The CW Television Network (The CW) is a television network A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early television networks evolved from earlier radio networks in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority shareholder & serves as Chairman. The company's, the former owners of United Paramount Network (UPN) United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States, being in production for over eleven years. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first night of broadcasting was on January 16, 1995. UPN shut down on September 15,, and Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's largest producers of film and television entertainment, former majority owner of The WB (Warner Brothers) Television Network The WB Television Network, or simply The WB, was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture of Tribune Broadcasting and Warner Bros. As a replacement, on January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to launch The CW Television Network in the fall of 2006 (a network that has since been resurrected, with repeats of its programming, on the website TheWB.com). The "CW" name is derived from the first letter of the names of these corporations (CBS and Warner Brothers). The network features a lineup of shows that, according to its President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff, "appeal to women 18 to 34-years-old."[1] The network currently airs programming 7 days a week--Sunday through Friday evenings in prime time, Monday through Friday afternoons, and Saturday morning children's programming (though the network will cede Sunday nights back to their affiliates in Fall 2009).

The network debuted programming after its two predecessors, UPN United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States, being in production for over eleven years. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first night of broadcasting was on January 16, 1995. UPN shut down on September 15, and The WB The WB Television Network, or simply The WB, was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture of Tribune Broadcasting and Warner Bros. As a replacement, on January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to launch The CW Television Network in the fall of 2006, ceased independent operations on, respectively, September 15 and September 17, 2006. The CW's first two nights of programming—Monday and Tuesday, September 18 and September 19, 2006—consisted of reruns and launch-related specials. The CW marked its formal launch date on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, with a 2-hour season premiere of America's Next Top Model America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry. The CW lineup has featured on a mixture of programming that originated on both UPN United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States, being in production for over eleven years. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first night of broadcasting was on January 16, 1995. UPN shut down on September 15, and The WB The WB Television Network, or simply The WB, was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture of Tribune Broadcasting and Warner Bros. As a replacement, on January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to launch The CW Television Network in the fall of 2006 (including America's Next Top Model America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry and Smallville Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB, first premiering on October 16, 2001. After its fifth season, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW,) along with its own original programs such as Gossip Girl Gossip Girl is an American drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Narrated by the omniscient yet unseen blogger "Gossip Girl," the series revolves around the lives of wealthy teenagers growing up on New York City's Upper East Side and 90210 90210 is a teen drama developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch since the first season of Ghost Whisperer. The series premiered in the United States on The CW and in.

Contents

History

Joining forces

The CW is a successor to The WB The WB Television Network, or simply The WB, was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture of Tribune Broadcasting and Warner Bros. As a replacement, on January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to launch The CW Television Network in the fall of 2006 and UPN United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States, being in production for over eleven years. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first night of broadcasting was on January 16, 1995. UPN shut down on September 15,, both of which launched in January 1995. However, both networks can be seen as descendants of the Prime Time Entertainment Network The Prime Time Entertainment Network was a United States television network launched in 1993 by the Prime Time Consortium, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Domestic Television and the Chris-Craft group of independent stations. Originally, the station groups in the consortium helped finance the shows on PTEN, but that deal was restructured at (PTEN), a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Chris-Craft Industries Chris-Craft, Inc. is a privately held American manufacturer of civilian powerboats based in Sarasota, Florida. The company was founded in the late 19th century by Christopher Columbus Smith and became famous for its mahogany hulled powerboats of the 1920s through the 1950s. Its former subsidiary United Television at one point owned several, which launched in 1993. The two companies later became partners in The WB and UPN, respectively, and PTEN continued as a separate syndication service until folding in 1997.

