Cinerant

WOAH!

Courtsey of Variety:

And then there were five.
CBS Corp., Warner Bros. Entertainment and Tribune Co. announced Tuesday they’re shutting down both the struggling WB and UPNUPN and merging the two into a new entity called CW Television Network.

Move will unite shows such as "Everybody Hates Chris," "Gilmore Girls," and "Veronica Mars" on one network, distributed by CBS and Tribune-owned stations.

The new fifth network, a 50-50 joint venture between CBS and Time WarnerTime Warner, will be distributed on CBS and Tribune-owned stations, reaching 95% of the country.

The net will be staffed by a combination of UPN and WB executives and an undisclosed number will be laid off as a result of the merger.

Dawn Ostroff, current president of UPN, will become President of Entertainment of the new entity and WB’s John Matta, now COO of the WBthe WB, will become COO of The CW.

"This new network makes sound business and creative sense at every level -- for our viewers, advertisers, affiliates and for the shareholders of our companies," said Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Fox stations currently affiliated with the UPN will be looking for new programming as of August when current affiliate agreements expire.

Fox owns 9 UPN affiliates across the country.

posted by cinegod @ 10:02 AM