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{{future channel}}
{{Redirect5|The CW|the [[University of Alabama]] student newspaper|The Crimson White}}
{{Infobox Network |
{{Infobox Network |
network_name = The CW Television Network|
network_name = UPN |
network_logo = [[Image:upn_logo.png|150px|The official logo for UPN.]] |
network_logo = <!-- The logo used here is the best version for use on Wikipedia, as it is clean (not scanned) and uses a transparent background. Please do not replace. -->[[Image:The CW.svg|200px|The CW logo]] |
country = {{USA}} |
country = [[United States]] |
network_type = [[Terrestrial television|Broadcast]] [[television network]] |
network_type = [[Terrestrial television|Broadcast]] [[television network]] |
available = [[United States|Nationwide]]<!--, Available on [[Cable television]] in [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]]--> |
available = National, [[Canada]] |
owner = [[CBS Corporation]] |
owner = [[CBS Corporation]] (50%) / [[Warner Bros.|Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.]] ([[Time Warner]]) (50%) |
key_people = [[Dawn Ostroff]] <br /> [[John Maatta]] |
key_people = Dawn Ostroff, [[President]] |
launch_date = [[September 18]], [[2006]] |
launch_date = [[January 16]], [[1995]] |
closure_date = [[September 15]], [[2006]] |
brand = |
founder = |
website = [http://www.cwtv.com/ www.cwtv.com] |
past_names = United Paramount Network |
brand = |
website = [http://www.upn.com/ www.upn.com] |
}}
}}
'''UPN''' (which originally stood for the '''United Paramount Network''') is a [[television network]] in over 200 markets in the [[United States]]. UPN is owned by [[CBS Corporation]], which also owns the more widespread [[CBS]] network. UPN will shut down on September 15, 2006, to be replaced with [[the CW]].
'''The CW Television Network''', or more casually '''The CW''', is a new [[television network]] in the [[United States]] set to launch for the [[2006 in television|2006]]-[[2007 in television|07]] television season. It will feature a mixture of programming from both [[UPN]] and [[The WB Television Network|The WB]] television networks, which will both cease independent operations. The network, which will target a broad audience, is a joint venture between [[CBS Corporation]], owner of UPN, and [[Warner Bros. Entertainment]], a subsidiary of [[Time Warner]], majority owner of The WB.


==The CW==
The network will begin operations, with repeats and/or a launch special, on Monday, [[September 18]], [[2006]]. However, the network is marketing its formal launch date as Wednesday, September 20, with the season premiere of ''[[America's Next Top Model]]''. [http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-cwpremieredates,0,1559260.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines]
[[Image:The CW.svg|thumb|right|The new CW logo.]]
On [[January 24]], [[2006]], [[CBS Corporation]] and [[Warner Brothers|Warner Bros. Entertainment]] announced plans to launch [[The CW Television Network|The CW]] in the Fall of 2006. This new [[joint venture]] network will replace and feature programming from both [[WB Television Network|The WB]] and UPN. CBS chairman [[Les Moonves]] and Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO [[Barry Meyer]] announced that both The WB and UPN will cease independent operations. UPN's final night of broadcasting will be Friday, September 15, 2006, and The CW will launch the following Monday.


==Origins==
==History==
===Origins===


[[Paramount Pictures]] (the "P" in UPN) has played a pivotal role in the development of network television; it was a partner in the [[DuMont Television Network]], and the Paramount Theaters chain, spun off from the corporate/studio parent, was an early, important component of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television network's survival in the 1950s. In the wake of the successful [[Universal Studios]] ''ad hoc'' [[Television syndication|syndicated]] package ''Operation Prime Time'' (which featured first a miniseries adaptation of [[John Jakes]]'s novel ''The Bastard'' and went on to several more productions), Paramount had earlier contemplated its own television network with the Paramount Television Service. Set to launch in Spring [[1978 in television|1978]], its programming would have consisted of only one night a week. Thirty "Movies of the Week" would have followed ''[[Star Trek: Phase II]]'' on Saturday nights. When the decision was made to transform ''Phase II'' into ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'', plans for the new Paramount network were scrapped, though Paramount would contribute some programs to ''[[Operation Prime Time]]'', like the mini-series ''A Woman Called Golda'', and the weekly pop music program, ''[[Solid Gold (television series)|Solid Gold]]''.
The WB and UPN both launched in January [[1995]] just as the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network had begun to secure a foothold in the American viewing lineup. Both launched to limited fanfare and generally poor results. In the eleven-and-a-half seasons since, despite a number of minor-hit or cult-hit series, neither network was able to attain the stature Fox had gained in its first decade, much less that of the longstanding [[Big Three Television Networks|Big Three]] of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], and [[NBC]]. Both networks were losing money, although The WB had been profitable a few seasons earlier. Reports indicated that the prospects for both networks were fading quickly. Nonetheless, the January 24, 2006 announcement that CBS and Warner Bros. would effectively combine the two networks' operations came as a surprise to most in the industry.


Paramount, and its eventual parent Viacom, didn't forget about the possibility. Independent stations, even more than network affiliates, were feeling the growing pressure of audience erosion to [[cable television]] in the 1980s and 1990s, and there were unaffiliated commercial stations in most of the major markets, at least, even after the foundation of [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in [[1986 in television|1986]]. Meanwhile, Paramount, long successful in syndication with repeats of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' and ''[[I Love Lucy]]'', found itself with several impressively popular first-run syndicated series by the turn of the 1990s, in ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'', ''[[The Arsenio Hall Show]]'', ''[[Friday the 13th: The Series]]'', ''[[War of the Worlds (TV series)|War of the Worlds]]'' and, perhaps most importantly of all, the two new ''Star Trek'' franchises, ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''.
[[Image:The_CW_logo.png|right|thumb|175px|The original CW logo introduced at the announcement of launch]]Like both UPN and The WB, The CW will air programming targeted to younger audiences. CBS and Warner Bros. hope that by combining their networks' schedules and station lineups, The CW will strengthen into a fifth "major" broadcast network. Unlike the "Big Four" broadcast networks, The CW does not seem to have any current plans to offer national [[news]] or [[sports]] programming to their affiliates, however, many stations may broadcast local news and/or sports.


===Launch===
CBS chairman [[Les Moonves]] explained that the name of the new network is an amalgamation of the first initials of CBS and Warner Bros. Moonves joked "we couldn't call it the [[Flush toilet|WC]] for obvious reasons." Although some executives reportedly [http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/62346.htm disliked] the new name, that March Moonves [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6316450.html stated] that there was “zero chance” the name would change, citing research claiming 48% of the target demographic was already aware of the "CW" name. At the network's first upfront presentation &mdash; [[May 18]], [[2006]] &mdash; a new logo was unveiled to replace the provisional blue-rectangle logo used in January. The logo is a green-white insignia which has drawn comparisons to the [[CNN]] (another company with Time Warner ownership interest) logo.
Paramount had formed Paramount Stations Group when it purchased the TVX Group, which owned several independent stations in major markets. This was not unlike of the purchase of the [[Metromedia]] stations by Fox several years previously. All indicators suggested what was to come.


