The CW in trouble? Closing down next year? (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

I was browsing the Moonlight boards at IMDB (yes I know they aren't exactly the most reliable sources on the planet) and someone said they heard that the CW will be leaving the air next year because of low ratings, is there any truth to that?

 

[Jason Seaver]

I doubt you'll find anyone who will confirm this to be the case, even if it's something CBS and Warner are considering. It's always a possibility, I suppose - the merger of UPN and The WB happened pretty quickly, so CW could shut down just as quickly - but I don't think it's terribly likely; there are too many markets with five stations that could use the programming. I strongly suspect they'll bail on Sunday and Friday nights completely at some point, but they'll probably stick around for a while in some format.

 

[Nick Martin]

I read about this somewhere, and checked around and found this article about it:

It's No Gossip, Ratings Slip Threatens CW Network - WSJ.com

On a somewhat brighter note, The WB will be a network again - online.

Sometime later this year they will be bringing back classic WB shows and hopefully the promos for nostalgia's sake as a web network. Unfortunately for someone like me who doesn't live in the US, I'm stuck without it unless I come up with some kind of workaround.

I've loved The WB up until they canceled Everwood - that was the last straw, but some fond memories of the many shows I enjoyed on that network. It managed to be fun, a little silly at times in a good way, and still had a nice touch of class you wouldn't expect for a 'teen' network, and being in the age group at the time of its prime, I welcomed that aspect. They treated every show like an event, and made the viewing experience quite memorable which is completely lost when watching those same shows on DVD.

The CW makes me ill with its green color scheme and when Veronica Mars ended, I had no reason to watch it anymore. It's not even near the same universe as The WB was, but if somehow it manages to stay on and get more written serialized television and less 'top model' nonsense, then all the better.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I'm sorry to hear that, because you're missing out on some good shows, like Reaper.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Malcolm R]

The WB had a good thing going. It was a bad move for them to merge into The CW. They had more viewers as the WB, apparently even with fewer affiliate stations (which was the whole point of the merger, correct?). They should've just stood back while UPN went belly-up, then swooped in and picked up some of their former affiliates as WB stations.

Buffy, Angel, Smallville, Supernatural, Gilmore Girls, all usually pulled 4 to 5.5 million viewers per episode. Now the CW is lucky to get 3 million for their "hit" shows like Smallville and Supernatural.

 

[TravisR]

Isn't that pretty much on par for the ratings drop that all networks have had in the last few years though? Not that that changes the fact that 3 million is pretty dismal.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

CW stands for Can't Watch- not only do they have their ugly logo always on the screen, but for a few months now they've also been putting text above it promoting upcoming shows! NBC's been doing the same- I don't know how anyone can watch anything this way.

 

[todd s]

As long as Smallville, Supernatural and Reaper find new homes. I will be happy. Although, next year is probably Smallville's last anyways. So I only need two shows to be safe.

 

[MatthewA]

If they got rid of the on-screen clutter you would still have to deal with the mediocrity of most of the programming.

 

[Chip_HT]

I'm not hearing rumors about CW shutting down, but I am hearing rumors that one of the owners is thinking of pulling out.

 

[MatthewA]

That is also conceivable. If I had to guess which one, I'd say TimeWarner. They're doing massive cutbacks (they could help by selling AOL).

 

[Mark Talmadge]

You know, that's another reason why I don't watch broadcast television. On screen adverting about upcoming shows and the large logos chew up half of the television screen (an exagerration). Everything I watch is on DVD. I think NCIS is the only broadcast show I watch now ... but I think the worst thing that could have happened is that the WB merged with CW and now their shows are suffering because of it. I think Smallville is the only current show that is worth watching on CW ...

 

[Chip_HT]

I'm hoping if one owner pulls out, it's CBS, and we get the WB back. At least they did slightly better. The only thing of value that UPN brought to the table was Veronica Mars, and CW cancelled that one quick.