gWIL 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2006 UPN, WB to Shut Down; New Network Formed Email this Story Jan 24, 3:29 PM (ET) By SETH SUTEL (AP) NEW YORK (AP) - Two small, long-struggling television networks - UPN and The WB - will shut down this fall and programming from both will be used to launch a new network aimed mainly at young and minority viewers. The new network will be called The CW - "C" for CBS Corp. (CBS) and "W" for Warner Bros. - each of which will own half of the new entity and contribute programs, assets and executives to the venture. Tribune Co. (TRB), a Chicago-based media company, will relinquish its 22.5 percent stake in The WB in exchange for a 10-year affiliation deal to carry the new network on 16 of its stations. The rest of The WB was owned by Time Warner Inc. (TWX), parent of Warner Bros. The CW will also be carried on the 12 stations owned by UPN, a unit of CBS Corp., guaranteeing the network carriage in 48 percent of the country and 20 of the top 25 TV markets in the country. Network executives said they hoped to have agreements in place to cover most of the rest of the country by the time it launches in the fall. UPN and The WB had both struggled to compete against larger rivals in the broadcast TV business, including Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, General Electric Co. (GE)'s NBC, CBS Corp.'s CBS and News Corp. (NWSA)'s Fox. Both place consistently behind their larger rivals in the Nielsen ratings race and have been financial burdens on their parent companies. Barry Meyer, the head of Warner Bros., said at a news conference his company had anticipated a "challenged" environment ahead for smaller networks, and said the new venture had a "good chance" of being profitable as soon as it launches. "Looking down the road, this was much better than keeping UPN alive," Leslie Moonves, the chief executive of CBS, said. CBS became a separate company from Viacom Inc. (VIAB), the owner of MTV and VH1, at the beginning of the year. However, it's not yet clear that the combination of two struggling networks will result in a strong one, or even one that is a money-winner. Hal Vogel, a longtime media analyst and author of a book on entertainment industry economics, called the combination "inevitable," saying "these companies were not making money for anybody." "Chances are, in five years they may not exist at all, or it may be something else, but right now it's better than going alone," Vogel said. "This makes sense - it's not a slam-dunk proposition, but it makes sense. Six networks was too many." The new network will draw on programming from both UPN, whose shows include "Everbody Hates Chris" and "Veronica Mars," as well as from the slate of The WB, which includes "Supernatural,""Smallville" and "Everwood." The combination will trigger a shake-up of network affiliations in a number of cities. In the seven cities that have a Tribune-owned station and also one UPN-owned station, the companies have already divvied up which ones will carry the new network - Tribune stations in four markets, and CBS-owned ones in the other three. In other cities that have both WB affiliates and UPN affiliates that are not owned by either CBS or Tribune, it's not yet clear what will happen or what financial arrangements will be made. Meyer said the network would be looking at each market individually. Among the Tribune stations that will join the new network are its flagship WGN in Chicago as well as WPIX in New York, and KTLA in Los Angeles. The CW will air 30 hours of programming, seven days a week, following the model of The WB. Six nights of prime time shows will air Monday through Friday 8-10pm and Sundays 7-10pm. There will also be shows on weekday and Sunday afternoons, and five hours of children's programs on Saturday morning. The new network will based in a new, yet-to-be determined location, network executives said. Both networks are based in Southern California, The WB in Burbank and UPN in Brentwood. Dawn Ostroff, who is currently president of UPN, will become the president of entertainment at The CW, overseeing programming, while John Maatta will oversee business operations as chief operating officer. Maatta had been COO of The WB. CBS shares rose $1.03, or 4.0 percent, to $26.85 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while Tribune's fell 25 cents to $29.65. Time Warner's shares rose 23 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $17.32 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2006 Farewell What I Like About You Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2006 Farewell What I Like About You That was cancelled awhile before this happened. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2006 Wait, this isn't an Onion headline? Worth noting is that the Tribune Company is slowly divesting itself of various assets, like part of the WB. They're also looking to sell off the Cubs, having gotten more than a fair return on what they paid for it back in '80 or whatever. Cuban? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2006 Farewell What I Like About You That was cancelled awhile before this happened. No it wasn't, it just had its episode order cut from 22 to 18 to save WB $. I had heard the WB was in really horrible shape, so this news isn't too surprising. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Placebo Effect 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2006 They're gonna hit 90 episodes or so at the end of the season, so I assume they'll cut it and send it off to syndication. I'm really curious as to how the lillywhite WB is going to mesh with UPN. Reba and Girlfriends being on the same network is just plain odd. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted January 25, 2006 UPN and WB have shared the same channel here, since at least the 4th or 5th season of Buffy. It really screws up the schedules. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Sheesh like this isn't confusing. Until 2 or 3 years ago UPN and WB shared a channel here, and now they're merging into one again. Yikes. Reba meets Moesha SMELL THE RATINGS!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 What does this do for Gilmore Girls and SmackDown? Two shows whose names should never, ever, ever be in such close proximity Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZGangsta 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Farewell What I Like About You That was cancelled awhile before this happened. No it wasn't, it just had its episode order cut from 22 to 18 to save WB $. I had heard the WB was in really horrible shape, so this news isn't too surprising. Actually the WB has been pretty hot lately, not anywhere near the big 4, but pretty routinely beating UPN in the primetime ratings, which didn't used to happen. Shows like Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Everwood, and Supernatural have gotten much better than expected numbers for the WB this season. This merger is very interesting, and could actually change some things. The big thing here is that this new channel is getting a deal that will give them 95% coverage of the States, which is far far more than UPN or the WB had before (even if you combined them I think). And if you take the most popular shows from the two networks, you have a pretty strong primetime lineup. This channel could potentialy take a run at FOX or NBC, especially since they're going to focus on the 18-35 demographic. At least that's what I read into this. Oh and from the press release: In terms of programming, the new network will carry a blend of programmes from The WB and UPN. The shows mentioned in today's announcement from CBS are America's Next Top Model, Beauty and the Geek, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends, Reba, and WWE Smackdown. Notable in their absence are One Tree Hill and Charmed, although exclusion or inclusion in the list by no means guarantees continuation on The CW. