The question has hovered over...
The question has hovered over UPN and WB since both "weblets" launched in 1995: Is there room for both?
The resounding answer came, with no warning, Tuesday morning: no. Instead, UPN and WB will merge into a new entity, known as the CW (conventional wisdom? country western?), in the fall.
The business implications are beyond me to comment upon — as in: In markets like mine, where there is both a UPN and WB affiliate, which channel becomes CW and what happens to the other? — but there does seem to be some logic in the notion of merging the best of both networks' schedules to create a truly viable fifth broadcast network with higher market penetration.
It's way too early to know for sure which UPN and WB shows will survive and how they'll be programmed to fill the six-night, 13-hour schedule (patterned on WB's). But if I had to put together a CW schedule from what exists now, keeping in mind that there will likely be new shows in the fall from the development pipeline and that WWE is expected to continue to have a presence, here's how I'd fill those 13 hours:
Pair Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars.
Pair Smallville and Supernatural.
Pair America's Next Top Model and Beauty and the Geek.
Pair a 7th Heaven spin-off with Everwood.
Comedy hours could include Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends, Reba and some derivation of Blue Collar TV, and maybe a third hour of new broad-appeal comedy.
WWE Smackdown! on a night where it will do the least damage (Sundays currently being a sinkhole for WB).
Well, it's a start.
