Report: The Demise of the CW Could Be Near

• May 16, 2008 07:32 PM ET
• by TV Guide News

Got any friends who might like shows on the CW? Find 'em, and get 'em in front of a TV - pronto. The Wall Street Journal says if ratings don't perk up, the CW could fold as soon as next year.

A big part of the ratings issue - the network has lost about 30% of its target of 18 to 34-year-olds - is that its audience spends a lot of free time on the Internet and not in front of the tube. The writers' strike also accelerated the viewership decline.

In an effort to steer eyeballs back to the TV, the network recently pulled free episodes of Gossip Girl from its website, but ratings for the TV show did not improve.

The Journal quotes industry officials as saying it's possible one of the CW's owners - CBS and Time Warner - could cash in and walk away next year.

Rather than go after both men and women age 18 to 34, the CW ditched man-centric shows like WWE SmackDown last spring and repositioned itself as targeting only women in that age group. - J.R. Whalen