CW charts own course to younger viewers
http://theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/view.bg?articleid=148746
By Amy Amatangelo
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
PASADENA, Calif. - The new CW network, the result of the merger of the WB
and UPN networks, mocked itself in its first presentation at the annual
Television Critics Association meeting yesterday.
After an introduction by WWE ''Smackdown" star Mr. Kennedy, publicist Keith
Marder joked that the CW network was proof that ''two wrongs do make a
right." But what CW is trying to do right is aggressively court the age
18-34 demographic. The network launches its lineup Sept. 20 with a two-hour
premiere of ''America's Next Top Model."
''To make an impact on this young adult audience, we must be different in
everything we do - our programming, our brand, our marketing and how we
engage our audience," said Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for the
network.
''We've done a lot of research to learn everything that we could about this
audience. To get inside their heads and to become experts on how to reach
them."
Viewers will be able to chat with others in the online CW lounge (the
network's answer to myspace.com) and produce their own ads at the online CW
lab. Commercials will be replaced by ''content wraps" that will weave
product placement into ministories about relatable topics such as blind
dates.
Ostroff said it was a programmer's dream to be able to cherry-pick the best
shows from each of the now-dead networks. It allowed for such pairings as
''Gilmore Girls" and ''Veronica Mars" and ''America's Next Top Model" and
''One Tree Hill."
''Now that these series are no longer competing against each other for the
same viewers, there's no question that they will perform better than they
did apart," Ostroff said.
The network is launching only two new shows in the fall. Boston native
Donnie Wahlberg stars in the new drama ''Runaway," about an entire family on
the run after Wahlberg's character is accused of committing a heinous crime.
Tia Mowry (one half of ''Sister, Sister") stars in the ''Girlfriends"
spinoff ''The Game," about football players and the ladies who love them.
With so many returnees - including ''7th Heaven," which got a surprise
pickup for an 11th season -this new network's schedule seems painfully
familiar.
Ostroff answered questions about the cancellation of the beloved ''Everwood"
(''a painful decision") and the renewal of the tawdry, low-rated ''One Tree
Hill." (''It has a great audience for us.")
In other news, Whoopi Goldberg will guest on two episodes of ''Everybody
Hates Chris" as the family's new neighbor. Haylie Duff will return to ''7th
Heaven" as Sandy. After having a baby without a husband, Sandy will enter a
seminary.
Gregory S. Williams
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