Both UPN and The WB started just as the FOX The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Since its launch on October 9, 1986, Fox has grown from an upstart "netlet" to the status of the highest-rated broadcast network in the coveted 18–4 network had begun to secure a foothold in the American viewing lineup. Both launched to limited fanfare and generally poor results. However, in the subsequent 11 1/2 seasons, both networks were able to air several series that became quite popular, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural drama series that aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. The series was created in 1997 by writer-director Joss Whedon under his production tag, Mutant Enemy Productions with later co-executive producers being Jane Espenson, David Fury, and Marti Noxon. The series narrative follows Buffy, Angel Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffy's creator, Joss Whedon in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999. Like Buffy, it was produced by Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy, One Tree Hill One Tree Hill is a teen/young adult television drama which takes place in a small fictional North Carolina town. Created by Mark Schwahn, it premiered on September 23, 2003 on The WB Television Network. The show continued to air on The WB until May 3, 2006, as it was announced that the network would merge with UPN to form The CW Television Network, Dawson's Creek Dawson's Creek was an American primetime television drama which initially aired from January 20, 1998, to May 14, 2003, on The WB Television Network. The lead production company was Sony Pictures Television. The show was set in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts and in Boston, Massachusetts during the later seasons. Reruns of the show, 7th Heaven 7th Heaven is an American drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on Monday August 26, 1996, on the the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from 1996-2007. The series finale was scheduled for May 8, 2006; however, the show was renewed by the, Charmed Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998 until May 21, 2006, when its network, Warner Brothers, ceased operation. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M. Burge and was produced by Aaron Spelling and his Spelling Television company, with the show runner being writer-director Brad Kern. The, Everwood Everwood was a prime time television drama that aired in the United States on The WB. The series was set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado. It was primarily a serious drama with some comedic moments, Moesha, Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Set in the fictional town of Neptune, the series stars Kristen Bell as the title character, a student who progressed, Girlfriends Girlfriends is an American sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000 on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008.The final episode aired on February 11, 2008. The theme song to Girlfriends is sung by R&B musician Angie Stone. The show was created by Mara Brock Akil and produced by Kelsey Grammer and, Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. The show was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and is the fourth incarnation of Star Trek, which began with the 1960s series Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry. It was produced for seven seasons, from 1995 to 2001, and is the only, Star Trek: Enterprise Enterprise was a science fiction television program created by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman and set in the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry. The series follows the adventures of humanity's first Warp 5 starship, Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed, and Smallville Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB, first premiering on October 16, 2001. After its fifth season, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW,.

Towards the end of their opening decade, the networks were in decline, unable to reach the audience or have the effect that Fox had gained within its first decade, much less that of the Big Three The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC (ABC The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948. Corporate headquarters are in Manhattan in New York City, while programming offices are in Burbank,, CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network or more simply The Eye, in reference to the shape of the company's logo. It has also been called the Tiffany Network, which alludes to the, and NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center. It is sometimes referred to as the Peacock Network due to its stylized peacock logo, created exclusively for color broadcasts). In the eleven years UPN and the WB were on the air, the two networks lost a combined $2 billion.[2] Rather than facing questionable futures as separate networks, executives from CBS and Warner announced on January 24, 2006, that they would shut down their respective networks (UPN and WB) and combine resources to form a new broadcast network, to be known as The CW Television Network, that would at the outset feature programming from both networks as well as new content.

CBS chairman Les Moonves Leslie Moonves is President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation explained that the name of the new network was formed from the first letters of CBS and Warner Bros, joking, "we couldn't call it the WC A flush toilet is a toilet that disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location. Flushing mechanisms are found more often on western toilets , but many squat toilets also are made for automated flushing. Modern toilets incorporate an 'S','U', 'J', or 'P' shaped bend that causes the water in the toilet for obvious reasons." Although some executives reportedly disliked the new name, Moonves stated in March[3] that there was "zero chance" the name would change, citing research claiming 48% of the target demographic was already aware of the CW name.

On-Air

Like both UPN and The WB, The CW targets its programming to younger audiences. CBS and Warner Bros. hoped that combining their networks' schedules and station lineups would strengthen The CW into a fifth "major" broadcast network. Unlike the "Big Four" broadcast networks, The CW does not offer national news News is the communication of information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience or sports Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and programming to their affiliates; however, some affiliates do broadcast local news and/or sports, and many, mostly CW Plus stations, air the nationally syndicated In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States. In the rest of the world, however, most Orlando Orlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, located in Central Florida. The city was reportedly named after Orlando Reeves, a soldier who died in the area in 1867. It was incorporated on July 31, 1875, and as a city in 1885. According to the United States Census Bureau the estimated population of-based morning show, The Daily Buzz.

On September 11, 2006, a new, full version of the network website, www.cwtv.com, was launched. The website now contains links to The CW4Kids and now features more in-depth information of CW shows.

