WB, UPN to merge, form ‘CW 57′

Executives of both Warner Bros. and Viacom — I apologize if these are not the correct company names, but companies merge and break up so often, how am I supposed to follow? I barely know what city the Montreal Expos are playing in right now — announced today that UPN and the WB are going to merge and form a supernetwork, CW.

While CW is quite a horrible name for a network, as long as it keeps Veronica Mars, I don’t really care. Programming will begin this fall, with WB affiliates getting the channel in some markets and UPN affiliates getting it in other markets. Philadelphia’s Viacom-owned UPN 57 will become CW 57, though everyone will still call it “Philly 57,” from back in the days when it showed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show — with the Link cartoon on Friday! — five days a week.

Where does this leave the Tribune-owned WB, with its NBC 10-produced newscast at 10 o’clock and not much else? We can only hope of 24 hours of informercials for Ron Popeil-made products, Dean Martin celebrity roasts and Value KIA. Pray, I mean. We can only pray.

CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment Form New 5th Broadcast Network [PR Newswire]