Nexstar Media Group completed its acquisition of 75% of The CW Network and named Dennis Miller as president of The CW, replacing Mark Pedowitz as head of the network.

Miller has been a member of the Nexstar board since 2014 and most recently was chairman of Industrial Media when it was sold to Sony Pictures Television earlier this year. Miller is stepping down from the Nexstar board in taking his new position.

“Dennis Miller brings a unique skill set of proven television, media, and technology industry expertise, as well as venture capital experience to the role of president at The CW,“ Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said. “His understanding and ability to unlock value from media assets by delivering high-quality, profitable entertainment will serve the network, its viewers, its partners and CW affiliates around the country extremely well. We are confident his background, experience and relationships will allow Nexstar to deliver on the value of this transaction for our shareholders.”

Also: Nexstar Expects The CW To Be Profitable by 2025

“I look forward to working with Dennis and Sean Compton, Nexstar’s President of Networks, to build on the foundation that Mark Pedowitz and his team have established at both The CW Network and The CW App,” Sook added. “We sincerely  thank Mark for his many years of service to The CW and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” 

Before Industrial Media, Miller held positions at Sony, Lionsgate and TNT.

Nexstar is expected to cut back on original programming at The CW, 25% owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global. Its programming will be more closely aligned with the audience expected to stay tuned to its affiliates’ late local newscasts. Nexstar is the largest owner of CW affiliates.

“This appointment perfectly aligns my intimate knowledge of Nexstar’s business approach and operating goals to realize the value inherent in The CW,“ Miller said. ”I look forward to working with Perry, Sean and the team to leverage the experience and business relationships built over my career in the media and technology industries to create new value for viewers, advertisers, affiliates, and Nexstar shareholders.”

Pedowitz has been in charge of The CW for 11 years. 

“I am very proud of what our exceptional teams have accomplished together over that time,” Pedowitz said. “It was the right moment for me to hand over the leadership baton and I am excited to move on to the next chapter of my professional career where I can pursue a different set of interests. I am confident Perry, Sean, Dennis and the Nexstar team’s ability to usher in the next phase of growth and success for The CW Network and look forward to supporting them during the transition period.” ■

Nexstar Media Group said it agreed to acquire 75% of The CW, putting the station owner on a bigger national and creative stage.

The current owners of The CW, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Global, will each retain a 12.5% ownership interest in the network and continue to produce original scripted content that will air on the network.

How much Nexstar paid was not disclosed.

Mark Pedowitz will continue to serve as chairman and CEO. 

Nexstar is the largest owner of CW affiliates with 37 stations and CW Plus virtual stations carrying the network’s programming. Nexstar said owning The CW will enable it to expand its content business beyond news and obtain more access to national advertising and the on-demand market.

The network has been known for programming aimed at younger viewers between DC-character-driven shows for young men and high-school-aimed shows for young women, like Riverdale and Vampire Diaries. 

The CW was one of the first programmers to embrace convergence between its broadcast and digital businesses, making shows available to its younger viewers and selling advertising in multiplatform packages.

Nexstar said it is aiming to boost The CW’s ratings and is expected to make it more compatible with its stations’ local newscasts.

“Our acquisition of The CW is strategically and operationally compelling, as it will enable us to leverage our operational experience to improve the network’s performance through our management of this powerful national platform,” Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said in a statement. “We plan to apply the same strict financial standards to operating The CW as we apply to our other businesses.” ■

The CW has pulled off a tricky act across the last several years — airing programming that appeals to a wide audience, as befits a broadcast network, while also serving the LBGTQ+ community with a range of relevant, colorful characters. Fully 80% of the network’s scripted shows in 2021-2022 feature characters representing the LGBTQ+ community. 

It’s a mission The CW takes very seriously. “As a network, The CW is in the business of inclusive storytelling, which begins with acknowledging that our audience and society-at-large is diverse and filled with a wide range of lifestyles and cultural values,” The CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz said. 

The mission goes back at least a decade for The CW. The network had the first transgender superhero, in Nia Nal/Dreamer from Supergirl, portrayed by Nicole Maines; the first Black lesbian superhero in Anissa Pierce/Thunder from Black Lightning, played by Nafessa Williams; and the first lesbian superhero to headline a series, as was the case with Kate Kane of Batwoman, who was played by Ruby Rose. 

After Rose departed the series, Javicia Leslie was cast as Ryan Wilder, a skilled-but-undisciplined fighter who becomes the new Batwoman after finding the Batsuit in an airplane crash. Wilder gave The CW its first Black lesbian superhero to headline her own show. 

