UPN and WB to merge

[cablewithaview]

CW and Fox Vie for UPN, WB, Indie Outlets

With only two months to go before this year’s upfront market, both CW and Fox Television (which is readying a CW rival) last week started the process of soliciting affiliates. And while CW has a head start, the network landscape may not shape up quite the way CBS and Warner Bros. imagined now that Fox is intent on launching a prime-time service.

Some critical clearances in the nation’s top 20 markets remain up for grabs such as Phoenix (market No. 14), Minneapolis (15) and Cleveland (16), as well as markets in the balance of the top 50. CW, which sent a letter to about 200 UPN, WB and independent stations last week, is seeking a 30-hour commitment (13 hours in prime time) from stations, plus reverse compensation (stations would pay the network if certain ratings are met). Before the end of February, Fox is expected to finalize its offer of 12 hours of prime-time programming, without reverse compensation.

Presented with a choice, stations aren’t rushing in. “We’re not certain if [CW’s] model is the way we want to go,” said Gary Chapman, CEO and president of LIN. “The truth is, these networks ceased operation because it was not a viable business plan. Yet they occupied 10 hours of prime time on our TV stations, giving us only 1:20 per hour inventory. We may wish to investigate other opportunities.”

Reverse compensation could be a deal breaker. “It’s not a guarantee that [CW] will get reverse compensation in all markets,” said Kirk Black, vp and general manager of KSMO and KCTV, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s duopoly in Kansas City. With 19 WB or UPN affils, what Sinclair stations decide will have a big impact on CW. Black is also unsure about committing so many hours to a network. “It’s a smart move to combine the networks, but it doesn’t mean that a combination of marginal shows will achieve high ratings.”

Even the ACME station group may not be a lock to sign up to CW, as had been widely expected. Doug Gealy, president and COO of ACME, an eight-station group of WB affiliates, said he “want to see if Fox has something.”

http://mediaweek.com/mw/news/tvstations/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002035037&imw=Y

 

[FreddyvsJasonvsAsh]

why is fox coming out with something like CW? I don't understand. Fox has the one channel with a great weekly lineup.....American Idol, House, Prison Break, 24..ect ect

 

[Stargazer]

I wonder what UPN and WB will do if they do not get enough markets as they expected that would take the new CW Network. Would they decide to forget about it or delay it until they can get enough markets interested? Shut down WB and UPN anyways? I don't think they would do that.

 

[ScottChez]

Any one know 100% for sure did the DIshnetwork Super Station 5 Channels sign yet or are they still thinking things over?

I would rather have them as Independents so I would get unique shows (I will get CW) OTA

 

[cablewithaview]

I wonder what UPN and WB will do if they do not get enough markets as they expected that would take the new CW Network. Would they decide to forget about it or delay it until they can get enough markets interested? Shut down WB and UPN anyways? I don't think they would do that.

The CW will roll out as scheduled I'm sure. This is right when new or shows return from the summer slump. Most if not all stations will apply for the new CW and some will have the backing to carry and be a strong affiliate for them. Other problem will be, all those independents. It is costly to run independent stations now and revenue and must carries, etc. will have to play strongly in there survival. Another thing to consider, what will become of all those iTV affiliates? That is another channel that is dying out. To bad they can't use the City TV format out of Canada. That is an idea but there would have to be some changes to comply with FCC on over the air broadcasting here. If there is a delay in rolling CW on out, it could and I'm sure it will cost them a lot of money. The success of this depends on getting it on out there.
There is other affiliations to use part to full time including Family Net, America One, The Sportsman Channel, RTN, etc. I almost wouldn't be surprised if we don't see some major affiliation changes in certain markets. Another thing, if some of these stations are bought, the buyer could apply to relocate the transmitter elsewhere in a fringe part of the viewing area and set up a full power translator. Here TV Alabama, Inc. bought out ch. 40 in Anniston (former CBS) and ch.33 in Tuscaloosa to form ABC 33/40 which covers both sides of the DMA pretty well. They also have one translator located in downtown Birmingham. There is a lot of ways this could play out in several markets, the end of the year will tell us the fate for the rest maybe.

 

[cablewithaview]

Any one know 100% for sure did the DIshnetwork Super Station 5 Channels sign yet or are they still thinking things over?

I would rather have them as Independents so I would get unique shows (I will get CW) OTA

WSBK will go back independent.
WWOR could end up being FOX II? Fox is still working on that possibility.
WPIX, KTLA, and KWGN are part of Tribune Interactive and will go CW if I am not mistaken.

 

[cablewithaview]

The CW Names Haskins Exec VP of Marketing, Brand Strategy

Rick Haskins has been named executive VP of marketing and brand strategy for CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Entertainment's newly formed broadcast network The CW. The announcement was made Monday by Dawn Ostroff, The CW's president of entertainment.

