The CW

The CW Television Network
	The CW logo
Type	Broadcast television network
Country	United States
Availability	National
Owner	CBS Corporation (50%) / Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (Time Warner) (50%)
Key people	Dawn Ostroff ; John Maatta
Launch date	September 18, 2006
Official website	www.cwtv.com

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The CW Television Network, or more casually The CW, is a new television network in the United States set to launch for the 2006-07 television season. Launching on Monday, September 18, 2006, it will feature a mixture of programming from both UPN and The WB television networks, which will both cease independent operations. The network, which will focus on younger viewers, will be a joint venture between CBS Corporation, owner of UPN, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Time Warner, majority owner of The WB.

Origins

The WB and UPN both launched in January 1995 just as the Fox network has begun to secure a foothold in the American viewing lineup. Both launched to limited fanfare and generally poor results. In the eleven-and-a-half seasons since then, despite a number of minor-hit or cult-hit series, neither network was able to attain the stature Fox had gained in its first decade, much less that of the longstanding Big Three of ABC, CBS, and NBC. Both networks were losing money, and The WB had only made a profit in a couple of prior seasons. Reports indicated that the prospects for both networks were fading quickly. Nonetheless, the announcement on January 24, 2006 that CBS and Warner Bros. would effectively combine the two networks' operations came as a surprise to most in the industry.

Like both UPN and The WB, The CW will air programming targeted to younger audiences. CBS and Warner Bros. hope that by combining their networks' schedules and station lineups, The CW will strengthen into a fifth "major" broadcast network. But unlike the "Big Four" broadcast networks, The CW does not appear to have any current plans to offer news or sports programming to their affiliates.

CBS chairman Les Moonves explained that the name of the new network is an amalgamation of the first initials of CBS and Warner Bros. Moonves joked "we couldn't call it the WC for obvious reasons." Although some executives reportedly disliked the new name, that March, Moonves stated that there was “zero chance” the name would change, citing research claiming 48% of the target demographic is already aware of the "CW" name. At the network's first upfront presentation — May 18, 2006 — a new logo was unveiled to replace the provisional blue-rectangle logo used in January. The logo is a green-white insignia which has drawn comparisons to the logos of CNN (another Time Warner subsidiary) and The O.C. (produced by Warner Bros.).

Although the network is scheduled to take air September 18, it is not clear if The WB or UPN will end programming on September 17, or earlier in the month. Several affiliation agreements, including those involving the Fox stations, are reported to expire at the end of August, and as a result one or both networks may simply disappear in many major markets for the networks' remaining two weeks, if programming does not end then.

Stations

Following the network announcement, The CW immediately announced ten-year affiliation agreements with the Tribune Company and CBS. Tribune has committed 16 stations previously affiliated with The WB, while CBS committed 11 UPN stations. These stations combine to reach 48 percent of the United States. Both groups will also own several UPN/WB stations not joining The CW in overlapping markets. As part of its agreement, Tribune agreed to divest its interest in The WB and will not take an ownership interest in The CW.

The network stated that it would eventually reach 95 percent of the United States. In markets where both UPN and The WB affiliates operate, only one station will become a CW affiliate. Executives are on record as preferring the "strongest" stations among existing The WB and UPN affiliates; however, due to the structure of the deal, the new network must negotiate with individual stations. Hence it is conceivable that, in some markets, the CW affiliate may be a different station than either the existing The WB and UPN stations. In Helena, Montana, i affiliate KMTF will become a CW station. Also, the network has affiliated with some digital channels, usually newly-launched subchannels of a local Big Four affiliate, in several markets.

Under the new network, a new service titled The CW Plus [1] will serve Nielsen DMAs with rankings of 100 and lower. It will be similar to The WB 100+ Station Group, which supplied locally-branded WB-affiliated cable channels. In most cases, distribution for The CW Plus will cover not only cable but broadcast as well, including the digital subchannels discussed above.

On March 1, five affiliates - four WB, one UPN - were the first outside the CBS/Tribune core to sign CW affiliate deals. [2]. As of May 18, 2006, 173 stations have become affiliates of the CW, reaching 104.7 million households and covering 95% of the country (the latter two figures excluding the future CW stations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Station groups with a large number of affiliates include Pappas Telecasting, ACME Communications, and Sinclair Broadcast Group, although many other large groups, including Hearst-Argyle, Univision, and Belo have signed up selected stations. Sinclair signed on in early May despite reservations with The CW's has reported demands for reverse compensation ([3]).

While WGN-TV in Chicago will be part of the new network, it is presently assumed that its out-of-market Superstation WGN feed, which does not currently air WB programming, will similarly not air programs from The CW Network.

Repercussions

The launch of The CW has caused the largest single shakeup of U.S. broadcast television since the Fox/New World Communications alliance of 1994 and the subsequent launch of UPN and The WB themselves the following year. While it affects more markets, it is unlikely to cause the same degree of viewer confusion as, it appears, no affiliates of the four major networks will be dropping those affiliations. The disappearance of The WB and UPN will be the first time a major television network has vanished since the collapse of the DuMont Television Network in 1955, but other small broadcast television networks have also ceased operations over the years.

In those media markets where there were separate The WB and UPN stations, one local station was left out in the merger; most of those stations have signed (or may sign) with My Network TV while others will elect to become independent stations.

