CW's Ostroff Addresses Emmy Slight at TCA

By Jim Benson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/20/2007 2:08:00 PM

CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff has expressed disappointment over the mini-network’s one Emmy nomination, calling it “a shame” that “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Gilmore Girls’” Lauren Graham have never been honored by Emmy voters.

 Speaking at the Television Critics Assn. press tour Friday, Ostroff, whose entire network received as many nominations as “According to Jim” (as one critic pointed out), said that while it would be nice to have The CW’s programming honored by industry peers, the lack of Emmy nods “won’t make a big difference to our viewers.”

 Among the announcements, Ostroff confirmed that CW’s biggest hit, “America’s Next Top Model,” has been renewed through 2009-10 and will move this spring from Los Angeles to New York, where Tyra Banks has relocated her daytime talk show.

 And she disclosed that “Beauty and the Geek” had tinkered with its format by adding a “beauty” to the guys and a “geek” to the girls. The pair will operate as a team.

 Ostroff faced questions about a wide array of topics, ranging from The CW’s multitude of new and returning reality shows to the edgy content of the teen-targeted “Gossip Girl” and having no new African-American sitcoms on the primetime schedule.

 The executive attributes the lack of any fresh African-American comedies to the performance of the existing trio of Monday night entrants in the sitcom block—the only remaining sitcoms featuring African-American casts on primetime TV.

 The CW will attempt to broaden its demo skew on the night this fall with the new “Aliens in America,” according to Ostroff, who indicated it is too soon to say if the network will produce more African-American sitcoms in the future.

 Ostroff, meanwhile, disclosed that “Chris” creator Chris Rock will make his first on-camera appearance on the show’s first episode of the fall, playing a school guidance counselor. There was no word on whether he will appear in more.

 The executive also sought to put The CW’s first season behind it as the network faced many challenges, including ratings and a lack of many new shows, while it established itself.

 “From now on,” she said, “we are looking ahead."