MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet or MNTV) is a television broadcast syndication In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States. In the rest of the world, however, most service in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group The Fox Entertainment Group is an American entertainment industry company that owns film studios and terrestrial, cable, and direct broadcast satellite television properties. It is wholly owned and controlled by the media conglomerate News Corporation which is Chaired and part owned by the naturalised American Rupert Murdoch, since the company, a division of News Corporation News Corporation , often abbreviated to News Corp., is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009 . The company's Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder is Rupert Murdoch. Under its former status as a television network A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early television, it was the lowest-rated of the then-six major US English-language commercial broadcast networks.

MyNetworkTV is a sister company to the Fox Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as simply Fox, is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic. In the 2007–08 season, Fox became the most popular network, but operates separately. Roger Ailes Roger Eugene Ailes is the American president of Fox News Channel and chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group. He was a media consultant for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, as well as Rudy Giuliani’s first mayoral campaign in 1989 oversees the service as chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation. FTS also produces the Fox program COPS and overseees distribution wing 20th Television as well as myNetworkTV (FTSG). Greg Meidel, MNTV's president, supervises its day-to-day operations, along with Fox executives Jack Abernethy, Dennis Swanson, and Bob Cook.

MyNetworkTV began operations on September 5, 2006 with an initial affiliate lineup covering about 96 percent of the country,^[1] most of which were former WB The WB Television Network was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to shut down The WB and launch The CW Television Network later that same year. The WB and UPN United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which (through the Paramount Television Group) produced most of the network's series. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first affiliates.

On September 28, 2009, following disappointment with the network's results, MyNetworkTV dropped its status of a television network and transitioned to become a syndication programming service, reminiscent of the Universal Action Pack and Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. is an American producer of film and television entertainment' Prime Time Entertainment Network The Prime Time Entertainment Network was a United States television network launched in 1993 by the Prime Time Consortium, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Domestic Television and the Chris-Craft group of independent stations. Originally, the station groups in the consortium helped finance the shows on PTEN, but that deal was restructured at.^[2][3][4][5]

Origins

MyNetworkTV arose from the announcement of the CW Television Network The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network (UPN), and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB Television Network. The "CW" name is, which essentially merged the WB The WB Television Network was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to shut down The WB and launch The CW Television Network later that same year. The WB and UPN United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which (through the Paramount Television Group) produced most of the network's series. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first. As a result of several deals earlier in the decade, Fox Television Stations Group The Fox Television Stations are a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of the News Corporation. FTS also produces the Fox program COPS and overseees distribution wing 20th Television as well as myNetworkTV owned several UPN affiliates, including its three largest: WWOR-TV WWOR-TV, channel 9, is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV network licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the New York City metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship WNYW . WWOR-TV's studios and main offices are located south of Route 3 in Secaucus, New Jersey Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 15,931. The town's name is pronounced "SEE-kaw-kus" , with the accent on the first syllable, not the second as often used by non-natives (New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, education, and entertainment. As host of the), KCOP-TV in Los Angeles Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States, the largest city in the state of California and the Western United States, with a population of 3.83 million within its administrative limits on a land area of 498.3 square miles (1,290.6 km2). The urban area of Los Angeles extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population and WPWR-TV in Chicago Chicago ( /ʃɨˈkɑːɡoʊ/ or /ʃɨˈkɔːɡoʊ/) is the largest city in both Illinois and the Midwest, and the third most populous city in the United States, with over 2.8 million living within the city limits. Its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland", is the 26th most populous in the world, home to an estimated 9.7 million. Fox had bought most of them after acquiring most of the television holdings of UPN founding partner Chris-Craft Industries Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. was a privately held American corporation. The company it was named after was founded in the late 19th century by Christopher Columbus Smith and became famous for its mahogany hulled powerboats of the 1920s through the 1950s, while WPWR was bought in 2003 from Newsweb Corporation. Despite concerns about UPN's future at the time Fox purchased these three stations, UPN signed three-year affiliation renewals with them in 2003. That agreement's pending expiration, along with some others, in 2006 gave UPN parent CBS Corporation CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority shareholder & serves as Chairman. The company and WB parent Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. is an American producer of film and television entertainment the rare opportunity to merge their respective struggling networks into the CW.

