UPN and WB to merge

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Stargazer said:
They left out EVERWOOD! HUGE oversight!

I figured this post in the Chit Chat Club would be a better place to post the stories and to keep everyone up to speed with changes coming in the next few months with UPN and WB. We have roughly 3 to 6 threads, I think on this. Maybe we can get them combined and brought over to here.
 
That would be a good idea. I have been thinking that it would be a good idea to combine them for a while now.
 
UPN to stay on cable (La Crosse/Eau Claire)

WKBT-TV in La Crosse on Monday will launch a new station, UPN La Crosse/Eau Claire.

The new station will air on cable channel 9 on Charter Communications cable in Chippewa County. It will replace KQEG-TV in La Crosse. That station had been the local UPN affiliate, but that ended Friday.

The new local UPN network affiliate will broadcast over the air on digital channel 8.2 from WKBT-TV's digital television station, WKBT-DT.

Scott Chorski, general manager of WKBT-TV, said Thursday he also hopes his company's new station will be the local affiliate for the new The CW television network when it debuts this fall.

But a competing station, WXOW-TV in La Crosse, hopes to be the local operator for The CW television network.

It was announced Tuesday the UPN and The WB networks will shut down this fall, and programming from both will be used to launch The CW network, aimed mainly at young and minority viewers.


The “C” comes from CBS Corp. and the “W” from Warner Bros., each of which will own half of the new entity and contribute programs, assets and executives to the new venture.

WKBT-TV is a CBS affiliate. WXOW-TV is an ABC affiliate, and also operates the local WB affiliate, WBCZ-TV, which is carried on area cable TV systems but doesn't broadcast over the air.

Chorski said UPN La Crosse/Eau Claire will carry a mix of UPN programs such as “America's Top Model,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Veronica Mars,” as well as syndicated and local programs.


WKBT-TV's 6 p.m. local newscast will be rebroadcast on the new station at 9 p.m. While it will be a rebroadcast, live reports are planned if dictated by news events, Chorski said.

http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2006/01/28/news/news3.txt
 
Local Affiliates Are Surprised By News of WB-UPN Merger (WNYO/WNLO)

The announcement Tuesday that WB and UPN will dissolve in September and form a new combined network, the CW, appealing to younger viewers this fall "surprised" the general managers of both local affiliates, WNYO (WB) and WNLO (UPN). It also left them wondering which station will lose its prime-time network programming.

"This is a big surprise," said Chris Musial, the general manager of WNLO and its bigger LIN Broadcasting brother, the CBS affiliate, WIVB-TV. He agrees the announcement indicates that either WNYO or WNLO will lose its prime-time network programming.

"I don't know what it means," said Nick Magnini, the general manager of WNYO and its bigger brother Sinclair Broadcasting station, Fox affiliate WUTV. "This caught us by surprise."

The local loser may have to scramble to fill prime-time programming next fall with syndicated reruns and movies.

Though surprising, the announcement wasn't a total shocker because WB executives seemed very concerned about programming costs during their meeting with television critics in Pasadena, Calif., last week and acknowledged that the popular "7th Heaven" was canceled because the network lost $16 million by carrying it.

The news of the WB-UPN merger comes at a time there is speculation that WNYO is planning to drop its news staff and have another local affiliate produce the 10 p.m. news. WB 49's relatively new newscast doesn't get near the ratings of the 10 p.m. news on WNLO, which is the station's highest-rated program.

The decision to combine the two national weblets also will have a significant impact on the creative community in Hollywood, which will lose 10 hours of prime-time real estate to program next fall. The CW will program six nights for a total of 13 hours, two hours each weekday, five hours of animation on Saturday and a 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday block for a total of 30 hours.

The announcement indicated that programs on the safe list for next fall include UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris,""WWE Smackdown" and "Girlfriends" and WB's "Supernatural,""The Gilmore Girls,""Reba" and "Smallville."

