The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to CW

[Dorian Thompson]

Better update your resumés, CW employees. Coaches always get fired a season after they get a public "vote of confidence" from the owner and/or school.

CW Parents Emphasize Support of Network

Yet they're still going to aggressively market to the narrow 18-34 female demo. Considering the fact that the network has decided not to prescreen its much hyped sequel to 90210 series, you have to wonder. When movie studios don't screen for critics, there's only one reason.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

I hope CW dies. The affiliates will have to have some programming - it would be nice to get some quality syndicated shows.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

I hope CW dies. The affiliates will have to have some programming - it would be nice to get some quality syndicated shows.

Quality from CW, not likely.

Smallville is getting worse to the point of being unwatchable and Veronica Mars is gone. That's all I watch from that pathetic channel.

 

[doubleohfive]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Say what you want about their programming, but the fact of the matter is the CW offices in Burbank are probably the nicest production offices I've been to. Those people be stylin'!

 

[Hermiod]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Better update your resumés, CW employees. Coaches always get fired a season after they get a public "vote of confidence" from the owner and/or school.

CW Parents Emphasize Support of Network

Yet they're still going to aggressively market to the narrow 18-34 female demo. Considering the fact that the network has decided not to prescreen its much hyped sequel to 90210 series, you have to wonder. When movie studios don't screen for critics, there's only one reason.

Regardless of which demo they're targeting, am I the only one who sees a problem with going after just one group of people ?

The CW, along with the other networks, are in a privileged position. They get to broadcast to every television in America over the air. In Britain, this would mean that they would have to cater for everyone and have some sort of public service programming. So, that means not filling their schedules with cheap junk and certainly not filling them exclusively with programming targeted at one demographic.

 

[Harvey]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Say what you want about their programming, but the fact of the matter is the CW offices in Burbank are probably the nicest production offices I've been to. Those people be stylin'!

So that's where they spent all the budget.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

I hope CW dies. The affiliates will have to have some programming - it would be nice to get some quality syndicated shows.

Quality from CW, not likely.

I didn't mean quality shows from CW. I meant that perhaps the stations that carry CW now would be able to air syndicated shows like they used to before they were CW affiliates.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Regardless of which demo they're targeting, am I the only one who sees a problem with going after just one group of people ?

No, it's a normal business strategy and other businesses do this all the time. Car companies that go after the rich demographic. Big-box stores that go after the po' folks. Targeting just one gender, age group, geographic group, race/ethnicity, income level, etc is not only normal but the alternative - going after everyone, willy-nilly - is so rare that I can't even think of any example.

In Britain, this would mean that they would have to cater for everyone and have some sort of public service programming.

Everyone, really? I assume you're not talking about a for-profit business that needs to compete in the open marketplace, because not having any sort of targeted strategy sounds like a wonderful way to diffuse your resources so thoroughly that your more-focused competitors will easily knock you out of the game entirely.

 

[Hermiod]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

^Yeah, but that's my point - is there no expectation open them to provide public service programming ? I had a quick look at their schedules and I can't see any documentaries (not reality TV, I mean real documentaries), no journalism etc. It's all just entertainment programming.

Here, the five terrestial analogue channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Five) can't just broadcast anything they want, they have a standard to meet in return for the privilege of being able to broadcast via the most commonly accessible medium.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Yeah, but that's my point - is there no expectation open them to provide public service programming

Not unless they're PBS. If they don't get tax dollars, then there's no obligation to do anything other than just whatever will make a buck. There's some public-service notion behind the network news broadcasts, and the FCC can stop them from swearing, but other than that, doesn't seem like there's much influence.

Basic cable is full of documentaries. Animal Planet is almost all documentaries. There are also many on History, Discovery, The Weather Channel and I'm sure all those ones I don't get, like the Military Channel.

The notion of TV being a "public resource" comes from the olden days when there was a limited number of broadcast channels. That has been so thoroughly eclipsed by cable and the internet as infinitely-expandable information channels that I don't think the public resource argument matters anymore. Who gets their news from the broadcast networks anymore?!?

If people want to watch documentaries or ballet or whatever, they have a mind-boggling array of options. They don't need the government holding their hand so they can find things easily. Just look at what Netflix has on offer for starters.

 

[Hermiod]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Yeah, but that's my point - is there no expectation open them to provide public service programming

Not unless they're PBS. If they don't get tax dollars, then there's no obligation to do anything other than just whatever will make a buck.

Basic cable is full of documentaries. Animal Planet is almost all documentaries. There are also many on History, Discovery, The Weather Channel and I'm sure all those ones I don't get, like the Military Channel.

Fair enough, I suppose.

 

[ClayinCA]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Smallville is getting worse to the point of being unwatchable and Veronica Mars is gone. That's all I watch from that pathetic channel.

Quite agree on both counts, but Smallville is getting some new show runners (and if rumour can be believed, they're going to let Clark fly at last!) and Lana is gone - that's two encouraging reasons to keep watching!

Having said that, I wouldn't lose any sleep if The CW went away.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

No. Supernatural has to get its last two seasons. It's still a good show. In fact, it's the only good show IMO. Then the CW can die.

 

[payndz201]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

The CW was doomed from the start. I mean, its logo is a cartoon dick and two balls. Sure, they can say it's the letters C and W, but for that logo to have got through all the levels of approval without one person's inner Beavis cackling like a maniac is nigh-on unbelievable.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Yeah, but that's my point - is there no expectation open them to provide public service programming

Not unless they're PBS. If they don't get tax dollars, then there's no obligation to do anything other than just whatever will make a buck.

Basic cable is full of documentaries. Animal Planet is almost all documentaries. There are also many on History, Discovery, The Weather Channel and I'm sure all those ones I don't get, like the Military Channel.

Fair enough, I suppose.

Well all UK terrestrial channels do kinda get subsidized, in a sense. They are allowed cheaper broadcast licenses/MUX transponders, in return for their Public Service requirements. Apparently with though, ITV are considering handing back theirs, so they can get rid of their PSB requirements and go even more lowest common denominator, because they believe the savings of a PSB license is outweighed by their revenue loss on PSB shows.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

I think that the network will be dead by 2010.

 

[Hermiod]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

Well all UK terrestrial channels do kinda get subsidized, in a sense. They are allowed cheaper broadcast licenses/MUX transponders, in return for their Public Service requirements. Apparently with though, ITV are considering handing back theirs, so they can get rid of their PSB requirements and go even more lowest common denominator, because they believe the savings of a PSB license is outweighed by their revenue loss on PSB shows.

There's an additional risk. Once the digital switchover happens, if they just decide to become "another" Freeview channel then they will lose that privileged "Channel 3" spot in the EPG.

 

[Sheep]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

The CW was doomed from the start. I mean, its logo is a cartoon dick and two balls. Sure, they can say it's the letters C and W, but for that logo to have got through all the levels of approval without one person's inner Beavis cackling like a maniac is nigh-on unbelievable.

That's the first time I've heard THAT one.

Sounds like somebody's imagination is running on overdrive.

 

[Sephiroth]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

my local CW affiliate won't even admit to being the CW,at the beginning of the year it changed to "MY CW" then a few weeks later they quietly dropped the CW and became "MY 68"

 

[Skywalker]

Re: The dreaded "vote of confidence" letter from CBS/Warner execs to C

I think that the network will be dead by 2010.

The end of the 2009-2010 season would also be the end of Supernatural's fifth and final season. Fine by me.