"The New CW" launched with a premiere special/launch party from CBS-produced Entertainment Tonight Entertainment Tonight is a daily television entertainment news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. The show makes the claim that it is "the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world" . It is the longest-running entertainment news at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The estimated population in 2007 was 107,921 on September 18, 2006, after a repeat of the 7th Heaven 7th Heaven is an American drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on Monday August 26, 1996, on the the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from 1996-2007. The series finale was scheduled for May 8, 2006; however, the show was renewed by the 10th-season finale;[4] the same schedule was repeated on September 19, 2006 with Gilmore Girls Gilmore Girls is a Golden Globe-nominated, American comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The series made its debut on The WB on October 5, 2000, and ended on May 15, 2007, in its seventh season, which aired on The CW. Time magazine named Gilmore Girls to their list of the top 100' 6th-season finale.[5] The network continued to air season finales from the previous season through the rest of the first week, except for America's Next Top Model America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry and SmackDown!, which launched their new seasons on September 20-September 22 respectively, with full-night premieres. When America's Next Top Model launched on September 20, 2006, The CW scored a 3.4/5 (with hourly ratings of 3.1/5 and 3.6/6; The CW placed 5th overall) in the households and a 2.6 rating in the Adults 18-49 (The CW placed 4th in the A18-49) beating FOX's 2.2. The network's second week consisted of all season/series premieres for all other series from September 25-October 1, with the exception of Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Set in the fictional town of Neptune, the series stars Kristen Bell as the title character, a student who progressed, which debuted its third season on October 3.[6]

WWE Friday Night SmackDown stopped airing on The CW after the 2007-2008 broadcast schedule due to negotiations ending between WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly traded, privately controlled integrated media (focusing in television, Internet, and live events) and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. Vince McMahon is the and The CW Network. The network later confirmed that the CW had chosen not to continue the WWE broadcast because the network had redefined its target audience as exclusively 18- to 34-year-old women.[2] Thanks to the WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media (focusing in television, Internet, and live events) and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. Vince McMahon is the, MyNetworkTV has beaten The CW in the Friday ratings every week since its debut, though The CW continues to beat MyNetworkTV overall.[7]

In March of 2009, The CW beat NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center. It is sometimes referred to as the Peacock Network due to its stylized peacock logo, created exclusively for color broadcasts in both total viewers, 18-34 viewers, and 18-49 viewers in 2 consecutive weeks, and as a result moved from 5th place to 4th place in total viewers and 18-49 demographics.[8]

Relationship with Media Rights Capital

On May 9, 2008, The CW announced it would lease its Sunday lineup (5:00-10:00 p.m. ET)[9] to an outside company, Media Rights Capital (MRC). The move allowed The CW to concentrate on its Monday-thru-Friday schedule (Sundays have historically been a low-rated night for the network) while giving MRC the right to develop and schedule programs of its own choosing and reap ad revenue generated by its lineup. The Sunday series that were scheduled—2 reality series (4Real and In Harm's Way) and 2 scripted series (Valentine and Easy Money)—performed poorly in the ratings (averaging only 1.04 million viewers[10]), prompting The CW to scrap its agreement with MRC and program Sunday nights on its own as of November 30, 2008.[11] (See "Schedule" section of this article.) The above-mentioned series halted production the previous month and likely will not finish out their runs. Surviving Suburbia, another MRC-developed show that had a planned Spring 2009 debut on the CW Sunday schedule, remained in production and was eventually picked up by ABC.[12]

On June 28, 2009, The CW will bring Valentine back to Sunday nights to burn off its final four episodes.

