CW President Dawn Ostroff leaving after season

[TMC]

http://bit.ly/hO6PtO

After almost a decade in Hollywood as the head of UPN and the CW, CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff may be going back to New York. I hear Ostroff would be leaving the CW at the end of her contract in June to relocate to New York with her kids. While the decision is not final, sources indicate that Ostroff is leaning heavily in that direction and is expected to make it official early next year.

[clj2]

CW has never been great (don't get me started on losing The WB), but I don't even think her departure could make the CW a major force in network television. They have had five seasons...IMO, the name/brand is ruined...nevermind, heck, there was never anything to ruin!

[TMC]

The main problem with The CW, and I think that I've said this several times before, is that Dawn Ostroff treated it like she was still at Lifetime. She really came across as sexiest and narrow-minded by proclaiming that she would only target young women. It didn't help that the promotional campaigns for The CW, often focused seemingly, on sex, meleodrama and materialistic things.

[James]

Let someone with ties to the Parents Television Council take over!

[noveel]

Originally Posted by TMC

The main problem with The CW, and I think that I've said this several times before, is that Dawn Ostroff treated it like she was still at Lifetime. She really came across as sexiest and narrow-minded by proclaiming that she would only target young women. It didn't help that the promotional campaigns for The CW, often focused seemingly, on sex, meleodrama and materialistic things.

CW is supposed to be a younger version of lifetime, things won't change

[Tubehead]

i wonder what wil be their hit show now that smallvilleis laeving? i know supernaturl is still popualr. i wonder if they make a new superman show with tom weling.

[noveel]

Originally Posted by James

Let someone with ties to the Parents Television Council take over!

[James]

Originally Posted by noveel

What's so funny?

[clj2]

Originally Posted by TMC

The main problem with The CW, and I think that I've said this several times before, is that Dawn Ostroff treated it like she was still at Lifetime. She really came across as sexiest and narrow-minded by proclaiming that she would only target young women. It didn't help that the promotional campaigns for The CW, often focused seemingly, on sex, meleodrama and materialistic things.

Agreed. I don't like the direction the channel started taking with shows such as Gossip Girl, 90210, etc. Just awful. I do not think The CW can be brought back - but can you bring something back that never really was?

And....how many young girls like those horrid green colors? They are absolutely terrible. I can't believe two respectable companies like CBS and Warner are behind this disaster. This makes UPN look interesting!

Smallville doesn't really fit CW anymore. I doubt we'll see anything similar on there.

[TMC]

In general, the main problem with Dawn Ostroff is that she treated The CW with a niche, basic cable mentality (like she was still at Lifetime as I said before). She took a fairly golden opportunity with the merger of The WB and UPN and completely botched it and watered it down. Miss Ostroff really lacked common sense in terms of what the target demographic for The CW should be. You don't program the schedule based on your own personal interests for the most part (at least if I were running a major TV network).

[Silly Lily]

Originally Posted by Tubehead

i wonder what wil be their hit show now that smallvilleis laeving? i know supernaturl is still popualr. i wonder if they make a new superman show with tom weling.

The Vampire Diaries is their highest rated show now. It's actually pretty awesome. I just hope Kevin Williamson doesn't abandon it like he did with Dawson's Creek.

[noveel]

Originally Posted by TMC

In general, the main problem with Dawn Ostroff is that she treated The CW with a niche, basic cable mentality (like she was still at Lifetime as I said before). She took a fairly golden opportunity with the merger of The WB and UPN and completely botched it and watered it down. Miss Ostroff really lacked common sense in terms of what the target demographic for The CW should be. You don't program the schedule based on your own personal interests for the most part (at least if I were running a major TV network).

CW isn't a major network, some cable channels beat it in the ratings

[clj2]

Originally Posted by TMC

In general, the main problem with Dawn Ostroff is that she treated The CW with a niche, basic cable mentality (like she was still at Lifetime as I said before). She took a fairly golden opportunity with the merger of The WB and UPN and completely botched it and watered it down. Miss Ostroff really lacked common sense in terms of what the target demographic for The CW should be. You don't program the schedule based on your own personal interests for the most part (at least if I were running a major TV network).