The CW included no Fox-owned stations; in fact, the coveted New York, Los Angeles and Chicago affiliations all went to stations owned by The WB's co-owner, Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting is a group of radio and television stations located throughout the United States which are owned and operated by the Tribune Company, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. In response to the announcement, Fox promptly scrubbed all UPN references from its UPN affiliates' logos and promotions and stopped promoting UPN programs altogether. However, in all three cases (especially in the cases of Los Angeles and Chicago), the WB affiliate was the stronger station; CW executives were on record as preferring the "strongest" WB and UPN affiliates.

Media reports speculated that the Fox-owned UPN affiliates would all revert to being independent stations Independent station is a term for a broadcast radio or television station which is more independent in some way compared to other "dependent" stations. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, market environment and the broadcasting medium's development history, or else form another network by uniting with the other UPN and The WB affiliates left out of The CW. Fox parent News Corp chose the latter route, and announced MyNetworkTV on February 22, less than a month after CBS and Warner Bros. announced The CW on January 24.

Programming

MyNetworkTV began operations on September 5, 2006 with premieres of its two initial series. Some affiliates unofficially began branding their stations on September 4, 2006--Labor Day The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict,--with supplied preview specials. Programming airs from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Eastern The Eastern Time Zone of the Western Hemisphere – also known as North American Eastern Standard Time (NAEST) – is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs (UTC-05) during standard time and -4 hrs (UTC-04) during daylight saving time. The clock time/Pacific The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7 time) Monday through Saturday.

At least eleven current and former affiliate stations have presented MNTV programs out of pattern:

• KEVU-LP in Eugene, Oregon Eugene is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 50 miles (86 km) east of the Oregon Coast airs the MNTV schedule from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., after the "Prime Time Talk" block of Dr. Phil and Oprah The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history. It is currently the longest-running daytime television talk show in the United States, having run nationally since September 8, 1986, for over 24 seasons and nearly 5,000.
• KMYQ in Seattle, Washington Seattle (pronounced /siːˈætəl/ see-AT-əl) is the northernmost major city in the continental United States, and the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and in the state of Washington. A seaport situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canada – United airs MNTV programs from 7-9pm to make way for a 9 p.m. newscast.
• KPDX KPDX is the MyNetworkTV-affiliate serving the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 30. In addition, it is seen on channel 13 on most local cable systems in Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2009, it has an estimated population of 582,130 making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most environmentally friendly or "green" city in/Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Clark County. According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's estimate in July of 2008, the city has a population of 163,186, making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is part of the Portland-Vancouver airs MNTV programs from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. due to their hour-long newscast at 8 PM produced by sister station KPTV KPTV is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Portland, Oregon market, which includes most of the state of Oregon and portions of Southwest Washington. KPTV is owned by the Meredith Corporation, with its studios located in Beaverton and transmitter in Portland. The station broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 12 which debuted 9/8/2008.
• KRON KRON-TV, channel 4, is the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the San Francisco Bay Area. Licensed to San Francisco, the station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 38. The station's transmitter is located atop Sutro Tower in San Francisco. The station is the flagship of Young Broadcasting. The station brands itself as "KRON 4", keeping in San Francisco The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2008 estimated population of 808,977. The only consolidated city-county in California, it encompasses a land area of 46.7 square miles on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, giving it a airs MNTV programming from 9 to 11 p.m. after Dr. Phil.
• From MNTV's launch through September 19, 2009, KQCA in Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2008 estimated population of 463,794, it is the seventh-largest city in California. Sacramento is the core cultural and aired MNTV programming one hour earlier (7 to 9 pm) than most other affiliates due to its airing of repeats of Oprah The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history. It is currently the longest-running daytime television talk show in the United States, having run nationally since September 8, 1986, for over 24 seasons and nearly 5,000 at 9 pm as a lead-in to the station's 10 pm newscast produced by sister station KCRA-TV. KQCA now presents MNTV programming in pattern, with the 7 to 8 hour now filled with reruns of The Office The Office is an American mockumentary comedy television series that airs on NBC and is developed by Greg Daniels. An adaptation of the BBC series The Office, the series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary,.
• During its time as a MNTV affiliate KJZZ in Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With an estimated population of 183,171, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total estimated population of 1,130,293. Salt Lake City is further situated in a larger urban aired MNTV programming from midnight to 2am, [1] and brands their station with their call letters rather than My 14; the reasons included a local marketing agreement In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio station or TV station owned by another licensee. In essence, it is a sort of lease or franchise with then-CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major American television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of the company's logo. It has also been called the " owned-and-operated station In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as O&O) usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an affiliate, whose ownership lies elsewhere other than the network it is linked to KUTV, which allows KJZZ to re-air some syndicated shows from KUTV. It had originally aired from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the network's launch. KCSG, an independent station in St. George St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles (488 km) south of Salt Lake City on Interstate 15, replaced KJZZ as Utah's MNTV affiliate on August 18, 2008.^[6]
• KARZ-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas and also the county seat of Pulaski County. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 685,488 people, according to 2009 census estimates. The MSA is in turn included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area, airs MNTV programming from 8 to 10 p.m. Central time due to its hour-long newscast at 7 p.m. produced by sister station KARK-TV (owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group) which debuted on 2/2/2009. Under the previous ownership of Equity Broadcasting as KWBF, it aired MNTV programming in its normal 7 to 9 p.m. slot.
• KWKB in Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2008 census estimate, the city had a total population of 67,831 making it the fifth-largest city in Iowa. It is the county seat of Johnson County and the home of the University of Iowa. It is located adjacent to Coralville and surrounds University Heights, with which it forms a, a dual affiliate of The CW and MNTV, airs MNTV programming weeknights from 9 to 11 pm Central time, immediately following CW programming.
• During its time as a dual CW-MNTV affiliate, KNVA in Austin, Texas Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 15th-largest in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in the nation from 2000 to 2006. According to the 2008 U.S. Census aired MNTV programming weeknights from 10 pm to midnight Central time due to its 30-minute newscast at 9 pm produced by sister station KXAN-TV which debuted on 9/28/2009; the remaining half-hour from 9:30 to 10 was filled with reruns of The Office. Prior to the newscast's debut it aired MNTV programming from 9 to 11 pm, immediately following CW programming. On October 21, 2009, the LIN TV Corporation, owner of KXAN-TV and controller of KNVA, converted KXAN-TV's semi-satellite, KBVO in Llano, to a standalone MNTV affiliate, which presents MNTV programming in pattern. This left The CW as KNVA's sole network affiliation.
• WNTZ in Alexandria, Louisiana/Natchez, Mississippi, a secondary MNTV affiliate, airs MNTV programming Monday-Friday from 9 to 11 pm Central time, immediately following Fox programming.
• WNAC in Providence, Rhode Island, also a secondary affiliate, aired MNTV Monday-Friday from 11:30 pm to 1 am, with Saturday primetime running on early Sunday mornings from 1:30 to 3:30 am. (WNAC has since moved the MNTV affiliation to a digital subchannel, which presents MNTV programming in pattern.)
• WGGB-DT2 in Springfield, Massachusetts, also a secondary affiliate, airs MNTV Monday-Friday from 11:35 p.m. to 1:35 a.m.
• WTRF-DT2, yet another secondary affiliate, airs MyNetworkTV from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Heavy local sports preemptions are a problem for MyNetworkTV, as they have been for all the netlets. However, they have become less of an issue with the end of the network's telenovela strategy, where an airing of the pre-empted telenovela episode as soon as possible on the same day was required by default rather than the flexibility to push a show off to the weekend that came with UPN, WB, or CW affiliation. Affiliates often scheduled contractual "make goods" of its daily line between 3 and 6 a.m. Not only are these light viewing hours, but they air after Nielsen processes its preliminary morning network ratings.^[7]

Telenovelas

See MyNetworkTV telenovelas

The network's original format focused on the 18-to-49-year-old, English-speaking population^[8][9] with programing consisting exclusively of telenovelas, starting with Desire and Fashion House. Originally, each aired Monday to Friday in continuous cycles of thirteen-week seasons, with a one-hour recap of the week's shows airing on Saturdays; when one series ended, another unrelated series would begin the following week. The fifth and sixth series, American Heiress and Saints and Sinners, appeared one hour per week on Wednesdays before abruptly vanishing from the schedule.^[10] The MyNetworkTV serial lineup was broadcast in Australia as FOXTELENOVELA on the W. Channel. In Toronto, the first Desire/Fashion House cycle aired weekday afternoons on SUN TV, but the station decided not to air subsequent cycles for unknown reasons.

