-AP-


UPN AND THE WB WILL CEASE OPERATIONS
NEW YORK - 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 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.

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.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO CHARMED, GIRLFRIENDS AND SMALLVILLE

Sounds like the shows that aren't performing will be cancelled. I would expect Smallville and Girlfriends to remain, Charmed might be ending after this season anyway.

I was just thinking about network mergers the other day. It makes sense. It'll make for a stronger 5th network, better that than two weaker ones. It'll be interesting to see what current UPN affiliates will broadcast since it'll be the Tribune/WB stations broadcasting the new channel.

I find the whole thing kind of shocking, but given that ratings have been tanking of late for both the UPN and the WB, it's not entirely surprising. The interesting part will be how they fit all the series together, particularly the WB and the UPN's comedies, which are geared towards different audiences. There's got to be alot of nervous people on the sets of these series today....

Interesting move on the part of the networks, but its sad that so many people are gonna lose their job.

Well, if there was any question before, it's certain now: What I Like About You is outta here!

Since they'll be picking shows from both networks and have limited hours to fill on the new network, CBS should really think about solidifying their own lineup by taking shows that deserve a bigger audience, like Veronica Mars and Everybody Hates Chris. One night with programming with a younger audience appeal could do them some good.

It's a shock, but a smart business decision.

The network will probably keep the shows that worked for WB, and the shows that worked for UPN (All two of them), and build around that

Yeah, Seth, that's how I see things going.

I don't have a WB affiliate available to me so I'm hoping my local UPN takes on the CW's programming. If not I'm screwed.

I definitely think Smallville, Gilmore Girls, Reba, Everybody Hates Chris, America's Next Top Model, Beauty & the Geek, Veronica Mars, Girlfriends, and a few others are for sure making the transition. I think it's a really smart move to combine the two networks and offer a really strong network consisting of solid performers from both networks.

the networks lasted longer than they deserved to. Oh well

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

I don't have a WB affiliate available to me so I'm hoping my local UPN takes on the CW's programming. If not I'm screwed.

and I don't have UPN. I have 2 WB stations though.

My WB station has been WB and UPN combined since 2000 wonder how it will affect that.

I think the fall schedule will be more WB than UPN, how many hits do they have? I am interested to see how they will merge together, The WB works mainly in Teen Drama's and 12 year old comedies while UPN - doesn't work.

I am hoping for some form of Charmed/Spinoff on the fall schedule, but I seriously doubt it now.

This is obviously HUGE News, but I think it will turn out well in the long run. Looking at UPN's current batch of shows, most of them are very weak shows and really do not have long term potential. They also have really never found a hit show in there 11+ year existence. As for the WB, they have found several hits in the form of all the drama's the network produces designed for the younger age group, however they have not been producing as many hits as they did a few years ago. I expect the new network will only bring along a few UPN shows and it will be mostly like the WB, only with a few existing UPN shows and a name change.

The big question is what will happen to the local affiliates, what will happen to the one affiliate that does not become the CW network, will it become independent again or cease to exist???

Plus the only UPN shows that are shoe-in's next fall are:

America's Next Top Model
Everybody Hates Chris
Veronica Mars

As for the WB, I expect ONLY the following to return next year:

Gilmore Girls
Supernatural
One Tree Hill
Smallville
Reba

This leaves plenty of room for new shows on the network, since both networks are very weak, in terms of long running shows.

Well there goes any hope that Living With Fran might come back next fall.

This is an incredibly exciting development. And now I finally have an excuse to use all the UPN and WB launch promos I have from 1995. Can anyone say retrospective of the soon-to-be-forgotten netlets?

I hope this means that shows like

Cuts
Eve
Girlfriends


will be gone

Of the 8 African American comedies on UPN, only Everybody Hates Chris is a shoe-in.

I say no more than 2 existing ones would be picked up since all of them are either washed up or do not draw enough ratings.

What does "The CW" stand for anyways??


Country Western?

Carsey Werner?

CBS Warner?

Country Western?

Carsey Werner?

CBS Warner?

Yeah, it stands for the owners of the networks. CBS Corp. and Warner Brothers.

CBS Warner?

Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner

I guess there'll never be another Buffy/Roswell case of a WB show that got picked up by the UPN

What UPN shows will stay? I am sure Top Model and Veronica Mars are here to stay. For WB, Charmed and 7th Heaven are ending this season so it makes it a little easier, I predict Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, Smallville, One Tree Hill and Reba are among the WB shows that will come back. WB is doing okay these days but it's glory days of the turn of the millennium are behind them, and with 7th and Charmed expected to leave in May, that's pretty much the last remnants of the classic WB.

at first I thought it meant "Carsey Werner Network", and I was gonna say that isn't that Nick At Nite? :lol:

:lol:

I read something that Veronica Mars is staying, so that's great :)

It will most likely be a good think but why wouldn't they expand it from 8-19 to 8-11? I hate when fox, wb and upn cancel shows to make room instead on expanding there primetime hours...

urg.

I agree, time to expand the 10-11 hour instead of airing syndicated reruns of Will And Grace and Just Shoot Me like the WB/UPN affiliates here do. That way more shows can make the final cut. Maybe this might mean less duplicate shows too, WB has been known to kill "dead space" with reruns of Reba, One Tree Hill, Supernatural and Charmed in the prime-time schedule when a show's been yanked into hiatus

It's possible they are expanding. The article says "30 hours of programming." ABC/CBS/NBC each broadcast 22 prime time hours a week. If CW keeps it at whatever it is now for UPN and The WB (13-15 hours a week?), then I guess half of the 30 will be dytime programming/kids shows. But maybe they are considering expanding the prime time hours.

It's so weird that last season VM was on the fence to return, and this year it's almost guaranteed to be making it to the new network.

That's right. It's in a stronger position now since it's made a good name for itself for the new network to build on.

By the way, how come all you so-called VM fans never post on the board?

I watched the first 7 or 8 episodes of the season, but then missed one and havent bothered to go back because I'll catch up on DVD. Lost takes priority Wednesdays at 9.