Agreed. CW is like Lifetime meets ABC Family. They would do better if they didn't try to have such a tight focus. It's sad to see what's left of a once blockbuster channel like The WB has become. The ratings for The CW are not improving....I wonder what their next move will be.

I think the next thing there to go will be The CW Afternoon - how long can they offer those two Tyra episodes? Stupid waste of time. They actually used to air some decent shows then. I predict 3-5pm will be given back to locals by the end of next year.

[mswood]

Originally Posted by TMC

In general, the main problem with Dawn Ostroff is that she treated The CW with a niche, basic cable mentality (like she was still at Lifetime as I said before). She took a fairly golden opportunity with the merger of The WB and UPN and completely botched it and watered it down. Miss Ostroff really lacked common sense in terms of what the target demographic for The CW should be. You don't program the schedule based on your own personal interests for the most part (at least if I were running a major TV network).

Ok, do you even pay attention to the ratings of the shows?

While I might have made different choices, I understand that i don't see all the data, nor do I know what are the limits she has to work with.

But people seem to forget that Dawn didn't start with seeking women 18-34 as the primary demo point, nor did she start programming exclusively do that demo point, until the third year of the CW, after two full years of data with the w 18-34 demo being the only bright point among the demos that the shows hit.

When the WB and UPN merged both networks were dying, both for most of their history operated at a loss. She took the most successful shows from both nets, with the exceptions of the critically acclaimed Veronica Mars. She picked urban comedies, male driven properties, female driven shows, and family driven shows and two reality shows one that was successful geared to women one that had a larger male audience (Beauty and the Geek).

The CW started broke, by all media accounts and was only able to green light two scripted shows one a family drama and one a soap, which they held for summer as it tested poorly. The family drama failed miserably.

And what happened, first instead of the larger expected coverage of the nation, they were shocked (both earners and CBS freely admit this), they had less coverage then either UPN or the WB had. Meaning fewer eyes could watch their programs. And most of the shows had larger then normal drops in ratings, which certainly makes since with change of network, schedule changes and loss of coverage.

As for the specific ratings data, adults 18-34 and more specifically women 18-34 were where're the network had most success at. Even the male shows that were popular Smallville and WWE could not manage male numbers even close to the female numbers from shows like Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill,and TopModel. The online show that managed any ratings success was the stupid ***** Cats show which scored some significant ratings, even in the general audience let alone it's performance among young women.

That takes us to year two, and the CW picks a show geared to men (Reaper), a show geared to women (gossip girls), a family comedy with a male slant (Aliens in America), and a soft wholesome family drama (Life is Wild). Critics called it the strongest set of new shows of any of the networks. With Reaper, Gossip Girls and Aliens in America getting great advanced reviews. And what happened none of the shows took off in viewers and their only success was in adults 18-34, and out of those only women 18-34 with Gossip Girls. With it's small audience it delivered more general adults 18-34, then Smallville their most watched scripted show. Neither Reaper or Aliens could a younger audience nor much of a adult 18-49 audience.

That took us to season three and with a crippling writers strike that hobbled development the CW finally embraced w18-34, both in scripted fare and in extremely cheap reality fare. Also during these years their urban comedies died, getting some terrible ratings.

The one thing that occurred that everyone questions, including myself was giving up WWE. Now it never got great demos, in relationship to it's total viewers, but it did provide year round coverage. But apparently the CW diner paid an arm and a leg for it, or didn't get commercial benefit from it. This is info they have that we don't.

One thing we do know each year media buyers pay more for the female driven shows then a show like supernatural, even. Though supernatural has generally been the number two or three drama for the net in both viewers and adults 18-49, but its never done well in younger viewers. And shows with far, far less viewers and lower adult 18-49 results have sold for more ad dollars. This makes it fairly clear that ad buyers do in fact pay more for adults 18-34, then adults 18-49. We also know that the CW operates at a loss.

So what should Dawn have done. With very little in the way of development dollars, and with producers, and actors earning less producing material for the CW then for the other four networks, and with cable consuming a lot of talent that didn't occur any where near as much when the WB and UPN were still running. So do you try and produce general entertainment, even though to date you have had zero success in that department, and knowing you make less pure viewer with a general audience, thus you need a much, much larger audience. Or do you develop a limited, more focused target that you have had a least some success with, knowing that being a niche is never going to break out the network?

