It would work better if it got more young women 18-34 and 12-24 to watch its shows. Should it market itself with a stronger emphasis in that direction? Should the network offer up a little push, like The CW: Clever Women Welcomed or The CW: The Circumspect Women Network.
Lifetime tried the same trick with a much bolder marketing line: Television for Women. That network never really had a breakout hit until this summer with "Army Wives" -- all after it abandoned its Television For Women moniker.
Of course it's really all about the shows. CW's new "Gossip Girl" -- the just-average-so-far show that the network has built much of its new season on -- seems so close to the feel of Fox's "The O.C." or even MTV's "The Hills" that perhaps young women are sniffing copycat.
TV networks and shows -- like relationships -- need mystery. Spell it out and viewers can be bored; keep too much in limbo, and they'll wind up scratching their heads.
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Strangely, the CW's main competition may not be the usual suspects. Not MTV, not even Fox. Maybe it's ABC -- a network that also caters to young women, some who are in CW's wheelhouse. Are potential CW young women watching "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice," and "Brothers & Sisters" rather than "Gossip Girl" or "Life Is Wild"?
CW still hasn't found its "Buffy" yet -- a cool show that hit the right temperature among young viewers. Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for CW, says it can take a long time to build a young-women-targeted show. CW obviously feels assured "Gossip Girl" will be one of them, giving the show a full season order.
While we pass the time, the CW might also want some young men as well from two other rookie shows -- "Aliens in America" and "Reaper." While we look for a clearer understanding of the network's trajectory, call it the Cautiously Waiting network.