[[Image:upn.gif|thumb|right|Early years' logo.]]
The WB will close their network on Sunday, September 17 with a five-hour block of [[television pilot|pilot]] episodes of their past signature series, including ''[[Felicity]]'', ''[[Angel (TV series)|Angel]]'', ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Buffy]]'' (which was a two-hour episode) and ''[[Dawson's Creek]]'', and during commercial breaks, re-airings of past image campaigns and network promotions. This plan will involve promo spots given to the cable networks currently carrying these shows in off-network syndication, along with ads for each series' TV-on-DVD box set [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117946199?cs=1&s=h&p=0].
UPN was launched January 16, 1995, as the '''United Paramount Network''', a joint venture between Paramount and [[Chris-Craft Industries]]. The "U" in UPN came from United Television, a Chris-Craft subsidiary. Both companies owned independent stations in several large cities in the United States. Each controlled 50 percent of the network. The first telecast, the two-hour pilot of ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', was an auspiciously widely viewed start; however, ''Voyager'' would never achieve such viewership levels again, nor would any of the series debuting on UPN's second night of broadcasting survive the season. In contrast, [[WB Television Network|The WB]] debuted one week earlier, on January 11, with four series; only one of which, ''[[Muscle (television series)|Muscle]]'', would not survive its first season.


[[Image:Paramount_networklogo.jpg|thumb|Logo for Paramount Network]]
It is expected that UPN will close the preceding Friday, September 15, likely with its usual airing of ''[[WWE Friday Night SmackDown!]]''; in addition some stations may air the network's usual, but optional, weekend repeat block. The low-key closure is not surprising given that in some of the largest cities, where the local affiliate is owned by Fox and is joining [[My Network TV]], UPN ''will not'' be available, at least on those stations, once MNTV launches on September 5.


===Viacom takes full control===
Recently, [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] announced that six Tribune owned WB stations that will be affiliated with The CW, will pick up ''WWE Friday Night SmackDown!'' for airing between [[September 2]] and [[September 16]]. [http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/tribunesmackdown] Several other stations, such as [[WCWJ]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] and [[WIWB]] of [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] have also announced they will air ''SmackDown'' in lieu of MyNet stations which have abandoned their UPN affilliations during the weeks before the program's CW premiere, usually on Saturday afternoon/evenings, or Sunday afternoons tape-delayed. Otherwise, it is unclear whether MNTV affiliates will air UPN or WB programs at all in the markets outside the 10 in which the future MNTV station is owned by Fox. [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6355180.html?display=Breaking+News]
In [[2000 in television|2000]], Paramount's parent company, [[Viacom (1971-2005)|Viacom]], bought out Chris-Craft's share to gain 100 percent control of the venture. Shortly afterward, Viacom dropped the "United" name for its new network, opting to change the official corporate name to the three-letter initials, "UPN." Viacom also aimed to relaunch UPN as '''Paramount Network''', using a logo based off the famous Paramount Pictures mountain logo as the new network logo. This idea was abandoned after many affiliates protested, citing that the new branding might cause confusion and erode viewership. A few months before, Viacom bought CBS, thus creating CBS-UPN duopolies in [[Philadelphia]], [[Boston]], [[Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas/Fort Worth]], [[Detroit]], and [[Pittsburgh]]. It is said that Viacom's purchase of CBS was the "death knell" for the FCC's "no duopolies at all rule". Further transactions added [[San Francisco]] (which was traded to Viacom/CBS by FOX) and [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] to the mix.


===2000-2006===
The network will likely launch with a premiere special on September 18 [http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-cwpremieredates,0,1559260.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines], and air season finales from the previous season for the first week, except for ''[[America's Next Top Model]]'' and ''[[WWE Friday Night SmackDown!|Friday Night Smackdown]]'', which will launch their new seasons on September 20 and 22 respectively, with full-night premieres. The network's second week will consist of all season/series premieres for all other series from September 25-October 1, with the exception of ''[[Veronica Mars]]'', which will debut its third season on October 3 [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/pr.aspx?id=20060717cw01].
At the time of UPN's launch, the network's [[flagship (television)|flagship station]] was [[WWOR-TV]] in [[New York City]], owned by Chris-Craft. Even after Chris-Craft sold its share of the network to Viacom, WWOR was still commonly regarded as the flagship station since it had long been common practice to accord this status to a network's New York station. For this reason, some cast doubt on UPN's future after Fox bought most of Chris-Craft's television holdings. Several UPN stations were part of the deal, including WWOR and [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] flagship [[KCOP-TV]] in [[Los Angeles]]. Fox later bought the third-largest UPN affiliate, [[WPWR-TV]] in [[Chicago]]. Since Chris-Craft sold its stake in UPN, the network's largest [[owned and operated station]] has been [[WPSG]] in Philadelphia.


New shows began to breathe life into the network starting in Fall 2003 with ''[[America's Next Top Model]]'', in Fall 2004 with ''[[Veronica Mars]]'', and in Fall 2005 with [[Chris Rock]]'s ''[[Everybody Hates Chris]]''. Network executives have stated that UPN's current desired demographic is young women and [[African-American]]s. This was seen as a contributing factor in the network's decision to drop the ''Star Trek'' franchise, and also contemplate not renewing its contract with the WWE, though ''SmackDown'' has been renewed in [[2006 in television|2006]] for another two seasons.
==Stations==
[[Image:The CW.jpg|right|thumb|175px|A screenshot from a CW promo featuring background music of a rendition of [[The Temptations]] song ''"[[Get Ready (Motown song)|Get Ready]]"'' sung by [[Black Eyed Peas]] members [[Stacy Ferguson|Fergie]] and [[will.i.am]]. Note the "Free to be _____" branding.]]


When Viacom split into two companies at the end of 2005, UPN became a unit of the [[CBS Corporation]].
Following the network announcement, The CW immediately announced ten-year affiliation agreements with the [[Tribune Company]] and CBS. Tribune has committed 16 stations (including its flagship broadcast stations [[WGN-TV]] in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], [[KTLA]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] and [[WPIX]] in [[New York City|New York]]) that were previously affiliated with The WB, while CBS committed 11 of its UPN stations (including [[WPSG]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]]). These stations combine to reach 48 percent of the United States. Both groups will also own several UPN/WB stations not joining The CW in overlapping markets. As part of its agreement, Tribune agreed to divest its interest in The WB and will not take an ownership interest in The CW.