The future

The CW has generally struggled in the Nielsen ratings since its inception, primarily placing fifth in all Nielsen statistics and, in several slots, has even been outrated by the Spanish language Univision. This has led to speculation in the industry (including a May 16, 2008 Wall Street Journal article[13]) that CBS, Warner Brothers, or both companies could abandon the venture if ratings do not improve. However, The CW's fortunes were buoyed in the fall of 2008 thanks to increased ratings in its 18-34 female demographic and the buzz that some of its newer series (such as Gossip Girl, 90210, and Privileged) have generated. Executives of both companies have emphasized their commitment to the network, especially since The CW rose from fifth to fourth place, beating the 18-34 male oriented NBC in March 2009.[14] Indeed, the CW's 2009-2010 season is a firm go to launch in mid-September 2009,[15] although the network did discuss the idea of an earlier launch for the season--as early as July 2009--in an effort to get ahead of the other networks' fall premieres and to help offset poor performances of summer repeats.[16][17]

On May 5, 2009, the network announced it was beginning the process of giving the five hours of network time on Sundays back to the CW affiliates as of fall 2009, becoming a weeknight-only network in primetime, along with The CW Daytime and The CW4Kids Saturday block.[18][19] Subsequently in mid-May, 65% of the network's affiliates, including those airing the CW Plus schedule, have signed agreements to continue to air the replacement MGM movie package on Sunday, which will be offered in the 2009-10 season through MGM's syndication division as a traditional movie syndication package meant for the CW's former Sunday primetime slot.[20]

The CW is in the process of making a reality television series based on the Shonda Rhimes medical series Grey's Anatomy, currently airing on ABC.[21]

Affiliates

Main article: List of CW affiliates

Following the network announcement, The CW immediately announced ten-year affiliation agreements with the Tribune Company and CBS Television Stations Group. Tribune originally committed 16 stations (including its flagship broadcast stations WGN-TV in Chicago, KTLA in Los Angeles and WPIX in New York; another committed station, KSWB/San Diego, joined Fox in August 2008) that were previously affiliated with The WB, while CBS committed 11 of its UPN stations (including WKBD in Detroit, WPSG in Philadelphia, KBHK-TV in San Francisco [now KBCW] and WUPA in Atlanta). These stations combine to reach 48 percent of the United States. Both groups also own several UPN/WB stations that did not join The CW in overlapping markets. As part of its agreement, Tribune agreed to divest its interest in The WB and did 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 became a CW affiliate. Executives were on record as preferring the "strongest" stations among existing The WB and UPN affiliates. For example, the new network's first affiliate outside the core group of Tribune and CBS-owned stations, WJZY in Charlotte, was tied with Atlanta's WUPA as UPN's fifth-strongest station. In most cases, it was obvious where the new network would affiliate; there were only a few markets (for example, Philadelphia, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Charlotte) where the WB and UPN affiliates were both relatively strong.

Many of the affiliates were previously affiliated with the WB or UPN. Very few were independents prior to joining the CW. One of the first to be announced was the consistent #1 WB affiliate in the Orlando/Central Florida market, WKCF. After becoming a CW affiliate, they did not immediately become the #1 CW affiliate, but roughly after one year, WKCF resumed their role as the top CW affiliate, winning multiple awards for promotions and viewing, just as they did as a WB affiliate.

Although it was generally understood that The CW was a merger of UPN and The WB, the new network's creation was not structured as a merger in the legal sense. Rather, it was one new network launching at the same time two others shut down. As such, The CW was not obligated by existing affiliations with The WB and UPN; it had to negotiate from scratch with individual stations.

As a result, in several markets, the CW affiliate is a different station than either the former The WB and UPN stations. In Helena, Montana, ION affiliate KMTF became a CW station. In Honolulu, Hawaii, The CW did not appear until early December 2006 where it is carried on a digital subchannel of local FOX affiliate KHON-TV. In Las Vegas, Nevada, independent station KVCW signed for CW affiliation. The network has also affiliated with some digital channels, usually newly-launched subchannels of a local Big Four affiliate, in several other markets.

Due to the availability of "instant duopoly" digital subchannels that will likely be easily available on cable and satellite, and the overall lack of a need to settle for a secondary affiliation with shows aired in problematic timeslots, both The CW and MyNetworkTV launched with far greater national coverage than that enjoyed by UPN and The WB when they started in 1995. UPN for several years had gaps in the top 30 markets, and by 2005 managed to cover only 86% of the country. This resulted in secondary affiliations with other networks and the resulting diluted ratings when programs were shown out of their intended timeslots, or the lack of the program airing at all (a problem experienced by many Star Trek fans with Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise).

