• TV Week, Tuesday, February 17, 2009 10:01 AM

Some MyNetworkTV affiliates are optimistic about the network's transformation to a programming service because they think it will be easier to sell the new slate of shows to sponsors.

News Corp.-owned MyNet recently announced it is getting out of the broadcast programming business starting next season, replacing its current lineup with syndicated fare, including crime dramas. This is the third programming change since MyNet launched in fall 2006 with a slate of telenovelas.

With the change, MyNet affiliates get programming that already has penetrated the popular consciousness, which may help them build their brands locally. What remains to be seen is how much appetite national advertisers have for spots rerun in prime time. Station sale reps, for their part, say it will be easier for them to sell ads on "Law and Order" reruns, compared to MyNet's edgy original shows like "Street Patrol." Replacing those [original shows] is a positive for us from a revenue standpoint," says one rep.

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