But after Tuesday's surprise announcement, no producer probably feels safe.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/techno...f_wbupn_merger/index.html?source=r_technology
 
Buyers Praise Merger Of Two Weaker Nets

Media buyers are lauding the merging of financially struggling broadcast networks UPN and the WB into the new CW Network, but also cautioned the new partners to stay grounded as far as what they plan to charge for advertising in the new venture. Cherry-picking the best programming from both networks for one schedule doesn't mean cost-per-thousand rates should skyrocket, they warned.

With the proposed network's pre-upfront development meeting with agencies and the ad community just six weeks away, buyers believe it will be imperative that CW's executives project a clear picture of any new program development. They'll also want a clearer sense of which specific personnel from each of the former networks will be involved with the new net. "The development meetings in March will be more key than usual," said Steve Grubbs, CEO of PHD. "They will need to be ready to show us that we can believe in their new leadership and prove to us that their programming concepts have potential."

The major players in the merged network have already been announced: UPN president Dawn Ostroff will run the programming side; WB COO John Maatta will run the business side; and WB sales president Bill Morningstar will oversee ad sales. CBS' research and program-planning departments will also work with the new network.

But several agency execs said it will be important to see how the two nets' current staffs are blended and who is brought in from the outside to overcome the obstacles that each could not overcome individually. Last year, the WB lost $35 million while UPN lost between $70 million and $80 million. "The long-term viability of this new network will depend mostly on the people chosen to run it, and less on the programming," said Jon Mandel, chairman of MediaCom U.S. "If they bring in the best of the best, the network will become viable."

While buyers, on one hand, praised the merger on its content merits, they said if the new network gets too aggressive with its first-year upfront pricing, it could lose some of the dollars targeting the 18-34 demographic to cable, or even to Big Four network Fox. "It's a brilliant move that Barry Meyer [chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Entertainment] and Leslie Moonves [president and CEO of CBS Corp.] have done," said Donna Speciale, president of broadcast and programming for MediaVest. "Both networks have been struggling and fighting for the same audience." But she added that several young-skewing cable networks can be used as lower-priced alternatives should CW price itself higher than buyers want to see.

One agency exec pointed out that as a result of the merger, 4,000 gross rating points per quarter will be lost, equal to 7 percent of all broadcast network ad inventory. That constriction may cause ad rates to rise at all the networks, and may spark a battle to capture those potentially freed-up dollars.

Sam Armando, director of TV research at Starcom, analyzed UPN and WB's current ratings and concluded that the adults 18-49 rating of the top five shows on each net averages 1.7. "Optimally, that could go as high as a 2.0" when the networks are merged, he said. "You will have a network schedule with less water and a little more scotch. But advertisers will also have to pay more. They'll hurt themselves by setting their prices too high. If they do that, Fox or cable will become a viable alternative."

Rino Scanzoni, chief investment officer at Mediaedge:cia, said ratings for each of the networks' best shows will go up, but the new combined network will not have as many overall viewers as the two networks currently do. "There will be some viewers who migrate away," said Scanzoni.

Some agencies hope that the migrating viewers are not harder-to-reach African-American viewers who primarily watch UPN (approximately 65 percent of the network's audience is made up of black viewers). One agency executive said he has clients with budgets specifically targeting black audiences, and spends a big chunk of dollars on UPN. But Moonves pledged that CW would maintain its "ongoing commitment to our diverse audience."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/adweek/20060130/ad_bpiaw/buyerspraisemergeroftwoweakernets
 
Since they are merging together then wouldn't they be able to afford to continue 7th Heaven then?
 