==Availability==
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 will become a CW affiliate. Executives are on record as preferring the "strongest" stations among existing The WB and UPN affiliates. However, as the "merger" is structured not as a merger in the legal sense but as a new network launching at the same time as two others shut down, The CW was not obligated by existing affiliations with The WB and UPN. It had to negotiate from scratch with individual stations.
Although considered a major network by the [[Nielsen Ratings]], UPN is not available in all areas of the United States. In some areas, UPN programming is shown off-pattern by affiliates of other networks. A number of secondary UPN affiliates such as [[KIKU|KIKU-TV]] of Honolulu, Hawaii also choose to broadcast programming off-pattern, instead of following UPN's master schedule. Some affiliates have also been known to extensively preempt network programming in order to broadcast local sporting events. These factors have led to the network struggling in the ratings over the past few years, with its most recent ''ST'' franchise, ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'', perhaps suffering the most and ultimately being cancelled by the network in a controversial decision in February 2005. The most consistent ratings performer for the network has been their Thursday offering from [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] (formerly the WWF), ''[[WWE Friday Night SmackDown!|WWE SmackDown!]]'' (although it now airs on Fridays). In the [[2004 in television|2004]]-[[2005 in television|2005]] season, the network was getting consistently better ratings than the WB, much of this thanks to the WWE. <ref>John Consoli, "UPN's Start-of-Week Blues", ''Mediaweek'', October 23, 2004.</ref>.


It was estimated in [[2003 in television|2003]] that UPN is viewable by 85.98% of all households, reaching 91,689,290 houses in the United States. UPN has approximately 143 full-power owned-and-operated or primary affiliate stations in the U.S. and another 65 stations air some UPN programming as secondary affiliates.
As a result, in some markets, the CW affiliate will be a different station than either the existing The WB and UPN stations. In [[Helena, Montana]], [[i (TV network)|i]] affiliate KMTF will become a CW station. In [[Las Vegas, Nevada]], independent station [[KVCW]] has signed for CW affiliation. And in [[Idaho Falls, Idaho]], [[America One]] station [[KPIF-TV]] will switch affiliations. The network has also affiliated with some digital channels, usually newly-launched subchannels of a local Big Four affiliate, in several markets.


==Programming==
Under the new network, a new service titled [[The CW Plus]] [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6310810.html?display=Breaking+News] will serve Nielsen [[media market|DMA]]s with rankings of 100 and lower. It will be similar to [[The WB 100+ Station Group]], which supplied locally-branded WB-affiliated cable channels. In most cases, distribution for The CW Plus will cover not only cable but broadcast as well, including the digital subchannels discussed above.


The first official UPN network programming was the series ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''. Other early UPN programs included the action show ''[[Nowhere Man (TV series)|Nowhere Man]]'' starring [[Bruce Greenwood]], the action show ''[[Marker (TV series)|Marker]]'' starring [[Richard Grieco]], the comic western ''[[Legend (TV Series)|Legend]]'' starring [[Richard Dean Anderson]], the science-fiction themed action show, ''[[The Sentinel (TV series)|The Sentinel]]'', and ''[[Moesha]]'', a sitcom starring [[Brandy Norwood]].
On [[March 1]], five affiliates - four WB, one UPN - were the first outside the CBS/Tribune core to sign CW affiliate deals. [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6312099.html?display=Breaking+News]. Through [[May 18]], [[2006]], 174 stations have become affiliates of the CW, reaching 105 million households and covering 95.3% of the country (the latter two figures excluding the future CW stations in [[Puerto Rico]] and the U.S. [[Virgin Islands]]). The largest market without a signed affiliate as of May 18 is [[Honolulu, Hawaii]] (ranked #72), with a handful of markets in the 90s and several further down also lacking an affiliate.


After ''Voyager''&#39;s 7-season run came to an end, UPN began broadcasting the newest ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[spin-off]], ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''. UPN also bought the rights to broadcast the popular television shows ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]'', ''[[The Hughleys]]'', and ''[[Roswell (TV series)|Roswell]]'' from [[20th Century Fox]], [[Viacom]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[WB Television Network|The WB]], respectively, after ABC and The WB cancelled those series.
Station groups with a large number of affiliates include [[Pappas Telecasting]], [[ACME Communications]], and [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]], although many other large groups, including [[Hearst-Argyle]], [[Clear Channel Communications|Clear Channel]], and [[Belo]] have signed up selected stations. Sinclair signed on in early May despite reservations with The CW's reported demands for [[reverse compensation]] ([http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=40247]).


The network also produced some special programs.
While [[WGN-TV]] in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] will be part of the new network, its out-of-market ''[[Superstation]] WGN'' feed, which does not currently air WB programming, will similarly not air programs from The CW Network.
For example, they presented the ''[[Iron Chef USA]]'' program during [[December 2001|Christmas 2001]]. UPN also shows the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]]'s ''[[WWE Friday Night SmackDown!|SmackDown!]]'' show, ''[[America's Next Top Model]]'', ''[[Girlfriends]]'',
''[[Veronica Mars]]'', ''[[Everybody Hates Chris]]'', loosely based on the childhood of comedian [[Chris Rock]], and in the Summer of 2005 UPN aired ''[[R U The Girl]]'', in which [[R&B]] group [[TLC (music)|TLC]] searched for a woman to join them on a new song.
Several affiliates have changed their call letters to reflect their new affiliation with the CW (e.g. WNPA-TV to [[WPCW-TV]], WJWB to [[WCWJ]], WHCP to [[WQCW]], [[WEWB]] to [[WCWN]], [[KWCV]] to [[KSCW]], [[WBDC]] to [[WDCW]], [[KBHK]] to [[KBCW]], and [[KHWB]] to [[KHCW]]). In August, CBS Corporation's soon-to-be CW stations dropped all references to UPN from their branding, except for [[WTOG]] in [[St. Petersburg, Florida]], which still uses "UPN44" in its branding.


UPN has a new policy of ''"not picking up other networks' scraps,"'' which was a strong argument when fan pressure was generated in 2004 for them to pick up ''[[Angel (TV series)|Angel]]'', the [[spin-off]] of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' which was dropped from the WB.
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 MNTV will be launching 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 reach only 85% of the population. 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 (experienced by several ''[[Star Trek]]'' fans with ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'').


=== Children's programming ===
===Repercussions===
UPN is one of only two of the broadcast networks ([[I (TV network)|i]] is the other) not to air a children's programming block on weekend mornings. When UPN launched in [[1995 in television|1995]], the station aired cartoons on weekends; the lineup was known as '''[[UPN KIDS]]'''. In [[1998 in television|1998]], UPN went a different way with its children's program block by airing reruns of the syndicated ''[[Sweet Valley High]]'' and a new series, ''[[Breaker High]]'' on weekdays and weekends aiming the programs at teenagers. As opposed to ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox stations, some UPN affiliates aired the weekend children's program block on Sunday mornings instead of Saturdays.
The announcement of The CW caused the largest single shakeup of U.S. broadcast television since the [[Fox affiliate switches of 1994|Fox/New World Communications alliance]] of [[1994 in television|1994]] and the subsequent launch of UPN and The WB themselves the following year. While it affects more markets, it is unlikely to cause the same degree of viewer confusion as no affiliates of the four major networks will be dropping those affiliations. The disappearance of The WB and UPN will be the first time a major television network has closed since the collapse of the [[DuMont Television Network]] in [[1955 in television|1955]], although other small broadcast television networks have also ceased operations over the years.