In April, The CW launched the My CW Story campaign, which celebrates viewers who have been empowered by CW characters to live their true lives. As part of Pride Month, The CW rolled out the stories of James, a transgender man inspired by Supergirl’s Nia Nal, and Julia, a bisexual woman inspired by Riverdale’s Cheryl Blossom (played by Madelaine Petsch). 

Gaye Hirsch heads development for The CW, Michael Roberts oversees programming, and Dana Theodoratos heads up casting. Network executives have said that showcasing characters who represent a diverse America helps combat ignorance and injustice, and inspires positive change in the nation and beyond. Diverse characters also make for more authentic storytelling.

“On every level at The CW and in partnership with our incredibly passionate creative talent on both sides of the camera, we continue to work to ensure the LGBTQ community is seen and heard,” Pedowitz said, “as we continue to focus on telling genuine and credible stories that not only reflect the world we live in, but also the world we all want it to be.”

The CW’s efforts to better represent LGBTQ+ viewers were recognized at June 23’s Pride Leadership Awards, as B+C, Multichannel News and Next TV honored the network for for outstanding leadership or extraordinary courage displayed in the efforts to present LGBTQ+-themed tele­vision content. To view the ceremony, visit pridetvsummit.com.

The CW has pulled off a tricky act across the last several years — airing programming that appeals to a wide audience, as befits a broadcast network, while also serving the LBGTQ+ community with a range of relevant, colorful characters. Fully 80% of the network’s scripted shows in 2021-2022 feature characters representing the LGBTQ+ community. 

It’s a mission The CW takes very seriously. “As a network, The CW is in the business of inclusive storytelling which begins with acknowledging that our audience and society-at-large is diverse and filled with a wide range of lifestyles and cultural values,” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO, The CW. 

The mission goes back at least a decade for The CW. The network had the first transgender superhero, in Nia Nal/Dreamer from Supergirl, portrayed by Nicole Maines; the first Black lesbian superhero in Anissa Pierce/Thunder from Black Lightning, played by Nafessa Williams; and the first lesbian superhero to headline a series, as was the case with Kate Kane of Batwoman, who was played by Ruby Rose. 

After Rose departed the series, Javicia Leslie was cast as Ryan Wilder, a skilled-but-undisciplined fighter who becomes the new Batwoman after finding the Batsuit in an airplane crash. Wilder gave The CW its first Black lesbian superhero to headline her own show. 

In April, The CW launched the My CW Story campaign, which celebrates viewers who have been empowered by CW characters to live their true lives. As part of Pride Month, The CW rolled out the stories of James, a transgender man inspired by Supergirl’s Nia Nal, and Julia, a bisexual woman inspired by Riverdale’s Cheryl Blossom (played by Madelaine Petsch). 

Gaye Hirsch heads development for The CW, Michael Roberts oversees programming, and Dana Theodoratos heads up casting. Network executives have said that showcasing characters who represent a diverse America helps combat ignorance and injustice, and inspires positive change in the nation and beyond. Diverse characters also make for more authentic storytelling.

“On every level at The CW and in partnership with our incredibly passionate creative talent on both sides of the camera, we continue to work to ensure the LGBTQ community is seen and heard,” Pedowitz said, “as we continue to focus on telling genuine and credible stories that not only reflect the world we live in, but also the world we all want it to be.”

The CW’s efforts to represent the LGBTQ+ community will be recognized on Wednesday, July 23, at The Pride Leadership Awards, a virtual event from B+C, Multichannel News and Next TV for outstanding leadership or extraordinary courage displayed in the efforts to present LGBTQ+-themed television content. To watch the Pride TV Leadership Awards, register for the Pride TV Summit at pridetvsummit.com. 

The CW expands to seven nights a week this fall, adding two hours of primetime programming on Saturdays. Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World’s Funniest Animals hold down the Saturday slots when The CW’s new season begins in October. 

Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW, called it “the most significant change” for the network when addressing the press in late May, and a long-term wish for The CW. “Expanding to Saturdays was the goal for us for the past decade,” he said. “We’re excited about the possibilities this opens up for our affiliates and our advertisers.”

As part of the arrangement, The CW returns the 3-4 p.m. ET/PT weekday slot to affiliates. Pedowitz said affiliates were “pretty much on board” from the get-go. 