Proposed programming

The announcement of the new network also stated that additional unscripted (i.e., "reality") and current-affairs programming were in development. These were:

• Catwalk, a series similar to America's Next Top Model
• On Scene, a crime-based news magazine produced by Fox News
• An American version of the quiz show Britain's Brainiest
• An American version of the ITV series Love Island.

MyNetworkTV abandoned development of these programs in Summer 2006 and focused solely on telenovelas.

Later announcements by Fox regarding additional programming to air on MyNetworkTV O&Os—such as Desperate Housewives repeats, a trial run of the now-TBS sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and a daytime viewer-participation game show, My GamesFever (which has since been cancelled)^[11]—do not apply to the network as a whole.

Other programming

MyNetworkTV does not air children's programming, any news programming or sports. Some affiliate stations, however, carry local news either via their own news departments or a news share agreement, and may serve as broadcasters for local sports teams.

Revamping the schedule

In response to the telenovela lineup's poor ratings performance, highlighted by a rating of 0.7% average households, (see "Performance") reports surfaced^[12] that Fox executives planned a major revamp of the MyNetworkTV's programming, decreasing its reliance on telenovelas and adding new unscripted programming to the schedule such as reality shows, game shows (such as My GamesFever), movies, and sports, and a possible revisit to a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.^[13] The deal was not signed with UFC, but rather with another mixed martial arts organization, the International Fight League, in conjunction with Fox Sports Net.^[14][15]

On February 1, 2007, Greg Meidel, who was named to the newly-created position of network president just 10 days earlier, confirmed the rumors and unveiled a dramatically revamped lineup.^[16][17] The intent of the shakeup was to increase viewer awareness of the network (and in turn viewership), as well as to satisfy local affiliates who were disappointed over the poor ratings performance. After March 7 (when Wicked Wicked Games and Watch Over Me finished their runs), telenovelas occupied only two nights of programming, airing in two-hour movie-style blocks rather than on multiple nights. The remainder of the schedule includes theatrical movies and the new IFL Battleground (originally titled Total Impact).

In addition, the Saturday night telenovela recaps ended immediately, in favor of movies until March. The 1986 film Something Wild aired on February 3, becoming the network's first non-telenovela presentation.

Specials and reality programming were also a part of the network's reformatting. The first two specials aired on March 7. Also, MyNetworkTV permanently reduced its telenovela programming to a single night per week, with American Heiress and Saints & Sinners airing one hour each on Wednesdays until their unexpected termination, due to incompatible flow with IFC Battleground from Monday to Tuesday as far as promotions. Also, the Thursday night movie block featured mostly action/adventure films, with Friday night featuring a mix of contemporary classic films, beginning June 5.^[18]

A side effect of the new programming schedule was the loss of the network's claim that they were the only U.S. broadcast network to have their entire schedule available in HDTV, due to the IFL, some of the network's movies, and the additional programming being produced in 480i standard definition only.^[19]

In fall 2007,MyNetworkTV removed telenovelas and began to air reality and sports shows.^[20]

On September 1, 2007, the network aired its first live program, the men's final of the AVP Croc Tour's Cincinnati Open.

Under One Roof, the network's first sitcom starring Flavor Flav began airing April 16, 2008. Because the program used Canadian writers it was unaffected by the 2007-2008 WGA strike.