In [[1999 in television|1999]], UPN made a deal with [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] to air select programming from ABC's ''[[One Saturday Morning]]'' block (now [[ABC Kids (United States)|ABC Kids]]) in place of the teen series. The new lineup would be called ''[[Disney's One Too]]''. ''[[Recess (TV series)|Recess]]'' and ''[[Sabrina, the Animated Series]]'' were among the programming on the original lineup. Many UPN affiliates already had the [[Disney Afternoon]] block anyway. The Disney cartoons therefore were no longer syndicated but now aired on UPN stations. The block was reinstated to two hours. In some markets it ran weekday mornings while in other markets weekday afternoons. In [[2001 in television|2001]], however, ''[[Digimon: Digital Monsters]]'' moved to the lineup from [[Fox Kids]]. This was due to Disney's acquisition of Fox's Children's programming department as well as the Fox Family Channel, now renamed [[ABC Family]].
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 (or may sign) with [[My Network TV]] while others will elect to become [[independent station]]s. Some stations (mainly digital subchannels, some WB 100+ cable channels, and struggling low-power stations) which received neither network's affilliation will sign off permanently and cease to exist, for example, the "UPN17" cable channel run by [[Dayton, Ohio]]'s [[WHIO-TV]] will stop broadcasting at the end of 2006.


After seven years of airing children's programming, UPN dropped out of the kids program business in [[October 2003]] when Disney's contract with UPN came to an end. Reasons included FCC restrictions on quantity of advertising on children's programs, the content of such advertising, the fact syndicators were moving their best product to cable only, and the growth of cable channels directed at children (which have fewer advertising restrictions). As of January 2006, UPN has no current plans of returning kids programming to the network. That is now a moot point because of its merger with WB creating the CW Network. When [[The CW Television Network|The CW ]] launches, they will utilize the [[Kids' WB]] lineup for children's programming.
It became clear that the [[Fox Television Stations Group]], which purchased several UPN affiliates from former UPN co-owner [[Chris-Craft Industries]] in [[2002 in television|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 [[My Network TV]], a programming service meant to fill the two nightly prime time hours that will open on its UPN-affiliated stations after the start of The CW. Fox has also offered the service to other stations. [http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_277.html]


Some Fox stations decide to carry Fox's [[4Kids Entertainment]] block to a UPN (or WB) station in their market (or an [[independent station]]) so the Fox affiliate can air general entertainment or local news programming on Saturday mornings. [[WFLD]] 32 in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], for example, has recently moved the 4KidsTV schedule to co-owned UPN affiliate [[WPWR-TV]] Channel 50, while Channel 32 airs news and children's programming in place of the shows. Also some UPN stations air a block of cartoon programming from [[DIC Entertainment]] (''[[Trollz]]'' and ''[[Sabrina: The Animated Series]]'') which is designed to meet minimal [[E/I|educational and informational programming requirements]] set by the FCC, and usually airs either six days a week for a half-hour each day, or in three hour-long blocks throughout the week.
Tribune indicated following the network announcement they would be interested in Fox-developed programming blocks such as My Network TV for its three stations not taking the CW affiliation — [[WPHL-TV|WPHL]], [[WATL (TV)|WATL]] and [[KMYQ|KTWB]] (now [[KMYQ]]) — and on [[May 15]], Tribune announced that those stations would become My Network TV affiliates. [http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8HKD1EG0.htm?campaign_id=apn_home_down&chan=db] In contrast, CBS initially seemed more hostile to MNTV, and announced its remaining UPN affiliates would all become independent stations. Eventually three CBS-owned stations &ndash; [[WBFS-TV|WBFS]] in [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[WUPL]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] (awaiting sale to Belo), and WB affiliate [[WTCN-CA]] in [[West Palm Beach, Florida]] &ndash; will affiliate with MNTV. [[WSBK-TV|WSBK]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] will remain indepedent; [[KTXA]] in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] was constrained to independence in any event, as Fox-owned [[KDFI]] had taken the My Network TV affiliation.


=== Television movies ===
Meanwhile, four former UPN affiliates will join older networks. [[WLQP-LP]] in [[Lima, Ohio]] will become the local [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate, [[WSWG]] in [[Valdosta, Georgia]] will become a [[CBS]] affiliate and add MNTV as a digital subchannel, while [[WJKT]] in [[Jackson, Tennessee]] and the digital subchannel of [[WBOC-TV|WBOC]] in [[Salisbury, Maryland]] will join Fox.


Although they currently run them very rarely, UPN has produced a number of [[television movies]]. Almost all of them were [[science-fiction]], and mostly ran during the late 1990s. For a full list, see [[List of television films produced for UPN]].
===Other repercussions===
Other repercussions include the following:
*Prior to the MNTV announcement, several stations had reportedly begun to search for new programming to fill empty timeslots, likely to further boost the fortunes of the syndication industry.
*On [[January 27]], [[2006 in television|2006]], [[La Crosse, Wisconsin]] UPN affiliate [[KQEG-CA|KQEG]] dropped its UPN affiliation, becoming the first known station to drop an affiliation due, presumably, to the merger. It has retained its [[FamilyNet]] affiliation.
*[[Granite Broadcasting]] had previously reached an agreement to sell their WB-affiliated stations in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] and [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] — [[KBWB]] and [[WMYD]] (the former WDWB), respectively — to [[AM Media]], a unit of private equity firm [[Acon Investments]]. With the dissolution of The WB, and with CBS owning UPN stations in both cities already announced as joining The CW, the deal between Granite and AM Media eventually fell apart, and Granite announced its intentions to sell the stations to [[DS Audible]], LLC instead for a lesser price. Granite is now suing CBS and Time Warner over the failed deal. [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6335857.html?display=Breaking+News] On [[July 18]], [[2006 in television|2006]], the DS Audible deal also fell apart. [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-18-2006/0004398783&EDATE=]
*CBS filed suit against [[Belo]] in early 2006 for allegedly reneging on the purchase of [[WUPL]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]], following the announcement that Tribune-owned competitor [[WNOL-TV|WNOL]] would take the CW affiliation (but before WUPL's affiliation with MNTV was announced).
*After the end of May [[sweeps]] as both networks have started shutting down, stations have begun to pre-empt UPN and WB programming en masse for various reasons. UPN affiliate [[WACY]] in [[Appleton, Wisconsin|Appleton]]-[[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] (that market's future My Network TV station) as of [[June 5]] began to replace all of the network's second hour of programming whenever possible (except for ''Veronica Mars'') with airings of [[infomercial]]s [http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/2289/titantv4ml.jpg].
* [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]]'s [[WBQC]] (which will not be affiliating with the CW, or My Network TV) has continued to air UPN, but as of [[July 4]] moved the network to a deep late night slot, from 2am-4am early Tuesday morning-early Saturday morning. The July 4 date was used to promote the station's "[[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]]" programming. [http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060625/ENT/606250308/1025/LIFE].
* [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]]'s [[KPNZ]], which will also not be affiliating with either network, removed UPN programming entirely in June, and the network has not found a replacement since then.