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randomguy 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Between the two of them they should have enough content for 1/2 a network. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special K 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Much like most other networks! I hope that the mention means that Veronica Mars stays on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Placebo Effect 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Actually the WB has been pretty hot lately, not anywhere near the big 4, but pretty routinely beating UPN in the primetime ratings, which didn't used to happen. Shows like Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Everwood, and Supernatural have gotten much better than expected numbers for the WB this season. This merger is very interesting, and could actually change some things. The big thing here is that this new channel is getting a deal that will give them 95% coverage of the States, which is far far more than UPN or the WB had before (even if you combined them I think). And if you take the most popular shows from the two networks, you have a pretty strong primetime lineup. This channel could potentialy take a run at FOX or NBC, especially since they're going to focus on the 18-35 demographic. At least that's what I read into this. Surprisingly UPN's average rating for this season is a .3 or so higher than WB's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vampiro69 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Wonder how many markets will not be carrying this new station this fall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZGangsta 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Actually the WB has been pretty hot lately, not anywhere near the big 4, but pretty routinely beating UPN in the primetime ratings, which didn't used to happen. Shows like Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Everwood, and Supernatural have gotten much better than expected numbers for the WB this season. This merger is very interesting, and could actually change some things. The big thing here is that this new channel is getting a deal that will give them 95% coverage of the States, which is far far more than UPN or the WB had before (even if you combined them I think). And if you take the most popular shows from the two networks, you have a pretty strong primetime lineup. This channel could potentialy take a run at FOX or NBC, especially since they're going to focus on the 18-35 demographic. At least that's what I read into this. Surprisingly UPN's average rating for this season is a .3 or so higher than WB's. Yeah, I know. I more was reffering to what I've noticed in the ratings for the last couple months. Here's a pretty interesting article on what could go down that has some insight on where the major shows stand right now.http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/...9710|1|,00.html I'd forgotten that they were doing an Aquaman series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Since I pretty much mostly watch UPN and WB (Smallville, Smackdown, Everybody Hates Chris, and sometimes Veronica Mars), this just means I won't have to set up to record as many shows at the same time for me. For those of us in the KC market, I really hope 29 is the station chosen to carry the new network, since their HD broadcast signal actually reaches my house. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 What does this do for Gilmore Girls and SmackDown? Two shows whose names should never, ever, ever be in such close proximity If Alexis Bledel or Lauren Graham ends up on Smackdown in a cross-promotional effort, I may have to kill myself. Or Vince. Leaning closer to Vince on that one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eclipse 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 What I wonder is since WPIX and the UPNs in New York/New Jersey are gonna be merged, what newsteam will they be using? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaParkaYourCar 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Well since Smallville survives the change it doesn't bother me because that's the only show I like on the WB. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZGangsta 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Well since Smallville survives the change it doesn't bother me because that's the only show I like on the WB. Yeah, same here. Although I've watched a couple of episodes of Supernatural and it looks pretty good, and after reading the latest info on what Aquaman will be about, I'm intrigued to see how it turns out. But I wasn't aware that Smallville was getting a sixth season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 I was hoping that in Chicago, WPWR would take over the Hot Teens/Unfunny Blacks network and WGN would go back to being independent, which would mean they'd air more Cubs and Bulls games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 I watch Veronica Mars and Smallville. I think they'll both survive. But if Veronica gets cut... HELL TO PAY!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Placebo Effect 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Well since Smallville survives the change it doesn't bother me because that's the only show I like on the WB. Yeah, same here. Although I've watched a couple of episodes of Supernatural and it looks pretty good, and after reading the latest info on what Aquaman will be about, I'm intrigued to see how it turns out. But I wasn't aware that Smallville was getting a sixth season. I've never bothered to watch Smallville, but with the Superman movie coming out, there's no way they'll cancel Smallville before the movie even opens. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Placebo Effect 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 I watch Veronica Mars and Smallville. I think they'll both survive. But if Veronica gets cut... HELL TO PAY!!! The WB executive was gushing over Veronica Mars, as she's apparently been searching for many years for the perfect program to follow Gilmore Girls. And thankfully, Veronica Mars is just that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Good to hear. Love me some Veronica Mars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaParkaYourCar 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2006 Well the initial post said that Smallville would make the transition so I guess that means it's coming back for another season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest tony manero Report post Posted January 26, 2006 The CW is a terrible name. The new network should be called the WPN: World Programming Network Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EdwardKnoxII 0 Report post Posted March 4, 2006 http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20060303/114143184000.html 'Charmed' a Casualty of WB-UPN Change Friday March 3 4:24 PM ET The spell is broken. The witches on "Charmed" won't be making the move when the WB network combines forces with UPN to become the CW network in the fall. A WB spokesman confirmed a TV Guide report on Friday that said the supernatural series, which stars Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan and Holly Marie Combs, will end after eight seasons in May. With "7th Heaven" having already announced its exit, it means that two WB long-running series won't move to the CW. The WB and UPN will both shut down in September. The final episode of "Charmed" will air on May 21, TV Guide said. "It's been a hell of a run," Brad Kern, executive producer, told the magazine. "But all good things must come to an end." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brett Favre 0 Report post Posted March 4, 2006 The Cena's Writer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