Does your UPN affiliate not have VM rebroadcasts the following Sunday?

These are all the shows The WB and UPN have:
One On One
All Of Us
Girlfriends
Half & Half
Get This Party Started
South Beach
America's Next Top Model
Veronica Mars
Everybody Hates Chris
Love Inc.
Eve
Cuts
Friday Night Smackdown
Charmed
Blue Collar TV
7th Heaven
Related
Gilmore Girls
Supernatural
One Tree Hill
Smallville
Beauty & The Geek
Everwood
What I Like About You
Living With Fran
Reba
Twins
Pepper Dennis
The Bedford Diaries
Modern Men
Misconceptions

All Together 25 hours not counting shows that are going to end, which means they need to eliminate 12 hours of prgramming and thats if they arn't gonna pick up anything new. http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=2892604#post2892604

these are the ones I think will stay (we know for a fact that 7th is ending and it's about 99% sure that Charmed's ending and I think What I Like About You is history too)


America's Next Top Model
Veronica Mars
One On One
Everybody Hates Chris
Girlfriends
Gilmore Girls
Supernatural
One Tree Hill
Smallville
Everwood
Reba

that's 11 shows, 4 half hour shows, 7 hour long shows, so that's 9 hours of programming a week right there, that all makes perfect sense. UPN gets better ratings but WB is more profitable and their shows generally are higher-profile. Of that list, Everwood, Reba and Girlfriends may be on the fence because they're all veterans and might be viewed as past their prime, but I think they're all salvagable from the list. I could see CW tossing aside a new sitcom night with Reba and the three UPN shows, much like WB had their sitcom night, but Reba was the only one that ever really caught on, even though What I Like About You did okay for awhile.

The press release said the CW network will program 30 hours per week, that sounds like at least 3 hours per night, so local affliate news at 10PM must be going away...here in New York...that means an institution at 10PM (local news for over 35 years!) might be going away!!!

Here's one for the old timers in New York......as for what will happen to WWOR (UPN) in primetime...I say bring back "The Million Dollar Movie"!!!!

Hey pav...where r u??? this is big!

I think it's time the 10-11 hour is utilized. Of the WB/UPN shows, I think Supernatural would have the best success at a 10 pm slot because it is quite a bit darker than shows like Charmed and Smallville (which is probably a big reason why Buffy and Angel fans have quickly adopted Supernatural as the new big horror/sci-fi style show).

I believe this is how the 30 hours breaks down:

Monday-Friday 8-10: 10 hours
Sunday 7-10: 3 hours
Sunday 5-7: 2 hours
Monday-Friday 3-5: 10 hours
Saturday Morning 7-12: 5 hours

Total HPW: 30 hours

what could they possibly schedule on weekdays from 3-5 when some people are still working and kids are coming home from school but not necesarily settled in?

I say just finally go ahead and use the 10-11 hour, 10 pm timeslots have never hurt Grey's Anatomy, Without A Trace, ER or CSI:Miami or the sort

I also think it's time networks got over their phobias about Saturday nights, I mean, Golden Girls spent it's entire run on Saturdays, All In The Family was huge on Saturdays in the 70's, etc... the networks are the ones who killed Saturday's, not the audiences. If ABC moved Lost or Desperate Housewives to Saturday night, I think the audience would move along with it, it's just that the networks decided to kill Saturdays, even though Golden Girls spent six seasons in the top 10 on Saturday nights.

As long as Gilmore Girls, Everwood, Veronica Mars, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, Reba, and Everybody Hates Chris remain, I'll be good. But other than that...SUPRISING MOVE!!!!

Wow this is a shock. :eek:

I think it is possible they could outshine fox if they did expand to the 10 o'clock hour...

The press release said the CW network will program 30 hours per week, that sounds like at least 3 hours per night, so local affliate news at 10PM must be going away...here in New York...that means an institution at 10PM (local news for over 35 years!) might be going away!!!

Here's one for the old timers in New York......as for what will happen to WWOR (UPN) in primetime...I say bring back "The Million Dollar Movie"!!!!

Hey pav...where r u??? this is big!

They will not program 10-11pm. So the news will remain here in NY. CW is using the same time periods as the WB did. Sun 5-10p, Mon-Fri 8-10pm, Mon-Fri 3-5p, Sat 8a-12n.

what could they possibly schedule on weekdays from 3-5 when some people are still working and kids are coming home from school but not necesarily settled in?

I say just finally go ahead and use the 10-11 hour, 10 pm timeslots have never hurt Grey's Anatomy, Without A Trace, ER or CSI:Miami or the sort

Daytime WB will remain. So ER, 8 Simple Rules and later Reba will fill that slot on CW.

I agree with Hung Up!, using the 10-11 slot will be a smart move. Bump the news to 11:00.

I agree with Hung Up!, using the 10-11 slot will be a smart move. Bump the news to 11:00.

I serisously doubt they would do that. Fox has been a contending network for some years now and they don't program at 10 p.m. Fox, UPN and The WB affiliates are primarily used for off-network sitcoms and first run syndicated series, so that is a big reason. Also, many of those affiliates airs news at 10 p.m. and would not be able to compete at all if they program news at 11 p.m. against CBS, ABC and NBC affiliates.

At least we still have FOX!

if Fox and CW would give in and allow one more hour a night, that's a door open to a lot of opportunities, shows would be able to last longer too IMO

Interesting move on the part of the networks, but its sad that so many people are gonna lose their job.


That's the broadcasting business, though. The change affects those stations owned by Tribune Broadcasting that are affiliates with UPN or WB. The WB covers almost 50% percent of the U.S., when the new network signs on, they will have 95% of the country covered when new stations sign up as affiliates.


Some of you here have UPN stations. It looks like many will revert to independent status this Fall after UPN folds. Will yours be? KCOP channel 13 Los Angeles looks likely to return to independent status as well as XHUPN channel 49 in San Diego, California/Tijuana, Mexico may be independent and still broadcast in English.