The network also offered a weekend afternoon movie series called the ''UPN Movie Trailer'' to their stations from the network's inception up until [[2002]], which featured mostly older [[Hollywood]] action and comedy films which had their rights acquired by UPN or were [[Paramount Pictures]] releases. ''UPN Movie Trailer'' was discontinued after 2002 to add an optional second weekend run of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', ''America's Next Top Model'', and later ''Veronica Mars'', for stations that wanted to take it.
===Imaging and presentation===
Imaging and presentation, along with the schedules of both networks have also changed as both networks have started to shut down:


==Station standardization==
*On August 14, 2006, UPN stopped inserting their [[Digital_On-screen_Graphic|bug]] into prime time programming, and UPN affiliates were given permission to add The CW [[lower thirds]] and [[Digital_On-screen_Graphic|bug]] during this time. WB affiliates automatically had The CW [[lower thirds]] and [[Digital_On-screen_Graphic|bug]] inserted into primetime programming.
During the mid-1990s when it was launched, UPN began having most of its stations branded as "UPN" or "Paramount", then the channel number, with the call signs nearby. By the late 1990s, the call signs were minimized to be just barely readable to meet [[FCC]] requirements, and the stations were simply known as "UPN", then channel number or city. (e.g. [[WPWR-TV]] in Chicago had been referred to as "UPN Chicago" and [[WWOR-TV]] in New York was referred to as "UPN 9" until the CW merger was announced in late January 2006.) But most UPN [[owned and operated station]]s under the CBS Corporation brand it by network and city according to the [[CBS Mandate]]. For example, [[KBCW]] in San Francisco is branded "UPN Bay Area," [[WKBD]] in Detroit is branded "UPN Detroit" and [[WUPL]] in New Orleans is branded "UPN New Orleans." However, that doesn't always apply, as [[WSBK-TV]] in Boston is branded "UPN 38" and [[KMAX-TV]] in Sacramento is branded "UPN 31," for example.
*UPN also ended all promotional advertising for their programs during network time on the same day, though local stations may still be airing promos for network shows. On the WB, advertising for their shows continues during their network time, though the promos are mixed between WB and the CW.
*Possibly because of station pre-emptions, UPN has stopped customizing [[closing credits]] to their graphics scheme, instead showing studio credits full-screen with theme music and no promo (except for ''America's Next Top Model'', which has a preview of the next episode on the left of the screen, and credits to the right). Meanwhile, The WB's closing credits remain in the standard 'bottom 1/3rd credits, top 2/3rds promo' format.
*UPN has also made Wednesday night a movie night with low-grossing or [[direct-to-video]] releases filling the two hour slot to keep costs low most weeks, or else airing reruns of sitcoms already cancelled.
*The last week of May sweeps on the WB featured an uncompetitive all-movie schedule, as the network had shown season finales for most shows a week or two weeks earlier.
*The WB brought back reruns of the sketch comedy series ''[[Blue Collar TV]]'' to Wednesday nights, along with repeat and unaired episodes of ''[[Just Legal]]'' on Sunday nights, though both programs have long since been cancelled. The network's Friday night, long a trouble spot for the network, has also featured low-cost movies on some weeks.


This would be a continuation of the trend for networks to do such naming schemes, originated at Fox (and even earlier at [[CBC]] in Canada), especially at CBS, who uses the CBS Mandate on all of their O&O stations. The WB, [[NBC]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] also do similar naming schemes, but not to that extreme.
==Programming==
{{main|List of programs broadcast by The CW}}
The CW network will adopt The WB's present 30-hour programming schedule. It will provide 13 hours of [[prime time]] programming to affiliated stations, 8–10pm Monday to Friday (all times ET/PT) and 7–10pm on Sunday. Programming will also be provided between 5–7pm Sundays (the ''Easy View'' repeat block), 3–5pm weekday afternoons (currently off-network repeats under the ''[[Daytime WB]]'' banner will soon be changed to ''The CW Daytime''), and a five-hour Saturday morning animation block (currently known as ''[[Kids' WB]]'', to be rebranded as ''Kids' WB on The CW'' at the network's launch in September [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6327554.html?display=Breaking+News]).


However, while the traditional "Big Three" don't require their affiliates to have such naming schemes (though some affiliates choose to adopt it anyway) and only on their O&O's is the style required, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] and UPN mandate it on all stations, though [[The WB Television Network|The WB]] does not.
The lead-up to The CW's initial fall schedule announcement was accompanied by a number of vocal pleas by viewers and critics to pick up what they considered the best shows from the two networks. These were met with varying degrees of success; the critically-acclaimed ''[[Everwood]]'' was not picked up, while critical favorite with even lower ratings, ''[[Veronica Mars]]'', was, along with surprise pick-up ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]''. Meanwhile, ''[[Reba (TV series)|Reba]]'', The WB's top sitcom but outside The CW's target demographic, was only picked up at the last minute.


===Fall 2006 lineup===
==Network Closure==
UPN will go off the air on Friday, [[September 15]] [[2006]]. [http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/living/15061562.htm?source=rss&channel=centerdaily_living], Whether the network will air its usual (optional) repeat block that weekend is unknown. Given the current scheduling for the block, ''[[America's Next Top Model]]'' will have finished airing repeats from its sixth cycle. Only ''[[Veronica Mars]]'' would be incomplete in its summer weekend repeats, with its season finale being the one episode remaining for affiliates to potentially pick up. However, the Fox-owned stations' affiliation agreement with UPN is reported to end at the end of August, and, regardless, [[My Network TV]] has announced it will launch on September 5 on those and other stations. In those markets, any UPN programming aired after [[August 31]] will not be available, and replaced with movies for the two network days before My Network TV premieres (though as of now, FTSG stations in Chicago and Phoenix will still air UPN on September 1, according to Yahoo TV listings). Depending on individual stations' contracts, some WB/UPN stations in other markets (specifically those not joining The CW, and particularly those joining MNTV) may also drop programming (or move it to late night) prior to network closure.
Shows carried over from '''The WB''' are in '''red'''; shows carried over from '''UPN''' are in '''green'''. New network shows are in '''yellow'''.


