Found this last night, while looking for Golden Satellite results...bah. Anyways, I guess it can't be bad for Buffy that UPN is doing better than last year.

http://entertainment.yahoo.com/entnews/va/...4241753700.html

UPN cuts loss in half vs last yr-exec

Sun Jan 12, 4:25 PM ET

UPN, the broadcast network best known for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( news - Y! TV)," the latest "Star Trek" series and sitcoms aimed at black audiences, has cut its losses in half from last year, a top executive said Sunday.

"Financially, UPN is in better financial shape than (at any other time) in its eight-year history," said Les Moonves, the president and chief executive of CBS who also oversees UPN, noting that advertising revenue is up 25 percent in 2002 versus 2001 even as the network works to shore up ratings.

"Obviously, UPN lost a great deal of money last year but losses have been cut over 50 percent for this year," said Moonves, speaking at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Los Angeles. He did not give details on the reduced loss.

Both CBS and UPN are owned by Viacom Inc., with Moonves running the two networks since early 2002.

UPN still generates its biggest profits from professional wrestling shows, Moonves said. "Thursday night, our wrestling night, is our most profitable night," he said, even though World Wresting Entertainment Inc. sells most of the advertising time for that programming.


Moonves said the network was recovering from a slump in ratings and also improving its financial health.

Of the seven broadcast networks, UPN has finished a consistent sixth in the ratings this season, even with high-profile shows like the long-running "Buffy," "Enterprise," the latest "Star Trek" series, and wrestling.

Like the other broadcast networks, UPN is in the midst of rolling out its midseason slate, which relies heavily on its traditional appeal to black audiences, to fill gaps in its schedule and replace canceled programs.

Among its new shows are the hip-hop drama "Platinum," starring rapper Sticky Fingaz; "Abby," starring award-winning actor Sidney Poitier ( news)'s daughter Sydney; and reality series "America's Next Top Model," with model Tyra Banks ( news).

"People today, especially UPN's young-adult audience, live and work in a multicultural world, and television needs to reflect that reality," Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for UPN, told TV writers.

"Obviously we are trying to make more of our casts interracial," Moonves added, "and yes, we would like to expand beyond an African-American audience, and I think we've accomplished that."

Moonves said he wanted the network to be viewed as younger and hipper, and evolve into a "fuller network." To that end, he said viewers will see little CBS programming pop up on UPN.

Ostroff said the network was cross-promoting "Platinum," by rebroadcasting the show on sister network MTV, also owned by Viacom, and pursuing a deal for music albums from the show and its stars.

She also said the network is in development on a comedy with husband-and-wife actors Will Smith ( news) and Jada Pinkett Smith and on a drama with Mel Gibson ( news).

Reuters/Variety