They will not program 10-11pm. So the news will remain here in NY. CW is using the same time periods as the WB did. Sun 5-10p, Mon-Fri 8-10pm, Mon-Fri 3-5p, Sat 8a-12n.


Pav the WB news wasn't cancelled in NYC? The WB17 News at 10pm here in Philly was cancelled in December

The Full Press Release, in case anyone's interested:

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

NEW YORK, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 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 a.m.-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 http://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.



SOURCE CBS Corporation
Web Site: http://www.cbscorporation.com
Company News On Call: Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/965075.html

Neither Fox, the UPN nor the WB could program at 10pm because they don't own most of their local affiliates. For those stations, the 10pm news is highly profitable and they won't give that up because they don't make a whole lot of profits on programming once liscening fees are all paid up. Opening up 10pm on the CW would create more space, but also a whole whack of problems seeing as how nobody really knows how well the two networks are going to mesh together yet.

Out of all the series on both networks, this is how I see them:

For Sure:
Girlfriends (or its spin off)
America's Next Top Model
Everybody Hates Chris
Friday Night Smackdown (owns Friday nights in male demos)
Gilmore Girls
Smallville
Beauty & The Geek
Reba

Maybe:
Everwood
Supernatural (ratings fluctuate- not as great as they were)
Veronica Mars

Good as Gone:
What I Like About You
Living With Fran
One Tree Hill (completely tanked on Wednesdays)
Related
Charmed
Blue Collar TV
7th Heaven
Love Inc.
Eve
Cuts
Half & Half
Get This Party Started
South Beach
One On One
All Of Us

Remember, the CW also has to have room for new series as well. I could see Veronica Mars or Everwood being held back until mid season, and ditto for BATG (like this year, if it holds up in audience)

I think One Tree Hill will be back and possibly Eve.

I would be very upset if Smackdown makes it. Let the show go to cable, that is where it belongs. If you want to be a big time network, you can't have wrestling be an entire night of primetime.

I will be very mad at CW and the WWE for getting good shows kicked off the air.

Pav the WB news wasn't cancelled in NYC? The WB17 News at 10pm here in Philly was cancelled in December

No, I guess because NYC is the #1 market.

Note that not all Tribune stations will become CW affiliates. In markets where there are CBS-owned affiliates as well as Tribune stations, it looks it will alternate. For instance, in Boston - Tribune-owned WB56 will become a CW station, while CBS-owned UPN38 will go independent. But in Philadelphia, it's reversed: the CW affiliation goes to CBS-owned UPN57, while Tribune owned WB-17 is left out in the cold.

The Full Press Release, in case anyone's interested:

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.


So no expansion of prime time hours included in the 30. It'll make the network that much stronger I think, fewer chances of prime time ratings casualties.

Well, my local UPN is a CBS owned affiliate, so odds are they will switch to CW programming. I'm pretty sure the tiny independent WB channel that hardly anyone gets in my area (especially on DirecTV since they never picked it up) will likely go back to independent programming.

There's an Orlando WB affiliate (WKCF) that I used to get on cable, I wonder what will happen to that.

So no expansion of prime time hours included in the 30. It'll make the network that much stronger I think, fewer chances of prime time ratings casualties.

Until a few seasons down the road, anyway.

By SETH SUTEL
AP Business Writer

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. and "W" for Warner Bros. - each of which will own half of the new entity and contribute programs, assets and executives to the venture.

The new network will draw on programming from both UPN, whose shows include "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Veronica Mars," as well as from the slate of The WB, which includes "Supernatural," "Smallville" and "Everwood."

Tribune Co., 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., parent of Warner Bros.

The CW will also be carried on 11 stations owned by UPN, a unit of CBS Corp., guaranteeing the network carriage in about 47 percent of the country and 20 of the top 25 TV markets. 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.'s NBC, CBS Corp.'s CBS and News Corp.'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. He said the companies would operate more efficiently as one, but he declined to say how much savings they expected to get or how many jobs might be cut.

"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., 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 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.

The deal also opens the question of what will happen to the nine UPN-affiliated stations that are owned by the Fox network's parent company, News Corp. Fox already has its own stations in most of those markets, and several of those cities also have stations that will become affiliates of The CW.

"We view this change as an opportunity for us," News Corp. spokesman Andrew Butcher said. "We'll be working hard over the next few months to reprogram prime time, and we'll be ready with a new slate in September."

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. Both networks launched in early 1995.

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 $1.08, or 4 percent, to $26.90 in trading Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange, while Tribune's fell 25 cents to $29.65. Time Warner's shares rose 18 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $17.27.

Daytime WB will remain. So ER, 8 Simple Rules and later Reba will fill that slot on CW.

Pav, 8 Simple Rules is only on the WB until September, right ? How is it doing in the ratings ?

Thanks

I could care less about the whole "CW" thing. It might work in the short run, but ultimately, there is just no room for a 5th network. I think it will eventually fold. I'm more excited about WWOR going back to an independent station. Maybe they'll go back to airing Godzilla marathons the day after Thanksgiving. :)

I could care less about the whole "CW" thing. It might work in the short run, but ultimately, there is just no room for a 5th network. I think it will eventually fold. I'm more excited about WWOR going back to an independent station. Maybe they'll go back to airing Godzilla marathons the day after Thanksgiving. :)

actually, while WB has never given the other networks a run for its money, the network has been successful when it comes to creating niche television. They have never scored a top 10 hit, but they have produced many shows in the past decade that crept into the public consciousness and are well-known. Gilmore Girls, Charmed, Buffy/Angel, Roswell, Dawson's Creek, Steve Harvey, Jamie Foxx, 7th Heaven, One Tree Hill, Smallville..... have all become shows that audiences are familiar with even if they weren't top 10 hits. I think CW can withstand a long future ahead as long as it keeps producing quality niche television.

For the love of God...if any of the CW people are listening to me...

MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!!

We haven't had a new soap in nearly 7 years, and this is by far the longest we've ever been without a new daytime soap opera premiering. We need some FRESH blood who are willing to right TRADITIONAL soaps that are FAMILIAR to the viewers and fans! None of this telenovela crap that Fox is doing this summer!