Since the network will continue to air for two weeks, some markets will not see two weeks of ''Friday Night Smackdown'', while in others it could be moved to a different time slot, such as Sunday afternoons. In the case of the [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]]/[[Appleton, Wisconsin|Appleton]] market for instance, CW/WB affiliate [[WIWB]] will air the final two UPN episodes of ''Smackdown'' on Sunday afternoons, as UPN/My Network TV station [[WACY]] will terminate their UPN affiliation upon My Network TV's launch.
Times given are ET/PT


On August 14, UPN discontinued use of their [[digital on-screen graphic|corner bug]], allowing future CW/My Network affiliates to substitute their local/national corner bug and [[lower third]] graphics on-screen until the network's closure or affiliate discontinuation. The network has also ended all promotional advertising for their shows on the network's air.
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
!2006-07 Season
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|7:00 PM
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|7:30 PM
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|8:00 PM
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|8:30 PM
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|9:00 PM
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|9:30 PM
|-
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Sunday
|colspan="1" bgcolor="#99FF99"|''[[Everybody Hates Chris]]'' <small> (NN) (NT) ([[October 1|10/1]])</small>
|colspan="1" bgcolor="#99FF99"|''[[All of Us]]'' <small> (NN) (NT) ([[October 1|10/1]])</small>
|colspan="1" bgcolor="#99FF99"|''[[Girlfriends]]'' <small>(NN) (NT) ([[October 1|10/1]])</small>
|colspan="1" bgcolor="#FFFF99"|''[[The Game (US TV series) |The Game]]'' <small>([[October 1|10/1]])</small>
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#99FF99"|''[[America's Next Top Model]]'' <small>(NN) (NT) (E) ([[October 1|10/1]])</small>
|-
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Monday
|colspan="2" rowspan="6"|Local Programming
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#FF9999"|''[[7th Heaven]]'' <small>([[September 25|9/25]])</small>
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFFF99"|''[[Runaway (TV series)|Runaway]]'' <small>([[September 25|9/25]])</small>
|-
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Tuesday
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#FF9999"|''[[Gilmore Girls]]'' <small>([[September 26|9/26]])</small>
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#99FF99"|''[[Veronica Mars]]'' <small>([[October 3|10/3]])</small>
|-
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Wednesday
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#99FF99"|''[[America's Next Top Model]]'' <small>([[September 20|9/20]])</small>


==Trivia==
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#FF9999"|''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'' <small>([[September 27|9/27]])</small>
*According to [[Simon Cowell]]'s biography and [[Bill Carter]]'s book ''[[Desperate Networks]]'', UPN was offered [[American Idol]] before Fox and turned it down.
|-
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Thursday
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#FF9999"|''[[Smallville (TV series)|Smallville]]'' <small>([[September 28|9/28]])</small>
|colspan="2" bgcolor="#FF9999"|''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' <small>([[September 28|9/28]])</small>
|-
!width="10%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Friday
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#99FF99"|''[[WWE Friday Night SmackDown!]]'' <small>([[September 22|9/22]])</small>
|}
*Subtract one hour for [[Central Time zone|Central]] and [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain]] time.
*Scheduled premiere dates shown in parentheses
*<small>(NT)</small> - New Time (versus time of programming on The WB or UPN)
*<small>(NN)</small> - New Night (versus time of programming on The WB or UPN)
*<small>(E)</small> - Encore Presentation


==== Notes about the fall lineup ====
==Notes==
<references />
*The fate of ''[[Reba (TV series)|Reba]]'', one of the more popular programs on the WB, was in question because its audience didn't fit the demographic the new network is targeting. At the eleventh hour on May 17, The CW renewed the series with a 13 episode order [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002538533], but the show will not return until midseason. The pickup was reportedly done to fulfill a syndication contract worth a reported $20 million.

*''[[7th Heaven]]'', which had ceased production after ten seasons on The WB, was given a last-minute 13 episode renewal and its traditional Monday timeslot on The CW.

*The '"EasyView" repeat block from The WB, which airs before Sunday primetime from 5pm-7pm Eastern, will be retained under The CW, showing repeats of the previous week's episodes of the comedies running from 7pm-9pm [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6335905.html?display=Search+Results&text=the+cw]. UPN also had a second encore run of ''America's Next Top Model'' and ''Veronica Mars'' that could be aired by a station on either Saturday or Sunday (or not at all, as this second run was optional for a station to take), but it is expected that this will be discontinued.

=== Midseason ===
*''[[Reba (TV series)|Reba]]'' (sitcom) <small>(WB)</small>
*''[[Beauty and the Geek]]'' (reality) <small>(WB)</small>
*''[[Hidden Palms (TV series)|Hidden Palms]]'' (drama) <small>(New)</small>
*''[[Pussycat Dolls Reality Project|The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll]]'' (reality) <small>(New)</small>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117947826?cs=1&s=h&p=0]

== Network executives ==
*[[Dawn Ostroff]], President of Entertainment (from UPN)
*[[John Maatta]], Chief Operating Officer (from The WB)
*[[Michael Roberts (TV executive)|Michael Roberts]], Executive VP of Current Programming (from
*[[Betsy McGowen]] Senior VP and General Manager of ''Kids WB! on The CW'' (from The WB)
*[[Rick Mater]], Senior VP, Broadcast Standards (from The WB)
*[[Eric Cardinal]], Senior VP, Research (from UPN)
*[[Elizabeth Tumulty]], Senior VP, Network Distribution (from The WB)


==See also==
==See also==
*[[List of CW affiliates]]
* [[The CW Television Network]]
*[[List of programs broadcast by The CW]]
* [[List of programs broadcast by UPN]]
* [[List of United States television networks]]
*[[Daytime CW]]
* [[List of UPN affiliates]]
*[[WB Television Network|The WB]]
*[[UPN]]
* [[Weekday cartoon]]
*[[My Network TV]]
*[[Media consolidation]]
*[[Kids' WB]]


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.upn.com UPN Official Site]
* [http://www.forbes.com/digitalentertainment/2005/08/26/upn-tv-marketing-cx_variety_0826upn.html UPN: The Small Network That Could]
* [http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/24/news/companies/cbs_warner/index.htm CNN: WB and UPN to merge]
* [http://upn11tv.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page UPNcyclopedia Fan Wiki]


{{U.S. broadcast television}}
*[http://www.cwtv.com Official Site]
{{CBS}}

==Press releases==
*[http://www.cbscorporation.com/news/prdetails.php?id=173 CBS]
*[http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1152384,00.html Time Warner]
*[http://www.tribune.com/pressroom/releases/2006/01242006.html Tribune Company]

{{American broadcast television}}{{Time Warner}}{{CBS}}


[[Category:2006 establishments|CW Television Network]]
[[Category:UPN television network]]
[[Category:American television networks|CW Television Network]]
[[Category:CW Television Network]]
[[Category:CW Television Network|*]]
[[Category:CBS Corporation subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Joint ventures|CW Television Network]]
[[Category:1995 establishments]]
[[Category:2006 disestablishments]]


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Revision as of 21:00, 22 August 2006

UPN
TypeBroadcast television network
Country
United States
AvailabilityNational, Canada
OwnerCBS Corporation
Key people
Dawn Ostroff, President
Launch date
January 16, 1995
DissolvedSeptember 15, 2006
Former names
United Paramount Network
Official website
www.upn.com

UPN (which originally stood for the United Paramount Network) is a television network in over 200 markets in the United States. UPN is owned by CBS Corporation, which also owns the more widespread CBS network. UPN will shut down on September 15, 2006, to be replaced with the CW.