Launching repercussions

The announcement of The CW caused the largest single shakeup of U.S. broadcast television since the Fox/New World Communications alliance of 1994 and the subsequent launches of UPN and The WB the following year. While The CW debut affected more markets, it was unlikely to cause the same degree of viewer confusion, as no affiliates of the four major networks dropped those affiliations to join The CW. (Some "big four" affiliations did change at this time, but for unrelated reasons.)

The WB and UPN were the first major television networks to close since the collapse of the DuMont Television Network in 1955, although other small broadcast television networks have also ceased operations over the years.

It became clear that Fox Television Stations, 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 MyNetworkTV, a programming service meant to fill the two nightly prime time hours that opened up on its UPN-affiliated stations after the start of The CW. Fox also offered the service to other stations.[22]

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 with MyNetworkTV while others elected to become independent stations. Some stations (mainly digital subchannels, some WB 100+ cable channels, and struggling low-power stations) which received neither network's affiliation opted instead to sign off permanently and cease to exist.

Problems with Time Warner Cable

A number of households around the country were not able to see the new network when it premiered on September 18, due to stations in several markets not being able to strike a deal with Time Warner Cable. In markets like Charleston, South Carolina; El Paso, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; Palm Springs, California; Beaumont, Texas; Waco, Texas; and Corpus Christi, Texas, where the CW is broadcast on a digital subchannel of the station's primary affiliate, there have been unsuccessful attempts in getting Time Warner Cable to carry The CW on their basic cable lineups.[23] The CW is 50% owned by Time Warner Cable's former parent company, Time Warner.

Some affiliates have since signed deals with Time Warner Cable, but not all stations have landed within the analog listings. For example, WSTQ-LP in Syracuse, New York can only be viewed on channel 266.[24]

Currently, the largest market without a known affiliate is the Johnstown / Altoona market, Nielsen's DMA #101. WPCW channel 19, in Pittsburgh, is the closest affiliate and is carried on both Johnstown and Altoona's cable systems; WPCW was originally targeted to serve that area before a switch to a Pittsburgh focus in the late 90's.

On February 2, 2007 at 4:30 p.m., KFDM-TV made its CW affiliated available to Time Warner Cable in Beaumont, Texas on Channel 10 and also available on Digital 6.2. Although the Southeast Texas CW Logo is on commercials made by KFDM-TV, on the television shows the bug is just "the CW".

On Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 12:01 a.m., KCWQ-LP made its broadcast debut on channel 5 on Time Warner Cable in the Palm Springs area.[25]

On Friday, April 20, 2007 at 11:00 a.m., KVIA-TV, began broadcasting the CW on Time Warner cable channel 13. The signal is also available on digital television 7.2.[26]

Pappas Telecasting bankruptcy

One of the major affiliate groups of the network, Pappas Telecasting, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for thirteen of their stations on May 10, 2008. Within the petition, Pappas specifically cited the network's low ratings and performance as one of many complications that had forced it to take the action [27]. Several of the stations have since been sold in either business transactions with Pappas's bankruptcy officials or via station auction processes as Pappas winds down operations.

Although the company had originally stated that no stations would be affected at all by the closing, one Pappas station with CW affiliation has ceased operations. On May 29, 2008, KCWK, a Yakima, Washington-based station serving the south central portion of that state, went off the air and the station's offices were closed, leaving that area without locally based CW programming and forcing cable and satellite companies to carry KTLA from Los Angeles on their systems to provide the network to their viewers. The situation was resolved when Fisher Communications announced that their CBS affiliates in the area (KIMA-TV/KEPR-TV) would pick up subchannel affiliations at the beginning of April 2009 [28].

Tribune's relations with The CW

It should be noted that while they have solid affiliation deals with The CW, Tribune also has affiliation deals with Fox. But with new management and ownership at Tribune, it was apparent that Tribune would start moving one of its CW-affiliated stations to Fox (at least those in markets without a Fox O&O station or a former O&O now owned by Local TV LLC), adding to more questions surrounding The CW's future. In a seminar by Sam Zell in March 2008, the Tribune Chairman/CEO revealed that their San Diego outlet KSWB-TV will switch affiliations from The CW to Fox in August 2008, with KSWB assuming the Fox affiliation from XETV, a 1986 charter affiliate of Fox. XETV (which is licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico under the ownership of Televisa but whose US operations are programmed by Bay City TV) was caught off guard and was not informed of Zell's deal until it was made public in the trades[29]. After the news, XETV planned on fighting the affiliation switch in court on the grounds that the switch would violate a contract XETV has with Fox to run until 2010. But on July 2, 2008, XETV announced that they would join The CW on August 1 and rebrand as "San Diego 6, the new home of The CW," the same day KSWB became "Fox 5."[30]

