History of The WB

Like Fox, the network's programming targeted certain demographics underserved by the Big Three; it notably carved a niche catering to teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13 and 35 (with series such as 7th Heaven, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, Smallville, One Tree Hill and Supernatural), although it also featured programs aimed at Black audiences (such as Sister, Sister, The Wayans Bros., The Jamie Foxx Show and The Steve Harvey Show) before gradually ceding that demographic to UPN—which had cemented its own niche among that audience with its slate of sitcoms—beginning in the early 2000s.

Controversial from the very beginning, the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules (or "fin-syn"), implemented by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1970, were relaxed slightly during the 1980s.

[9] It was the repeal of fin-syn that ultimately made newer broadcast networks such as UPN and The WB financially interesting for their highly vertically integrated parent media conglomerates Paramount Pictures (Viacom) and Time Warner, respectively.

The inaugural lineup consisted of The Wayans Bros. (a star vehicle for comedians Shawn and Marlon Wayans, who also co-created the series),[19] Unhappily Ever After (a dysfunctional family sitcom from Married... with Children co-creator Ron Leavitt), and Muscle (a parody of primetime soap operas from Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, utilizing a similar concept as their groundbreaking 1970s ABC satirical comedy Soap); a fourth series, The Parent 'Hood (a family sitcom starring and co-created by Robert Townsend), debuted the following week (January 18).

(In the case of the Chicago signal, this marked the first time that WGN-TV was affiliated with a major broadcast network since DuMont ceased operations in August 1956.)

In some areas where cable systems did not carry the superstation feed and maintenance of a local WB affiliate was not yet possible, satellite distribution was the only method in which viewers could see the network's programming over WGN.

(The WGN national feed served as the default WB affiliate for residents in 152 markets and the entirety of 21 U.S. states—Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming—at varying periods of time up through the launch of The WeB.)

Conversely, in the Chicago market, WGN-TV chose to only air the network's prime time lineup, and exercised a right of first refusal to decline Kids' WB in order to offer a local morning newscast and an afternoon block of syndicated sitcoms aimed at a family audience on weekdays and a mix of locally produced news, public affairs and children's programs as well as paid programs on weekend mornings; this cleared the way for Weigel Broadcasting to cut a separate deal to air Kids' WB programs locally over group flagship WCIU-TV (channel 26, now a CW affiliate), an independent station that ran the block Monday through Saturdays from September 1995 until WGN-TV began clearing the block on its schedule in September 2004.

[31] In January 1996, The WB debuted its first drama series and first hour-long program: the Aaron Spelling,-produced prime time soap opera Savannah.

The WB began broadcasting in high-definition in September 2002, offering a total of five hours of prime time shows in the format for the 2002–03 season.

The network's first night of programming on January 11, 1995, began with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck wondering which one of them would pull the switch to launch The WB.

Before the beginning of Savannah, for example, the frog would sing a short monologue suggesting that "[t]here's more comedy for the family Wednesday nights" and that kids should go to bed, meaning that the show coming on would be for mature audiences only.

In later shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, the announcer would present a TV-PG disclaimer, though the frog still appeared as a neon sign.

On July 22, 2005, Michigan's "death" was announced by WB Chairman Garth Ancier at a fall season preview with the terse statement "The frog is dead and buried."

The head of programming for The WB, David Janollari, stated that "[Michigan] was a symbol that perpetuated the young teen feel of the network.

The book Season Finale suggests many reasons for the demise of The WB, including founder Jamie Kellner's departure, the lack of owned and operated stations, a failure to develop many new hits after 2002, Time Warner's decision to merge with America Online and allowing Buffy the Vampire Slayer to move from The WB to UPN for its last two seasons.