I just don't want CBS to touch Smallville and Everwood becauae they are great with WB behind them but CBS could touch up a few of the other shows. You've seen what CBS has done with CSI...even tho it's a WB made show
 
I thought that the CSI shows were actually produced by CBS Productions. There is no metnton of them on the Warner Brothers web site. http://www2.warnerbros.com/main/sitemap/sitemap.html?frompage=wb_homepage

That site lists the following as Warner Brothers produced shows

All of Us
Blue Collar TV
Close to Home
The Closer
Cold Case
Elimidate
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
ER
E-Ring
Eve
Everwood
Extra
Freddie
George Lopez
Gilmore Girls
Hot Properties
Invasion
Joey
Judge Mathis
Nip/Tuck
The O.C. Insider
One Tree Hill
Related
Reunion
Smallville
Supernatural
Twins
Two and A Half Men
The Tyra Banks Show
Veronica Mars
The War At Home
The West Wing
What I Like About You
Without A Trace
 
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WNYA surprised but not alarmed by loss of UPN

The manager of WNYA/Channel 15 said the pending loss of UPN programming is a hurdle the Albany station will be able to overcome.

CBS Corp., which owns the UPN Network, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, which operates The WB Network, said Jan. 24 they were discontinuing those networks and creating a new network in September. The CW will draw programming from both UPN and The WB.

Tribune Broadcasting has signed on to be the lead affiliate group for The CW. The Chicago-based company will carry the network on its 16 major market stations, including WEWB/Channel 45 (cable channel 15) in Albany. This means WNYA, which is owned by Los Angeles-based Venture Technologies Inc., will have to find new prime-time programming by the fall.

Brown said he was surprised by the news, but not alarmed by it.

"The fact of the matter is, the UPN only provides 10 hours of progamming a week, and some of it was not a good fit for the Albany market anyway," he said. "So it won't leave a huge, gaping hole."

He said the station will wait and see what happens in the television landscape before making any decisions. Someone could, for example, decide to create another network to take the UPN's place on stations all over the country, including Chicago, New York City and Dallas.

"Nature abhors a vacuum," he said. "As soon as there's a hole, someone rushes to fill it."

If there is no alternative network created, WNYA could operate as a traditional independent, with movies and syndicated programming.

"I got my start in independent television," he said. "So if that is what we become, it is a road I've been down before."

WNYA, which is on cable channel 4, is housed with Schenectady CBS affiliate WRGB/Channel 6, which handles advertising sales for the station. The UPN affiliate also broadcasts on Channel 51 out of Pittsfield, Mass.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2006/01/30/story6.html?from_rss=1
 
Effect of TV network merger still unknown (Macon, GA)

So far, this week's announcement of the merger between the UPN and WB networks has only caused a minor ripple in Middle Georgia's cable landscape.

Though it might seem likely that the new network, The CW - named after CBS, UPN's parent network, and The WB - would appear in either of the previous two networks' slots on the cable dial, nothing has been set in stone.

In fact, the only certainty is that The CW won't be airing on WGNM-64, the soon-to-be-former home of UPN in the Middle Georgia area.

"(The merger) is actually not going to affect us," WGNM general manager Rip Kenley said. "Our agreement with UPN ends Sept. 2. We're going to a Christian format."

The Christian Television Network of Largo, Fla., purchased WGNM in 2004 and had to honor the pre-existing contract with UPN, which ends in the fall. Since that is about the same time that The CW is supposed to launch, it shouldn't cause a scheduling disruption.

Cox Communications owns The WB affiliate in Middle Georgia, but whether that would be The CW's new home is unknown.

"Right now, it's very preliminary on how it will impact us," said Lynn Murphey, the director of communications and government relations for Cox.

"As soon as we know more, we'll share it with the public."

Part of the reason for the delay is that WMAZ, the area's CBS affiliate, had shown some interest in picking up the rights for UPN as a separate station in addition to its current broadcast.

"At this point, we need to find out about the merger," said Dodie Cantrell, WMAZ's general manager.

"We're always looking around for anything that will provide a platform for more news, entertainment, weather. But (acquiring the UPN rights) is kind of moot at this point.

"It's kind of early to say (about The CW). Where we're looking is broad and wide. I don't know what CW is going to shake out to be."