De-emphasizing the network's brand

Though the thirteen other Tribune-owned CW affiliates have kept their affiliation, eleven of them have changed station's branding,[31] de-emphasizing references to the network in favor of a stronger local identity. Most stations' changeovers took effect on September 1 (the start of The CW's new season), although rebranding for some began as early as July, either on-air (in the case of KWGN-TV) or through early unveiling on their websites as part of a redesign of all of Tribune's station sites, including their non-CW stations. The following table lists the Tribune-owned CW affiliates who have undergone a non-CW rebranding:

City Station Former Branding New Branding Other Notes
Houston, Texas KIAH CW 39 Channel 39 Prior to the change, on July 15, 2008, the station changed their calls from KHCW to KIAH.
Dallas, Texas KDAF CW 33 The 33 Prior to the change, while keeping the CW 33 logo, the station branding was briefly "KDAF 33".
Washington, DC WDCW The CW Washington DC 50 The logo features the "DC" with the silhouette of the dome of Capitol Building & the "50" next to it.
New Orleans, Louisiana WNOL New Orleans' CW 38 NOLA 38 The logo features the fleur-de-lis symbol in the background, a common symbol of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana's French heritage.
Miami, Florida WSFL CW South Florida SFL The "S" in the new "SFL" logo is in reference of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper logo; the station now has their facilities co-located with the newspaper and will launch a newscast in 2009 with contributions from the Sun-Sentinel.
Denver, Colorado KWGN CW 2 KWGN The Deuce The first station on this list to change branding, unveiling their identity as simply "2" on July 7, 2008. In March 2009, under a new combined management with KDVR, the station rebranded as "The Deuce" in an attempt to attract a younger audience. Though the CW logo is incorporated in the new KWGN logo, it is not included in the station's spoken identity.[32]
St. Louis, Missouri KPLR CW 11 KPLR 11 The new logo features an italicized "11" and returns the Gateway Arch motif seen in previous KPLR logos.
Indianapolis, Indiana WTTV CW 4 Indiana's 4 The station's red-and-white logo features the stars and torch found on the Flag of Indiana.
Hartford, Connecticut WTXX CW 20 txx
New York, New York WPIX CW 11 PIX 11 The new image reads "PIX 11" and updates a classic "circle-11" image. The legal ID uses the full call letters WPIX with the subtitle "Home of the CW". The station's spoken identity is simply "PIX" (pronounced "picks").
Portland, Oregon KRCW Portland's CW NW 32 TV Though the station's web address briefly changed to Portlands32.com, it still used the "Portland's CW" branding until April 2009.

As for WGN and KTLA, they have long used their callsigns in their identification, although they seldomly use CW references with those stations (their branding usually suffixes "The CW" after their station branding for entertainment programming).

St. Louis scheduling experiment & Local TV/Tribune streamlining

KPLR-TV, a Tribune-owned affiliate in St. Louis, received permission from the network to experiment with a scheduling shift meant to drive viewers to its newscast and serve an audience not usually programmed to in the timeslot that newscast is vacating. As of September 8, 2008, the station shifted their 9 p.m. newscast to 7 p.m. on weeknights to lead into the CW schedule, which now airs from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. instead of the network's usual Central Time Zone berth of 7 p.m.-9 p.m., in the hope that the network's later youth-appealing shows will do better against network competition which appeals to an older audience, and also moving their newscast away from Fox affiliate KTVI's higher-rated show and into a timeslot where no news currently airs in the St. Louis market.[33] Two weeks after the scheduling changes were announced, Local TV LLC, which owns KTVI and manages the Tribune stations as part of a December 2007 agreement, made it known that the two stations would merge news and programming operations into KPLR's newer studios in October 2008.[34] The same agreement is also in place for KWGN and KDVR in Denver, which will combine operations in KDVR's facilities.[35]

Logos and Marketing

Original blue pre-launch logo for the CW. Never used for CW logo Current logo of the network

At the network's first upfront presentation — May 18, 2006 — the provisional blue-and-white rectangle logo that was used during the network's formation announcement in January was replaced by a green-and-white, curved-letter insignia that drew comparisons to the logo of CNN, another company with Time Warner ownership interest.

