The CW network, home to teen drama Gossip Girl, may be closed next year thanks to you, a Web-surfing pop culture consumer, possibly between the ages of 18 and 34. If you actually sat and watched network television at the appointed time instead of flitting around the mediascape like a monkey, streaming things here and TiVOing things there, maybe the network could actually get some Nielsen ratings for its shows. Instead, ratings are down 28 percent among 18 to 34 year olds so far this year. Other networks' ratings are down in the wake of the writers' strike, but apparently things are worse at CW, because according to the Wall Street Journal, "the network's hopes of surviving are looking increasingly bleak," and at least one of the CW's owners, CBS and Time Warner, may abandon the network next year if ratings don't improve. And it's hard to see how they will:
The CW's fall schedule, unveiled this week, suggests the network has few fresh ideas. It is debuting only three new shows, all designed to complement Gossip Girl, which executives hope will find a larger audience come fall. The new offerings are: 90210, an updated version of the 1990s hit prime-time soap about rich kids in California, Beverly Hills, 90210; Surviving the Filthy Rich, a drama about rich kids in Palm Beach; and the reality show Stylista.
Nothing is said about what happens to Gossip Girl if CW closes, but it's hard to imagine neither CBS nor Time Warner could find space for the series on some other network. If need be, alternative strategic plans could perhaps be generated at another Gossip Girl summit.
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