The CW on death watch...

[PaulKTF]

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/browse_thread/thread/760bb03efa479960#

I miss the old Super 18 logo... Maybe we'll see it return.. I have a feeling the CW will be dead within 2 years unless they manage to save the sinking ship.

[LoadStar]

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/browse_thread/thread/760bb03efa479960#

I miss the old Super 18 logo... Maybe we'll see it return.. I have a feeling the CW will be dead within 2 years unless they manage to save the sinking ship.

I'm not sure. I think what could happen is a gradual expansion of outsourced programming, like they're doing this year on Sunday nights. It'll still be the CW by name, but no longer under the direct programming control of Warner Bros and CBS.

I wish CBS would back out, and let them bring it back as The WB. Everything about The WB was superior to what they have now - marketing, programming, everything. Merging with UPN was the worst mistake in the history of television.

[John L]

I certainly hope the CW doesn't go under. The only drawback to CW and MNTV is the lack of sports programming. They need to do something much better than WWE Smackdown. They should consider looking at airing NBA Basketball or PBA Bowling which are popular. Then they can air the networks promos and upcoming shows during commercial breaks...  you'd be surprised how ratings of other shows they air like "90210", "Everybody Hates Chris", etc..would go up.

[PaulKTF]

I certainly hope the CW doesn't go under. The only drawback to CW and MNTV is the lack of sports programming. They need to do something much better than WWE Smackdown. They should consider looking at airing NBA Basketball or PBA Bowling which are popular. Then they can air the networks promos and upcoming shows during commercial breaks...  you'd be surprised how ratings of other shows they air like "90210", "Everybody Hates Chris", etc..would go up.

Do we really need sports on yet another channel? There are dozens of sports channels available on TWC and lots of sports interupting programing on the locals as it is.

[John L]

Do we really need sports on yet another channel? There are dozens of sports channels available on TWC and lots of sports interupting programing on the locals as it is.

Well, thats how Fox TV Network took off. Once they got the rights to NFL Football they took off like wild fire and now also carry Baseball.

[LoadStar]

I've been thinking about this some, and it seems to me the answer to saving CW is obvious: Bring back The WB. It doesn't necessarily have to be a total transformation back.

How I'd work it: At the beginning, don't announce anything - not to the press, not to the public, nothing. Any in-house promo production that has to be done would be done "skunkworks" like, a small group of people totally insulated from everyone else and under serious NDA. And as far as advertiser support, I'd find 2-3 partners willing to advertise on something, sight-unseen, in exchange for being the sole advertiser for a portion of the evening's programming. (You know, "Tonight's programming is brought to you with limited commercial interruption by _____.")

Next, start a teaser campaign. Billboards with just the sillhouette of Michigan J. Frog and a date. Brief flashes (less than a second long) of the W and B from the WB logo in place of the CW "bug". That sort of thing.

Finally, when the fall schedule is announced, make a big deal about how "The WB is back." Give one afternoon/evening (say, Sunday) over to the WB - "The WB on CW." The pre-primetime afternoon schedule would be classic WB shows, like Buffy, Angel, Dawson's Creek, Seventh Heaven, Everwood, etc., and the prime-time programming includes shows that match those in atmosphere. The whole look/feel of the branding for the evening would be very reminiscent of The WB marketing, and would push the WB logo (with the "on the CW" included as a postscript).

Hopefully, this would attract back some of the audience that used to watch The WB who left when CW took over. Having it on a Sunday would compete well with ABC, who also markets similarly family-friendly content on that evening.

*shrug* That's my idea... too bad I'm not an executive at CW.

[John L]

I fear losing the CW Network, that WVTV-18 will probably become a 24 hour Home Shopping Channel just like WJJA-49 was or 24 hours Infomercial.  Right now WVTV airs mostly infomercials in the mornings. Because what else is there? If WCGV losses MNTV they can pick up the rest of WVTV's shows and combine them with the current WCGV programs and go independent TV 24 hours. Course nothing wrong with going independent as long as it is old TV shows or syndicated fare, not this Home Shopping crap!