"Free to Be"

The network's original full marketing campaign, "Free to Be", was created internally and by the Troika Design Group brand agency.[36] The campaign included advertisements in bus stops, on billboards, on the Internet, in magazines, and on television. It contained stars of the CW shows such as Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Supernatural, America's Next Top Model, Smallville and One Tree Hill with the network's signature green background. The "Free to Be" was followed by a word unique to the character, show, or scene. Such descriptives included "witty" (to describe Gilmore Girls), "super" (Smallville), "scary" (Supernatural), "fierce" (America's Next Top Model), "cool" (One Tree Hill), "funny" (Everybody Hates Chris), "fearless" (Veronica Mars), "fabulous" (Girlfriends), "family" (7th Heaven) and "tough" (WWE Friday Night SmackDown). The ads normally ended with one more descriptive, "together", used to unify the network and its programming with the viewer. Some additional spots were themed for other purposes without CW stars, for example "Free to be tricky" (for Halloween) and "Free to be famous" for The CW Daytime.

"Get Into It"

On August 6, 2007, The CW launched their second marketing campaign, "Get Into It", performed by the lead singer of Pussycat Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger[37]. The original title for the song is "Puakenikeni", which is the third single from Nicole's debut album Her Name Is Nicole. A remix is now used during the commercials.

TV Network logos

American television network logos ABC · CBS · FOX · NBC · PBS · A&E · AMC · Cinemax · CNBC · Discovery · Disney · GSN · Ion · Lifetime · MSNBC · SHOW · Starz · TBS · TMC · TruTV · USA · Weather Channel

Canadian television network logos CBC · SRC · CTV · Global · TQS · E!

"Good Night"

On June 2008, The CW launched their fall 2008 marketing campaign, "Everynight will be a good night". The song in this campaign is "Goodnight Goodnight" by Maroon 5.

"TV To Talk About"

In May 2009, the CW released a promotional picture of Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr with the words "TV To Talk About". In June 2009, The Fall promotional trailer was released.

Imaging and presentation

Multimedia

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by The CW

The CW Network airs a 13-hour primetime lineup including Monday through Friday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET & Sundays from 5:00-10:00 p.m. ET. Outside of prime time as well as a Monday-Friday afternoon block from 3:00-5:00 p.m. ET and a five-hour Saturday morning animation block. Altogether, the network programs 30 hours per week over seven days.

Outside the United States, KTKB-LP in Hagåtña, Guam airs the CW schedule on a Tuesday through Monday pattern because of Guam being a day ahead of the United States.

Prime time

Returning comedies are in red; new comedies are in pink; returning dramas are in green; new dramas are in blue; returning reality shows are in yellow; new reality shows are in gold; movies are in purple.

All times are Eastern and Pacific (subtract one hour for Central and Mountain time).

7:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m.
Sunday Valentine The CW Movie Night
Monday Local Programming Gossip Girl One Tree Hill
Tuesday 90210 Hitched or Ditched
Wednesday America's Next Top Model America's Next Top Model
Thursday Smallville Supernatural
Friday Privileged Everybody Hates Chris The Game
See also: 2008-2009 United States network television schedule

Fall 2009

8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m.
Monday One Tree Hill (9/14) Gossip Girl (9/14)
Tuesday 90210 (9/8) Melrose Place (9/8)
Wednesday America's Next Top Model (9/09) The Beautiful Life: TBL (9/16)
Thursday The Vampire Diaries (9/10) Supernatural (9/10)
Friday Smallville (9/25) America's Next Top Model (E) (9/25)
See also: 2009-2010 United States network television schedule

The CW HD

The CW broadcasts all of their dramas and comedies in high definition, while the network's reality series, daytime and children's programming are still in standard definition. The network is available in HD on most of their full-power affiliates, while availability on those affiliates with subchannel or cable-exclusive affiliations varies by market; in some of these cases a standard definition signal is only available terrestrially, while the station offers an exclusive high definition feed to cable and satellite operators.