The CW

The new CW logo.

On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to launch The CW in the Fall of 2006. This new joint venture network will replace and feature programming from both The WB and UPN. CBS chairman Les Moonves and Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Barry Meyer announced that both The WB and UPN will cease independent operations. UPN's final night of broadcasting will be Friday, September 15, 2006, and The CW will launch the following Monday.

History

Origins

Paramount Pictures (the "P" in UPN) has played a pivotal role in the development of network television; it was a partner in the DuMont Television Network, and the Paramount Theaters chain, spun off from the corporate/studio parent, was an early, important component of the ABC television network's survival in the 1950s. In the wake of the successful Universal Studios ad hoc syndicated package Operation Prime Time (which featured first a miniseries adaptation of John Jakes's novel The Bastard and went on to several more productions), Paramount had earlier contemplated its own television network with the Paramount Television Service. Set to launch in Spring 1978, its programming would have consisted of only one night a week. Thirty "Movies of the Week" would have followed Star Trek: Phase II on Saturday nights. When the decision was made to transform Phase II into Star Trek: The Motion Picture, plans for the new Paramount network were scrapped, though Paramount would contribute some programs to Operation Prime Time, like the mini-series A Woman Called Golda, and the weekly pop music program, Solid Gold.

Paramount, and its eventual parent Viacom, didn't forget about the possibility. Independent stations, even more than network affiliates, were feeling the growing pressure of audience erosion to cable television in the 1980s and 1990s, and there were unaffiliated commercial stations in most of the major markets, at least, even after the foundation of Fox in 1986. Meanwhile, Paramount, long successful in syndication with repeats of Star Trek and I Love Lucy, found itself with several impressively popular first-run syndicated series by the turn of the 1990s, in Entertainment Tonight, The Arsenio Hall Show, Friday the 13th: The Series, War of the Worlds and, perhaps most importantly of all, the two new Star Trek franchises, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Launch

Paramount had formed Paramount Stations Group when it purchased the TVX Group, which owned several independent stations in major markets. This was not unlike of the purchase of the Metromedia stations by Fox several years previously. All indicators suggested what was to come.

File:Upn.gif
Early years' logo.

UPN was launched January 16, 1995, as the United Paramount Network, a joint venture between Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. The "U" in UPN came from United Television, a Chris-Craft subsidiary. Both companies owned independent stations in several large cities in the United States. Each controlled 50 percent of the network. The first telecast, the two-hour pilot of Star Trek: Voyager, was an auspiciously widely viewed start; however, Voyager would never achieve such viewership levels again, nor would any of the series debuting on UPN's second night of broadcasting survive the season. In contrast, The WB debuted one week earlier, on January 11, with four series; only one of which, Muscle, would not survive its first season.

Logo for Paramount Network

Viacom takes full control

In 2000, Paramount's parent company, Viacom, bought out Chris-Craft's share to gain 100 percent control of the venture. Shortly afterward, Viacom dropped the "United" name for its new network, opting to change the official corporate name to the three-letter initials, "UPN." Viacom also aimed to relaunch UPN as Paramount Network, using a logo based off the famous Paramount Pictures mountain logo as the new network logo. This idea was abandoned after many affiliates protested, citing that the new branding might cause confusion and erode viewership. A few months before, Viacom bought CBS, thus creating CBS-UPN duopolies in Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. It is said that Viacom's purchase of CBS was the "death knell" for the FCC's "no duopolies at all rule". Further transactions added San Francisco (which was traded to Viacom/CBS by FOX) and Sacramento to the mix.

2000-2006

At the time of UPN's launch, the network's flagship station was WWOR-TV in New York City, owned by Chris-Craft. Even after Chris-Craft sold its share of the network to Viacom, WWOR was still commonly regarded as the flagship station since it had long been common practice to accord this status to a network's New York station. For this reason, some cast doubt on UPN's future after Fox bought most of Chris-Craft's television holdings. Several UPN stations were part of the deal, including WWOR and West Coast flagship KCOP-TV in Los Angeles. Fox later bought the third-largest UPN affiliate, WPWR-TV in Chicago. Since Chris-Craft sold its stake in UPN, the network's largest owned and operated station has been WPSG in Philadelphia.

New shows began to breathe life into the network starting in Fall 2003 with America's Next Top Model, in Fall 2004 with Veronica Mars, and in Fall 2005 with Chris Rock's Everybody Hates Chris. Network executives have stated that UPN's current desired demographic is young women and African-Americans. This was seen as a contributing factor in the network's decision to drop the Star Trek franchise, and also contemplate not renewing its contract with the WWE, though SmackDown has been renewed in 2006 for another two seasons.

When Viacom split into two companies at the end of 2005, UPN became a unit of the CBS Corporation.

Availability

Although considered a major network by the Nielsen Ratings, UPN is not available in all areas of the United States. In some areas, UPN programming is shown off-pattern by affiliates of other networks. A number of secondary UPN affiliates such as KIKU-TV of Honolulu, Hawaii also choose to broadcast programming off-pattern, instead of following UPN's master schedule. Some affiliates have also been known to extensively preempt network programming in order to broadcast local sporting events. These factors have led to the network struggling in the ratings over the past few years, with its most recent ST franchise, Star Trek: Enterprise, perhaps suffering the most and ultimately being cancelled by the network in a controversial decision in February 2005. The most consistent ratings performer for the network has been their Thursday offering from World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly the WWF), WWE SmackDown! (although it now airs on Fridays). In the 2004-2005 season, the network was getting consistently better ratings than the WB, much of this thanks to the WWE. [1].

It was estimated in 2003 that UPN is viewable by 85.98% of all households, reaching 91,689,290 houses in the United States. UPN has approximately 143 full-power owned-and-operated or primary affiliate stations in the U.S. and another 65 stations air some UPN programming as secondary affiliates.

Programming

The first official UPN network programming was the series Star Trek: Voyager. Other early UPN programs included the action show Nowhere Man starring Bruce Greenwood, the action show Marker starring Richard Grieco, the comic western Legend starring Richard Dean Anderson, the science-fiction themed action show, The Sentinel, and Moesha, a sitcom starring Brandy Norwood.