Mr. Haskins will direct and oversee all phases of marketing for the new network, including brand management, on-air promotion, print media and new media initiatives. He will be responsible for constructing The CW brand and formulating a launch campaign for the network while directing and managing a staff that will cover all areas of television marketing.

Mr. Haskins most recently served as executive VP and general manager for Lifetime Television. Previously, he helmed his own marketing consulting company, The Haskins Group, from 1996 to 1999. He also held a variety of positions for The Walt Disney Co. from 1988 to 1996, including VP of marketing and director of development for reality programming at Buena Vista Television. From 1982 to 1988 Mr. Haskins was a brand manager with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, overseeing packaged-good brands such as Crest and Vidal Sassoon hair care products. A published author, Mr. Haskins co-wrote "Brand Yourself" in 2000.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9425

 

[mwgiii]

There is other affiliations to use part to full time including Family Net, America One, The Sportsman Channel, RTN, etc.

Cable, I asked Tim Costley (engineer for WB21/UPN68) that exact question in the B'ham AVS local HDTV forum. He didn't have any info yet, but thought one station will be CW and the other will be independent and that they would move the HD equipment to whichever takes CW.

Personally, I wish they would pick up America One http://www.americaone.com/ Urban America or http://www.urban-america-tv.com/

 

[Mr Tony]

Any one know 100% for sure did the DIshnetwork Super Station 5 Channels sign yet or are they still thinking things over?

I would rather have them as Independents so I would get unique shows (I will get CW) OTA

WWOR & WSBK are going back as Independents
The other 3 are going to be CW Nets

 

[Mr Tony]

Some critical clearances in the nation’s top 20 markets remain up for grabs such as Phoenix (market No. 14), Minneapolis (15) and Cleveland (16),

In Mpls, UPN 29 (WFTC) already said they are going Independent. They dont use the UPN29 logo anymore (Fox owns WFTC and KMSP Fox 9)

 

[cablewithaview]

Cable, I asked Tim Costley (engineer for WB21/UPN68) that exact question in the B'ham AVS local HDTV forum. He didn't have any info yet, but thought one station will be CW and the other will be independent and that they would move the HD equipment to whichever takes CW.

Personally, I wish they would pick up America One http://www.americaone.com/ Urban America or http://www.urban-america-tv.com/

PM the link to the B'ham AVS link and Tim's ID. He pretty much told me the same thing when I talked with him. I believe there is a LP A1 affiliate in B'ham or somewhere close, ch.47 WOIL I think? I have seen it listed somewhere before but of course, the signal can't make the trip 85+ miles out from there. Ch.68 looks horrible here this far out. I am dropping WPXH here for America One satellite feed. I received my equipment and I'm ready to put it in.

 

[cablewithaview]

News Corp. to Launch 'MyNetworkTV'

NEW YORK — Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NWS) Wednesday said it will introduce a new broadcast network to air programming on television stations left without a network after the creation of Time Warner Inc.'s and CBS Corp.'s CW channel.

News Corp. is the parent company of FOX News, which operates FOXNews.com.

The announcement of the new network, dubbed MyNetworkTV, comes a month after Time Warner (TWX) and CBS (CBS) created the CW and said they would shut down their respective WB and UPN networks.

The shutdown of those networks left about 10 stations owned by News Corp. without a network. "From our perspective it created a unique and wonderful opportunity," News Corp. president Peter Chernin said at a press conference.

MyNetworkTV, which will be overseen by Fox television stations chairman Roger Ailes, will feature a combination of self-produced shows and shows by outside producers. It will also include several reality shows, such as "Celebrity Love Island."

While the network will initially launch on those 10 Fox-owned stations, it will seek affiliations with more stations.

Jack Abernathy, chief executive of Fox television stations, said he expects the network to be profitable at the time it launches.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185708,00.html

well we have an idea what WWOR maybe in September.

 

[cablewithaview]

WWOR & WSBK are going back as Independents
The other 3 are going to be CW Nets

check out post #52, since WWOR is a Fox owned station, this looks like it's future.

 

[Stargazer]

With Fox having the previous WB/UPN affiliates go towards their programming it would look like WB and UPN are getting replaced by two other networks instead of getting merged although we know that WB and UPN are merging. Many will think that its just one replacing the other with something else.

 

[cablewithaview]

News Corp. Unveils My Network TV

Hoping to turn a void at its stations into an opportunity, News Corp. Wednesday laid out plans for a new broadcast channel/network/service, My Network TV.

The service, which launches Sept. 5, will be anchored by nine News Corp. stations being abandoned as that network merges with The WB to create The CW, plus one independent. But News Corp. executives are rushing to sign up orphans or even snag strong stations that might otherwise have signed up with The CW.

