Smackdown staying on UPN, No Rumble in the UK? X-Pac/Gewertz, more Submitted by William Martinez on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 at 12:30 PM EST
The WWF creative team has discussed bringing Dean Malenko back to the main WWF crew if they begin pushing the light heavyweight division upon X-Pac's return next month. However, it has been reported earlier that Malenko has no interest in making a full-time return to the ring.
There was major tension between X-Pac and writer Brian Gewertz following the scripting of Mick Foley's final interview on Raw that included a shot at X-Pac. X-Pac and Gewertz have since talked out their differences. Gewertz was brought in specifically to produce X-Pac's Heat segments on December 2 when X-Pac made his return to TV.
Credit: Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter. Subscription information available at PWTorch.com
Tremley1 sent in the following:
Enterprise is assured a place on the schedule when Viacom merges UPN with its CBS television unit in January, the network's new chief executive said yesterday.
"The Monday comedy block will stay, Buffy will stay, Enterprise will stay, and wrestling will stay on Thursdays," Leslie Moonves told Mediaweek's John Consoli.
Moonves, president of fellow Viacom netork CBS, will assume responsibility for UPN when current Paramount Television Group president Kerry McCluggage steps down in January next year
Any major UPN shakeup probably won't happen until 2003. "On the air, you might not see much change in the coming year," Moonves said. "That may not happen until the following year [2003-04]."
Although CBS and UPN will retain separate identities, the cost-cutting merger has the potential to affect the Enterprise network's staff. UPN president Dean Valentine and chief operating officer Adam Ware are tipped by Viacom sources to follow McCluggage, but Moonves did not comment on the issue. "I don't know too much about their people. I haven't even been in the building yet," he said.
Widely regarded as a strong performer within the media buying community, UPN sales president Michael Mandelker will be retained.
"The ad community has worked well with Mike Mandelker and his team," said John Rash, chief broadcast negotiator for marketing and communications agency Campbell Mithun. "The sales force at UPN is not the issue. It has represented the network well."
With the current economic downturn, sources said that UPN's affiliate network is also expected to be integrated into CBS. An official announcement from CBS on its plans in this area is expected in the near future.
The original article can be found here at Mediaweek.
Brett Redmayne sent in the following:
UK fans have been hit by the news that the Royal Rumble may not be shown in the UK. For the last 2 years the Rumble has appeared on Channel 4 but their contract has ended and Channel 4 have not extended it. The WWF have issued a list of countries getting the Rumble and the UK is not on it (http://www.wwfinternational.com/rumble.html).
While TSN did cut the segment involving The Undertaker and Lita during the live airing at 9pm, during the replay later that night at midnight, they showed the whole segment, unedited and uncut.
