http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060124/ap_on_en_tv/tv_network



Okay...kewl.

WHAT!

whoa whoa

like whoa.

need time to absorb.

WOW, insanity

they best not cancel Veronica Mars though. Maybe they'll be smart and put it at a time where it isn't facing LOST.

Either way, Univision will still kick their butts.

Uhhhh... okayyyyy.

What's the reason behind the merger?


And I think Christian's right

From LA Times

UPN, WB to Merge Into New Network

By Matea Gold, Times Staff Writer

NEW YORK — UPN and the WB Network will cease operations this fall to make way for a new broadcast network called The CW aimed at young, ethnic viewers, CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Entertainment executives announced today.

Both companies will own 50% of the new venture, which will be carried by the Tribune Co. and the CBS UPN affiliates and offer 30 hours of programming a week, including shows like "Smallville," "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Beauty and the Geek."

The news about the launch of the new network — which will dramatically reshape the broadcast television landscape — was kept tightly under wraps until this morning, when reporters were summoned to a news conference at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.

"We're coming here with a pretty historic announcement," Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of the CBS Corp. said.

"The CW is going to be a real competitor, a destination for young audiences, diverse audiences and a real favorite with advertisers," Moonves added. "The CW will be able to do something truly remarkable: program already hit shows every single day of the week, programs that consistently rank number one or number two in their time slots in the most coveted young adult demographic."

Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment, called the new network "a partnership whose time has come."

"The CW is a brand new network that will be a 50-50 partnership between Warner Bros. Entertainment and the CBS Corp., with both companies contributing the best of their strategic assets — assets including existing hit television series, access to new programming, the strongest executive talent from both the WB and UPN and a solid national distribution system," he said.

Dawn Ostroff, currently president of UPN, will serve as entertainment president of The CW, while John Maatta, currently chief operating officer of The WB, will take on that role at the new network.

interesting stuff.

CW = Certifiably worthless.

Smart move. There might be room for another Fox type network but with UPN and WB both competing for that slot there was no chance either would succeed.

Here are my nightly theories:

Mondays: With 7th Heaven leaving, this will probably be more UPN then WB. This will also probably be where they have the network Comedy block, where they can put Everybody Hates Chris (The UPN Thursday line-up sucks), Reba (The sole WB sitcom worth crap), one of the mediocre UPN Monday sitcoms (All of Us?) and a new sitcom.

Tuesdays: This night is worth shit to UPN, so easily WB. In fact, they just might keep Gilmnore Girls and Supernatural here, if they want to. OR, they could make a Gilmore Girls/Veronica Mars night? Critics would go absolutely nutty.

Wednesday: How does a America's Next Top Model/Beauty and the Geek combo sound?

Thursday: Well, Smallville came back to life here, so they might want to keep it here. And, since there isn't much other new stuff here, lets put a new show after it.

Friday: Wrestling is the only thing that has ever worked for either network (Outside of Reba, but that only makes up a quarter of the night), so this is obvious.

Sunday: Hmm. Well, Charmed is dead, so the slate is clean. I seriously don't know.

WTF!?!?!?

Yikes. If OTH gets cancelled in this deal, I will murder somebody.

But I think it has a decent shot at sticking around. Beauty and The Geek will be a midseason show, so OTH's current Wednesday night timeslot would be open. It also gets better ratings than Supernatural and Veronica Mars, so back on Tuesday with the Gilmore Girls would be a possibility. Thursday and Sunday nights are also open, so yeah. I think Tree Hill is safe...for now.

If anything, they're gonna promote the heck out of that Aquaman show. When is that supposed to air?

Jon, you'll be CW's first employee.

Holy fucking shit.

Hmm should be interesting.
There will be sure a huge abundantment of african-american teen shows next fall I guess

You know, this move is going to kill much of the two networks programming, considering they also have other fall shows likely premiering with any returning shows. Right now, my only main fear is "Veronica Mars" and "Friday Night Smackdown", and obviously more concern towards the former. But, I always thought Veronica could thrive on a night with a perfect WB match, so maybe it'll work out if the CW has Veronica on its schedule this fall.

OTH + VM

<3 <3 <3

Hate to break it to ya, but One Tree Hill will probably die in this merge. The show has showed that it can't survive on its own, so why keep it?

Current schedules: WB

Mondays
8pm: 7th Heaven
9pm: Related

Tuesdays
8pm: Gilmore Girls
9pm: Supernatural

Wednesdays
8pm: One Tree Hill
9pm: ? Reruns ?

Thursdays
8pm: Smallville
9pm: Beauty and the Geek

Fridays:
8pm: What I Like About You/Living With Fran
9pm: Reba/Twins

Sundays:
8pm: Charmed
9pm: ? Reruns ?

Mondays are out, with neither show returning (or likely not to return, in "Related"'s case). Tuesdays are most likely in (this list is barring any cancellation rumors, like in the cases of Gilmore Girls ending after this season, as well as Smallville). One Tree Hill will probably be a casualty of the merge (sorry Shack). Thursdays are probably in, and I can see two of the four comedies making their way to the CW from Fridays with two UPN comedies. Charmed is iffy, considering its age and ratings erosion over the years.

UPN

Mondays
One on One/All of Us/Girlfriends/Half and Half

Tuesday
? Repeats ?

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model/Veronica Mars

Thursday
Everybody Hates Chris/The 90-Minute Dead Weight Comedy Block

Friday
Smackdown

Two of the eight comedies will probably make it to the network. I'm not sure what's going on with Tuesdays. Top Model is a definite, which leaves Veronica Mars and Smackdown for likely candidates to be placed on the new network.

-------------------------------------

Overall, I guess it doesn't look too bad for Smackdown and Veronica Mars after all, and there might be others joining them that I think might be dead in the water. Korrgan's suggestion of a Gilmore Girls/Veronica Mars pairing sounds like absolute heaven, considering Supernatural is better-suited for another sci-fi-type series.

Yeah, Veronica was your enemy before! Now she's your friend. Well... Ms. Mars is no one's friend but her own.

And Wallace's. <3

It gets better ratings than VM(usually).

Not counting mid-season Beauty and the Geek and finished 7th Heaven, it's pretty much The WB's #3 show. Supernatural and Everwood dip beneath it, even with their big GG and Smallville lead-ins. It goes 1. Gilmore Girls, 2. Smallville, 3. OTH. On the CW, it should be around #5 with the addition of America's Next Top Model and Everybody Hates Chris. It might not be an anchor, but there should be enough room on there. It also plays in somewhere around 81 countries, it sells lots of merchandise/DVDs, and it brings in good PR due from faces Murray and Bush.

Oh yeah, forgot about Everwood... stupid Everwood.

is everwood still on?

Yep, it's just in another hiatus. I think it's a yearly thing to put Everwood on hiatus.

Anyways, I see:

Monday
One on One/All of Us/Girlfriends/Half and Half (Or some new UPN comedies. It's their night anyways)

Tuesday
Gilmore Girls
One Tree Hill

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model
Everybody Hates Chris/A high-profile new comedy

Thursday
Smallville
Veronica Mars

Friday
Smackdown
Two new comedies, a WB/UPN-esque mixer.

Sunday
Some high-profile Related-like new drama
? Dunno. Reruns I guess

OTh and VM could easily switch with each other though. I have a feeling that Supernatural will eat the axe. And even if one of them was miracously taken by that show, there's still the wide-open Sunday.