UPN and WB merging to one Network!

[Raph's Girl]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060124/ap_en_tv/tv_network

Two small, struggling television networks, UPN and WB, will merge to form a new network called The CW, executives from the companies that own them said Tuesday.

The announcement was made by executives from CBS Corp., which owns UPN, and Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc., which owns WB.

Both UPN and WB had struggled to compete against larger rivals in the broadcast TV business, including Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, News Corp.'s Fox, General Electric Co.'s NBC and CBS Corp.'s CBS.

The new network will launch in the fall, the executives said, and both UPN and WB will shut down. It will be a 50-50 partnership between Warner Bros. and CBS, and the network will be carried on stations owned by the Tribune Co., which is a minority owner of the WB network.

Among the Tribune's TV 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.

Leslie Moonves, chief executive of CBS Corp., said the new network will air 30 hours of programming seven days a week aimed in part at young audiences.

Barry Meyer, the head of Warner Bros., said the network would be run by the current executives of UPN and WB.

Raph's Girl note: But...WTF is gonna happen to all the shows that currently air on WB?! Forget UPN...Nothing good is on that except for "Everybody Hates Chris"! ARGH! This is confusing! :o

[BartAllen]

this is interesting news to say the least.. hmm. yeah. it does raise a lot of questions as to which shows will stay and which ones will get the can.

[malignant]

hm....so does this mean we'll be seeing alot of teenage sitcoms starring alot of Black actors now?...Heh.

[Barkworm]

I've grown quite fond of "Everybody Hates Chris". Finally a comedy show about a family that feels.. you know, REAL.

[Raph's Girl]

From Kryptonsite:

Many television websites are now reporting the surprising news that The WB network and UPN will merge into one television network this Fall.

This will lead to a new network aimed at the networks' target demographics that will be combined to form something currently called "The CW." TV Guide jokes that "Veronica and Clark are totally going to hook up now." (We're thinking they already have, for the few episodes in Season 1 when Chloe and Clark got together.)

Some news reports have indicated that Smallville will indeed be part of this new network's line-up, though obviously the number of available timeslots will diminish. Stay tuned for more details as they become available. The joint venture could lead to something cool; though we've got to ask out loud: "The CW?" Really doesn't roll off the tongue.

Raph's Girl Note: The CW Network...sounds wrong...unless it's called TCW? But hey...at least Smallville is gonna be on it...somewhere...




AICN explains it the best IMO:

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."

[Turtledude2k3]

WWE smackdown is on Fridays on UPN. Will theya dd it to the lineup?

It's no biggie becasue i can watch it on the sports channel channel 54 on my tv station on thursdays.

[VaughnMichael]

wow they could call the chanel K-RAP hahahah

[iris]

Crap. There goes my Orioles coverage.

What does "The CW" stand for?! This seems both strange and reasonable to me... Paramount and Warner Brothers... both historically big Hollywood players... teaming up.

[Duke]

Crap. There goes my Orioles coverage.I get my orioles on HTS. Go Birds!

[Turtle Dove]

O_o well dang!......I just heard this on the news ealier! I'm tired of hearing of merging

[Raph's Girl]

What does "The CW" stand for?!

It stands for Cbs Warner

[The Stryker]

Raph's Girl note: But...WTF is gonna happen to all the shows that currently air on WB?! Forget UPN...Nothing good is on that except for "Everybody Hates Chris"! ARGH! This is confusing! :o

What? what about SMACKDOWN?! HELLOOOOOOO!! :P

really though...I could care less I hate both networks

[Jester]

The CW? I think it should be called UBPN...ha...get it...you don't get it.
But seriously, with the 2 networks merging does htis mean some of the weaker shows will die, and we'll have a line up including Smallville, Everybody Hates Chris and maybe Reba??

[Peanut]

I'm thinking that would be the obvious answer. The hits from UPN, so like two shows, and the hits from WB will probably all be jammed together. I read it on Comingsoon.net just a while ago. Also, I'm sure Smackdown will be just fine.

[ThirdMarioBro]

UPN dead? Sweet.

WB dead? Double sweet.

Kids WB dead? Priceless.


I'll give this new format a chance. Honestly, I see this as a good thing. All I watch on those two is Smackdown anyways.

[iris]

I get my orioles on HTS. Go Birds!
O's fan! Schweet. :D

It stands for Cbs Warner
Thanks.

"CW" is so much more difficult to pronounce than "WB" or "UPN". I thought these people had marketing experts? They should just name it the WC and be done with it. :evilgrin:

[Raph's Girl]

The ABC News site has a poll about The CW (which in itself is odd considering ABC has nothing to do with The CW in the first place. :ohwell: )

The Poll is: Which show should make the transition to the new network, The CW? The choices are: America's Next Top Model, Charmed, Everybody Hates Chris, Everwood, Gilmore Girls, Girlfriends, Smallville, Supernatural,Veronica Mars

Go here to do the poll:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/popup?id=1536089&POLL234=2000000000000

Smallville is winning by a landslide with 56.3% of the votes. :o

[BartAllen]

I do like Half and Half though, and i watched moesha everyonce in a while when it was still on the air.

[ZariusTwo]

The ABC News site has a poll about The CW (which in itself is odd considering ABC has nothing to do with The CW in the first place. :ohwell: )

The Poll is: Which show should make the transition to the new network, The CW? The choices are: America's Next Top Model, Charmed, Everybody Hates Chris, Everwood, Gilmore Girls, Girlfriends, Smallville, Supernatural,Veronica Mars

Go here to do the poll:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/popup?id=1536089&POLL234=2000000000000

Smallville is winning by a landslide with 56.3% of the votes. :o

Compared to all of that rubbbish its' opposite to, no wonder.

[ThirdMarioBro]

Smackdown. Period.

[Drtooth]

The only things I'm REALLY worried about are Everybody hates Chris and the Kid's WB line up. EHC is the friggin' best sitcom./.. no... non-animated TV program I've seen in a dogs year.

But Kids WB... how the shell can that be the "champion" of Saturday mornings if they air such dogs*** programs like Loonatics and Coconut Fred's Fruitsalad Island? I like Johnny Test for some odd reason, and I really enjoy Xiaolin Showdown, but other than that, the shows are forgettable, overstaying their welcome, and just not in the league of Kid's WB's initial Animaniacs centered line up. I said that one million times already.

But UPN? Other than Mars, Chris, and Smackdown, does anyone even watch that stuff? The Dilbert cartoon was the only other good theing they ever had. Just axe the friggin' UPN network and give us just the WB. I'm not a fan of WB's shows, but at least they aren't as awful as the lame attempts at copying Fox Dramas and hideously bad sitcoms like "Girlfriends."

[TigerClaw]

What will this mean for TMNT?, Over here, TMNT airs on UPN Sunday Mornings. All the 4Kids TV airs on UPN. They have to somehow rearange the scheduled for all the shows since many of the shows aired around the same time the shows on The WB aired.

[Drtooth]

Somke FOx networks still air the Fox Box (at least mine does). And I don't think UPN will kill the local channels... there just won't be a network tie in. Or, it could air one on saturday/one on sunday.

[Dr. Doom]

My Fox affiliate owns my UPN affiliate here in Chicago, and they show 4Kids TV on UPN here...I suppose they'll probably just switch it back. They just play infomercials on FOX dirung that time anyways. I dunno why they put it on UPN in the first place.