REAL soaps! R E A L SOAPS!!!!!

But alas, I doubt it...

I could care less about the whole "CW" thing. It might work in the short run, but ultimately, there is just no room for a 5th network. I think it will eventually fold. I'm more excited about WWOR going back to an independent station. Maybe they'll go back to airing Godzilla marathons the day after Thanksgiving. :)

If WWOR-TV is going independent again, bring back "Movie 9", "Million Dollar Movie", the "Big Preview" and some shows from the WOR-TV days back in the 70's and 80's. I would love to see these shows again.

I think the idea sucks and is stupid.In my opinion it is a bad business move. This is all just my opinion.:)

Pav, 8 Simple Rules is only on the WB until September, right ? How is it doing in the ratings ?

Thanks

As of now, yes. I heard it was doing decent, nothing spectacular though. ER isn't doing that good.

I could care less about the whole "CW" thing. It might work in the short run, but ultimately, there is just no room for a 5th network. I think it will eventually fold. I'm more excited about WWOR going back to an independent station. Maybe they'll go back to airing Godzilla marathons the day after Thanksgiving. :)

Yes, exactly. I have a good story on the independents for the blog tomorrow (Wednesday). The independent programming intrigues me the most. But I do think canceling one of the networks was good, because that leaves us with the best of both UPN and WB. And it finally gets rid of What I Like About You and Cuts.

That's the broadcasting business, though. The change affects those stations owned by Tribune Broadcasting that are affiliates with UPN or WB. The WB covers almost 50% percent of the U.S., when the new network signs on, they will have 95% of the country covered when new stations sign up as affiliates.


Some of you here have UPN stations. It looks like many will revert to independent status this Fall after UPN folds. Will yours be? KCOP channel 13 Los Angeles looks likely to return to independent status as well as XHUPN channel 49 in San Diego, California/Tijuana, Mexico may be independent and still broadcast in English.
Here where I live, KAIL UPN 53 will become the CW and KFRE WB 59 for the first time in the stations 5 years of existance, will be independent. KUVI in Bakersfield will be CW, KBHK in SF and KMAX in Sacramento both owned by two O&O stations one newly incepted and the other been that way since 2001 will become the CW.

Now my question is to you Pavanbdal, what is going to happen to stations that don't have a local WB station. The WB in Bakersfield is owned by Clear Channel NBC affiliate KGET-TV. The station is KWFB channel 12 which is part of the cable WB 100+ group. Will the WB station group morph into the CW or will it become another independent or go dark?

Here where I live, KAIL UPN 53 will become the CW and KFRE WB 59 for the first time in the stations 5 years of existance, will be independent. KUVI in Bakersfield will be CW, KBHK in SF and KMAX in Sacramento both owned by two O&O stations one newly incepted and the other been that way since 2001 will become the CW.

Now my question is to you Pavanbdal, what is going to happen to stations that don't have a local WB station. The WB in Bakersfield is owned by Clear Channel NBC affiliate KGET-TV. The station is KWFB channel 12 which is part of the cable WB 100+ group. Will the WB station group morph into the CW or will it become another independent or go dark?That's a good question you asked about The WB. :cool:

That's a good question you asked about The WB. :cool:
Yea how do we know which channels are going Independent and which ones are forming the CW network?

I have a question as well.CW if happens which I hope it doesn't but if so it will only reach 95% across the country.For those 5% of people who may not get this CW how will they get to see their favorite shows? That's why I think it's a stupid business move.:cool:

Alright... does anyone know how this will work out in the Birmingham, AL and Atlanta markets??? I get WB from both, but no UPN from either.

I have a question as well.CW if happens which I hope it doesn't but if so it will only reach 95% across the country.For those 5% of people who may not get this CW how will they get to see their favorite shows? That's why I think it's a stupid business move.:cool:

They wouldn't miss it because they don't get it now. :lol: I don't get UPN here.

Yea how do we know which channels are going Independent and which ones are forming the CW network?

Hopefully you find out tomorrow in my blog post.

What does this mean for the local shows? Like reruns of Charles In Charge and Who's The Boss on my UPN weekdays? Are all those gone?

These Shows BETTER be on that Network:

Everwood
Veronica Mars
Smallville
One Tree Hill
Reba

7th Heaven, Charmed, What I Like About you, And most of the UPN shows can go.

What does this mean for the local shows? Like reruns of Charles In Charge and Who's The Boss on my UPN weekdays? Are all those gone?



Well that is a good question. Obviously one of the local UPN or WB stations will become the new CW Network, where as the other network will either become independent or cease operations. There have not been hardly any independent stations since 1994 before UPN and the WB launched.

What does this mean for the local shows? Like reruns of Charles In Charge and Who's The Boss on my UPN weekdays? Are all those gone?

These Shows BETTER be on that Network:

Everwood
Veronica Mars
Smallville
One Tree Hill
Reba

7th Heaven, Charmed, What I Like About you, And most of the UPN shows can go.

One Tree Hill is probably done, but the others are almost guaranteed to make it(especially Everwood, Veronica, and Smallville).

7th Heaven is defintely over after this season and Charmed and What I Like About You probably is as well.

One Tree Hill is probably done, but the others are almost guaranteed to make it(especially Everwood, Veronica, and Smallville).

7th Heaven is defintely over after this season and Charmed and What I Like About You probably is as well.

You really think One Tree Hill is done? I thought it was a no brainer that it'd be picked up because they're making their target audience "younger Viewers"...It's Everwood that I'm afraid will be gone next year...You really think it'll be back?

I am so glad that What I Like About You is getting cancelled because I can't stand Bynes and Zano.

I first heard this news on the radio yesterday afternoon. This morning I saw it
mentioned on Mark Evanier's website and on the TV Guide website.