It became clear that the Fox Television Stations Group, which purchased several UPN affiliates from former UPN co-owner Chris-Craft Industries in 2002, was impacted. Its UPN affiliates in five major markets would not be affiliated with The CW, due to the agreement with Tribune, and Fox made it clear it would not even seek the affiliation for its four UPN stations elsewhere. All UPN logos and network references were quickly removed from their stations. Shortly thereafter, Fox announced that it was starting My Network TV, a programming service meant to fill the two nightly prime time hours that will open on its UPN-affiliated stations after the start of The CW. Fox has also offered the service to other stations. [4]

Tribune indicated following the network announcement they would be interested in Fox-developed programming blocks such as My Network TV for its three stations not taking the CW affiliation — WPHL, WATL and KTWB — and on May 15, Tribune announced that they would become My Network TV affiliates. [5] In contrast, CBS-owned UPN stations in Boston (WSBK) and Miami (WBFS) will revert to independent status and will not attempt to affiliate with MNTV. KTXA in Dallas was already slated to become an independent station, as Fox-owned KDFI has taken the My Network TV affiliation.

Other repercussions include the following:

Prior to the MNTV announcement, several stations had reportedly begun to search for new programming to fill empty timeslots, likely to further boost the fortunes of the syndication industry.
On January 26, 2006, La Crosse, Wisconsin UPN affiliate KQEG announced that they would cease to be a network affiliate at the end of the programming week, becoming the first known station to drop an affiliation due, presumably, to the merger.
Granite Broadcasting had previously reached an agreement to sell their WB-affiliated stations in San Francisco and Detroit — KBWB and WMYD (the former WDWB), respectively — to AM Media, a unit of private equity firm Acon Investments. With the dissolution of The WB, and with CBS owning UPN stations in both cities already announced as joining The CW, the deal between Granite and AM Media eventually fell apart, and Granite has sold the stations to DS Audible, LLC instead for a lesser price. Granite is now suing CBS and Time Warner over the failed deal. [6]
In a similar vein, Belo and CBS are in a legal dispute over Belo's recent purchase of WUPL, the New Orleans UPN affiliate, from CBS; Tribune's WNOL will be the CW affiliate there.

Programming

The new network will adopt The WB's present 30-hour programming schedule. It will provide 13 hours of prime time programming to the newly affiliated stations, 8–10 p.m. Monday to Friday (all times ET/PT) and 7–10 p.m. on Sunday. Programming will also be provided between 5–7 p.m. Sundays (the Easy View repeat block), 3–5 p.m. weekday afternoons (currently off-network repeats under the Daytime WB banner), and a five-hour Saturday morning animation block (currently known as Kids' WB, to be rebranded as Kids' WB on The CW at the network's launch in September [7]).

Fall 2006

New Episode (red) Rerun (white) (times given are ET/PT)*

2006-07 Season	7:00 PM	7:30 PM	8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM
Sunday	Everybody Hates Chris (U) (NN) (NT)	All of Us (U) (NN) (NT)	Girlfriends (U) (NN) (NT)	The Game (N)	America's Next Top Model (Encore) (U) (NN) (NT)
Monday	Local Programming		7th Heaven (W)		Runaway (N)
Tuesday			Gilmore Girls (W)		Veronica Mars (U)
Wednesday			America's Next Top Model (U)		One Tree Hill (W) (NT)
Thursday			Smallville (W)		Supernatural (W)
Friday			WWE Friday Night SmackDown! (U)

* Subtract one hour for Central and Mountain time.

(U) - Aired on UPN during 2005-06 season.

(W) - Aired on The WB during 2005-06 Season.

(N) - New Show.

(NT) - New Time (versus time of programming on The WB or UPN)

(NN) - New Night (versus time of programming on The WB or UPN)

Midseason

Reba (sitcom) (W)
Beauty and the Geek (reality) (W)
Hidden Palms (drama) (N)

Notes about the fall lineup

The fate of Reba, one of the more popular programs on the WB, was in question because its audience didn't fit the demographic the new network wants. At the eleventh hour on Wednesday, May 17, The CW decided to renew the series with a 13 episode order [8]. This may have been done to fulfill a syndication contract worth a reported $20 million. Reba will not return until midseason.

The CW was reportedly interested in picking up Invasion if ABC decided not to renew the series. However, despite the fact that the series was produced by Warner Bros. Television, which owns 50% of the CW, it did not end up on the CW's schedule after it had been canceled by ABC. The cost of producing the show was a possible issue in the decision.

A page announcing Everwood's return for a fifth season in the Sunday 8/7c time slot was found on the CWTV.com on May 18, 2006, but was then deleted on May 19, 2006 when fans found the link to it. Other shows who pages were found on the CWTV.com site, but then deleted were Mercy Reef, Split Decision, and Flirt.

CW Pilots

The following pilots are reportedly in development for The CW Network for possible midseason pickup or for a later date (Pilots already listed for the fall 2006 season are not listed):

Dramas

Mercy Reef --- (reported cancelled @ justinhartley.net, but the Washington Post.com [9] says it still may come midseason and a petiton [10] has surfaced online to ensure it)
Split Decision --- (like Mercy Reef, a page about this show was on the CWTV.com on May 18, 2006, but was then deleted on May 19, 2006 when fans found the link)

Comedies

She Said, He Said
Aliens in America
Flirt --- (like Mercy Reef, a page about this show was on the CWTV.com on May 18, 2006, but was then deleted on May 19, 2006 when fans found the link)

Realities

Untitled Go-Gos, Bangles Project

Network executives

Dawn Ostroff, President of Programming (from UPN)
John Maatta, Chief Operating Officer (from The WB)
Michael Roberts, Executive VP of Current Programming (from The WB) [11]
Betsy McGowen Senior VP and General Manager of Kids WB! on The CW (from The WB) [12]
Rick Mater, Senior VP, Broadcast Standards (from The WB) [13]
Eric Cardinal, Senior VP, Research (from UPN) [14]
Elizabeth Tumulty, Senior VP, Network Distribution (from The WB) [15]

External links

The CW Official Website

Sources

Press releases

External news links