On February 26, 2008, the network announced it had picked up the rights to air WWE SmackDown, which left The CW at the end of September 2008. The first Smackdown! episode aired on Friday, October 3, 2008.^[21] The first episode of WWE SmackDown pulled in the highest audience in MyNetworkTV history of 3.2 million viewers and for the first time rated fifth for the night ahead of The CW and won the night in the male 18-34 & 18-49 demographics.^[22]

Ratings and sponsors

Original format

MyNetworkTV's debut was far from successful. Desire scored a 1.1 household rating/2 share; Fashion House went up to 1.3/2.^[23] Fox had sold about half of its projections of $50 million in advance commercial sales.^[24]

As of March 7, 2007 MyNetworkTV was included in Nielsen's daily "Television Index" reports, alongside the other networks, although they were still not part of the "fast nationals" that do feature the others.^[25]

Last-minute changes to the Fall 2007 MyNetworkTV schedules included the title of "Divorce Wars" being changed to "Decision House" and the addition of "Celebrity Exposé" and "Control Room Presents" to the network's Monday line-up as well as a one-hour "IFL Battleground" followed by "NFL Total Access" on Saturdays.^[26]

The network's shift from telenovelas to reality shows and movies produced only a small bump in the ratings. It averaged only a .7 household rating during September 2007.^[27] MyNetworkTV continues to be the second lowest-rated English-language broadcast network in the United States, ahead of only Ion Television.

The night MyNetworkTV debuted WWE SmackDown, the network took fifth place in household ratings ahead of The CW, but shortly afterwards went back to sixth place as time went on.

Of the six broadcast networks, Nielsen Media Research said only MyNetworkTV went up in the ratings, with 1.76 million viewers per night, up 750,000 from the previous season.^[28]

On Monday, January 5, 2009, MyNetworkTV aired episodes of The Twilight Zone. The episodes helped MyNetworkTV rise in the ratings along with WWE SmackDown, being the 2nd highest rated show on the network.

The highest rated program to air on MyNetworkTV is Home Alone, which aired on December 10, 2008. Home Alone brought in 3.70 million viewers (not a record) but had a 1.4 demo among the 18-49 year olds.^{[citation needed]}

Current format

On February 9, 2009, it was announced that MyNetworkTV would be shifting from a television network to a programming service, similar to that of Ion Television's current lineup.^[29][30][31] Litton Syndications is interested in the MyNetworkTV Saturday time slots.^[32] General Managers at various MyNetworkTV affiliates are hopeful that Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Deal or No Deal, and WWE SmackDown will boost the ratings.^[33][34] MyNetworkTV plans to air more syndicated shows on primetime this fall.^[35] Advertisers are becoming attracted to MyNetworkTV affiliates' programming shift.^[36] However, reports indicate they seek to create one original program: a late night talk show similar to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel Live!.^[33] (A program fitting this description, The Kilborn File, was released in syndication to Fox affiliates instead in June 2010.)

WWE SmackDown announced that effective October 2010, that it would be moving to the cable channel Syfy to take the place of the defunct ECW brand. The move would leave MyNetworkTV with no first-run programming other than that it is sharing with syndicators. The new syndicated version of Don't Forget the Lyrics! (which will concurrently air in syndication and on cable network VH1) is scheduled to replace Deal or No Deal on the MyNetworkTV lineup in fall 2010.

Affiliation

As of August 28, 2006 167 stations were affiliated with the new network, reaching approximately 106 million households and covering 96% of the US. This number includes six stations owned at the time by companies involved in the founding of the competing CW network: three owned by Tribune Broadcasting (located in Atlanta, Georgia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Seattle, Washington), and three owned by CBS Corporation; however, Gannett Company purchased WATL, the Atlanta Tribune station, shortly after Fox confirmed it as a MyNetworkTV affiliate (Gannett's acquisition of WATL was finalized on August 7, 2006). It must be noted the Tribune sold out its stake in the WB in exchange for long term affiliation contracts with the CW network and no longer has an ownership stake in The CW. CBS is part owner.

