A Good Start For The CW
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/8/2008
The ratings-challenged CW network was cheered by three strong nights of premieres last week for Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, 90210 and Top Model. That made The CW the top network in its target audience, women 18-34, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in key markets, including New York and Los Angeles. John Maata, the network's chief operating officer, says the series' premieres exceeded the network's own projections. Collectively, The CW scored its best Monday-through-Wednesday performance ever among women 18-34 (3.6/10), as well as adults 18-34 (2.5/7) and adults 18-49 (2.0/5).
The Parents Television Council (PTC) late last week alleged that to boost ratings, The CW added a sexy scene into the premiere of 90210 without notifying advertisers, a charge the network called "as ridiculous as it is inaccurate." The PTC said the show "glamorized" underage drinking, "profanity and pornography" and contained a scene suggesting oral sex.
