musicradio77
02-23-2006, 11:13 AM
Parent firm fills gap left by UPN
By PHYLLIS FURMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Greed, lust, murder, mobsters, sexy babes and buff guys are coming to WWOR/Ch. 9.
Goodbye UPN, hello My Network TV - a new broadcast network, owned by media giant News Corp., that will fill the slot left open a month ago when UPN and WB merged to create the CW network.
Starting on Sept. 5, WWOR - to be dubbed My9NY - as well as nine other ex-UPN affiliates owned by News Corp. will launch two hour-long prime-time dramas, "Desire" and "Secrets."
Both are packed with soap-opera plot lines and runway-ready young stars, many of whom were on hand yesterday at a press conference at the W Hotel.
"Desire" chronicles two brothers on the run from the Mafia, while "Secrets" probes the guilty pleasures of beautiful people in the fashion biz.
Taking a page from the successful telenovela format, the shows will be "stripped," meaning episodes will run back to back five nights a week.
Other My Network TV programs in the works include "Celebrity Love Island" about six celebs thrown together with six regular Joes on an island; "On Scene," a crime show from News Corp.'s Fox News Channel, and "Catwalk," a supermodel search.
Last month's merger of UPN and WB left a big programming hole for News Corp.'s UPN affiliates. But yesterday, Fox TV Stations' chairman, Roger Ailes, called the loss of UPN "an enormous opportunity" to shore up his stations.
"I'm writing Les a thank-you note," Ailes joked at the news conference, referring to Leslie Moonves, chairman of CBS, which owns half of CW. Moonves declined to comment.
My Network TV will begin on the 10 News Corp. stations, which cover 24% of the country. It will look to challenge CW by signing up affiliates covering "90% of the country," said Fox TV Stations CEO Jack Abernethy. The network is expected to be profitable from the start.
Fox TV Stations' operations chief, Dennis Swanson, told the Daily News that WWOR will have far more locally programmed hours than rival WPIX/Ch. 11, which will carry the CW network.
CW execs issued a statement yesterday saying they remain "bullish on the CW's future as America's premier destination for young viewers," thanks to popular shows like "Smallville," "America's Next Top Model" and "Everybody Hates Chris."
But Fox has shown that it knows how to topple established rivals. Fox News Channel - also run by Ailes - took on news juggernaut CNN and now boasts more than double its ratings in prime time.
By PHYLLIS FURMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Greed, lust, murder, mobsters, sexy babes and buff guys are coming to WWOR/Ch. 9.
Goodbye UPN, hello My Network TV - a new broadcast network, owned by media giant News Corp., that will fill the slot left open a month ago when UPN and WB merged to create the CW network.
Starting on Sept. 5, WWOR - to be dubbed My9NY - as well as nine other ex-UPN affiliates owned by News Corp. will launch two hour-long prime-time dramas, "Desire" and "Secrets."
Both are packed with soap-opera plot lines and runway-ready young stars, many of whom were on hand yesterday at a press conference at the W Hotel.
"Desire" chronicles two brothers on the run from the Mafia, while "Secrets" probes the guilty pleasures of beautiful people in the fashion biz.
Taking a page from the successful telenovela format, the shows will be "stripped," meaning episodes will run back to back five nights a week.
Other My Network TV programs in the works include "Celebrity Love Island" about six celebs thrown together with six regular Joes on an island; "On Scene," a crime show from News Corp.'s Fox News Channel, and "Catwalk," a supermodel search.
Last month's merger of UPN and WB left a big programming hole for News Corp.'s UPN affiliates. But yesterday, Fox TV Stations' chairman, Roger Ailes, called the loss of UPN "an enormous opportunity" to shore up his stations.
"I'm writing Les a thank-you note," Ailes joked at the news conference, referring to Leslie Moonves, chairman of CBS, which owns half of CW. Moonves declined to comment.
My Network TV will begin on the 10 News Corp. stations, which cover 24% of the country. It will look to challenge CW by signing up affiliates covering "90% of the country," said Fox TV Stations CEO Jack Abernethy. The network is expected to be profitable from the start.
Fox TV Stations' operations chief, Dennis Swanson, told the Daily News that WWOR will have far more locally programmed hours than rival WPIX/Ch. 11, which will carry the CW network.
CW execs issued a statement yesterday saying they remain "bullish on the CW's future as America's premier destination for young viewers," thanks to popular shows like "Smallville," "America's Next Top Model" and "Everybody Hates Chris."
But Fox has shown that it knows how to topple established rivals. Fox News Channel - also run by Ailes - took on news juggernaut CNN and now boasts more than double its ratings in prime time.