After Voyager's 7-season run came to an end, UPN began broadcasting the newest Star Trek spin-off, Star Trek: Enterprise. UPN also bought the rights to broadcast the popular television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Clueless, The Hughleys, and Roswell from 20th Century Fox, Viacom, ABC and The WB, respectively, after ABC and The WB cancelled those series.

The network also produced some special programs. For example, they presented the Iron Chef USA program during Christmas 2001. UPN also shows the WWE's SmackDown! show, America's Next Top Model, Girlfriends, Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, loosely based on the childhood of comedian Chris Rock, and in the Summer of 2005 UPN aired R U The Girl, in which R&B group TLC searched for a woman to join them on a new song.

UPN has a new policy of "not picking up other networks' scraps," which was a strong argument when fan pressure was generated in 2004 for them to pick up Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which was dropped from the WB.

Children's programming

UPN is one of only two of the broadcast networks (i is the other) not to air a children's programming block on weekend mornings. When UPN launched in 1995, the station aired cartoons on weekends; the lineup was known as UPN KIDS. In 1998, UPN went a different way with its children's program block by airing reruns of the syndicated Sweet Valley High and a new series, Breaker High on weekdays and weekends aiming the programs at teenagers. As opposed to ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox stations, some UPN affiliates aired the weekend children's program block on Sunday mornings instead of Saturdays.

In 1999, UPN made a deal with Disney to air select programming from ABC's One Saturday Morning block (now ABC Kids) in place of the teen series. The new lineup would be called Disney's One Too. Recess and Sabrina, the Animated Series were among the programming on the original lineup. Many UPN affiliates already had the Disney Afternoon block anyway. The Disney cartoons therefore were no longer syndicated but now aired on UPN stations. The block was reinstated to two hours. In some markets it ran weekday mornings while in other markets weekday afternoons. In 2001, however, Digimon: Digital Monsters moved to the lineup from Fox Kids. This was due to Disney's acquisition of Fox's Children's programming department as well as the Fox Family Channel, now renamed ABC Family.

After seven years of airing children's programming, UPN dropped out of the kids program business in October 2003 when Disney's contract with UPN came to an end. Reasons included FCC restrictions on quantity of advertising on children's programs, the content of such advertising, the fact syndicators were moving their best product to cable only, and the growth of cable channels directed at children (which have fewer advertising restrictions). As of January 2006, UPN has no current plans of returning kids programming to the network. That is now a moot point because of its merger with WB creating the CW Network. When The CW launches, they will utilize the Kids' WB lineup for children's programming.

Some Fox stations decide to carry Fox's 4Kids Entertainment block to a UPN (or WB) station in their market (or an independent station) so the Fox affiliate can air general entertainment or local news programming on Saturday mornings. WFLD 32 in Chicago, for example, has recently moved the 4KidsTV schedule to co-owned UPN affiliate WPWR-TV Channel 50, while Channel 32 airs news and children's programming in place of the shows. Also some UPN stations air a block of cartoon programming from DIC Entertainment (Trollz and Sabrina: The Animated Series) which is designed to meet minimal educational and informational programming requirements set by the FCC, and usually airs either six days a week for a half-hour each day, or in three hour-long blocks throughout the week.

Television movies

Although they currently run them very rarely, UPN has produced a number of television movies. Almost all of them were science-fiction, and mostly ran during the late 1990s. For a full list, see List of television films produced for UPN.

The network also offered a weekend afternoon movie series called the UPN Movie Trailer to their stations from the network's inception up until 2002, which featured mostly older Hollywood action and comedy films which had their rights acquired by UPN or were Paramount Pictures releases. UPN Movie Trailer was discontinued after 2002 to add an optional second weekend run of Star Trek: Enterprise, America's Next Top Model, and later Veronica Mars, for stations that wanted to take it.

Station standardization

During the mid-1990s when it was launched, UPN began having most of its stations branded as "UPN" or "Paramount", then the channel number, with the call signs nearby. By the late 1990s, the call signs were minimized to be just barely readable to meet FCC requirements, and the stations were simply known as "UPN", then channel number or city. (e.g. WPWR-TV in Chicago had been referred to as "UPN Chicago" and WWOR-TV in New York was referred to as "UPN 9" until the CW merger was announced in late January 2006.) But most UPN owned and operated stations under the CBS Corporation brand it by network and city according to the CBS Mandate. For example, KBCW in San Francisco is branded "UPN Bay Area," WKBD in Detroit is branded "UPN Detroit" and WUPL in New Orleans is branded "UPN New Orleans." However, that doesn't always apply, as WSBK-TV in Boston is branded "UPN 38" and KMAX-TV in Sacramento is branded "UPN 31," for example.

This would be a continuation of the trend for networks to do such naming schemes, originated at Fox (and even earlier at CBC in Canada), especially at CBS, who uses the CBS Mandate on all of their O&O stations. The WB, NBC and ABC also do similar naming schemes, but not to that extreme.

However, while the traditional "Big Three" don't require their affiliates to have such naming schemes (though some affiliates choose to adopt it anyway) and only on their O&O's is the style required, Fox and UPN mandate it on all stations, though The WB does not.

Network Closure

UPN will go off the air on Friday, September 15 2006. [1], Whether the network will air its usual (optional) repeat block that weekend is unknown. Given the current scheduling for the block, America's Next Top Model will have finished airing repeats from its sixth cycle. Only Veronica Mars would be incomplete in its summer weekend repeats, with its season finale being the one episode remaining for affiliates to potentially pick up. However, the Fox-owned stations' affiliation agreement with UPN is reported to end at the end of August, and, regardless, My Network TV has announced it will launch on September 5 on those and other stations. In those markets, any UPN programming aired after August 31 will not be available, and replaced with movies for the two network days before My Network TV premieres (though as of now, FTSG stations in Chicago and Phoenix will still air UPN on September 1, according to Yahoo TV listings). Depending on individual stations' contracts, some WB/UPN stations in other markets (specifically those not joining The CW, and particularly those joining MNTV) may also drop programming (or move it to late night) prior to network closure.

Since the network will continue to air for two weeks, some markets will not see two weeks of Friday Night Smackdown, while in others it could be moved to a different time slot, such as Sunday afternoons. In the case of the Green Bay/Appleton market for instance, CW/WB affiliate WIWB will air the final two UPN episodes of Smackdown on Sunday afternoons, as UPN/My Network TV station WACY will terminate their UPN affiliation upon My Network TV's launch.

On August 14, UPN discontinued use of their corner bug, allowing future CW/My Network affiliates to substitute their local/national corner bug and lower third graphics on-screen until the network's closure or affiliate discontinuation. The network has also ended all promotional advertising for their shows on the network's air.

Trivia

Notes

  1. ^ John Consoli, "UPN's Start-of-Week Blues", Mediaweek, October 23, 2004.

See also

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