The WB and UPN television networks announced Tuesday they will become a single station called The CW. The merger, which is a partnership of CBS, owner of UPN, and Warner Brothers, means that Madison's WB and UPN affiliates must consolidate in the next four to eight weeks.
The Madison affiliates, WB57 and UPN14, will compete to become the carrier of The CW. Tom Keeler, general manager of WB57, said his station has the best chance of securing the deal.
'WB57 is the obvious choice to become the new network,' Keeler said. 'We are already a broadcast channel with a tower and antennae and UPN is a cable channel, and those with analog televisions won't be able to pick it up.'
He added the merger will benefit UW-Madison students.
'If WB57 is chosen as the new CW, this means the previous UPN and WB programs will be more accessible to UW students, especially if they do not have cable,' Keeler said.
But despite Keeler's comments, Tom Bier, station manager at CBS Channel 3, which owns UPN, maintains a positive outlook for UPN14.
'We have a good chance of becoming CW, and we have many strong platforms to back us up, including the fact that we have been on the air for fifty years and our close ties with CBS,' Bier said.
According to Bier, The CW will compete with the other major Madison networks'??NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox.
'The key to success is good programming'content is king,' Bier said. 'I believe they have a strong chance of becoming successful.'
Bier added the merger will be beneficial for UW-Madison students since the programming will be tailored for the college age group, and the overall quality of the shows will improve.
Former UW-Madison journalism professor James Hoyt said corporate mergers in media have occured in the past.
'It is not unusual for a network and a film production company to merge, in this case CBS, which stands for the C, and Warner Brothers, which stands as the W,' Hoyt said.
Hoyt added that Madison audiences should view the partneship as a positive.
'Programs from The CW should be stronger and more competitive simply due to the good synergy,' Hoyt said. 'Although the answer to that has yet to be seen.'
