On the The WUBP&N

Some of the folks at the would-be CW early on resisted suggestions that their "new" network would simply be the melding of UPN and The WB, seeming to prefer the suggestion that the netlets were being folded in favor of the new offering.

Well, at least from the outset, The CW, looks a lot like a railroad merger combining the highest-traffic lines of the two former TV freight haulers to create The WUBP&N Line.

That may be the immediate necessity rather than the long-term profile, but the new schedule features the top shows from each netlet, leaving room for only a couple of new shows, one drama and one comedy, while, primarily, WB's familiar dramas and UPN's comedies, plus Smackdown and Top Model, make up the new network.

If the move pays off, the new network should just about double its rating, which wcould put it in the 2 range. In today's "incredible shrinking network share" world, that would look a lot better than the point-somethings they have been pulling of late.

By John Eggerton