WB, UPN MERGE TO FORM NEW NETWORK: Talk about changing the channel! According to CNN.com, CBS chairman Les Moonves announced on Tuesday morning that both WB and UPN will cease operations this fall when CBS Corp. will partner with Warner Bros. to create a new broadcast television network. The CW Network — the CW? Just CW? I dunno, it's early — will target the 18-to-34 age group and play host to programming from WB and UPN, including Gilmore Girls and Everybody Hates Chris. OK, Veronica and Clark are, like, so gonna hook up now.
(TV Guide Online)

The WB Network and UPN are merging. The goal is to create one network full of shows I won't watch instead of two.
(Mark Evanier)

Now my question is to you Pavanbdal, what is going to happen to stations that don't have a local WB station. The WB in Bakersfield is owned by Clear Channel NBC affiliate KGET-TV. The station is KWFB channel 12 which is part of the cable WB 100+ group. Will the WB station group morph into the CW or will it become another independent or go dark?

WB 100+ News: The CW will inherit the WB's 100+ station group, the net's band of small-market cable-only outlets.

See today's blog post, www.sitcomsonline.com/blog , for all the details on The CW and all its implications.

I wonder how this will affect me, since I already have WB/UPN combined?

You really think One Tree Hill is done? I thought it was a no brainer that it'd be picked up because they're making their target audience "younger Viewers"...It's Everwood that I'm afraid will be gone next year...You really think it'll be back?

that's what I'm thinking. OTH's ratings fell mostly due to bad publicity over the divorce of two of its stars... ratings have actually stablized and have begun to pick back up as the season has progressed.

Plus, the Wednesday 8 pm slot has always been brutal for WB, Smallville's ratings were down considerably in the slot (so bad people thought it was on the chopping block), yet it's gone back up when they moved it to Thursdays. I think OTH has another season or two left in it because while ratings have declined, it's a very lucrative show for advertisers and Chad Michael Murray's face still sells teen magazines, which is what the WB wants. I think it should be able to survive the merge because I think WB has taken into consideration that the divorce hurt ratings this season and that Wed 8:00 has never been the best timeslot, even for a show like Smallville.

There was a article I read somebody picked up and posted at Talk.thewb.com at I think it was either The general or One tree hill forum.Since it will be hard to find I will try to remember what I read something about this stupid business move and taken favorites such as Gilmore Girls and Smallville as well as Parenthood,Everybody love Chris,One Tree Hill and etc.

It said something similiar to that.:cool:

Yeah, it stands for the owners of the networks. CBS Corp. and Warner Brothers.
but is that the dumbest name they could come up with, or do they need to keep trying?

Pav do you know what might happen with my network? It's UPN 53 out of Columbus, Ohio. I wonder if it will change to CW or not.

WB 100+ News: The CW will inherit the WB's 100+ station group, the net's band of small-market cable-only outlets.
So now that I know KUVi UPN 45 in Bakersfield, CA will be what it used to be prior to UPN, independent. At that time, KUVI was known as KUZZ-TV.

The WB 100+ station outlets in the state of CA include KWFB-TV WB 12 Bakersfield, KWCA-TV San Luis Obispo/Santa Maria/Santa Barbara, CA KMWB WB 16 Salinas/Monterey/Santa Cruz, KIWB-TV Redding/Chico, CA KWBT-TV Eureka/Arcata, CA and KAWB El Centro/Yuma/Palm Springs, CA.

I will have to make some confirmations about Fresno since KFRE-TV WB 59 and KAIL-TV UPN 53 have WB and UPN but I wonder who will win the Fresno Network wars?

As for Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA KMAX UPN 31 and former Sinclair and newly O&O CBS affiliate KOVR will be affiliated with the CW network.

I wonder how this will affect me, since I already have WB/UPN combined?

Since you get it combined, I guess that channel will be The CW. And you'll get syndicated or movies during the second block (WB airs after 11p there, right?).

Yeah I get shows like Smallville and 7th Heaven at 11 pm. So it will probably just change over to CW, but most likely keep the same airtimes?

So... who will become the CW in Birmingham? My head hurts. :lol: Sinclair owns both WB and UPN there. I've already established that Atlanta's UPN turns into CW.

I think "WBS" would've been a much better name.


Half "WB", half "CBS"


That does sound better. If there's no local station with that as its call letters, WBS would be more appealing than "The CW"

But then the C is the most important part of CBS, so that would probably have to be in there somewhere

WBS would be confusing here, cause my CBS station is WBNS

Call it CWN (CBS-Warner Network) or CWTV (CBS-Warner Television) or CWBS (CBS-Warner Broadcasting System) or CWC (CBS-Warner Channel)...anything is better than The CW (It's bad enough we got a station named after an animal,lol)

I was just thinking about network mergers the other day. It makes sense. It'll make for a stronger 5th network, better that than two weaker ones. It'll be interesting to see what current UPN affiliates will broadcast since it'll be the Tribune/WB stations broadcasting the new channel.
It's also bad news for those who worked for UPN and The WB. They'll lose their jobs. Unless by some strange chance they'll be able to proceed to work for this new nework. I hope so.

I think they should change it to the DTN (Dr. Thong network) and let me choose the programming.

First up, I would add two new hour dramas to the schedule:

Krypton - Before Smallville, there was the Planet Krypton. See the teenage Jor-El as he meets the love of his life, Lara. As the seasons progress, they get together, break up, get together again, break up again, etc, yada, yada yada.... In the last season, Lara gives birth to Kal-El and in the final episode, Krypton goes ka-blooey!

Metropolis - After Clark Kent graduates from Smallville University at the age of 29, he gets a job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis, where he runs into his old friend Lois! Wacky hi-jinks ensue as Clark finds his true passion - flying around in tights with underwear over them and trying to deceive Lois from finding out.

Is it just me, or does the "CW Network" just not sound right??? I think of country & western whenever I see that.

Pav do you know what's gonna happen to the New York WB and Upn??? SInce it's one network, what actually happens to the other channel??? Will it just air reruns of shows all day and night?

See the blog.

