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

[Bob The Skutter]

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.

Yeah, that's a possibility too. Seems ITV are weighing the pros and cons though.
Apparently ITV, and Five (Sky too) have said they'd rather give up their PSB licence than go with this OFCOM idea of top slicing the Licence Fee, and receive public money for anything perceived as PSB, so depending on how bad OFCOM cock up this PSB Review they're doing we could end up with 2 of the 5 major channels stepping away.

 

[Hermiod]

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

I would rather see ITV and Five bugger off to the upper reaches of the EPG with full permission to broadcast whatever they want just like any other cable/satellite channel.

Then any money they get from the Government can go to the BBC on the understanding that they stop trying to compete for viewers and go for pure quality instead. That means no more being used as a casting agency for Andrew Lloyd Webber, no more dancing shows, bad Lottery-related quizzes or Casualty spin-offs.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

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

I would rather see ITV and Five bugger off to the upper reaches of the EPG with full permission to broadcast whatever they want just like any other cable/satellite channel.

Then any money they get from the Government can go to the BBC on the understanding that they stop trying to compete for viewers and go for pure quality instead. That means no more being used as a casting agency for Andrew Lloyd Webber, no more dancing shows, bad Lottery-related quizzes or Casualty spin-offs.

Ha, not bloody likely. As of 2014 the BBC are going to have to pay the government for airspace, so there'll probably be even more "Commercial" pressure on them. I believe the charge is something like £30,000 per mbps. So the Beebs total costs with their 10 channels will be something like £140,000,000... So basically the government will be swiping £140m off the licence fee... Nice eh?

 

[RandyS]

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.

Isn't Smallville gone after this season anyway?

 

[Hermiod]

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

^Not necessarily.

 

[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.

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

Sounds like somebody's imagination is running on overdrive.

Nope - someone pointed it out to me, and from that moment on it became like the FedEx arrow. Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it... however much you try!

(If you still think I'm mad, draw the CW logo, only drop the 'W' down slightly. And now you have something that 14-year-old vandals draw next to the faces of models on billboards...)

 

[RandyS]

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

^Not necessarily.

Really? I thought the offcial word was it was cancelled after 2008-2009. What changed?

 

[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.

Nope - someone pointed it out to me, and from that moment on it became like the FedEx arrow. Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it... however much you try!

(If you still think I'm mad, draw the CW logo, only drop the 'W' down slightly. And now you have something that 14-year-old vandals draw next to the faces of models on billboards...)

Considering a quick Google search yields not one result from people who felt the same way, I'd say your friend's imagination is running wild. If it were perceived that way by any significant number of people, you can bet there'd be at least one Google search result for it. Search for "London 2012 Olympics Lisa Simpson giving a blowjob" for an example.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

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

Really? I thought the offcial word was it was cancelled after 2008-2009. What changed?

Some mainstream media source have written that the CW is done after the 2008-2009 season if 90210 doesn't take off. It's worthy to note that the sources definition of "taking off" is getting at least a 4.0 in the 18-34 female demo. Not even Top Model got that. Supposedly the bigwigs on the Warner side are really unhappy with the network. This vote of confidence letter making it to the press may well be in response to that bit of news getting out.

It all depends on how long CBS and Warner want to keep shoveling money into the network. They'll "reevaluate" after this season. I'm like Skywalker. Give me two more seasons of Supernatural and I don't care if the CW lives or dies. You can't build a free broadcast network on such a narrow demo. That Dawn Ostroff "doesn't get" (her admission) how the brothers' relationship makes Supernatural successful is telling. Her "suggestion" of adding regular hot chicks fell flat with its audience and the additions are gone after one season. It's all assinine. The demo she wants is precisely the demo who watches on tivo recordings or on computer via itunes and network websites at their own convenience.

 

[Timby]

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"

Sounds like your local CW affiliate is actually a MyNetworkTV affiliate.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

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

Our local mynetwork TV affiliate is My TV 43. Sounds like his local affiliate switched from CW to mynetworktv. Ahhh, the good old CW, losing affliates left and right. It's no wonder the ratings dropped from the former WB and UPN days. There was supposed to be close to nation wide coverage. Ha! What a joke that turned out to be. San Diego was scheduled to drop its CW affiliate this September. No word yet if another channel picks it up. I know San Diego isn't a huge town, but it's not a tiny town either. All these lost affiliates nickel and dime the network's ratings to death.

 

[RandyS]

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

Really? I thought the offcial word was it was cancelled after 2008-2009. What changed?

Some mainstream media source have written that the CW is done after the 2008-2009 season if 90210 doesn't take off. It's worthy to note that the sources definition of "taking off" is getting at least a 4.0 in the 18-34 female demo. Not even Top Model got that. Supposedly the bigwigs on the Warner side are really unhappy with the network. This vote of confidence letter making it to the press may well be in response to that bit of news getting out.

It all depends on how long CBS and Warner want to keep shoveling money into the network. They'll "reevaluate" after this season. I'm like Skywalker. Give me two more seasons of Supernatural and I don't care if the CW lives or dies. You can't build a free broadcast network on such a narrow demo. That Dawn Ostroff "doesn't get" (her admission) how the brothers' relationship makes Supernatural successful is telling. Her "suggestion" of adding regular hot chicks fell flat with its audience and the additions are gone after one season. It's all assinine. The demo she wants is precisely the demo who watches on tivo recordings or on computer via itunes and network websites at their own convenience.

Actually, I was only asking about Smallville. And even then, I wait for the DVD's. I haven't watched broadcast TV in close to five years.

 

[BrotherBenny]

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!

Clay, unfortunately, after last season's pathetic season finale, and their prevalence for the Almighty Reset Button one or two episodes in, I will not be watching Smallville this season. There's also the fact that the stories are no longer anything but FOTW. There's nothing there anymore, as you Americans are fond of saying, it's jumped the shark (though I have no idea what that means).


payndz201, I finally picked up a copy of The Hunt for Atlantis this week but it's at the bottom of my reading pile. I'll get to it in about 7-8 weeks, and then let you know. I have The Tomb of Hercules and The Secret of Excalibur on order, so damn you thricely for taking my hard-earned cash

Edited to add: You should have T'Bonz change your rank to writer, you know. It's not just reserved for the Halllowed Lords and Ladies of Trekdom. And with two books out, a third on the way and a fourth out next year you deserve it.

 

[Dream]

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

I've stopped watching Smallville a long time ago. With Luthors no longer part of the main cast I have even less reason to check it out.