televisie DISSERTATION RESEARCH: WB - CW: What are your thoughts?

x-missmckena-x posted on Mar 06, 2013 at 01:34PM
Hi everyone I am doing my dissertation on the changeover of the WB to the CW but i need to conduct some research on what fans think so if you could get involved that would be brilliant:

The CW has now been going since its inception in 2006 from the union of the WB and UPN. It took over a number of the shows including Smallville, Supernatural and One Tree Hill and has since gone on to create others such as Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries.

Was this the right choice for the networks to become the CW? Have the shows become a better quality? were the right choices made during the takeover?

If you any thoughts or issues on this topic discuss them here:
last edited on Mar 06, 2013 at 04:55PM

televisie 21 antwoorden

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een jaar geleden ineedcoffee said…
smile
sorry I couldn't help but I don't watch the CW and never watched the WB or UPN either the shows on those stations tend to be geared to a much younger age bracket which I don't find relate to me. Hope you get some good feed back though,

good luck on your dissertation....
een jaar geleden DarkSarcasm said…
I'd never even heard of either WB or CW until about 2008, when a fanpop user conned me into watching Supernatural. Just had to look up "UPN" because this is the first I've heard of it.

The only show from those networks I watched until the end was Veronica Mars (Two seasons on UPN, canceled by CW after one post-takeover season. I started it a few years after it was over.). Tried a few others, but ended up quitting them all. I tend to avoid the CW because, like coffee said, their shows are geared toward a younger audience. I'm just not interested in the topics they cover. Also, the acting on most of what I've seen feels like a cheap soap opera. Even the previews for most of their current shows are laughably awful.

As you can tell, I have no idea what I'm talking about. Hope someone useful drops by. =P
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een jaar geleden x-missmckena-x said…
Haha every comment is useful, you two have been brilliant, thank you :D
een jaar geleden x-missmckena-x said…
Could either of you explain what you establish a younger audience to be, e.g. what age do you think they actually aim their shows at?
clanbillr commented…
Hi M, To me it doesn't really matter the age group but who the fans are of each show! It depends upon what an individual likes are to what toon they will watch. I think they aim to a group; but they will add things for every group, because they want to capture all to watch. No matter what they're target is ... hope that's not to all over the place! Sorry, B een jaar geleden
een jaar geleden DarkSarcasm said…
Teenagers. For example, I'd guess The Carrie Diaries is more for mid-teens and stuff like 90210 and Nikita are more of an older teen thing. That's just the impression that I get through the promos, I've never been able to make it through a whole episode of any of those.
een jaar geleden XxxFUMMxxX said…
I'm not a real CW fan. The shows there are so shallow and all about love triangles.
I only watch Cult, because my fav actor Robert Knepper plays in it. But after it gets cancelled anyway (like most new CW shows) CW is history for me again...
I unfortunately dont know a thing about the WB and UPN thing, sorry
een jaar geleden x-missmckena-x said…
Every post is brilliant, weather you like hate know nothing or know everything, its all important so thank you :D
een jaar geleden FanDlux said…
Personally I don't really pay attention to networks, if I think the plot sounds interesting I will try to watch the show. In the back of my head I have CW classified as a bit "superficial" in reference to their shows, but then I think about shows like Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls which I absolutely loved. These quality shows I now found out did not survive the merger, so I guess that kind of gave it a negative effect (for people like me), even though I mostly started watching them after the merger (and online, not on tv).
een jaar geleden x-missmckena-x said…
Yeah Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars only survived with one season on the CW, has that stopped anyone from wanting to watch shows on this network?
clanbillr commented…
Hi M, Sometimes a toon gets a stepping stone; it hasn't stopped anyone from watching a show, it gets a chance to get to other age groups! They just verplaats on to other networks who can capture a larger audience! B een jaar geleden
een jaar geleden jarik said…
The CW was created when UPN and the WB couldn't attract viewers on their own. The most popular shows from each network were retained. Today the only remaining show from the the WB is Supernatural since all the other shows have run their course. The CW has become a teen centric network though it's raitings are low compare to their competition it's the demographics that keep most of the shows on the air.
een jaar geleden Nicolas97 said…
Sorry I'm from Greece, so I can't help you a lot... I just mentioned the shows I'm watching on the internet ;/
x-missmckena-x commented…
Thats all I meant, what is it about them shows that makes u want to watch them? een jaar geleden
clanbillr commented…
Hi M, I think it's just as simple as a person's likes! B een jaar geleden
een jaar geleden fanfly said…
Well I don't watch TV on TV if I can help it. I prefer to have more control over when I watch my shows. That being said, one of the exceptions has been Supernatural, which I've watched on the CW since the third season- which I believe was after the changeover. I was originally not interested in the series because the promos seemed shallow. And in general, the CW airs shows that don't interest me. Shows like Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill - teen/young adult soap opera shows all about people's overly complicated love lives. Those two shows are the ones I most strongly associate with the network. I'm more interested in scifi/fantasy shows and I gave both Smallville and the Vampire Diaries a try but didn't like either. Again, overcomplicated love lives seem to take center stage in the writing. I enjoy some romance but I don't want it to dominate the plot. I also like shows that don't take themselves too seriously and can be a little tongue in cheek.
Pre-changeover shows I've watched were Veronica Mars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But I unfortunately I didn't get into VMars until after it was cancelled and I didn't discover Buffy until the 5th season.
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een jaar geleden salemslot said…
I'm from Greece so I'm completely clueless to the whole merger of the companies and possible implications.

