Tribune Hopes CW Network Is Must-See TV

TRIBUNE HOPES CW NETWORK IS MUST-SEE TV
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brooks Barnes brooks.barnes@wsj.com]
Tribune Co., caught in a corporate-survival drama, is hoping for some help from Superman, some supermodels, and the Gilmore girls. "Smallville," "America's Next Top Model" and "Gilmore Girls" are star attractions on the prime-time lineup of the new CW network, launched last month out of the ashes of the WB and UPN networks. CW is co-owned by Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros and CBS Corp., but Tribune -- which owns 16 TV stations that air the CW in some of the country's biggest markets -- may have the most at stake. The CW launched just as Tribune put itself on the market so the network's early ratings will have a big impact on the value that potential buyers put on the station group. So far, the new network is delivering. Total viewership is up 12% so far this season compared with the WB's performance during the same period last year.
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