The WB

The Encyclopedia of Television (http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/television/wbnet.html):


"The WB Network is widely recognized as the first television network to capitalize on the trend toward increasingly fragmented television audiences. By targeting programming specifically to teens and to young adults, the WB has established a focused and successful broadcast network... The network, which reaches 88% of the U.S. audience through both broadcast and cable channels"

"The network was able to turn its slide around the following year, and for the first time in 2001, the network reached the coveted 5th place in ratings among overall TV households and in the 18-49 demographic. Adding to the strength of its continuing series, the WB rolled out Gilmore Girls, the critically acclaimed, multigenerational and multiethnic drama about a single mother and her teenage daughter (played by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel) created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. Gilmore Girls was the first program developed by the Family Friendly Forum, an initiative launched by Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, and other major advertisers in cooperation with the WB, in an effort to develop programming that families could watch together...The 2001-2002 season was another strong one for the WB despite the move of two of its programs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roswell, to rival network UPN. Gilmore Girls and Angel achieved increased ratings..."

"In addition to its programming focus on teen angst and its strong young female leads, the good fortune of the WB can be attributed to its aggressive, innovative, and largely successful marketing ventures...The WB has also experimented with product placement and advertiser funding for script development. Yet while Gilmore Girls was a successful example of the latter, not all advertiser/network innovations have been so well-received."

"Despite its many successes, the WB is the only network that had not yet received a single Emmy nomination as of 2001. That same year, it was also the only network that had shown growth in every demographic when compared to the 1995-96 season when it was launched, and the only network to show an increase in upfront revenue and ad rates."