On March 6, 2006, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that 17 of its stations, mostly affiliates of The WB but also a few from UPN and some independent stations, would become MyNetworkTV affiliates in September 2006. This occurred despite the widespread presumption that affiliation with The CW, which at this point was still available in most markets, would be more valuable; however, Sinclair implied that MyNetworkTV was more financially attractive for the company. Some of the markets the 17 Sinclair stations occupy include Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Tampa, Florida; Cincinnati, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Birmingham, Alabama; Raleigh, North Carolina; Syracuse, New York; Nashville, Tennessee; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On March 7, 2006, Raycom Media announced that its WB and UPN stations would become MyNetworkTV affiliates that September. Those stations were WUAB in Cleveland, Ohio (market #17), KFVE in Honolulu, Hawaii (market #73), and WBXH-CA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (market #93).

One of the stations named in an April 26, 2006 announcement of MyNetworkTV affiliates was KNVA in Austin, Texas, which The CW had added to its list of confirmed affiliates a week previously. On May 1, 2006 KWKB in Iowa City, Iowa, another previously-confirmed affiliate of The CW, signed on to carry MyNetworkTV. Currently, these two stations are the only in the US to be aligned with both new networks. KNVA will brand MyNetworkTV shows as "MyNetworkTV on The CW Austin". KWKB's website features station logos labeled as both "KWKB The CW" and "My KWKB". In May, WAWB in Huntsville, Alabama became an official MyNetworkTV affiliate with the call letters WAMY.

On July 12, 2006, MNTV added WBFS in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (market #17), KTVD in Denver (market #18), WSYX in Columbus, Ohio (market #32), WTCN in West Palm Beach, Florida (market #38), WHP in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (market #41), WUPL in New Orleans (market #43), and WAWS in Jacksonville, Florida (market #49). WBFS, WTCN, and WUPL are owned by CBS Corporation (with WUPL set to be sold to Belo), KTVD is owned by Gannett, WHP and WAWS are owned by Clear Channel Communications, and WSYX is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting. WSYX, WHP, and WAWS will carry MNTV on digital sub-channel stations.^[37][38] The deal with CBS to affiliate their non-CW stations with MNTV came as a surprise to everyone in the broadcasting industry, especially after the icy reception between CBS and News Corp that began after the CW and MNTV came into the picture, as they refused to allow WBFS, WUPL and Boston's WSBK to affiliate with MNTV as a response to pulling UPN names from the Fox-owned stations that were affiliated with UPN.

In August 2006, MyNetworkTV filled in its remaining gaps within the top 100 television markets. On August 11, 2006, MNTV announced WNAC in Providence, Rhode Island, market #51, as a secondary affiliate; and WNGT-LP in Toledo, Ohio, market #70, as a primary station. Additionally, on August 22, 2006, the network added KAUT in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, market #45, and a digital sub-channel of WRGT in Dayton, Ohio, market #59, to the affiliate list on its website. Also that month, WZMY in Derry, New Hampshire was announced as the Boston-market affiliate.

From MyNetworkTV's inception until September 28, 2009, Mobile, Alabama was the largest city without a MyNetworkTV affiliate, although the city's DMA (which includes Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and the rest of the Gulf Shores region) has Fort Walton Beach station WFGX as the area's station for the network. This is due to WFGX's weak analog signal, which is not available west of Pensacola, and the lack of a must-carry agreement with Mobile's Comcast system, most likely a remnant of the station's former status as a low-rated Jewelry TV station before the launch of MyNetworkTV. However, after the digital transition, WFGX will relocate their digital transmitter to Robertsdale, Alabama which is in the area of the other Mobile-Pensacola television transmitters. This will finally provide a signal for the entire market area and give the Mobile, Alabama area a MyNetworkTV affiliate for the first time.

On September 28, 2009, the three ION Media Networks-owned stations which cleared MyNetworkTV (WPXX-TV in Memphis, Tennessee and WEPX-TV (and its satellite/full-power repeater WPXU-TV) in the Greenville/New Bern/Washington, North Carolina market), due to an affiliation agreement made by their previous owners, dropped their affiliations and became full-time ION Television stations as they had been before September 2006. A digital subchannel of NBC affiliate WITN-TV took over full affiliation in Greenville/New Bern.

WLMT in Memphis, that market's CW affiliate picked up the network for the sole purpose of carrying SmackDown, and due to the network's reclassification as a programming service, has elected to not carry the remainder of the network's schedule.