It'll be really interesting to see how this plays out not just on the scheduling side of things. For instance, in the UPN's ratings releases, they always hype up an victory over the WB. Does that stop now? What about when these networks run promos for their fall line-ups over the summer? Will UPN stations show previews for current WB shows, thus maybe effecting ratings even before the merge? Could a UPN (or a WB) station that is about to turn independent refuse to run these ads? Could they refuse to run any ads involving fall series if those ads are potentially going to draw viewers away from them once they turn independent?

I think the CW is going to have a fall mess on its hands and will have to work overtime to promote everywhere it can, not just on tv. The average person is still probably unaware of all of this, and will likely be until their local station is no longer showing Veronica Mars or Gilmore Girls on a weekly basis.

It'll be really interesting to see how this plays out not just on the scheduling side of things. For instance, in the UPN's ratings releases, they always hype up an victory over the WB. Does that stop now? What about when these networks run promos for their fall line-ups over the summer? Will UPN stations show previews for current WB shows, thus maybe effecting ratings even before the merge? Could a UPN (or a WB) station that is about to turn independent refuse to run these ads? Could they refuse to run any ads involving fall series if those ads are potentially going to draw viewers away from them once they turn independent?

I think the CW is going to have a fall mess on its hands and will have to work overtime to promote everywhere it can, not just on tv. The average person is still probably unaware of all of this, and will likely be until their local station is no longer showing Veronica Mars or Gilmore Girls on a weekly basis.
I think you'll see a lot of network promotion during the summer on the channels that are going to become the CW.

The reason these companies are losing money is because the shows suck!!
Bring back good old reruns of shows such as the FBI and the Fugitive. Or Get Smart and the Wild Wild West!! I mean Fox cancels Arrested Development but keeps Stacked?(Not that I am putting down Stacked) And yes I have watched Stacked but I like Arrested Development better. Jason Bateman was awesome and so was Jessica Walters. And the whole cast. It has been a long time since a show has me in fits of laughter like AD. I think if programmers were as smart as they think they are they would also try to expand their audience so that everyone can enjoy the shows not just a certain age group. If you have more people watching you make more money-DUH!!!!! Please don't get me started on these phony reality shows!! Ugh!!
I mean the reason I watch tv is to escape reality!!!! I am in a tv nightmare right now and I can't wake up!!! BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!!!!!!!!!

I think you'll see a lot of network promotion during the summer on the channels that are going to become the CW.

It also makes me wonder if the left out stations will drop most of their network programming over the summer and try to put together new line-ups. The WB and the UPN have much looser controls over their affiliates than the other networks do, and if they decide to opt out early, ratings for both could plunge this summer.

I think "WBS" would've been a much better name.


Half "WB", half "CBS"
They should have called it "VW", for Viacom and Warner.

They should have called it "VW", for Viacom and Warner.
Legal problems with Volkswagon would prevent that from happening.

They should have called it "VW", for Viacom and Warner.

That wouldn't work since CBS and Viacom split

That wouldn't work since CBS and Viacom split

When did they split?

For the love of God...if any of the CW people are listening to me...

MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!! MAKE NEW SOAPS!!

We haven't had a new soap in nearly 7 years, and this is by far the longest we've ever been without a new daytime soap opera premiering. We need some FRESH blood who are willing to right TRADITIONAL soaps that are FAMILIAR to the viewers and fans! None of this telenovela crap that Fox is doing this summer!

REAL soaps! R E A L SOAPS!!!!!

But alas, I doubt it...
If that's the case,then how about new daytime T.V. game shows:D It been over a decade since one been on a network on daytime(since 1992 if I'm not mistaking).I mean NEW game shows.Seriously,I don't know what to make of this.I always thought that WB did well,and UPN was the red-headed stepchild of all of the networks.And what kind of name is CW?!?Did a bunch of ******* think of this?!(No offence to people with special needs)Who knows how this is going to play out,but you can bet that all of your favorites will be gone and long forgotton(to make rome for more farces).

When did they split?

On December 31, 2005

On December 31, 2005

CBS is now officially the only independent network with its own stock market listing.

so does that mean Paramount isn't CBS's main distributer or isn't Viacom's main distributer? or is that part of it just staying the same?

so does that mean Paramount isn't CBS's main distributer or isn't Viacom's main distributer? or is that part of it just staying the same?
I believe what was Viacom before the split is now CBS (so that would be the distribution) and what is now Viacom is TV Stations (like MTV Networks and BET).

i really think charmed would do great on the other network!!!!:D i love this show aand dont want it to end!!! ITS NOT THE END YET CHARMED FANS WE STILL GOT A CHANCE!!! VOTE HERE!!!


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11009635/

i really think charmed would do great on the other network!!!!:D i love this show aand dont want it to end!!! ITS NOT THE END YET CHARMED FANS WE STILL GOT A CHANCE!!! VOTE HERE!!!


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11009635/

I understand what it's like to love a show that much, but it is in season 8 and the chances of it returning were virtually nil anyway, especially considering that the actresses don't want to continue.

I bet THE CW NETWORK will have Great Programming in September of 2006
I am already starting the Count Down until The New Network Debut's

I understand what it's like to love a show that much, but it is in season 8 and the chances of it returning were virtually nil anyway, especially considering that the actresses don't want to continue.

yea, I know, I felt the exact same way three years ago when Sarah Michelle Gellar said no more Buffy, I loved the show so much and knew it had a few more good seasons left in it but SMG and Joss Whedon both thought it was time to say goodbye, and in hindsight, ended when it did in season seven, even though the show was still strong enough to last a few more years, has helped make the show an even bigger cult classic because it remained great until the end and went off at a point where people still wanted more. Whereas Charmed would've benefitted from ending maybe two years back when there was more dignity.

This is a pic I made if it's going to happen this fall before it becomes CW-11.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/BrooklynGuy78/Disney%20Stuff/wb11no.jpg

This is a pic I made if it's going to happen this fall before it becomes CW-11.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/BrooklynGuy78/Disney%20Stuff/wb11no.jpg


I Saw a picture like that Ill have to try to find it again But it was for my WB 11 and It said "The Collapse Of WB11" and it had an airplane flying over the WB sign, and I found it pretty offensive since its a new york station...

