One of the most iconic TV networks of it’s era being the WB which was a network created to be make the big 4 to the big 5.
When the invention of television and broadcasting was born they were only 1 option and your stick with it and usually the “big three” was: NBC, CBS and ABC though really it was NBC and CBS as even though ABC was big it struggled to get on the ground as NBC was a radio broadcasting station and CBS joined in the television earlier than other so they would more establish names while ABC struggled to get a audience as it would try to catch with the other two big boys. But after ABC got in a merger would go and cause it to truly be apart of the “big three”. Though no one ever competed till FOX made a network and after a couple of hit shows they would be recognize as one of the biggest networks meaning the “big three” to the ” big four”. And after WB realized this they would jump on and make a new network with also a specialist being Turbine Broadcasting and using the stations that where under Turbine’s hands they would use there networks and program the network. The Name: The WB being a teen ordinated network which had it’s mascot, Michigan J. Frog and on January 11th, 1995. The network would launched around the U.S. and there season went better than there also rivals the UPN network trashing them not because the lineup was good. But because they had constantly decent lineup while UPN had Star Trek. And nothing else as there other 4 shows they launched with Star Trek where all panned by critics. Though there sitcoms went well with the black audience instead of focusing on that, they would switch demographics to Teenage Girls and target them with Teen Dramas like “7th Heaven” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” pulling good numbers for the network. Also Kids’ WB launched as a compete with FOX Kids for the best Saturday Morning Blocks.
By 2000. They saw all there shows sagging there last breaths of glory as they would desperately try to keep the network still #5 in the rating but it would fall to #6 behind rivals UPN and so they would branch out there network which for now would do good. As shows like “Smallville” and “Gilmore Girls” bringing new life into there network as by this point. Would be doing good. Not for long.
Though when this was happening when The WB was enjoying a brief renaissance they would expand more again. But it failed miserably as they would soon fall to a crisis of not really sticking to there demographic as now they had to appease to both there new demographic and there Teen demographic which ultimately failed on them and soon would make them pay the price. And they had some profit before but soon the money remaining were all gone and seeking someone to help them UPN and The WB two rivals decide that they had enough and would merge to one network being the: The CW which would start broadcasting on September 18th, 2006. Though the affiliates(Like WDCA-20, Which had UPN till it became MyNetworkTV in 2006) where pissed as now all there work is gone as now only one of them would have the big one and the other would go back to be another affiliate network so that stations that FOX owned from UPN which was the ones that where formally owned by Chris-Craft would be turned into MyNetworkTV pretty much existing to make the affiliates happy. But after that was done and on September 17th, 2006. The WB would sign off and cease operations but UPN would do it. A day before The WB being on that Friday ending with “WWE Friday Night Smackdown” as it’s last program.
RELATED STORES:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_broadcast_by_The_WB
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_WB
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/the-cw-for-sale-warnermedia-viacomcbs-1235070616/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_WB_affiliates#
- https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-cw-new-programming-sports-unscripted-1235720508/
TAKE ACTION:
Watch the CW on WDCW-50, Channel 50.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WDCW
