The Writers Guild of America, West, (WGAw) says that women and minority writers remain underrepresented on television staffs, according to the preliminary findings from its forthcoming Hollywood Writers Report. [...]

According to the WGAw, the data for hiring on show for next season "looks increasingly grim following the recent shuttering of urban-oriented networks UPN and WB to create the newly launched, fledgling CW network."

The CW consolidation is only likely to make the ongoing crackerfication of TV worse, though the merge-crazy, bottom-line-focused network has offered the concession of combining all their urban shows into a one-hour dramedy staffed entirely by 60 women and minority scribes, an exciting opportunity for underrepresented writers to bang out the weekly adventures of Taye Diggs and Eve raising their adopted son, young Chris Rock.

• TV Staffs Are Light on Women, Minorities [B&C]

• UPN in Tha Hood [Franklin Avenue]

Then, in 2002, UPN got something it never had: a charismatic leader who hated more than anything to lose. Leslie Moonves, who had engineered the successful turnaround of CBS, was asked by Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone to fix UPN.

Moonves took the challenge seriously, cutting costs by consolidating some of UPN's operations with those of CBS, including marketing, research and publicity. He recruited a veteran programming executive from the Lifetime cable channel, and then encouraged top producers and other Hollywood talent, who had long turned up their noses at the "Smackdown!" network, to change course and bring their business there.

"Finally, UPN had some direction," Sternberg said.

As we all know, even Moonves' leadership couldn't finish off the Dancing Frog, and with the creation of The CW, he's now overseeing the annihilation of both networks. Ten years hence, when we're all gathered for our mandatory weekly worship at Los Angeles' CBS Square, the UPN Incident will play as a minor second-act complication in the brief, introductory documentary playing on the Jumbotron installed in the chest of the 100-foot-tall, bronze Moonves Colossus. We'll all cast our eyes downward for a second or two, recognizing that the noble sacrifice of UPN was a necessary speedbump on the road to Our Leader's inevitable galactic dictatorship.

• 'Buffy' Fight May Have Slain Two Networks on the Edge [LAT]
• Previously: Making The CW: Maybe We’re Not Stuck With The Name [Defamer]

What is not up for discussion, Moonves said, is the network's new name. Asked why it wasn't called CWB, he said, "That sounded too much like the WB network or CNBC. And we couldn't call it the WC for obvious reasons."

While The WC might have captured aptly the new venture's flushing away of the two network's low-rated waste products, we can see why they passed on that option. Compared to the early brainstormed output of their marketing departments, The CW was the clear choice over such possibilities as The UATNDN (The Urban and Teen Nielsen Demographics Network), Moonvestime (actually, kind of appealing), or the unwieldy (but briefly considered) The We Fucking Give Up, Let's Try This New Thing And Wait For NBC To Implode Channel (The WFGULTTNTAWFNTIC).

• CBS, Warner to Shut Down 2 Networks and Form Hybrid [LAT]
• Making The CW Coverage [Defamer]

All of us at The WB need to keep this network as vibrant as it has always been at serving the American public from today through the launch of the new network this fall. We have exciting programs like “PEPPER DENNIS” to launch, new pilots like “AQUAMAN” to develop, immensely popular series like “SMALLVILLE” and “GILMORE GIRLS” to protect, and farewells to audience favorites like “7th HEAVEN” to manage. We will need all of you to keep your focus on these critical goals through September. [...]

I believe that history will look very kindly on the little network that, against all odds, beckoned us to move to Dawson’s idyllic Creek, be a part of the Camden family, believe in the power of 3 Charmed sisters, gave us the chance to watch Clark Kent grow up, hunt vampires with Buffy and Angel, go to college with Felicity, see ourselves in the father/son and mother/daughter relationships of Everwood and Star’s Hollow, and laugh with Reba, Jamie, Steve and the Mowry twins. It has been quite a ride.

We're pretty sure that Star's Hollow isn't actually a show, but on a busy day like this, we'll give Ancier a little slack for making stuff up while he was on a roll.