News Corp. President Peter Chernin, Fox Stations Chairman Roger Ailes, and station execs Jack Abernethy (CEO) and Dennis Swanson (president) began laying out their plans for the new network in a presentation to executives at a Manhattan hotel.

At launch, My Network TV will consist of 12 hours of original content per week, airing at 8-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It will reach 24% of the country, according to News Corp.

Chernin said the service was intended to be profitable from day one. It will launch with two hour-long dramas, English-language telenovelas Desire and Secrets from co-owned Twentieth Television. The shows will be stripped (five days a week), with 13-episode arcs.

20th Century Television had planned to syndicate Desire, which is based on scripts translated from telenovelas aired in Latin America. But the syndication plans were scrapped when UPN announced Jan. 23 that it would go dark.

Chernin said My Network TV will have fresh programming 52 weeks a year. Shows in development include reality programs Catwalk, Celebrity Love Island, Transformed, and America's Brainiest, as well as On Scene, the last a Fox News-produced magazine.

Twentieth TV is also negotiating a format deal with American Idol producer FremantleMedia North America
The stations and network will split the ad inventory. Early word was that north of half the national inventory would go to the stations.

Chernin compared starting the new service to the launch of Fox News Channel (FNC) against CNN, when nobody liked Fox's odds. FNC is now the cable-news ratings leader.

“We believe at Fox, maybe with a certain amount of arrogance, that we have an unprecedented track record of launching new networks,” Chernin says.

Ailes told the crowd that he wanted to send CBS chief Leslie Moonves a thank-you note for freeing up the stations.

Swanson called it a huge opportunity. That opportunity is to brand the stations in a crowded universe by combining a local and national identity.

Almost immediately after the new CW network was announced in late January, Fox removed any mention of the network from its UPN affiliates and began talking about creating its own unwired network.

And Fox wasn't looking to affiliate with The CW, even in markets where its UPN affiliation would not be bumped by CBS or Tribune stations (Tribune, a former WB co-owner, has committed its stations to the new network). Affiliation with The CW "certainly makes no sense" for the four Fox O&Os in markets, such as those in Orlando and Phoenix, where there are no stations owned by Tribune or CBS, Abernethy said last week.

"Handing over 30 hours of valuable time, receiving little inventory to sell and being asked to pay comp makes no sense for our TV stations,” he wrote. “This would ensure losses, lessen growth opportunities and continue station brand confusion in this competitive media landscape.”

There is actually already a Boston independent using the“My TV” moniker. Shooting Star Broadcasting’s independent WZMY goes by the name My TV and filed a service mark application to trademark the name last summer. The application is pending. WZMY uses My TV instead of its call letters in station promos and TV listings. Station President Diane Sutter said she was unaware of Fox’s plans, but added, “I am happy that Fox liked our idea so much they copied it.”

WZMY’s My TV is a hyper-local station with a nightly magazine show, infotainment programing for local advertisers, and heavy coverage of local events. The station’s Web site is aptly named mytvstation.tv. To play up its local connections, WZMY features viewers in promos and lets the audience chime in on scheduling decisions.--Allison Romano contributed to this story.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6309484.html?display=Breaking+News

 

[cablewithaview]

CW Creates Small-Market Service

With its negotiations in mid-sized markets under way, The CW is now courting affiliates in smaller markets. The network plans to assemble a group of stations called the CW Plus that, similar to the current WB 100+, will run a similar programming feed and be distributed over-the-air and on cable-only stations.

The CW plans to launch its service in markets no. 103 to 210, along with Harlingen, Tex., and Charleston, S.C., according to a proposal sent to prospective affiliates. Initially, the network is asking for two-year deals.

As it did with larger-market stations, CW is laying out terms for affiliates that include paying for programming. The network is asking CW Plus outlets to name a fee they would pay for programming or commit to turn over 30% of their net revenue. In prime time, affiliates will receive 6 minutes of local commercial time.

The plan does allow for some local flexibility. Stations can insert a 30-minute local news program at 10 p.m. and elect to run some of their own syndicated programming.

But, for stations who elect the network feed, the CW will offer a full compliment of programming, including syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz, off-net sit-coms like Roseanne and The Bernie Mac Show, Will & Grace, and Sex and the City, and Cops.

Currently, the WB 100+ reaches into every market via cable or, in a handful of situations, over-the-air stations.

The CW was expected to convert many of cable-only stations to the new network and will likely do so in markets where there is no broadcast station as a partner. However, the CW has said it will affiliate with the strongest stations and, where there is an available over-the-air station, whether WB or UPN, industry executives expect the network to try and strike a deal.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6310810.html?display=Breaking+News

 

[cablewithaview]

CW network out of gate with 'Runaway'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star has sold a pilot drama to the new CW network, the broadcaster that will rise from the ashes of the WB and UPN.

"Runaway" centers on a family who, after the husband/father's murder conviction, decide to become fugitives in the hopes that they can buy him enough time to prove his innocence.

