> Just saw an alert on CNBC...a joint news conf right now with
> CBS and Time Warner...isn't over yet....6 nights of
> primetime....apparently TW will run the combined net, a name
> of which hasn't been released just yet. More specs as the
> conf lets out, I'm sure....
>
> =============================================
>
> OK, update with press release.....
>
>
> CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment Form New 5th
> Broadcast Network
>
> PRNewswire
> All PRNewswire News
>
> Each Company to Hold 50% Interest In The CW Television
> Network Tribune Broadcasting and CBS Corporation Stations
> Agree to 10-Year Affiliation Agreements Covering 48% of the
> Country
>
> New Television Network to Utilize the Best
> Programming from
> CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.
>
> Dawn Ostroff Is Tapped as President of Entertainment at
> The New Network;
> John Maatta Will Be Chief Operating Officer
>
>
> The WB and UPN to Cease Operations in September
> 2006
>
> NEW YORK, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CBS
> Corporation and Warner
> Bros. Entertainment today announced their intent to form a
> new 5th network,
> The CW, to be launched in the fall of 2006. 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 and the CBS Corporation's UPN affiliates have
> agreed separately
> to sign 10-year affiliation agreements with the new network.
>
> The announcement for the new network was made today in
> New York by Leslie
> Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS
> Corporation and Barry
> Meyer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros.
> Entertainment.
> The Tribune Broadcasting affiliation agreements were
> announced by Dennis
> FitzSimons, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
> of Tribune
> Company.
> At the same time, it was announced that CBS Corporation
> and Warner Bros.
> Entertainment will cease operations of their respective
> networks -- UPN and
> The WB. The WB and UPN will continue to broadcast their
> respective network
> schedules independently until the fall.
> 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.
> Dawn Ostroff, currently President of UPN, will become
> President of
> Entertainment and John Maatta, currently Chief Operating
> Officer of The WB,
> will become Chief Operating Officer of The CW.
> "This new network will serve the public with
> high-quality programming and
> maintain our ongoing commitment to our diverse audience,"
> said Moonves. "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."
> "This new network makes sound business and creative
> sense at every
> level -- for our viewers, advertisers, affiliates and for
> the shareholders of
> our companies," said Meyer. "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. As we form this
> new joint venture, we are also very pleased that in Dawn and
> John we have a
> management team of great creative vision and business
> acumen, one that will
> help to guide it successfully forward."
> "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 & Chief
> Operating Officer of
> 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 credit
> goes to Barry Meyer,
> who continues to have tremendous vision and extraordinary
> business acumen as
> the long time leader of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a
> company that we are
> proud to say continues to be number one in its class."
> "This is a great day for Tribune and its shareholders,
> and we are pleased
> to be the lead affiliate group of what will be a strong
> network," said
> FitzSimons. "We could not have had a better partner than
> Warner Bros. and
> Barry Meyer since we together launched The WB 11 years ago.
> Now, with the
> ownership role of CBS Corporation and the leadership of
> Leslie Moonves added
> to the mix, Tribune's viewers and advertisers will benefit
> from an even
> stronger programming lineup."
> 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 and
> have a total coverage area of more than 48% of the country.
> The CW will incorporate The WB's current scheduling
> model, which consists
> of a 6 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 hit reality
> series such as
> "America's Next Top Model" and The WB's "Beauty and the
> Geek," to hit dramas
> like The WB's "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls," "Supernatural,"
> and UPN's
> "Veronica Mars" as well as UPN's hit comedies "Everybody
> Hates Chris" and
> "Girlfriends" and The WB's hit comedy "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 5-hour original
> programming block on
> Saturday mornings from 7:00 a.m.-Noon, considered primetime
> for kids. Kids'
> WB! has been the broadcast network ratings champion since
> Fall 2000, capturing
> 16 consecutive sweep victories as the Number One Saturday
> morning kids'
> broadcaster.
> 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.
> Meyer added: "This could not have happened without the
> tremendous energy
> and talent of Bruce Rosenblum, President of Warner Bros.
> Television Group and
> Nancy Tellem at CBS who worked tirelessly and cohesively
> together to make this
> new network a reality. I would also like to thank Dennis
> FitzSimons, who saw
> the great opportunity this new network presents for the
> Tribune Company and
> who continues to be one of the great professionals and
> broadcasters in the
> business today."
> Moonves added: "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. 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."
>
> CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media
> company with
> constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the
> broadcast industry,
> as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge
> of the media
> industry. The Company, through its many and varied
> operations, combines broad
> reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which
> provide it with an
> extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences
> and advertisers in
> all 50 states and key international markets. It has
> operations in virtually
> every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast
> television (CBS
> and UPN), cable television (Showtime), local television (CBS
> Television
> Stations), television production and syndication (CBS
> Paramount Television and
> King World), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home
> media (CBS
> Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), theme parks
> (Paramount Parks),
> digital media (CBS Digital Media Group and CSTV Networks)
> and consumer
> products (CBS Consumer Products). For more information, log
> on to
>
http://www.cbscorporation.com.
>
> Warner Bros. Entertainment, a fully-integrated,
> broad-based entertainment
> company, is a global leader in the creation, production,
> distribution,
> licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and
> their related
> businesses. Warner Bros. Entertainment, a Time Warner
> Company, stands at the
> forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry,
> from feature films to
> television, home video/DVD, animation, comic books,
> interactive entertainment
> and games, product and brand licensing, international
> cinemas and
> broadcasting.
>
> TRIBUNE TRB is one of the country's top media companies,
> operating
> businesses in publishing and broadcasting. It reaches more
> than 80 percent of
> U.S. households and is the only media organization with
> newspapers, television
> stations and websites in the nation's top three markets. In
> publishing,
> Tribune operates 11 leading daily newspapers including the
> Los Angeles Times,
> Chicago Tribune and Newsday, plus a wide range of targeted
> publications such
> as Spanish-language Hoy. The company's broadcasting group
> operates 26
> television stations, Superstation WGN on national cable,
> Chicago's WGN-AM and
> the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Popular news and information
> websites
> complement Tribune's print and broadcast properties and
> extend the company's
> nationwide audience.
>
Has anyone seen an affil list for this network for the entire country?