The CW is expected to run 13 hours of programming six days a week, a similar schedule to both UPN and The WB.

Though nothing has been announced, The CW is expected to pick up several popular shows from both networks, including "Smallville" and "Gilmore Girls" from The WB and "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Veronica Mars" from UPN.

"I imagine Macon will be covered," Kenley said.

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/macon/business/13722512.htm?source=rss&channel=macon_business
 
RE: Request about UPN 38 Programming Questions/Complaints

Email from Upn 38 this morning 02/07:

Hi Jody,

Thank you for your email. The following information includes answers to frequently asked questions regarding the CW. I hope it helps.

What is The CW network, and what's happening to UPN and The WB?
In mid-January, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced their intent to form a new 5th television network, The CW, to be launched in the fall of 2006. The CW network will provide 13 hours of primetime programming to the newly affiliated stations. The new broadcasting network will be a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, with each company owning 50%. In an important strategic move that secures major market distribution for The CW, it was announced that Tribune Broadcasting (The WB) and the CBS Corporation's UPN affiliates have agreed separately to sign 10-year affiliation agreements with the new network. As part of this agreement, UPN and The WB networks will cease to exist and their programming will be a foundation of The CW's primetime programming.

What does it all mean for The CBS Television Stations in New England...Boston's CBS4 (WBZ-TV, Ch.4) and UPN 38 (WSBK-TV, Ch.38) as well as UPN 28 (WLWC-TV, Ch.28) in Providence, RI?
The introduction of The CW network means different opportunities for each of the three CBS-owned stations here in New England, and all three of them will continue to be owned by CBS Television Stations (formerly Viacom Television Stations Group): At Boston's CBS4 (WBZ-TV), there will be no changes. CBS4 will remain the market's choice for hit CBS network programming and exceptional, local news. There will be changes at UPN 38 in the fall...WSBK-TV (Ch.38) will no longer be referred to as UPN 38, the shows that air weekdays at 8-10PM will change, and the station will return to being the very popular, independent station it had been for many years. UPN 28 (WLWC-TV) in Providence, RI will become an affiliate of The CW network, and the primetime line-up will be programmed by the network. Although no final scheduled has yet been released, The CW on Providence's WLWC-TV (Ch.28) will feature top programs from UPN and The WB offering a selection of companion shows popular with younger viewers.

What will WSBK-TV 38 and WLWC-TV 28 have on TV?
The affiliation change on Boston's WSBK-TV (Ch.38) will only affect the UPN programs that currently air weeknights from 8-10PM. These 10-hours-a-week of programming will be folded into the new CW network that will air on WLVI-TV 56 in Boston. What will air on Boston's WSBK-TV (Ch.38) in primetime this fall is being determined, and the WSBK-TV (Ch.38) team is busy at work on ideas. We have so many incredible opportunities to design a unique, custom, and localized program schedule...always keeping our viewers' preferences top of mind. We'll keep you posted on the fall programming plans. As far as the other shows on WSBK-TV (Ch.38) are concerned (the court block, the sitcoms, "Wheel" and "Jep," "Dr. Phil," "Phantom Gourmet," and all of the other viewer favorites), they will stay right where they are so you should stay right where you are: Boston's WSBK-TV (Ch.38)!

And, as was mentioned above, Providence's WLWC-TV (Ch.28) will be Rhode Island's home of The CW offering top programs combined from UPN and The WB. The CW network will provide 13 hours of primetime programming: Monday through Friday from 8-10PM (EST/PST) and Sundays from 7-10PM (EST/PST). The network will also program weekday afternoons from 3-5PM (EST/PST), Sundays from 5-7PM, and provide a five-hour Saturday morning animation block. The plan for the remainder of the WLWC-TV (Ch.28) popular program line-up (including "That 70's Show," court shows, "Malcolm in the Middle," "Sex and the City," and the "Stooges") will continue to air as scheduled. Stay tuned!

