• Mediaweek, Tuesday, October 23, 2007 11:15 AM

The CW network is still reaching a young female audience that many competitors do not, but some media buyers are saying it isn't getting enough of them to justify its ad time premiums. And with a slow start this season, agency execs wonder if the narrowly targeted broadcast network can hold ground against rivals with shows that pull mass audiences -- including young women.

For instance, at 9 p.m. Wednesday is the CW premiere of "Gossip Girl" that has drawn a lot of buzz and critical praise, but fewer viewers than hoped. The problem is that competing programs also skew female, i.e. ABC's drama "Private Practice" and NBC's "Bionic Woman." And there is no time period CW could move "Gossip Girl" into without facing the same dilemma.
"If you look at the ABC shows alone, I think they skew close to 70% female," says Sam Armando, senior vice president and director of video research at Starcom.

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