Footnotes

  1. ^ "90210" Upfront and Center for CW, Hollywood Reporter, May 13, 2008
  2. ^ a b It's No Gossip, Ratings Slip Threatens CW Network, Wall Street Journal May 16, 2008
  3. ^ CW Staying CW, Says Moonves - 3/15/2006 7:38:00 PM - Broadcasting & Cable
  4. ^ CW Staggers Its Debut - New net will roll out schedule over two weeks - Zap2it
  5. ^ TV Guide, September 11, 2006, pg. 8
  6. ^ the futon critic - the web's best primetime television resource
  7. ^ Fox Still Likely to Pass CBS in Adults 25-54 to Top All Key Age Demos, TV By the Numbers, March 25, 2009
  8. ^ Wednesday Ratings: "American Idol" Strong, "Lost" Low, TV By the Numbers, March 26, 2009
  9. ^ The CW "Outsources" Its Sunday-Night Block; Two Dramas, Two Comedies Coming, TV Guide, May 9, 2008
  10. ^ "CW ends time-buy deal with MRC", from Variety, November 20, 2008
  11. ^ "CW Takes Back Its Sunday Nights, Sets ‘Jericho’ Reruns". TVWeek. 2008-11-20. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/cw_takes_back_its_sunday_night.php. Retrieved on 2008-11-20.
  12. ^ "ABC Buys MRC’s Bob Saget Sitcom", Broadcasting & Cable, February 4, 2009
  13. ^ It's No Gossip: Ratings Slip Threatens CW Network, Wall Street Journal, May 16, 2008
  14. ^ "CW Parents Emphasize Support of Network", Advertising Age, August 21, 2008
  15. ^ "CW Sets Fall Premieres, Shifts Schedule," from broadcastingcable.com 6/17/2009
  16. ^ CW's Ostroff Looks for Early 2009-10 Season Launch, Mediaweek, July 19, 2008
  17. ^ No Wrestling, No Problem, AdWeek.com, November 3, 2008
  18. ^ "Tribune Psyched to Take back Sundays on The CW". Broadcasting & Cable. May 5, 2009. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/231438-Tribune_Psyched_to_Take_Back_Sundays_on_CWs.php. Retrieved on 2009-05-06.
  19. ^ "CW Drops Sundays In Another Blow to Broadcast Model". Reuters. May 6, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE54514E20090506. Retrieved on 2009-05-06.
  20. ^ CW Affiliates Booking MGM Movie Pack, Hollywood Reporter, May 13, 2009
  21. ^ "Grey's Anatomy" Inspires Reality Show?, E! Online, May 22, 2009
  22. ^ News Corporation
  23. ^ Time Warner Cable Squeezes CW Stations - 10/2/2006 - Broadcasting & Cable
  24. ^ The Ithaca Journal - www.theithacajournal.com - Ithaca, NY
  25. ^ CW to debut on Time Warner, The Desert Sun, April 20, 2007
  26. ^ The CW Wait Over, KVIA, April 19, 2007
  27. ^ http://www.pappastv.com/pressdetail.php?id=108&prYr=2008
  28. ^ http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/broadband/e3i9ab6ed8bb35772134ff7659f760d4db1
  29. ^ "XETV, KSWB Battle For Fox Affiliation In San Diego". http://radiomatthew.com/posts/xetv-kswb-battle-for-fox-affiliation-in-san-diego/.
  30. ^ from Fox6.com (July 2, 2008)
  31. ^ "Tribune gives CW the cold shoulder", from Variety, September 1, 2008
  32. ^ From Denver Post (March 18, 2009)
  33. ^ http://www.cw11tv.com/pages/landing/?blockID=34931&feedID=1006
  34. ^ http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/09/15/daily55.html
  35. ^ http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080918/NEWS/809179940/1078&ParentProfile=1055
  36. ^ Elliott, Stuart. "New CW network works to build a brand". The New York Times. Retrieved on September 25, 2006.
  37. ^ CWTV > Nicole Scherzinger
  38. ^ "CW Now": Content or Commercial?
  39. ^ CBS Records
  40. ^ http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/03/daytime-emmys.html

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