[TMC]

Originally Posted by mswood

Ok, do you even pay attention to the ratings of the shows?

While I might have made different choices, I understand that i don't see all the data, nor do I know what are the limits she has to work with.

But people seem to forget that Dawn didn't start with seeking women 18-34 as the primary demo point, nor did she start programming exclusively do that demo point, until the third year of the CW, after two full years of data with the w 18-34 demo being the only bright point among the demos that the shows hit.

When the WB and UPN merged both networks were dying, both for most of their history operated at a loss. She took the most successful shows from both nets, with the exceptions of the critically acclaimed Veronica Mars. She picked urban comedies, male driven properties, female driven shows, and family driven shows and two reality shows one that was successful geared to women one that had a larger male audience (Beauty and the Geek).

The CW started broke, by all media accounts and was only able to green light two scripted shows one a family drama and one a soap, which they held for summer as it tested poorly. The family drama failed miserably.

And what happened, first instead of the larger expected coverage of the nation, they were shocked (both earners and CBS freely admit this), they had less coverage then either UPN or the WB had. Meaning fewer eyes could watch their programs. And most of the shows had larger then normal drops in ratings, which certainly makes since with change of network, schedule changes and loss of coverage.

As for the specific ratings data, adults 18-34 and more specifically women 18-34 were where're the network had most success at. Even the male shows that were popular Smallville and WWE could not manage male numbers even close to the female numbers from shows like Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill,and TopModel. The online show that managed any ratings success was the stupid ***** Cats show which scored some significant ratings, even in the general audience let alone it's performance among young women.

That takes us to year two, and the CW picks a show geared to men (Reaper), a show geared to women (gossip girls), a family comedy with a male slant (Aliens in America), and a soft wholesome family drama (Life is Wild). Critics called it the strongest set of new shows of any of the networks. With Reaper, Gossip Girls and Aliens in America getting great advanced reviews. And what happened none of the shows took off in viewers and their only success was in adults 18-34, and out of those only women 18-34 with Gossip Girls. With it's small audience it delivered more general adults 18-34, then Smallville their most watched scripted show. Neither Reaper or Aliens could a younger audience nor much of a adult 18-49 audience.

That took us to season three and with a crippling writers strike that hobbled development the CW finally embraced w18-34, both in scripted fare and in extremely cheap reality fare. Also during these years their urban comedies died, getting some terrible ratings.

The one thing that occurred that everyone questions, including myself was giving up WWE. Now it never got great demos, in relationship to it's total viewers, but it did provide year round coverage. But apparently the CW diner paid an arm and a leg for it, or didn't get commercial benefit from it. This is info they have that we don't.

One thing we do know each year media buyers pay more for the female driven shows then a show like supernatural, even. Though supernatural has generally been the number two or three drama for the net in both viewers and adults 18-49, but its never done well in younger viewers. And shows with far, far less viewers and lower adult 18-49 results have sold for more ad dollars. This makes it fairly clear that ad buyers do in fact pay more for adults 18-34, then adults 18-49. We also know that the CW operates at a loss.

So what should Dawn have done. With very little in the way of development dollars, and with producers, and actors earning less producing material for the CW then for the other four networks, and with cable consuming a lot of talent that didn't occur any where near as much when the WB and UPN were still running. So do you try and produce general entertainment, even though to date you have had zero success in that department, and knowing you make less pure viewer with a general audience, thus you need a much, much larger audience. Or do you develop a limited, more focused target that you have had a least some success with, knowing that being a niche is never going to break out the network?

I'm not going to overanalyize the ratings from day one. I still don't think that it makes much business sense to run a broadcast network based on a very strict, niche target base. Also, what's your excuse for the serious of bad decisions that Dawn Ostroff made:
*Cancelling Reba even though it was the highest rated show on the WB

*Cancelling Everwood at the expense of a last minute renewal of 7th Heaven

*Meddling into certain shows like Veronica Mars, Life Unexpected, and Nikita

And as I said before, the CW didn't/doesn't really know how to market different shows properly. So what do you expect when certain shows fail. You can't really talk about how Dawn Ostroff didn't start focusing on the female demographic until Year 3, when the first two years were still transtional periods for the WB/UPN to the CW.