Ratings Archives: Winter 1994-95
Covering December 5, 1994 to March 5, 1995
Up until December 1994, the USA only received, historically, three or four broadcast networks.In January 1995, that number reached SIX. Both the WB (Warner Brothers) and UPN (Paramount) debuted in mid-January with a limited TV schedule.Both the WB and UPN bowed in January of 1995. Technically, The WB was the 5th network, airing a week ahead of UPN. UPN started off airing on Mondays and Tuesdays, while The WB only programed one night, Wednesdays. UPN had more affiliates, airing in 86% of the USA, while The WB was only cleared in 80%.
Here is the original lineup for both networks.
UPN Mondays:9:00pm - PLATYPUS MAN
9:30pm - PIG STY
UPN Tuesdays:
8:00pm - MARKER9:00pm - THE WATCHER
WB Wednesdays:8:30pm - THE PARENT 'HOOD
9:00pm - UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER
9:30pm - MUSCLE
Of these new shows, I remember watching STAR TREK: VOYAGER and MARKER on UPN. On the WB I watched UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER and MUSCLE. MUSCLE was a comedy heavily influenced by the classic ABC comedy SOAP.
STAR TREK: VOYAGER premiered to relatively big numbers, grabbing nearly 15 million viewers. but as the winter progressed, it settled into an average of about 10-11 million per week.
As for the rest of network TV, ABC still held the ratings lead, but with a surge by both E.R. and SEINFELD (Overtaking HOME IMPROVEMENT), NBC was starting to make a move for the top spot.
Nielsen Broadcast ratings charts for December 5, 1994 to March 5, 1995
It was a weird history the two netlets had. They both launched using a Fox model...UPN going after young men and The WB going after African Americans. UPN, on the wings of Voyager, was the stronger network out of the gate.
ReplyDeleteThen they each shifted focus and kind of became each other, though as UPN shifted to Urban, The WB targeted young women. The balance of Power shifted when The WB signed a deal with Sinclair, turning most of its UPN affiliates into WB stations.
As The WB began to accumulate series with strong pop culture buzz (Buffy, Dawson), UPN began poaching them, nabbing Buffy and Roswell from The WB. Both limped along for a couple more seasons.
Then came the merger that created the beast with two heads: The CW. (We can be Urban AND Female!) The CW has never achieved the buzz, or the ratings, of either of it's parents.
IMO, since The CW is clearly going after the same audience as The WB in its heyday, they should have kept The WB brand after the merger. Too many people still think that "CW" stands for Country and Western! :)
I had not heard of the "Country and Western" take on the CW. That is pretty funny!
ReplyDeleteThe WB was way more like the early days of FOX. Even the marketing was similar. IIRC, wasn't one, or more, of the people behind the launch of the WB also behind the launch of FOX?
Yup. The WB used the same "backlot" look Fox used in its early days. Lots of Fox execs were involved in the WB.
DeleteWhat's with the weird format in the last 5 or 6 that are hard to read?
ReplyDeleteThe USA TODAY changed the size of the chart about mid season. I know I caught them for next week's posting, but I might have missed some in this week's posting.
ReplyDelete