Thank you,
Andrea Naper
Programming Department
CBS4/UPN38/UPN28
 
Chernin Upbeat On CW Despite Affils Lost

News Corp. President Peter Chernin says he sees nothing but upside in the combination of the network with The WB.

Chernin notes that by essentially merging two young-skewing networks together, “We think that there will be ratings freed up among younger demos,” which may send many of those viewers to Fox Network.

The same goes for ad dollars that WB and UPN had tied up.

Nine of Fox’s television stations will lose their UPN affiliation this fall when both UPN and WB go dark and their parent companies create The CW Network.

In major markets including New York and Los Angeles stations owned by WB’s 22.5% owner Tribune Co. will become CW affiliates.

As soon as the news broke three weeks ago, Chernin ordered his UPN stations to de-brand by dropping any mention of that network.

On a conference call to discuss News Corp.’s earnings, Chernin said Wednesday that the company’s not sure how it will replace the loss of UPN’s programing.

“We're looking at unwired network things. We're talking to all of the other stations out there and seeing plans that we can come up with to supply those with programming," he said. "We'll hopefully be able to announce something in the next several weeks.”

The company is expected to launch daily syndicated English-language telenovela Desire, from co-owned Twentieth Television, on its owned stations and then offer the show to stations in other makets losing their affiliations with WB or UPN.

In other news, Chairman Rupert Murdoch says that the long-simmering plans for a business news channel may turn into a launch in 2006. He says that after talks with cable operators, "we're growing confident that we'll have enough subscribers to start it this year."

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6305855.html?display=Breaking+News
 
Network affiliations remain uncertain for channels 18 and 24 (Milwaukee)

The future network affiliations of Milwaukee's WB and UPN television stations remains in limbo more than two weeks after the announcement that the networks will merge into the new CW network.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI - News) of Baltimore owns WVTV-TV (Channel 18), Milwaukee's WB affiliate and WCGV-TV (Channel 24), the local UPN affiliate.

Sinclair CEO David Smith said in a conference call with analysts on Wednesday that it's still too early to tell what will happen with his company's six UPN stations and 18 WB affiliates. He said that neither network has advised Sinclair of any plans to terminate their contracts.

"The fact of the matter is that there are no answers as of yet," Smith said.

He said he believes that Sinclair is "in a reasonable position" for its stations to become CW affiliates.

But in markets like Milwaukee where Sinclair owns both a UPN and a WB station, the merger means one outlet is likely to become an independent station carrying a combination of syndicated programming, infomercials, religious programming and possibly local programming such as sports.

Smith said Sinclair executives are analyzing whether the company wants to participate in the CW network and have yet to reach a decision.

On Jan. 24, CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS - News) and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced they will shut down their respective networks, UPN and The WB, this fall. Taking their place will be The CW, which will air youth-oriented programming similar to UPN's and The WB's. CBS and Warner Bros. each will own half of the new network.

Tribune Broadcasting, a minority owner of The WB, and CBS' UPN affiliates have agreed to sign 10-year affiliation deals with the new network. Tribune Co. (NYSE: TRB - News) has 16 stations in major U.S. markets, while CBS has 12 UPN stations in major U.S. markets.

Published February 8, 2006 by The Business Journal

http://biz.yahoo.com/bizj/060208/1226067.html?.v=1
 
CBS, Warner Bros. Tee Up CW Affiliation Pacts

CBS and Warner Bros. executives, meeting in Los Angeles this week to finalize rollout plans for the new CW network, are expected to open the first markets for affiliation pacts within the next two weeks.

Industry sources told B&C letters are set to go out shortly giving stations outside of the core Tribune and CBS markets what they'll need to do to get a CW affiliation, as well as the anticipated timetable for completion of the process.

The initial snail mail is not believed to contain specifics about just what it will take to get the prized affiliation with The CW, which combines the folding UPN and The WB networks this fall.

But many expect reverse compensation to be a key component of bidding wars among multiple stations in the impacted markets.