Star and Ed Zuckerman (NBC's "Law & Order") are serving as executive producers on the project, while Chad Hodge (Fox's "Tru Calling") is writing.

"Runaway" originally was developed at UPN, and marks the CW's first drama pilot order. The network is a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp., which announced last month that they would fold their respective WB and UPN channels, and relaunch a single network in the fall.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060227/tv_nm/runaway_dc_1

 

[cablewithaview]

The WB's 'Charmed' a casualty of network exit

NEW YORK (AP) — The spell is broken. The witches on Charmed won't be making the move when the WB network combines forces with UPN to become the CW network in the fall.

A WB spokesman confirmed a TV Guide report on Friday that said the supernatural series, which stars Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan and Holly Marie Combs, will end after eight seasons in May.

With 7th Heaven having already announced its exit, it means that two WB long-running series won't move to the CW. The WB and UPN will both shut down in September.

The final episode of Charmed will air on May 21, TV Guide said.

"It's been a hell of a run," Brad Kern, executive producer, told the magazine. "But all good things must come to an end."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-03-03-charmed-canceled_x.htm

 

[cablewithaview]

New network picks up 55; Channel 43's fate unknown

WBNX Channel 55 is the bride. WUAB Channel 43 is the bridesmaid.

The CW - the network created by the upcoming merger of UPN and the WB - announced Wednesday it had chosen WB affiliate Channel 55 to be the network's flagship in this market.

That leaves Channel 43, a UPN affiliate, wondering what programming it will carry when The CW debuts this fall.

"We're happy," said Channel 55 general manager Lou Spangler. "I think people will be surprised at how good The CW will be."

Channel 43 general manager Bill Applegate declined to comment.

CBS Corp., which owns UPN, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, which owns the WB, announced the merger of the networks last month.

The CW will program 30 hours a week over seven days, including a six-night prime-time lineup. The network will present shows from the WB and UPN, although which ones remains up in the air.

Spangler said Channel 55's strong relationship with the WB might have tipped The CW over to his station instead of Channel 43.

Channel 43 is owned by Raycom Media, based in Montgomery, Ala. Channel 55 is owned by the Winston Broadcasting Network, based in Cuyahoga Falls.

Channel 55's prime-time Nielsen ratings have been relatively good, and the station hasn't pre-empted a WB show in several years, said Spangler.

Channel 55 picked up syndication rights to the popular sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" and recently poached reruns of "Friends" from Channel 43, Spangler said. "Friends" will start airing on Channel 55 in June.

"I think both stations are good," Spangler said. "We had a relationship with the WB. We were willing to go long-term."

What does Channel 43 do now?

First, the station can be thankful that it only has to worry about filling prime-time hours. The WB, with its children's programming, was more of a full-service network than UPN. If the decision had gone the other way, Channel 55 would have been left with a much bigger hole to fill.

Channel 43 could turn to Fox News Corp.'s My Network TV, a new prime-time network providing 12 hours of weekly programming starting this fall. My Network TV, which was announced this month, has signed up affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and other top markets.

If Channel 43 became a My Network TV affiliate, Cleveland would have two Fox affiliates - Fox owned-and-operated WJW Channel 8 and Channel 43.

Would Fox care? Why should it? The arrangement would mean more money for the corporation.

But the stations involved might care. Viewers might be confused by two Cleveland stations under the Fox name.

Channel 43 could become a true independent. Back in the pre-cable days, independent UHF stations such as channels 43 and 61 filled their schedules with sports, movies and re-runs.

Now, separate cable channels, Netflix online and DVD rental stores fill those niches.

An independent station could devote itself to mostly local programming, something acutely lacking on Cleveland's airwaves. But in this situation, too, times have changed. Could the 2006 equivalents of "Upbeat" or "Jim Doney's Adventure Road" compete with "Oprah" and "All My Children"?

The idea of being an independent station in the current broadcast climate is scary. That's why The CW decision has left Channel 55 relieved and Channel 43 pondering what happens next.

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainm...base/entertainment/114137929257270.xml&coll=2

 

[BlackHitachi]

NEW YORK (AP) — The spell is broken. The witches on Charmed won't be making the move when the WB network combines forces with UPN to become the CW network in the fall.

A WB spokesman confirmed a TV Guide report on Friday that said the supernatural series, which stars Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan and Holly Marie Combs, will end after eight seasons in May.

With 7th Heaven having already announced its exit, it means that two WB long-running series won't move to the CW. The WB and UPN will both shut down in September.

The final episode of Charmed will air on May 21, TV Guide said.

"It's been a hell of a run," Brad Kern, executive producer, told the magazine. "But all good things must come to an end."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-03-03-charmed-canceled_x.htm

Oh NO!!! How do i break this to my WIFE