AHC: Have The WB or UPN succeed in their quest to become "The Fifth Network"

[Nivek]

Also, Gulf+Western was the most prolific corporate raider/conglomerate from 1966 until Bluhdorn's death (1983) that it was more surprising that he didn't try to take over Disney. They took over industries in pretty much every other economic sector

I think the FTC at the time wouldn't have liked it and they have natural teeth back them, plus I think Paramount was the easiest target possible. He got it, and he did make great work with it, so maybe paramount is unavailable and he gets Disney instead? or Bluhdorn lives and when Reagan relaxes the standards he gets Disney before the little mermaid?

 

[dsp19]

I think the FTC at the time wouldn't have liked it and they have natural teeth back them, plus I think Paramount was the easiest target possible. He got it, and he did make great work with it, so maybe paramount is unavailable and he gets Disney instead? or Bluhdorn lives and when Reagan relaxes the standards he gets Disney before the little mermaid?

Because of the SEC investigations IRL, G+W probably didn't want to try something as brazen as a corporate takeover of Disney. It would have been vastly unpopular. Mel Brooks in one of his films attacked Bluhdorn as a man who engulfed and devoured companies.

In my TL Reagan is President from 1977-1985 so the SEC investigations into G+W are dropped and Bluhdorn can pretty much take over whatever he wants...before The Little Mermaid

 

[Nivek]

Because of the SEC investigations IRL, G+W probably didn't want to try something as brazen as a corporate takeover of Disney. It would have been vastly unpopular. Mel Brooks in one of his films attacked Bluhdorn as a man who engulfed and devoured companies.

In my TL Reagan is President from 1977-1985 so the SEC investigations into G+W are dropped and Bluhdorn can pretty much take over whatever he wants...before The Little Mermaid

So there is it, plus he avoided his Heart Attack too(or was when he could get medical help), that will be fun, with Star Trek and Disney IP, they can easily beat fox for the fourth network(or complement it as the fifth one), plus Bludhorn as Murdoch, would steal the NFL for his network too

 

[dsp19]

So there is it, plus he avoided his Heart Attack too(or was when he could get medical help), that will be fun, with Star Trek and Disney IP, they can easily beat fox for the fourth network(or complement it as the fifth one), plus Bludhorn as Murdoch, would steal the NFL for his network too

The way I wrote it, all that happens from 1979 into the 1980s (except for the NFL, but I'm working on that). It took I believe 6-7 years for FOX to outbid CBS for the NFL.
It's a lot harder to become the 5th network than it is to become the 4th, which is why I set the stage earlier. IRL Paramount wanted to create a 4th network in 1977 but Star Trek Phase II, the program that would anchor the network, was dropped in pre-production so they didn't go through with it.

I don't know as much about what WB thought in regards to a 4th network before FOX did it in 1987 but my impression of them was that they were much more focused on films and wanted to distribute programming to the established Big 3 networks instead of fighting them

 

[Nivek]

1977 but Star Trek Phase II, the program that would anchor the network, was dropped in pre-production so they didn't go through with it.

I think the network was dropped first, that's why Phase II was abandoned and we got the sixth movies of the original series, if the idea of the network is not dropped, they could revive the idea of Phase 2 after the first movie happens.

 

[leap123]

Well here's my ideas for this:
- Have Viacom not merge with CBS
- Have UPN accept the Malcom in the Middle and American Idol pitch to boost viewership
- Have The WB still merge with UPN (The WB does worse in the 2000s than UPN in my timeline) but keep the UPN name instead of renaming to The CW (since Viacom-CBS merger didn't happen which mean the Viacom-CBS split didn't happen, plus the name "The PW" would be much weirder than just outright UPN or The WB)

Other ideas:
- Have Viacom not enter a deal with Disney and instead air Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. programming for UPN's saturday morning block (Nick on CBS doesn't exist since Viacom-CBS merger didn't happen as mentioned earlier)
- Maybe have Viacom bought out Chris-Craft Industries's broadcasting division straight up to have Viacom own 100% of UPN (Chris-Craft Boat would still be part of Chris-Craft Industries since Viacom doesn't need boats anyway)
- Move some OTL CBS shows to TTL UPN