Due to the availability of "instant duopoly" digital subchannels that are likely easily available on cable and satellite, and the overall lack of a need to settle for a secondary affiliation with shows aired in problematic time slots, both The CW and MyNetworkTV launched with far greater national coverage than that enjoyed by UPN and The WB when they started in 1995. UPN for several years had gaps in the top 30 markets, and by 2005 managed to reach only 86% of the population. This resulted in secondary affiliations with stations carrying other networks. In those markets, programs were either shown out of their intended time-slots or not at all. Examples included Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise; when they were preempted, there were many viewer complaints. There are a small handful of tiny markets, however, which have MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation even on digital subchannels because those markets have only one or two stations, and want to place more emphasis on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox that those markets may have previously lacked on those subchannels.

Nevertheless, because MyNetworkTV was announced after the formation of The CW and thus got most of the "leftover" stations shut out by The CW, there are still availability issues in some markets. In addition, the network is mostly relegated to low-powered stations in some smaller markets, which do not have must-carry status. The arrival of WWE SmackDown to the network has shown this the most, as wrestling fans have complained about the availability issues in several markets that have The CW but not MyNetworkTV. This was most evident in the Lexington, Kentucky market, when local SmackDown viewers actually protested that they couldn't watch SmackDown because of low-powered MyNetworkTV/Retro Television Network affiliate WBLU-LP not being available on cable.^[39] That was solved shortly afterward when ABC affiliate WTVQ-TV agreed to move its weather digital subchannel to 36.3 and convert its former spot on 36.2 into a MyNetworkTV affiliate, stripping WBLU of its affiliation in the process.^[40]

Branding

At first, many Fox owned-and-operated stations branded local programming with the My moniker. An example is My 9 and My 9 News for WWOR-TV. However, by the third week in October, at least one station, KCOP, went to a two-column brand, with the network logo on the left side and the channel number, 13, on the right. The verbal identification became "MyNetworkTV channel 13." KCOP reverted back to the simpler "My 13" branding in May 2007.

The network has no digital on-screen graphic logo in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen on the SD feed (although the HD feed does), allowing their local stations to use their own logo instead. On November 13, the network added a translucent show logo to the bottom left side of the screen, but discontinued it in March with the beginning of the third telenovela cycle.

In the months before the network's launch, several stations changed their on-air identities to accommodate for the then-upcoming network, including all of the Fox Television Stations Group-owned stations. Affiliates also began to show promotions for the network featuring the theme of "Entertainment you can call your own."

At the time plans for MyNetworkTV were announced, there was at least one station that was using a similar moniker. WZMY Derry, New Hampshire filed a trademark for the "MyTV" name in the summer of 2005, and for a short time there was speculation the station might sue Fox for the use of "MyTV".^[41] However, on July 21, 2006, an e-mail was sent to WZMY's MyTV e-mail subscribers that the station would become the Boston area's MyNetworkTV affiliate. The official announcement came the following week.^[42]

Network slogans

• Entertainment You Can Call Your Own. (2006)
• My Place for Movies is MyNetworkTV! (2007–2009)
• Total Variety (2009–present)

See also

• List of MyNetworkTV affiliates
• List of programs broadcast by MyNetworkTV
• MyNetworkTV telenovelas
• The CW Television Network