The entire memo is after the jump:

Dear Colleague,

A few moments ago in New York at a joint press conference, Warner Bros., CBS Broadcasting, and The Tribune Company announced the formation of a new broadcast network that will launch in September ’06.

This new and historic venture will be an equal partnership between Warner Bros. and CBS Broadcasting, and will draw upon the best programs, stations, and executive minds from both The WB Television Network and UPN. The company will be called The CW Television Network, reflecting the monikers of the corporate partners.

Indeed, three talented executives are named in today’s announcement, which you just received from Barry Meyer. They are John Maatta, who will be Chief Operating Officer, Dawn Ostroff, who will serve as President of Entertainment, and Bill Morningstar, who will lead Sales. John and Dawn will report to a board of directors equally drawn from Warner Bros. and CBS Broadcasting.

As Dawn and John select their new team, I am confident that you will find many, many longtime colleagues from The WB serving with them.

The decision to combine the best of these networks was not made lightly. We all realized that in today’s more competitive environment for all broadcasters and networks, neither The WB or UPN could reach the ambitious goals we had collectively envisioned when the two networks launched 11 years ago this month.

By contrast, all of us believe that The CW can grow into a fully competitive fifth network. Moreover, we felt that the opportunity to do this now – while both The WB and UPN could both provide rich program assets and solid balance sheets to draw upon – was too compelling an opportunity to overlook.

Late this afternoon, upon their return from New York, Barry Meyer and Bruce Rosenblum will be here at the ranch to answer your questions.

As for myself, while I have been actively engaged in forming this new venture – and am excited by the exhilarating times that lie ahead for many of you - I had made clear to Barry Meyer and Bruce Rosenblum early in the discussions my desire to explore and expand my own experiences in this new age of digital opportunity. I have had the genuine honor of being an architect of two successful start-up broadcast networks over the past 20 years, and am yearning to try something different.

I will, however, continue to manage The WB with you over the coming months, and that leads me to perhaps the most important part of this note.

All of us at The WB need to keep this network as vibrant as it has always been at serving the American public from today through the launch of the new network this fall. We have exciting programs like “PEPPER DENNIS” to launch, new pilots like “AQUAMAN” to develop, immensely popular series like “SMALLVILLE” and “GILMORE GIRLS” to protect, and farewells to audience favorites like “7th HEAVEN” to manage. We will need all of you to keep your focus on these critical goals through September.

A final note, a bit more personal. I recognize that there is an inevitable emotional sadness to ending The WB Television Network. We have accomplished much over these past 11 years. We have put more series into successful syndication than just about any other network during this period, helped launch the careers of countless feature film stars, and built an American brand that is ubiquitous. We all did this together, and we should be genuinely proud of these accomplishments.

I believe that history will look very kindly on the little network that, against all odds, beckoned us to move to Dawson’s idyllic Creek, be a part of the Camden family, believe in the power of 3 Charmed sisters, gave us the chance to watch Clark Kent grow up, hunt vampires with Buffy and Angel, go to college with Felicity, see ourselves in the father/son and mother/daughter relationships of Everwood and Star’s Hollow, and laugh with Reba, Jamie, Steve and the Mowry twins. It has been quite a ride.

The new network announced today would certainly not have been possible without the accomplishments and legacy of The WB Television Network.

With gratitude,

Garth Ancier

Chairman

The WB Television Network

[Photo: GettyImages]

• Previously: Making The CW: The Warner Bros. Memo [Defamer]
• Breaking: UPN And The WB Merge Into New Fifth Place Network [Defamer]

This was not an easy decision to make. While we are extremely excited about this new opportunity, it is a bittersweet moment as we conclude the 11 year run of The WB. And what a run it was … from the beginning, The WB captured new audiences through its fresh programming, and quickly established a unique voice that hadn’t been heard before.