DuJuan McCoy, owner/president/CEO of Circle City Broadcasting, which owns CW affiliate WISH Indianapolis, said he initially had a mixed reaction, but ultimately sees it as a benefit. On the down side, the station offers a lot of local sports on Saturday nights, while on the upside, the daytime shift means Jerry Springer departs WISH.

“We’re super-psyched because now The CW is a full-on, seven-day-a-week network,” said McCoy. “And I like that WISH is getting the extra hour back in daytime. We can produce special local content for that hour, maybe news, maybe lifestyle.”

That’s the strategy at Nexstar Media Group, which owns and/or operates 37 CW affiliates. “Nexstar fully supports The CW’s decision to provide primetime programming every night of the week, including Saturdays, and to return the weekday afternoon time period to local CW affiliates, which we largely plan to use to offer more local programming,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

Gray Television’s WUAB Cleveland has The Big Bad B-Movie Show on Saturdays, with a couple hosts poking fun at a dreadful horror movie. That will back up a bit to 11 p.m. when The CW takes over Saturday prime. Erik Schrader, WOIO-WUAB VP and general manager, called it “a natural progression” for the network, and believes Big Bad B-Movie Show will do fine in the later slot. “It just shows the network has a commitment to primetime,” he said. “The more original content we can get in prime hours, we will definitely take.”

Leading The CW’s efforts to expand were Betty Ellen Berlamino, CW executive VP, network distribution, and Ann Miyagi, senior VP and general counsel.  

The CW added Sunday nights in fall 2018, slotting Supergirl and Charmed, Pedowitz noting at the time that both featured “empowered women.” The final 13 episodes of Supergirl start rolling Aug. 24 and Charmed will be on in the mid-season. 

New CW shows for 2021-2022 include a remake of missing persons drama 4400, an adult version of Nickelodeon competition series The Legends of the Hidden Temple and a redo of British murder-mystery game show Killer Camp. 

Promo Opportunities

Saturday is mostly a rerun wasteland on broadcast TV, but The CW sees opportunity.  Pedowitz said programming Saturdays permits the network to market itself every night of the week. “It allows us to, in essence, promote and market our Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays without the gap of Saturday,” he said. 

About the Saturday shows, Pedowitz said Whose Line Is It Anyway? has worked in every time period it has been in, and World’s Funniest Animals was a “surprise hit” in the past year. The CW will consider scripted shows on Saturdays down the road, he said.  

Rob Tuck, head of national sales at The CW, described the Saturday move as a win. “From a sales perspective, it’s great to have the extra two hours,” he said. “The two hours are not just on linear, they are on digital. With our ability to do full stacks, this will provide us with more additional inventory on the digital platform, which is great.”

Pedowitz believes both network and station partners benefit from the move. “Over the long term,” he said, “I think everyone will make it work.” 

The CW has shared its seven-night schedule for the 2021-2022 season. New fall shows are 4400, The Legends of the Hidden Temple remake and Killer Camp. 

Sundays will have Legends of the Hidden Temple, an adult-focused remake of the Nickelodeon competition classic, and a U.S. edition of Killer Camp, a competition series that sees 13 campers navigate through deadly twists with their eye on a cash prize. 

Also Read: The CW, Nexstar Ink Affiliation Agreement

Mondays have season four of All American and 4400, about 4,400 people who fell off the face of the planet. 

On Tuesdays it’s season eight of The Flash and season six of Riverdale. 

Wednesdays have Legends of Tomorrow season seven and Batwoman season three. 

Thursdays offer the sophomore season of Walker and season four of Legacies. 

On Fridays it’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us and season three of Nancy Drew. 

Saturdays have two episodes apiece of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World’s Funniest Animals. 

Also Read: The CW To Program Saturday Nights Next Season

The CW is adding Saturdays to its lineup, three years after it added Sundays. The Saturday schedule starts with iHeartRadio Music Festival Oct. 2. 

“This year, as we begin to return to more normalized production schedules, The CW is firing on all cylinders," said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW Network. "The CW dares to defy by expanding our primetime schedule to include Saturday night and becoming a full 14 hour, seven-day-a-week broadcast network for the first time in its history, offering more original series on both our linear and digital platforms, providing more opportunities for our advertisers and affiliates. We are rolling out an exciting lineup of our signature returning series which will be joined this upcoming season by the new, reimagined 4400 and the highly anticipated, brand new revival of Legends of the Hidden Temple along with new series slated for mid season, All American: Homecoming and Naomi.” 