Since many stations will revert to independent status after being orphaned in prime time and other dayparts by their former networks, the level of anxiety was running particularly high after the initial surprise Jan. 24 announcement about the formation of The CW.

Some UPN and WB general managers had complained that their calls to the networks about affiliate contacts for information were going unanswered.

Fox, which lost its UPN affiliations on nine stations, including the top markets, has already made it clear that its O&Os in Orlando, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Baltimore will steer clear of any CW affiliations, despite the fact that there are no Tribune or CBS stations there.

“It certainly makes no sense for our four available UPN stations to sign with the CW,” Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy said in a memo to general managers last Thursday.

“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. This would insure losses, less growth opportunities and continue station brand confusion in this competitive media landscape,” he said.

To fill the void, Fox intends to announce its own unwired network comprising five- or six-night, first-run strip programming, likely including Twentieth Television’s English-language telenovelas under the Desire banner.

The station group is talking to both domestic suppliers and international producers about potential product.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6306675.html?display=Breaking+News
 
WB's McGuire to CW; UPN's Massey to CBS Corp.

Paul McGuire, currently senior vp, network commuications for the WB network, was named to the same position at the new CW network, which will launch with the start of this fall's new broadcast television season.

CW is the network that will be created by merging the existing WB and UPN networks, which will cease to exist. Joanna Massey, senior vp, media relations, the top UPN publicity position, will move over to CBS Corp., as senior vp, communications, West Coast. The new CW network is a partnership of CBS Corp. and Warner Bros.

In her new position, Massey will report to Chris Ender, senior vp, communications, CBS. She will support campaigns and announcements on the West Coast connected to content-related activity across CBS Corp's programming operations. And she will also serve as the company's West Coast communications person for CBS.com.

McGuire will work with new CW programming president Dawn Ostroff, who currently heads up programming for UPN, and with John Maatta, currently WB COO, who will be the CW COO, to develop communications strategies for the new network.
McGuire has been with the WB since 2001. Prior to that, he was senior vp, media relations at UPN from 1998. He also held a publicity post at NBC before that.

Massey has been at UPN since 2001. Prior to that, she was vp, marketing and new business development at LMNO Productions, She also has previously worked for CBS and for public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard.

http://mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001996022&imw=Y
 
Looks like many will want to get the SuperStations package as it will probably be even more diverse than before seeing that there will be more content. The main reason many will want to get the SuperStations package is to get the CW Network to continue watching their favorite shows if they lose their local UPN/WB affiliate.
 
CW Affiliation Talks to Begin This Week, Letter Confirms

More than 200 owners and executives of TV stations throughout the country received their first communiqués Tuesday under the slate-blue letterhead of The CW making it official that conversations with potential affiliates of the new network are to commence this week.

The five-paragraph letter was signed by CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves and Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer, the two chief executives behind the plan to merge UPN and The WB into The CW this September.

"Affiliation materials will be sent out this week. At the same time, we will be contacting each company involved in the first wave of affiliation discussions," the letter said. "We will do what is necessary to move quickly to evaluate each market, as well as to provide each television station that wishes to participate in our evaluation process an opportunity to do so."

The affiliation materials are expected to be of a marketing nature. Many local station executives have told TelevisionWeek they have reservations about some key components of The CW's business plan and are anxious to get down to brass tacks so they can plan their immediate future.

"Since our January 24th announcement of The CW's launch this coming fall, the feedback from all of our constituencies has been terrific. It's clear that the time is right for a demographically focused, highly targeted programming alternative," the letter said. "For the potential affiliate, The CW represents a unique opportunity to partner on a long-term basis with The CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment in the creation of something new and extremely rare -- a major new broadcast television network, one which will provide its local affiliates with popular, proven programming in precisely the demographic categories that will build value with advertisers, viewers and shareholders.

