UPN, WB to Shut Down; New Network Formed
Wednesday January 25, 3:23 am ET
By David Bauder, AP Television Writer
UPN, WB to Shut Down; New Television Network Formed
biz.yahoo.com
NEW YORK (AP) -- UPN's "America's Next Top Model" and shows from The WB will air on the same channel after the two struggling networks decided to combine their assets under a new name.
The new network, the CW, will be a 50-50 venture between the CBS Corp., which owns UPN, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, officials said Tuesday.
The new network, scheduled to begin airing this fall, will target an audience aged 18 to 34, said Leslie Moonves, CBS president.
"They really, truly belong together," said Sharianne Brill, programming analyst for Carat USA. "They were both targeting similar, niche audiences and they both have some strong programming assets. There's only good from a business standpoint. The only bad thing will be that people will lose their jobs."
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."
"America's Next Top Model" is already guaranteed a berth at the CW, and it's likely "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Girlfriends" will survive. UPN President Dawn Ostroff offered few other details of what will or won't survive on the new network.
Both networks had 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.
UPN and The WB began secretly working out the business plan -- so secret that executives from both networks were outlining their fall programming plans to television writers last week in Pasadena, Calif.
The WB had a few strong years when series like "Dawson's Creek" made it a hip destination for young viewers, particularly teen-aged girls.
They reflected the strong programming hand of chief executive Jamie Kellner. But since Kellner retired a few years ago, the WB has tried to broaden its audience and, in the eyes of many critics, lost much of its identity in the process.
This season, there were clear signs of financial struggle. The WB announced it was canceling "7th Heaven," the family drama that was the network's most successful show ever, because it would cost too much to continue production.
Instead of replacing shows that haven't worked, the WB has turned to the cost-cutting move of airing repeats of its popular fare -- so much so that an astounding 51 percent of what it has aired this season are reruns, according to the ad buying firm Magna Global.
After many years of floundering, UPN has grown stronger under Ostroff in recent years with critical hits such as "Veronica Mars" and "Everybody Hates Chris."
Alongside Ostroff, the CW's chief operating officer will be John Maatta, who currently has the same job at the WB. Along with melding the programming lineup, they'll be in charge of molding two companies into one.
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 from 8 to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 7 to 10 p.m. There will also be shows on weekday and Sunday afternoons, and five hours of children's programs now known as the "Kids' WB" on Saturday morning.
Where viewers will find the CW is a complicated business tangle. In markets where CBS and Tribune Broadcasting already own WB or UPN stations -- making up about half the country -- the CW will be on that channel. The new network expects to complete affiliation agreements for most of the rest of the country by September.
Barry Meyer, the head of Warner Bros., 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.
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."
Associated Press Business Writer Seth Sutel contributed to this report. |