CW does aim for a specific target group: teens and young adults, the important 15-24 group which supposedly pays off more. Therefore, the norm of the shows produced by the network fall into these categories : romantic/social, sci-fi/supernatural, action shows. The quality of the writing in these shows is not on par with shows on cable or the major conventional networks because of the targeted group. Every show is repetitive of a previous one, a main reason why CW resorts to reboots of older shows or adaptations of comics and books which suits the limited budget of the network and quickly and easily can establish a secure, tight fandom. In this way, the network will be able to have a surplus or at least minimize its costs. The promotion of older and new shows is accomplished by either advertising a pretty face, mainly a young adult, experiencing love for the first time (target group) or an action sequence involving the main heroic figure indulging the needs of the psyche of the young audience.

Concerning ratings, CW has always had very low ones even in the precious 15-24 category. But from what I've seen, CW shows are more popular with viewers abroad rather in the States and Canada. I'm not 100% sure now but I think that CW makes up for any losses it has in the States with the merchandise it sells overseas in comparison with major networks who work under the exact opposite mentality. For example, every time a greek network broadcasts a foreign TV show, it is obliged to pay the foreign network at least 1000 euros per episode.

I do think that audiences do take into consideration the networks broadcasting the shows they are interested in watching. Talking from personal experience, I know which networks allow the vision of the creator to be completed and which constantly interfere with the artistic integrity of the shows which almost every time leads to the premature cancellation of the show. You know which networks prefer plot-oriented or character-driven shows thus detecting quality of writing.
een jaar geleden x-missmckena-x said…
Ill just point out I am the same I have to watch online as I am from the UK so I get exactly what everyone means, just really want to know what shows people do watch and the network and why, or why they choose not to watch any shows on the networks, and if they don t did they watch anything that the old WB aired. Loving the comments so far though, you guys have all been brilliant.
clanbillr commented…
Hi M, *What shows people do watch and the network and why? Way to many shows to list; but it's always been just the shows that I wanted to watch, and it didn't matter to me what network they were on. *Or why they choose not to watch any shows on the networks? It's always been what interest's me. I always try to give new TV shows a chance like watching them a few times before I pass my judgement on, if I want to watch them meer of not. * If they don't, did they watch anything that the old WB aired? I started watching the WB because I loved shows like; started with Buffy The Vampire Slayer (UPN & The WB), 90210 (The CW) and Supernatural (The WB & The CW) and then shows like: One boom heuvel (The WB and CW), Gossip Girl (The CW) and Nikita (The CW) and etc. I hope this gave u some answers, B een jaar geleden
een jaar geleden Albiee said…
One Tree Hill (The WB & The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Gossip Girl (The CW)
Hart of Dixie (The CW)
Everybody Hates Chris (UPN & The CW)
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (The WB)
Dawson's Creek (The WB)
Gilmore Girls (The WB & The CW)
Supernatural (The WB & The CW)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (UPN & The WB)
90210 (The CW)
Nikita (The CW)

