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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications TEEN QUEENS AND ADRENALINE DREAMS: A HISTORY OF THE CW TELEVISION NETWORK A Dissertation in Mass Communications by Anna Aupperle © 2018 Anna Aupperle Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2018 ii The dissertation of Anna Aupperle was reviewed and approved* by the following: Matthew P. McAllister Professor of Communications Chair of Graduate Programs, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications Dissertation Adviser Chair of Committee J. Ford Risley Professor of Communications Patrick Parsons Professor of Communications Gary Cross Distinguished Professor of Modern History *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii Abstract This project investigates the history of The CW Television Network, a U.S. English- language broadcast television network founded in 2006 as the merger of The WB Network and UPN. In just over a decade, the network has transitioned from a teen drama-focused network focused on programming to women ages 18-to-34, to an established network later best known for its DC Entertainment superhero programs. In order to understand more about The CW and why it is relevant to the history and future of broadcast television, this dissertation makes extensive use of the popular and trade industry press. Articles were found in several major databases and through other online sources, and focus on the network’s corporate parentage, its unique demographic strategy, and its emphasis on social media as a way to both communicate with and locate fans in the online communities in which they live. This project examines the financial, programming, and regulatory changes that have helped to make The CW what it has become as well as the ways the network’s innovations can serve as indicators for the future of broadcast television. This project argues that The CW has developed several major innovations for television that have impacted the industry in ways beyond just its programming. These are 1) its demographic targeting and cultivation of social viewership, much of which associated with the teen drama, 2) advertising-oriented initiatives and a continued emphasis on the monetization of content, 3) renewed focus on broadcast network affiliate relationships, and 4) structural monetization of the network, including cross-platform, sometimes “transmedia,” storytelling via comic-book licensing. Keywords: television history, The CW Television Network iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION & METHODS .................................................................................1 Why The CW is Worthy of Study................................................................................................3 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................11 Method .......................................................................................................................................12 Sources Utilized .................................................................................................................13 Self-Reflection on Method .........................................................................................................20 The Structure of This Dissertation .............................................................................................23 Chapter 2. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TELEVISION REGULATION AND PROGRAMMING AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CW .........................................................................................................28 FCC Regulatory Influences in Television History.....................................................................28 How Networks Disseminate Content .........................................................................................30 Fin-Syn and PTAR – FCC Regulation to Protect Diversity ......................................................31 A New Network, New Affiliate Structures, and the End of Fin-Syn ........................................34 Regulation Allowing for the Creation of Emerging Networks ..................................................39 Economic Influences on Television Networks – Consolidation and Differentiation ................44 Economic Benefits of Owned Intellectual Property ..................................................................45 Consolidation and Increased Ownership of IP ...........................................................................47 Declining Viewership and the Impact of Cable .........................................................................48 Economic Concerns Impacting Content: The Rise of Reality TV .............................................50 New Technology and Declining Traditional Viewership ..........................................................52 Changes in Viewer Measurement ..............................................................................................58 Trends in Viewership: Increasing Viewer Age ..........................................................................60 Where Did All the Millennial Viewers Go? ..............................................................................62 Chapter 3. UPN MEETS THE WB, PRE-JANUARY 2006 .........................................................65 “2 Would-Be Networks Get Set for Prime Time” .....................................................................65 “The Night is Young”: The WB’s Programming Strategies ......................................................69 On the Shoulders of Giants: The WB’s Parent Company, Time Warner, Inc. ..........................73 Trekkies and SmackDown: UPN’s Programming Strategies .....................................................77 “We’re the Network, Baby”: The Musical Chairs of UPN’s Namesake, Paramount ................82 The Beginning of the End: 11 Years, >$1 Billion in Losses .....................................................87 Chapter 4. COME FOR THE SMACKDOWN, STAY FOR THE TEEN DRAMA, FALL 2006- SPRING 2008 ...............................................................................................................................91 The Merger Announcement, and the Closure of The WB and UPN .........................................93 Early Days: Before the Upfront Presentation, February – April 2006 ......................................97 The CW’s 2006-2007 Upfront Presentation and Sales Period, May – July 2006 ....................101 The First Schedule: July – August 2006 ..................................................................................105 The CW’s Debut: The 2006-2007 Television Season .............................................................111 v Sophomore Slump, The Online Migration and Continued Ad Experiments, 2007-2008 Television Season ....................................................................................................................115 Industrial Pressures: The 2007 WGA Strike and The CW ..............................................119 Measurement Changes Impact The CW’s Success ..........................................................121 No Laughing Matter: The CW Eliminates its Comedy Department ................................123 The Lasting Legacy of Kids’ WB! ...................................................................................125 Sunday Night Meltdown: The CW Sells off Sundays .....................................................125 Failing Networks: Will The CW Survive Another Season? ....................................................126 Chapter 5. THE NETWORK OF “MAGICAL THINKING”: FALL 2008-SPRING 2012 ........129 2008-2009 Television Season: Goodbye SmackDown!, Hello ABC Family ..........................129 Rebranding, Content Changes, and Refocused Demographic .........................................130 Encroaching Competition: ABC Family ..........................................................................134 MRC and Sunday Nights on The CW..............................................................................136 2009-2010 Television Season ..................................................................................................139 “TV to Talk About”: Social Media and Vampire Diaries ...............................................139 A Changing Competitive Set ...........................................................................................142 2010-2011 Television Season: No New Hits but a New President .........................................144 2011-2012 Television Season: Change is Coming ..................................................................146 End of an Era: Pedowitz Takes Control with a New Direction .......................................146 The Fizzling Legacy of The WB and UPN ......................................................................150 Behind the Scenes: WB Buys Alloy ................................................................................152 When Finances Fail, Enter Netflix...................................................................................153 “The Magical Mystery of The CW” Continues .......................................................................157