Joining All American spinoff All American: Homecoming and Ava DuVernay drama Naomi in the mid season are Charmed, DC’s Stargirl, Dynasty, In the Dark, Kung Fu, Roswell, New Mexico and Superman & Lois. 

Read Also: 'Critics Choice Awards' on The CW Jan. 9

Every episode of 4400; All American: Homecoming; Batwoman; DC’s Stargirl; Kung Fu; Naomi; Nancy Drew; Superman & Lois and Walker, as well as Killer Camp; Legends of the Hidden Temple; Penn & Teller: Fool Us; Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World’s Funniest Animals on this season will be available to stream on The CW’s free digital platforms. 

The CW has three original specials lined up for the fourth quarter of 2021: movie The Waltons’ Homecoming, set in 1933 and told from John Boy’s perspective; The Scooby-Doo Reunion Special, which sees the Scooby gang reunite at Warner Bros. Studios to reminisce about their favorite cases; and animated holiday special Beebo Saves Christmas, about a fuzzy toy turned furry god. Ben Diskin voices Beebo. 

Pedowitz said The Waltons' Homecoming offers "a touch of Americana and a touch of Middle America."

Programming Saturdays gives viewers and advertisers another night to connect with The CW, Pedowitz said, and another night for the network to promote its content. 

“The CW continues to grow and innovate on a multiplatform basis with more original programming and more ways for advertisers to connect with our audience,” summed up Pedowitz. 

The CW will launch its new season in January 2021, while fall 2020 will have a mix of original and acquired programming. The CW made the announcement on its usual Upfront Week day, despite the pandemic shutting down live presentations.

Starting in January, All American and Black Lightning air on Mondays. Tuesdays it’s The Flash and new drama Superman & Lois. Wednesdays have Riverdale and Nancy Drew and Thursdays are new show Walker, starring Jared Padalecki, and Legacies. Fridays it’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Whose Line is It Anyway? Sundays offer Batwoman and Charmed.

The fall will offer DC Universe show Swamp Thing, CBS All Access series Tell Me a Story, Canadian show Coroner and British comedy Dead Pixels, along with Pandora, The Outpost, Two Sentence Horror Stories, World’s Funniest Animals, Masters of Illusion, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Penn & Teller: Fool Us.

“This year, The CW has made the proactive strategic decision to launch its new season in January 2021, rolling out a lineup of our signature returning series which will be joined next year by our four new series, including the return of the DC’s most iconic superhero in Superman & Lois, the return of the Texas Rangers in Walker, the reimagined Kung Fu and the rebellious drama The Republic of Sarah. And by moving our new season to January, we are stocking our fall with a balance of original and acquired scripted series and alternative programming that fits The CW brand and provides fresh programming through the fourth quarter,” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW.

The CW typically starts its season in October. Pedowitz stressed that the fall will not be full of reruns.

“In 2021, The CW will have more original scripted programming throughout the year, week in and week out, than we have ever had, fueling our multiplatform ecosystem, which combines linear TV, our best in class AVOD services and unparalleled reach on social media,” said Pedowitz. “Additionally, next year, The CW will have full stacking rights to eight series to stream on our free, ad-supported digital platforms.”

The mid-season will have new shows Kung Fu and The Republic of Sarah, and veterans DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Dynasty, In the Dark, Roswell, New Mexico and Supergirl.

Kung Fu and The Republic of Sarah got straight-to-series orders.

“As we manage the current crisis, we’ve developed a methodical programming strategy for this year and well into next that we believe works for The CW, our advertisers, affiliates and audience, while keeping the health and safety of our productions and creative partners front of mind,” Pedowitz added.

Pedowitz said the network’s strategy gives talent, producers and studios “ample time to get the shows up and running in the best and safest way possible.”

Netflix and The CW agreed to a new streaming deal that will give the top streaming service exclusive rights to complete seasons of all of the network's shows.

Under the new deal, CW shows -- including Supergirl, which moved to the network from CBS -- will appear on Netflix eight days after the season finale airs. Under the old deal, they didn't appear until a year after each season had premiered.

Financial terms of the multi-year deal were not disclosed. Netflix's previous deal with The CW was worth $1 billion in 2011 and played a large role in keeping the fledgling network alive.

"Since the initial landmark deal in 2011, The CW's programming has enjoyed tremendous success and increased exposure through Netflix, and our new agreement not only continues but enhances this valuable relationship," said Mark Pedowitz, president of The CW. "The CW has positioned itself for the future by transforming into a true hybrid network, rooted in broadcast while fully embracing the digital and streaming habits of the viewers."

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.