I found this interesting article from this week's Scott Fybush's Northeast Radio Watch about CW. Here it is.

And now...The CW?

*What if you gave a network and nobody showed up?

OK, we'll acknowledge that in their 11 years of existence, UPN and The WB drew at least a few viewers. (If pressed, we'll even admit to watching "Charmed" on The WB - ah, that Alyssa Milano. But we digress.)

The point is, of course, that after losing money season after season, both networks will go out of business at the end of the summer, with owners CBS and Time Warner immediately launching a new, jointly-owned network (new, of course, so that all the existing UPN and WB affiliation and programming contracts can be cancelled when those networks "cease to exist") that will just happen to pick up most of the biggest shows from each of the "defunct" weblets. (But not, apparently, "Charmed"...sigh.)

No sooner was the bombshell announcement dropped on the media community late last week than the speculation began about who'd end up with the new network (tentatively dubbed "The CW," though that's likely to change) in each market.

Several NERW-land markets were covered in the initial announcement, since they're home to stations owned by either CBS or Tribune, which was a part-owner of The WB, trading its ownership stake for the guarantee of affiliating 16 of its stations with the new network. Here's how those markets break down:

New York - Tribune's WPIX-TV 11 (WB) will be The CW's biggest affiliate. That leaves Fox-owned WWOR-TV 9 (UPN) stranded without an affiliation (along with its sister stations in Chicago, Los Angeles and other big markets), and it's already prompting speculation about a possible "Fox 2" network to fill the prime-time hours on those stations, and on others left without affiliations. Fox wasted no time pulling the "UPN" identity from WWOR and its other stations, turning "UPN9" into simply "9," at least for now.

Boston - Tribune's WLVI 56 (WB) gets The CW nod, with CBS agreeing to let its WSBK 38 (UPN) go independent. WSBK will remain a strong contender, thanks to its wide cable carriage, its cost-effective duopoly with WBZ-TV ("CBS4") and the potential that it will return to its heritage as a home for plenty of Boston sports coverage.

Providence - A slam-dunk, since CBS's WLWC 28 was a primary UPN affiliate, also carrying WB programming later at night.

Hartford/New Haven - Tribune's WTXX 20 (WB) trumps LIN's WCTX 59 ("UPN 9"), leaving that station as an independent, in a duopoly with ABC affiliate WTNH-TV 8.

Albany - Tribune's WEWB 45 (WB) will take the CW affiliation, stranding newcomer WNYA 51 (UPN) without an affiliation. WNYA is managed by Freedom's CBS affiliate, WRGB 6, and will likely draw on that strong station for content.

Philadelphia - CBS's WPSG 57 (UPN) will be the CW affiliate here, with Tribune's WPHL-TV 17 (WB) becoming one of three Tribune stations to go independent. (KTWB Seattle and WATL Atlanta are the other two.) While WPHL has no duopoly partner, it does have a strong heritage in the market and cable carriage deep into central Pennsylvania, both of which should make it a competitive independent.

Pittsburgh - CBS's WNPA 19 (UPN) will be the CW affiliate here, leaving Sinclair's WCWB 22 (WB) as an independent. Both are duopoly partners to larger stations - KDKA-TV (CBS 2) and WPGH (Fox 53), respectively.

Outside the CBS- and Tribune-owned markets, the situation gets murkier. From one end of NERW-land to the other, here's how it shakes out:

Presque Isle - The WB is represented by "WB 100+" cable-only outlet "WBPQ." While no announcement has been made about the future of the "WB 100+" operation, it's reasonable to expect it will continue under The CW. There's no UPN affiliate in the market.

Bangor - "WB 100+" outlet "WBAN" competed with cable carriage of WSBK (UPN) here.

Portland - Pegasus owns both WPXT 51 (WB) and WPME 35 (UPN) in this market, so it will likely get to choose which station - probably stronger WPXT - will get The CW.

Burlington/Plattsburgh - Fox affiliate WFFF-TV 44 carries WB programming after 10 PM, with UPN on Equity's network of LPTVs based at WGMU-CA 39. NERW expects that WGMU, which has cable carriage through much of the market, would be a strong contender for The CW, especially with WFFF's plans to launch a 10 PM newscast soon.

Springfield - "WB100+" outlet "WBQT" competed with WSBK (UPN), via cable, here.

Utica - "WB100+" outlet "WBU" and a three-station LPTV network based at WPNY-LP 11 (UPN) were the contenders in this small market.

Watertown - Clear Channel's WWTI operates "WB100+" outlet "WBWT," while some - but not all - UPN programming airs in off-hours on Fox LPTV WNYF-CA 28.

Syracuse - Sinclair-operated WNYS-TV 43 was originally a UPN affiliate, but is now WB. UPN now airs on Raycom's WSTQ-LP 14 ("UPN6"), the duopoly partner of NBC affiliate WSTM-TV. The outcome here is likely to hinge on affiliation deals with Sinclair and/or Raycom in other, larger markets. (While Sinclair is also losing some key WB affiliations in markets such as Norfolk and Tampa, its stations will be essential to The CW in Milwaukee, Birmingham and several other markets where it carries both UPN and WB; Raycom's WUAB Cleveland, now UPN, is also likely to be a key CW affiliate.)

Binghamton - "WB100+" outlet "WBXI" is operated by CBS affiliate WBNG, while UPN airs on WBPN-LP, owned by Fox affiliate WICZ. It's anyone's guess who'll get CW here.

Elmira - Clear Channel's WTTX-CA 30 is "UPN Twin Tiers," a sister station to dominant NBC affiliate WETM-TV 18, while The WB is on "WB100+" outlet "WBE." Again, anyone's guess.

Rochester - Time Warner Cable operates cable-only "WRWB," "WB16," which competes fiercely with scrappy UPN affiliate WBGT-CA 40. We'd expect the corporate cross-ownership will keep The CW on cable, which has got to be bad news for WBGT.