"Additionally, The CW will have the resources and capabilities to establish a marketing apparatus that will be unsurpassed. The sum of these parts is that The CW will launch as a vibrant new market entrant which will breathe new vitality into each television market nationwide," the letter said.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9394
 
CW Out to Set Key Markets

The CW Television Network began making its pitch to potential affiliates late last week, sending out bid letters to a select group of broadcasters in hopes of locking up a number of important markets within the next couple of weeks, according to people familiar with the situation.

The network began sending letters last Thursday to station groups that own WB or UPN affiliates in large markets and other markets seen as important to The CW, several sources said. The package containing the bid letter included a DVD with clips of shows currently airing on The WB and UPN and features 90 seconds of commentary from CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves, according to one person who has seen the package.

The goal is to reach affiliation agreements in these key cities before hitting the rest of the country, a person familiar with The CW's plans said. The move was expected (TelevisionWeek, Feb. 13). The bid letter The CW sent last week contains one blank space that station group executives are expected to fill in with a dollar figure representing the amount per year they are willing to pay The CW in reverse compensation, according to the person who saw the letter.

Stations will get three minutes of advertising inventory per prime-time hour. The contract also mentions a Sunday 5-7 p.m. block of programming-a block that WB affiliates have often used to run repeats of prime-time programming, the source said.

CW officials said they hope to have 95 percent coverage of the United States by the time the network launches in September. But the network could face some challenges getting there, thanks in part to a growing skepticism among several broadcasters about the new network's prospects and questions over the revenue opportunities the network presents to many stations.

The skepticism, which had been rumbling largely under the surface, became fully exposed last week when LIN TV Chairman Gary Chapman publicly voiced specific doubts about The CW's viability during his company's quarterly earnings call.

He hinted that it wasn't assured that LIN would go after the CW affiliation in the seven markets where the company owns either a UPN or WB affiliate.

"We'll obviously evaluate [the network's pitch], but we are exploring the possibility of maybe not becoming CW affiliates," Mr. Chapman said in an interview, noting that The CW's success is not guaranteed. "It didn't work for UPN or Warner Bros. [which owns The WB Network]. That's why they shut both of them down."

Mr. Chapman's sentiments echoed those of several station-group executives who say they, too, haven't decided whether they will sign up to carry CW programming.

However, some broadcasters said they were surprised at Mr. Chapman's public candor.

"I was surprised by what he said," said the head of one station group. "I don't know if he was sending a message or what."

One particular bone of contention is the weekday 3-5 p.m. block that The CW plans to program, which will leave many local stations unable to generate significant revenue off this lucrative block.

"It's a huge barrier because clearly that is a place where local stations make their money," said one executive.

Another area of concern is the kids' programming block on Saturday mornings.

But perhaps the biggest worry for some broadcasters is the suggestion that The CW will demand reverse compensation in exchange for the network affiliation, something many broadcasting executives say they are loath to pay.

"We have tough negotiations ahead of us," said one station group executive who vowed that he would fight not to pay The CW reverse comp. "We'll have opportunities, but not without a price."

For his part, LIN's Mr. Chapman said one factor that might keep him from partnering with The CW was the fact that LIN generates only 1.5 percent of its total revenue from the UPN and WB prime-time lineups. That's because the station group has the opportunity to sell four minutes of advertising inventory during each prime-time night. Replacing that lineup with syndicated programming and having the ability to sell 16 minutes of inventory during prime time would provide LIN with far more upside-even if ratings didn't budge.

"We do know that four minutes a night in prime time with a 2 rating is not as good as 16 minutes of inventory with a 1 or 2 rating," Mr. Chapman said. "I'd rather have 16 minutes than four minutes, especially if you aren't pretty secure that the network is going to have a heck of a lot larger number than what you might put in there on a syndicated basis. You would be better off having more [inventory]."

A CW spokesman declined to comment on the status of the negotiations.

The CW already has distribution in many of the country's biggest cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, thanks to affiliation pacts reached with stations owned by CW co-owner CBS Corp. and by Tribune Co.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9417
 
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