Above are the list of shows that are/were from UPN, The CW an The WB. The first four I properly watch, the next two, I've seen the odd episode of, and the rest are the ones I want to watch.
As you can see, the majority are to do with The CW. I think this means a benefit in the two networks coming together because all of these shows have really big fandoms, I believe. The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl may not have been picked up if the CW didn't exist, and then thousands of fans would be disappointed.
I enjoy these shows because they're aimed at teenagers, and I am one. I suppose they're all relatable in one way or another. Now you might think 'How the freak can you relate to a show that's all about vampires, werewolves and witches?' Well it's more about the realtionship between characters. I love to see the friendships, the couples, and the parent/child bonds between many characters.
However, I do feel that the majority of the shows are aimed at the younger auidenes, that is maybe something they could edit.
Hope this is okay ;-)
een jaar geleden TheCountess said…
I never really paid attention to the reason of why it became the CW, but there are some shows I watch on that network, and I'm certainly no teen. I have grandchildren that are in their teens and we actually have a few shows in common that we follow, and one of the shows (Supernatural) even my Mom likes.
I've just been a fan of sci-fi and horror type movies and shows since I was about 5 years old, so I guess that's the reason I watch some of their programming. The shows I'm currently following on the CW are:
Supernatural (+ own past seasons on DVD)
The Vampire Diaries (+ own past seasons on DVD)
Beauty and the Beast
Arrow
Cult
I'm also a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan (watched most episodes on TV + own the series on DVD).
I own 2 older TVs (tube type), so I can only watch shows airing on regular network TV with the aid of digital converter boxes and my VCRs (don't have cable). That limits me to being able to follow only 2 shows in the same time slot. My computer is also old, so it doesn't have any video capabilities.
I used to watch Nikita until the time it aired conflicted with shows I was more interested in. Now I've gotten too far behind to really care about catching up.
I also had a tough choice to make when Cult shifted to Friday night - in the same time slot as Touch and Grimm. Since I really like Cult, but suspect that it might get cancelled (tends to happen to a fair amount of shows I liked), I decided to follow Cult intead of Grimm. Besides that, I just got the first season of Grimm on DVD and know that sooner or later I'll own the current season of it too. I'd like to own Touch also, but I'm not quite as sure I'll be getting it.
Anyways, I seem to have gotten off into some other network programming here, but I hope that this input at least help helps you a little with your project. ;)
een jaar geleden LovingLucy said…
Her's my take on the UPN/WB vs CW. I've been watching on the WB since season one of Buffy. I also watch Angel, Charmed and Vampire Diaries. My qualm with the CW is it just doesn't have the bite that the WB and UPN had. Everything has been diluted so much on the CW. Very little violence, pg sex scenes, and hardly any language. Now I am no longer a teen, so I like my shows a little grittier. But nevertheless, I feel the CW takes the "tv show cleansing" a little too far. That really chops up your audience. I will be honest though. This opinion comes from a very myopic point of view. I know what I like and CW just doesn't dish out. They're really potentially limiting their viewing audience by dong so. Anyone who has another side or a show they watch on CW that is a bit more gripping please tell me. I have cable. I will watch it and see what I think.
clanbillr commented…
Hi L, Sometimes the cleansing of shows helps; after seeing so many shows with sex, violence ...etc, it becomes an awesome change just to see a toon that will help keep me calm! B een jaar geleden
een jaar geleden x-missmckena-x said…
Thank you everyone, this has been brilliant
clanbillr commented…
Hi M, How did u do? B een jaar geleden
een jaar geleden clanbillr said…
cool
Hi missmckena-x, I hope I can help you with your dissertation on the changeover of the WB to the CW and I hope I'm not to late to help. To me the CW, WB and UPN seem the same to me. The show that got me to watch the CW was Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I truly loved the old shows like: Smallville, Supernatural, One Tree Hill ... etc and I loved the new ones to like Gossip Girl and etc.
Was this the right choice for the networks to become the CW? I think it was a great choice just to keep the network going on.
Have the shows become a better quality?
Not sure if they're better quality but I do love the old (even though they're all reruns or have moved on to other networks) they made a great start on this network and new shows ... even the new ones on today like: Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, and etc!
Were the right choices made during the takeover?
I think to keep the network going on they're all the right choices. For me today it's called WCCT.
Good luck, thank you for posting your question, TTYS and I hope I helped you, :) B

 Hi missmckena-x, I hope I can help u with your dissertation on the changeover of the WB to the CW
een jaar geleden harold said…
A belated response that will likely have no impact on your dissertation (and for that I apologize): I didn't start watching the WB until it started producing programming that interested me...as with most people I know, we didn't start watching the first few seasons (though I do know of people who watched 7th Heaven) until Warner Brothers started producing original animation. Freakazoid!, Animaniacs, Batman, Superman,,,. Everyone I know watched Buffy, though I only occasionally caught episodes when I visited friends. Everyone I know still thinks of the WB mascot frog and his signature "Hello ma baby!"

I have mixed feelings about the creation of the WB and UPN both, because of their effect on our local TV market. Both of the affiliates in my area were long-standing independent TV stations with a strong local focus, and that was gradually lost as the local programming was replaced by the network shows. But at the same time I did appreciate the WB animation and the various Star Trek series that were syndicated through UPN.

By the time a decade had passed, both networks seemed to be going very strong, producing a lot of quality programming. So to me the merge into one network seemed nonsensical from a viewer perspective, though I'm sure it looked great on paper: they'd be able to ditch their "non-producing" shows from both networks and possibly get a larger "market share." This, of course, is predicated on the idea that the Nielsen ratings have any real significance with regards to how many people are actually watching a given show, which no one believes except TV and advertising executives. So in that regard, I think the WB made a good choice in the merger (in sort of a back-hand way): the WB continues as a web site, which can actually produce REAL viewing numbers, rather than the ridiculous hand-waving estimates of the Nielsen ratings. As a viewer, though, I still think it was a terrible choice.

As for watching the CW, I haven't. This is largely due to changed viewing habits, some of which were forced upon me. When the US forced all TV stations to cease analog broadcasting in 2009, I lost the ability to view on-air programming, as I have never (and don't ever plan to) paid a monthly fee to watch TV. However, only some of the stations in our area were forced out of business; some of them were able to pay for the conversion to digital broadcast. So the CW is still around in our market, but we moved and now don't live in an area that can receive that signal. So even with a digital converter box and HD antenna, we can't watch the CW programming. This is a shame now, in particular, because I'd dearly love to watch the new "Whose Line is it Anyway?" which just started last night.
een jaar geleden x-missmckena-x said…
Just seen these responses, its bee a while since I have Fanpopped I do apologise, I got a 2:1 in my dissertation so all the comments were a real help, thank you everyone :D