The energy and imagination that Jamie Kellner and his team brought to The WB were unrivaled. This passion continued through the years as we overcame obstacles and faced the many challenges that came our way. As time went on, The WB became an excellent partner with Warner Bros. Television, and through such programming as “Smallville,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “Everwood”; as well as “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Parenthood,” “The Wayans Brothers” and “One Tree Hill,” created invaluable assets for our library from which our company will benefit for years to come. In addition, the ever-popular Kids’ WB!, home to “Pokemon,” “Yu-gi-oh” and “The Batman,” will continue to air on The CW and remain an important part of our new venture.

The full text of Meyer's e-mail follows after the jump. (And we'd also like to note that we ganked the Michigan U.P.N. Frog logo from our brother at Gawker.)

Dear Colleagues,

Today we announced, in conjunction with CBS Corporation, that we are launching a fifth broadcast network, “The CW” in September 2006. This new network is a joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS. As a result, at the end of this current season, we and CBS are ceasing to operate The WB and UPN, respectively, to create a dynamic new enterprise. A detailed press release is attached.

This was not an easy decision to make. While we are extremely excited about this new opportunity, it is a bittersweet moment as we conclude the 11 year run of The WB. And what a run it was … from the beginning, The WB captured new audiences through its fresh programming, and quickly established a unique voice that hadn’t been heard before.

The energy and imagination that Jamie Kellner and his team brought to The WB were unrivaled. This passion continued through the years as we overcame obstacles and faced the many challenges that came our way. As time went on, The WB became an excellent partner with Warner Bros. Television, and through such programming as “Smallville,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “Everwood”; as well as “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Parenthood,” “The Wayans Brothers” and “One Tree Hill,” created invaluable assets for our library from which our company will benefit for years to come. In addition, the ever-popular Kids’ WB!, home to “Pokemon,” “Yu-gi-oh” and “The Batman,” will continue to air on The CW and remain an important part of our new venture.

We would like to thank Garth Ancier, David Janollari and the entire WB team for their incredibly hard work and dedication; as well as Bruce Rosenblum who has tirelessly championed The WB, and who has overseen this extraordinary transaction that we announced today. We believe that through The CW, the spirit of innovation that has characterized The WB will live on and thrive.

Sincerely,

Barry Meyer

• Previously: Breaking: UPN And The WB Merge Into New Fifth Place Network {Defamer]

Our excitement at starting The CW is tempered by that fact that its launch means that UPN will cease independent operations this fall. Over the past few years UPN has developed an important audience and some very high-quality programming. Dawn and her team are quite simply the best in the business. Without them it simply would not have been possible for us to lay the groundwork for what I know will be a terrific 5th network.

The full text of Moonves' e-mail (update: The WB's memo has arrived as well) follows after the jump:

To: All Employees From: Leslie Moonves Date: January 24, 2006

Today, in a joint venture with Warner Bros. Entertainment, we are announcing the intent to form a new broadcast network, The CW, to be launched in the fall of 2006. CBS and Warner Bros. will each hold a 50% interest in The CW, which will utilize the best programming from Warner Bros. and CBS Corporation, and tap the top executive talent of both organizations. Dawn Ostroff, currently President of UPN, will become The CW's President of Entertainment and John Maatta, currently Chief Operating Officer of The WB, will become Chief Operating Officer.

The CW will clearly be greater than the sum of its parts — serving the public with high-quality programming, maintaining our ongoing commitment to minority audiences and delivering excellent demographics to advertisers. Additionally, The CW will be able to draw from the creative talent and production resources from the top two television production studios in the business, while also seeking programming from all sources — independent producers or other studios.

In an important strategic move that secures major market distribution for The CW, Tribune Broadcasting and the CBS Corporation's UPN affiliates have agreed to sign 10-year affiliation agreements with the new network. The combination of Tribune's 16 major market stations and the 12 CBS-owned UPN major market affiliates gives The CW instant coverage in 48% of the country. The remainder of the network's distribution system will be a combination of selected current UPN and The WB stations. The full distribution of the new network is expected to exceed 95% of the country.

The CW will incorporate a schedule of a 6 night-13 hour primetime lineup including Monday through Friday nights from 8-10 (EST/PST); Sundays from 7-10 (EST/PST); Sunday from 5-7 (EST/PST) outside of primetime as well as a Monday thru Friday afternoon block from 3-5 (EST/PST) and a 5-hour Saturday morning animation block. Together, the network will program 30 hours a week over seven days for its affiliated stations.

