UPN gets a model makeover
Sun Feb 8, 7:00 PM ET

RICK KISSELL

(Variety) HOLLYWOOD Thanks to some leggy wannabe models, there’s a spring in the step of UPN for the first time in several years.

Reality skein "America’s Next Model" has taken off in the ratings this winter, teaming with rising comedies on Monday and Tuesday to give the net some momentum in the first half of the week.

Net still does little business with its Friday movie and has to figure out what to do with Wednesday, where "Star Trek: Enterprise" continues to struggle, but it is making steady progress overall.

For the season through 19 weeks, UPN remains in sixth place in adults 18-49 (1.4/4) and adults 18-34 (1.5/5), according to Nielsen. It is down 12% year-to-year in its target 18-34 demo but its losses have been shaved in recent weeks and could disappear altogether if "Model" finishes with a bang in March.

It was only a year ago that many thought the loss of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" would spell doom for the young net. But since then, Entertainment prexy Dawn Ostroff and her team have added several solid pieces to the lineup, helping to better define the UPN brand.

Bolstered by the addition of "Eve" in the 8:30 slot, net’s Monday comedy block is averaging an 8 share in women 18-34 --- on par with last year’s delivery and now at the same level of rival the WB.

The African-American aud has also come to Tuesday, where "One on One" has relocated to solid numbers and "All Of Us" (from Will Smith (news) and Jada Pinkett Smith) has excelled at 8:30. That has made for a solid lead-in to "Top Model," whose audience is roughly 40% black.

Biggest disappointment of the season has to be that sci-fi drama "Jake 2.0" didn’t click on Wednesday. Net is tinkering with that night, moving "Enterprise" to 9 o’clock in March and leading off with new CGI-animated videogame comedy "Game Over" and the return of "The Mullets," which didn’t do much when it aired on Tuesdays last fall.

It will be interesting to see if the net tries to keep Wednesday a male-skewing night or whether it looks to extend its Monday-Tuesday momentum with more shows aimed at young, urban women.

Thursday’s "WWE Smackdown," while still a top night for UPN, is down another 15% this season.

Going forward, another reason for optimism is that the net has shown with John Ridley and Sofia Coppola (news) on last season’s drama "Platinum" and Carsey Werner on "Game One" that it can attract quality producers and writers to the net.

UPN has also started playing the guest-star game in sweeps, getting Ruben Studdard and Shaquille O’Neal (news), for example, to appear on the net’s comedies this month.

For better or for worse, UPN will probably always be linked with the WB, another broadcast net that launched at about the same time 10 years ago. And that comparison is looking increasingly better for UPN, as the Frog has fallen a bit on hard times this season, down about 20%.

At a time when dramas are beginning to lose some of their grip on viewers, UPN is positioned well with a lineup that is heavier on comedy and reality.

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