Network finds itself in spotlight

CW President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff never imagined such anticipation over her new little network. For months, fans have campaigned for their favorite UPN or WB shows by flooding her office with flowers and gifts. And the press has been relentlessly digging for confirmation of her first prime-time schedule.

On Thursday, Ostroff, formerly UPN’s network chief, will take the stage at Madison Square Garden and answer those million-dollar questions: Will “Veronica Mars” return? Did “Everwood” make the cut? Are we saying goodbye to Chad Michael Murray and the “One Tree Hill” gang?

“Everybody’s got shows they’re invested in, and we do have a lot of choices,” Ostroff said. “And that’s what’s exciting to us. But how the pieces fall together, you’ll have to wait and see.”

The CW has just 13 1/2 hours of programming, and network sources confirm six shows covering 6 1/2 hours are definitely on the schedule: “America’s Next Top Model,” “Beauty and the Geek,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Smallville” and “WWE: Smackdown!” But the network also has seven pilots to choose from, and Ostroff says she is likely to air “a few” of them.

“It’s pilot season, which is very stressful and very hard, and then, oh, by the way, we’re launching a new network on top of it,” Ostroff said, adding that the network is gearing its programming to a specific audience.

That audience is the 18-to-34-year-old demographic that UPN and the WB used to fight for, and Fox has managed to win over four seasons in a row. Last year, the WB sold $675 million in advertising commitments while UPN sold $300 million; Fox executives say they are vying for a piece of that pie as well.

“We’re very knowledgeable about our demographic: who they are, where they are and what their needs are,” Ostroff said. “Our programming is going to resonate with them. They are going to watch this network and see their own lives up on this network. The characters are going to resonate with them, the stories are going to resonate with them, and the franchise shows they’ve come to know and love will be here.”

One thing Ostroff can say for certain: There will be no snakes. Last year, Britney Spears was a no-show for her reality show’s presentation at the UPN session for which she was supposed to carry a snake around her neck. Ostroff had to take her place, “with my heels, walking down the stairs and that 80-pound snake wrapped around my neck. It was heavy. I am telling you, I was having a heart attack carrying it.”