As The CW's top creative executive, Dawn Ostroff will have available for the network a line-up of some of the most popular programming that appeals to young adults. These programming assets range from hit reality series such as "America's Next Top Model" and The WB's "Beauty and the Geek," to hit dramas like The WB's "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls," "Supernatural," and UPN's "Veronica Mars" as well as UPN's hit comedies "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Girlfriends" and The WB's hit comedy "Reba." In addition, the WWE's "Smackdown," which has been a mainstay at UPN, is expected to play a role in the schedule.

The CW will also broadcast the schedule of children's programming now known as Kids' WB!, a 5-hour original programming block on Saturday mornings from 7:00 am-Noon, considered primetime for kids. Kids' WB! has been the broadcast network ratings champion since Fall 2000, capturing 16 consecutive sweep victories as the Number One Saturday morning kids' broadcaster.

Our excitement at starting The CW is tempered by that fact that its launch means that UPN will cease independent operations this fall. Over the past few years UPN has developed an important audience and some very high-quality programming. Dawn and her team are quite simply the best in the business. Without them it simply would not have been possible for us to lay the groundwork for what I know will be a terrific 5th network.

Thanks to our UPN employees, The CW launches as a strong competitor to the Big Four, and that's good for our business, for the viewing audience, and for free, over the air broadcasting. It is also good news for our shareholders, who will benefit from a much stronger business model, improved economics for our stations and new opportunities for our production businesses.

As plans for our new network develop I will keep you informed. In the meantime, welcome to the 21st Century's 5th great television network — The CW!

cc: Sumner Redstone

• WB Net, UPN to join forces as one network [THR]
• CW Network to replace WB, UPN [CNN Money]

The former boy band members are developing a new series about their lives for UPN described as a modern-day "Odd Couple," said Dawn Ostroff, the network president, Thursday.

Fatone is Oscar, the slob. Bass is Felix.

Tentatively dubbed, "Out of Sync," and planned for this fall, it's a hybrid of reality and comedy, she said.

"They came to us," she said. "Joey and Lance are such fun, interesting people and they truly are an odd couple even if you sit in a room with them, it's Felix and Oscar in many ways." [...]

'N Sync ruled the music world at the turn of the decade, until Justin Timberlake's departure sent them tumbling into obscurity.

Forgive us if the shard of tooth-loosening turkey jerky that sits where our hearts should be moistens for a moment, but we can't help but feel slightly bad for the boys in light of that last sentence; "tumbling into obscurity" seems rather harsh, Mr. AP reporter, regardless of how true it is! And while we had different ideas of career directions for Fatone, now that we think about it, there could be some promise in this reality show odd coupling after all; who could possibly resist a semi-hetero buddy version of Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica?

• UPN Mulls Show About Life After Boy Bands [AP]
• Previously: Defamer Casting: A Million Little Fatones [Defamer]

Parents with young children who happened to watch "Everybody Hates Chris" in the past week had some explaining to do when the character of Rock's brother suddenly told his younger sister that Santa doesn't exist.

"Everybody knows there's no Santa Claus," Drew said to Tonya on the UPN sitcom. "Come here, let me show you something. I'm taking you to the toys Santa doesn't come down the chimney. We don't even have a chimney. We have radiators." [...]

Put on the spot, Tonya's dad Julius tells her the Easter bunny and tooth fairy don't exist, either. [...]

On the show, young Tonya becomes a lot more cynical. Her mother explains that Santa Claus is a symbol and asks: "So you do understand?"

"Yeah," the girl replies. "It's OK to lie."

It's one of the workplace hazards of being a sitcom writer: one second, it's killing in the room, next thing you know you're hearing the deafening, tearful screams of a generation of children who have just had their childhoods yanked out from under them in the name of some cheap sitcom laughs.

• Chris Rock's Show Says Santa Doesn't Exist [AP]