Quote:

---

UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network
By BILL CARTER
Two part-time broadcast networks moved to become a combined larger one today as CBS and the Warner Brothers studio announced they were joining forces to form a new network, called the CW, out of the pieces of the UPN and WB networks.

The new venture will cherry-pick the best programs off the two decade-old mini-networks, each of which has struggled to turn a profit. The owners, each of which will take a 50 percent stake in the new venture, expressed the hope that an expanded fifth network - which will program 30 hours a week, including prime-time and some daytime shows - will succeed where a fifth and sixth in competition with each other could not.

Both the WB and UPN will continue operate independently until September, when they will be formally shut down. The new network - whose name, CW, is meant to be a combination of CBS and Warner - will commence operations on a new lineup of stations made up of the UPN group owned by CBS and those owned by the WB's station partner, Tribune Broadcasting.

Those stations will reach about 48 percent of the United States, and the new network has agreements with other affiliates to extend its distribution to 95 percent of the country.

For many of the biggest cities, the move will leave a station without network programming. In New York, the new network will be broadcast on Channel 11, which has been the WB station, with Channel 9, which has been the UPN station, dropped from the network.

Leslie Moonves, the chairman of the CBS Corporation, and Barry Meyer, the chairman of Warner Brothers Entertainment, a unit of Time Warner, made the announcement jointly at a news conference. Each executive said that the agreement to dissolve the two networks and start up the new one had been driven by the timing of affiliation agreements.

Both CBS's deal with UPN stations owned by the News Corporation and Warner Brothers deal with the Tribune stations were due to expire in September. "If we didn't come together now, we were going to be locked out for a long time," Mr. Moonves said.

The most significant advantage of bringing the two networks together will be the opportunity to build a prime-time schedule made up of the best shows from each of the two networks. "It's a scheduler's dream," Mr. Moonves said.

The shows highlighted in the presentation today included "America's Top Model," "Veronica Mars," and "Everybody Hates Chris" from UPN and "Gilmore Girls," "Smallville," and "Beauty and the Geek" from the WB.

The move is a further consolidation of broadcast power under Mr. Moonves, who earlier this month gained full executive control over the CBS Corporation, under the agreement that divided Viacom's media assets in half. The CW will likely perform far better than UPN, Mr. Moonves's previous secondary network, ever did.

In probably the most significant executive announcement tied to the new network, Mr. Moonves's lieutenant at UPN, Dawn Ostroff, was named the president of entertainment for the new network. Both top executives at the WB, Garth Ancier and David Janollari, were not given positions at the new network, though Mr. Meyer thanked them for their efforts at the WB.

The new network will aim to reach an audience of younger adults, those aged 18 to 34, who are especially sought by many advertisers. Mr. Meyer noted that Warner Brothers film division is a heavy advertiser, trying to reach that group.

link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/business/media/24cnd-network.html?ei
=5094&en=dbda2b1a607616ca&hp=&ex=1138165200&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Haken:
Note also that Dawn Ostroff, the new president of entertainment for CW, has worked with Joss in the past and likely knows him well. I'm just guessing here, but I'm sure if both parties wanted to cook up something for the newly formed network, now is a very good time to do it.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by JubelLate:
I think it would be better if WB and UPN combined to form WUPN and show nothing but street fighting,

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken

---

Quote:

---

'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'
CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September.
By Jessica Seid, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 24, 2006: 1:50 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Warner Brothers and CBS Corp. announced plans Tuesday for the creation of a new broadcast television network, called CW, that would replace the WB and UPN networks in the fall of this year.

The new broadcast network will draw on programming from both WB and UPN, and will be a joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS (Research), with each company owning 50 percent, officials of both companies said. (The "C" stands for CBS, the "W" is for Warner.)

"This new network will serve the public with high-quality programming and maintain our ongoing commitment to our diverse audience," said Les Moonves, the chairman of CBS, in a statement (see video).

Prime time programming will target the profitable 18-34 age group, officials of Warner and CBS said.

The new network will broadcast such UPN shows as "America's Next Top Model" and "Veronica Mars," as well as WB programs "Beauty and the Geek" and "Smallville."

In addition, World Wrestling Entertainment's "Smackdown," which has been a mainstay at UPN, is expected to play a role in the schedule. The new fall line up is expected to be announced in May.

UPN and the WB have struggled to attract viewers from the four established networks since they were launched in the mid-1990s. But each has its strengths.

The WB has had some hits throughout its history, particularly with younger audiences, having done well lately with shows such as "Smallville" and "Gilmore Girls."

UPN has recently gained some critical acclaim and strong ratings for its sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris," which airs on Thursday nights and fared well against shows such as NBC's "Joey" and Fox's "The O.C."

Both networks will cease operations in September, broadcasting their respective network schedules independently until then.

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.

The new network will employ a lot of the same people, "but there will be one person where there used to be two," said James Goss, an analyst with Barrington Research, suggesting that there may be more executive jumbling throughout CW in the works.

---