Buffalo - Another market where group-wide affiliation deals will probably decide between Sinclair's WNYO-TV 49 (WB) and LIN's WNLO-TV 23 (UPN).
Erie - "WB100+" outlet "WBEP" has the WB affiliation here. CBS affiliate WSEE was planning to launch a UPN affiliate on its DTV subchannel this fall; until then, Cleveland's WUAB has carried UPN to Erie viewers.

Johnstown/Altoona - This market had neither a WB nor a UPN affiliate, with New York's WPIX being carried on cable for WB and Pittsburgh-market WNPA (which was once licensed to Johnstown, and has a strong over-the-air signal there) for UPN. We'd expect the WPIX cable carriage to continue.

Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York - Clear Channel's WLYH-TV 15 (UPN) expects to become the CW affiliate here. WB was represented by cable carriage of WPHL from Philadelphia. (NERW notes that Tribune owns a station in the market, but it's a Fox affiliate - WPMT 43.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - No contest here; WSWB-TV 38 carries both WB in prime time and UPN later in the evening, and will no doubt become the CW affiliate this fall.

It's been a long time since there's been this much turmoil on the TV dial, and it promises to be an exciting few months as affiliation deals are hammered out and new networks emerge (perhaps) - and we'll be right there to cover it all. Stay tuned...

I think it may be a bad idea, my reasoning is this...
As far as I see there are alot of shows on both networks that probably only cater to smaller audiences such as the 4 million viewer mark and if this network is supposte to become as big as Fox,ABC,NBC, and CBS that just may not work. The CW network may have to come up with much better ideas the cater to a 12 million viewer audience.

I think the CW will likely draw a bit high than either the UPN or the WB do now, but it won't be by an extreme amount.

The fallout is starting already- some UPN affiliates are dropping UPN programming and the Fox owned UPN stations, although they will continue to air UPN programming, will not run any promos for them effectively immediately. I guess now we watch as the UPN's ratings sink into the toilet for the rest of the season!

I think the CW will likely draw a bit high than either the UPN or the WB do now, but it won't be by an extreme amount.

The fallout is starting already- some UPN affiliates are dropping UPN programming and the Fox owned UPN stations, although they will continue to air UPN programming, will not run any promos for them effectively immediately. I guess now we watch as the UPN's ratings sink into the toilet for the rest of the season!

I guess the merger really ticked off some people huh?

I guess the merger really ticked off some people huh?

A lot of people. I've just been reading over on the Veronica Mars message board on TWoP that about to be dropped WB stations are doing the same thing. I think this is going to have a massive impact on the ratings for both of the networks, and they're already majorly hurting this season anyway.

I found Toby's post on Radio-Info.com:

Fox has started to remove the UPN logo from WWOR, as the 7 PM legal ID and bug show. Rupert Murdoch and , his little minions have acted rather quickly in expressing their displeasure. However, as of 7 PM the website still has the UPN 9 logo.

I found these pics from that site that the "9" logo was on the bottom right of the screen with no UPN logo on it where it harkens back to the RKO days of the old WOR-TV:

http://www.newyorktelephone.net/images/01-2006/25/9I00.jpg
http://www.newyorktelephone.net/images/01-2006/25/9B00.jpg

There was another thread made by Tony Santiago at Radio-Info about the website changes:

You can still access the site on http://www.upn9.com (http://www.upn9.com/) but I bet it will just be a matter of time where that site will just redirect you to http://www.wwortv.com/ (http://www.wwortv.com/)

THOUGH, if you go to http://www.newscorp.com/operations/tvstations.html (http://www.newscorp.com/operations/tvstations.html) , the official site of News Corporation, the old logos for channel 9 and other O&O's that are UPN affiliates are still there.

RIP: UPN-9 (1995-2006):(

When I first heard about CW I thought it was another country western type station which I wouldn't be crazy about. Now I know other wise. It is a bit of shock two minor networks are merging. When did WB and UPN come on the air? I am a bit shocked but I don't watch a single show on either network. I think Jeopardy which I get is syndicated. I hope that doesn't go. I do wish name of this new station was different. I will get it mixed up with the CMT, But I will learn after a while.

WWOR's UPN logo is now gone from the website. Same deal in Baltimore, no logo for WUTB

So, it's been mentioned that the WB 100+ Station group will go the way of CW... how do you know for sure? Where has it been written? I actually work for the WB affiliate in Bakersfield and have been trying to find concrete info on the change.

So, it's been mentioned that the WB 100+ Station group will go the way of CW... how do you know for sure? Where has it been written? I actually work for the WB affiliate in Bakersfield and have been trying to find concrete info on the change.


You actually work for KWFB-TV Channel 12? It's co-owned by KGET-TV Channel 17 NBC. My sources are basically with Broadcasting & Cable Magazine so if you went onto their website Broadcasting and Cable Magazine (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/) it will look up more for CW being on WB 100+ groups stations. I know probably for a fact that Univision UPN affiliate KUVI-TV UPN 45 will likely become independent as it was under the call letters KUZZ-TV in the late '80s and through most of the '90s until '97-'98. My guess is that Telenovela or that FOX II network would fill up for their affiliate. I know somebody who works for KUVI-TV channel 45, her name is Teresa, she is the program director for that station. But it will be very intresting since KUVI's sister stations include KABE-TV Channel 39 Univision, KBTF-TV Telefutura 52 and KTFB-TV don't really know what that channel really is. But for sure, KUVI turns independent to probably FOX II at best since their sister stations are all Univision owned. Now for my market a little north of Bakersfield in Fresno, my guess is that KAIL-TV would likely turn independent while 5 yr. old WB affilaite KFRE-TV WB 59 (Co-Owned by KMPH FOX 26 Pappas TV as well as KBFX-CA channel 58 "Fox 58" which shares their studios as KBAK-TV CBS 29) would be the new CW affiliate for Fresno/Visalia area.

The CW at 10: How the Network Found its Footing with Superheroes & Strong Women (http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-cw-anniversary-mark-pedowitz-arrow-the-flash-1201865900/)

I haven't watch the CW network since One Tree Hill. There's just nothing I like.

I'd only watch the Flarrowverse shows. I'm not interested in anything else.