28% SEASON DROP IN VIEWERS ENDANGERS CW NETWORK�S FUTURE
By Wiretap staff
Despite buzz surrounding �Gossip Girl,� the CW network is losing steam and faces the possible loss of at least one partner, the Wall Street Journal reports, and its future hinges on the upcoming season�s performance.
The network, formed by CBS and Time Warner from the ruins of UPN and the WB, has lost about 28% of its audience this season, and viewership during the May sweeps period has declined 22%.
The venture also abandoned wrestling, which draws solid ratings among young males but is shunned by advertisers, and at its upfront presentation the network said it was focusing �exclusively� on females 18-34, the Journal said.
Additionally, CW has ceded its three-hour primetime Sunday programming to Media Rights Capital, which recently ruled out picking up the vampire show �Moonlight� after CBS declined to renew it. MRC is still developing the shows it plans for the Sunday evening slot.
In addition to �Girls,� the network�s fall lineup includes the shows �Reaper,� �America�s Next Top Model,� �Surviving the Filthy Rich,� �Stylista� and the 21st century retread-update �90210.�
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