References

1. ^ Sex Doesn't Sell, CNNMoney.com, September 20, 2006
2. ^ MyNetworkTV Shifts from Network to Programming Service, Broadcasting & Cable, February 9, 2009
3. ^ MyNetworkTV Changing Business Model, Hollywood Reporter, February 9, 2009
4. ^ MyNetworkTV Will Show Mostly Reruns In The Fall, USA Today, February 9, 2009
5. ^ MyNet Shifts Away From Network Model, TV Week, February 9, 2009
6. ^ Malone, Michael (2008-07-21). "KCSG Salt Lake City Grabs MNT Affiliation". Broadcasting & Cable. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6580119.html?rssid=193. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
7. ^ http://storage.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=113018
8. ^ Kevin Downey (February 21, 2006). "Media buyers question My Network TV". Media Life Magazine. http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=170&num=3038. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
9. ^ Edward P. Smith (March 25, 2006). "Latino TV exec takes a new tack on programming". The Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_3633111. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
10. ^ TVWeek.com ~ "MyNetwork TV: No More Scripted", TV Week, March 1, 2007
11. ^ Twentieth TV, Shine Plan Live Daytime Series, TV Week, August 30, 2006
12. ^ My Network scrambles to draw viewers, Chicago Tribune, January 24, 2007
13. ^ MyNetworkTV Executives Plot Schedule Changes, TV Week, December 15, 2006
14. ^ FSN & myNetworkTV Reach Strategic Programming Alliance with International Fight League, Yahoo!, January 16, 2007
15. ^ Fox Networks Enter Mixed Martial Arts Ring, TV Week, January 16, 2007
16. ^ MNT Unveils Schedule With Fewer Telenovela Nights, Broadcasting & Cable, February 1, 2007
17. ^ myNetworkTV Adds Movies, Fighting to Schedule, TV Week, February 1, 2007
18. ^ MyNetTV to Scrap Novelas, Bypass Upfront, Mediaweek, April 25, 2007
19. ^ MyNet Drops Pure-HD Format; Shift From Soap Operas Brings Standard/HD Mix, TV Week HD Newsletter, March 8, 2007
20. ^ myNetworkTV Seeks Arresting Programming, Digital Video Editing, May 29, 2007
21. ^ "myNetworkTV new home of SmackDown". WWE. 2008-02-26. http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/smackdownnewhome. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
22. ^ "MyNetworkTV Largest Audience Ever Tunes in to the Premiere of “WWE Friday Night SmackDown”". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2008-10-06. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/10/06/mynetworktv%c2%ae-largest-audience-ever-tunes-in-to-the-premiere-of-%e2%80%9cwwe%c2%ae-friday-night-smackdown%c2%ae%e2%80%9d/5781. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
23. ^ MediaPost Publications - MyNetworkTV Off To Slow Start - 09/07/2006
24. ^ Topic Galleries - chicagotribune.com
25. ^ Exclusive: MNT Cracks Down, Broadcasting & Cable, March 12, 2007
26. ^ MNT Opts for One-On-One Upfront Presentations, Speeds Up Reality Broadcasting & Cable April 24, 2007
27. ^ MyNetworkTV Regroups, Results Mixed, Media Daily News, October 5, 2007
28. ^ Bauder, David (2008-12-22). "My Network TV has surprising success". Globe Gazette (Associated Press). http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2008/12/22/entertainment/tv/doc494f3b73de66a608062277.txt. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
29. ^ MNTV: Broadcast Model "Not Working", Media Life Magazine, February 10, 2009
30. ^ MyNetworkTV Shifts From Network to Programming Service, Broadcasting & Cable, February 9, 2009
31. ^ MyNetworkTV Pins Future on WWE's Brawn, Mediaweek, February 23, 2009
32. ^ Litton Interested In MyNetwork's Saturday Time Slots, Broadcasting & Cable, February 10, 2009
33. ^ ^{a b} MyNet GMs Warm to New Model, Broadcasting & Cable, February 10, 2009
34. ^ GMs Warm to New MNT Model, Broadcasting & Cable, February 16, 2009
35. ^ MyNetworkTV Shakeup Music to Syndicators Ears, Broadcasting & Cable, February 16, 2009
36. ^ MyNet Affiliates See Shift to Programming Service As Attractive to Advertisers, TV Week, February 16, 2009
37. ^ MNT Signs Up Seven More - 7/12/2006 3:41:00 PM - Broadcasting & Cable
38. ^ myNetworkTV Inks Affiliation Pacts - TVWeek - News
39. ^ WWE Universe demands SmackDown in Kentucky
40. ^ Now a second chance to watch 'Smackdown'. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved on October 31, 2008.
41. ^ "TV show: Whose station is it?". http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=127585.
42. ^ "MyNetworkTV Adds Boston Affiliate". http://www.tvweek.com/news/2006/07/myNetworkTV_adds_boston_affili.php.

External links

• Official website
• MyNetworkTV on MySpace

Categories: Television syndication | MyNetworkTV | News Corporation subsidiaries | Television channels and stations established in 2006

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