NEW YORK – This fall, CBS and Warner Bros. will launch The CW Television Network.
The two companies will co-own the network 50-50. Also announced today was a 10-year affiliation agreement with CBS Corporation’s UPN affiliates – as well as with Tribune Broadcasting – who will all carry “The CW”, which will reach 48% of the American populace.
WB and UPN, the fifth and sixth-largest broadcasters in the U.S., will cease operations this September, giving way to the new net but will continue as separate entities until then.
So, look for a new round of regulatory and business shakeups on this side of the border as broadcasters will have a new channel from which to buy programming and distributors will want to add the channel to their channel lineups.
The new network will “utilize the best programming from CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.,” says today’s press release. Dawn Ostroff, currently president of UPN, will be president of entertainment and John Maatta, who is COO of WB, will be COO of The CW.
“The combination of Tribune’s 16 major market stations and the 12 CBS-owned UPN major market affiliates give The CW instant coverage in 48% of the country. The remainder of the network’s distribution system will be a combination of selected current UPN and The WB stations. The full distribution of the new network is expected to exceed 95% of the country,” adds the press release.
"This new network will serve the public with high-quality programming and maintain our ongoing commitment to our diverse audience," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. "It will clearly be greater than the sum of its parts, delivering excellent demographics to advertisers, and building a strong new affiliate body. Additionally, The CW will be able to draw from the creative talent and production resources from the top two television production studios in the business, while also seeking programming from all sources — independent producers or other studios. With this move, we will be creating a viable entity, one well-equipped to compete, thrive and serve all our many publics in this multi-channel media universe.
“I’d like to thank Dawn Ostroff and all the talented people at UPN who have worked so hard. For many years UPN had financial losses, but under CBS’s guidance, UPN has been able to effect a dramatic creative turnaround in a short period of time,” added Moonves.
"Every key constituency of the network will now greatly benefit from this combination by being part of a highly rated, competitive, 5th broadcast network that is financially sound,” added Barry Meyer, Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
"This is a very exciting day for Time Warner and its shareholders in the creation of what we believe will be a very strong and viable 5th broadcast television network," said Jeff Bewkes, president and COO of Warner Bros. parent, Time Warner. "This new network will have all the strategic asset value as an outlet for our programming that The WB presented us, but with a much firmer and more secure financial present and future."
The 16 Tribune affiliated stations will include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami, Denver, St. Louis, Portland, Indianapolis, San Diego, Hartford, New Orleans and Albany. The 12 CBS Station Group television markets will include Philadelphia, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa, Seattle, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, West Palm Beach, Norfolk, Oklahoma City and Providence. Together, these top two station groups cover the top 13 television markets, 20 of the top 25 television markets.
The CW will incorporate The WB’s current scheduling model, which consists of a six-night-13 hour primetime lineup including Monday through Friday nights from 8-10 (EST/PST); Sundays from 7-10 (EST/PST); Sunday from 5-7 (EST/PST) outside of primetime as well as a Monday thru Friday afternoon block from 3-5 (EST/PST) and a 5-hour Saturday morning animation block. Together, the network will program 30 hours a week over seven days for its affiliated stations.
As the top creative executive, Ostroff will have available a line-up of some of the most popular programming that appeals to young adults in the media business. These programming assets range from reality series such as "America’s Next Top Model" and The WB’s "Beauty and the Geek," to dramas like The WB’s "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls," "Supernatural," and UPN’s "Veronica Mars" – as well as UPN’s comedies "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Girlfriends" and The WB’s "Reba." In addition the WWE’s "Smackdown," which has been a mainstay at UPN, is expected to play a role in the schedule.
In addition, The CW will also broadcast the schedule of children’s programming now known as Kids’ WB!, a five-hour original programming block on Saturday mornings from 7 a.m.-noon, considered primetime for kids.
All programming, marketing, scheduling, publicity and research functions will report to Ostroff.
Maatta will be responsible for the network’s business operations. Bill Morningstar, The WB’s executive vice-president of advertising sales will become the head of sales reporting to Maatta. Other responsibilities that will report to Maatta include business affairs, network distribution, legal, finance and human resources.
"This idea becomes a reality only when a great station group like Tribune comes on board with us and delivers the powerful reach a new network requires. With formidable flagship Tribune stations in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, a great CBS line-up of owned and operated UPN stations, and strong affiliates from every available market, The CW launches as a strong competitor to the Big Four, and that’s good for our business, for the viewing audience, and for free, over the air broadcasting,” said Moonves. “It is also good news for our shareholders, who will benefit from a much stronger business model, improved economics for our stations and new opportunities for our production businesses."
