandra]

How can they really have so little that they need more 7th Heaven? They have two networks worth of shows for god's sake!

[prydain]

I know, it sucks...I thought 7th Heaven was finally over and then BAM! It comes back to haunt me again.

[Angels baby101]

i actually love 7th heaven and would absolutely love to see another season.. to see all the new twins and Ruthie growing up some more see how her and the lil scottish dude work out...

[goldenboy]

See the new CW logo, here:

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/05/curvy_wiggly_th.html

Seems kinda retro. Like, 70s retro, with the curvy, futuristic cursive. A little like the CNN logo. Or the original Star Wars logo. Weird.

[prydain]

I hate it. The original was better IMO, not by much though.

[Vilandra]

I like it much better than the first :)

[goldenboy]

I wonder if it's always gonna be that bright lime color, like it's the new corporate color for the CW. And if it'll always be reversed like that, white in a green box. Huh. I do like the end of the "w" bleeding off the edge.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/contents/images/cwlog1.jpg

[Black Eye Guy]

I was just wondering, UPN let their shows away with more right? Like they don't have to be as family friendly? Will that be lost when they merge with The WB.

I was just watching Veronica Mars and Dick has this line about 'Rding Bareback' with the inuendo being sexual :) but I'm not sure if you would get away with a line like that on The WB (Maybe I'm wrong, If I am someone correct me)

But will they have to loose lines like that, does anyone know?

[prydain]

Um I can't say The WB is always too family friendly, Dawson's Creek had very sexual dialogue, at least that's what I've read, and Charmed had some stuff I remember being surprised at, and so did even Angel and Buffy sometimes, and Supernatural...I think everything on Veronica Mars would fly on The WB.