Editing UPN (section)

=== 2005–2006: CBS Corporation era and network closure ===
{{see also|2006 United States broadcast television realignment}}
On June 14, 2005, Viacom announced that it would be [[Split of CBS Corporation and Viacom|split]] into two companies due to declining performance of the company's stock; both the original Viacom – which was renamed [[CBS Corporation]] – and a new company that took the [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]] name would be controlled by the original Viacom's parent [[National Amusements]] (controlled by [[Sumner Redstone]]). UPN was kept by CBS Corporation, while the new Viacom took Paramount Pictures among other holdings each company acquired in the deal.<ref>{{cite news |title = Viacom Board Agrees to Split of Company |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/15/business/media/15viacom.html |first = Geraldine |last = Fabrikant |newspaper = The New York Times |date = June 15, 2005 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140306130603/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/15/business/media/15viacom.html |archive-date = March 6, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = SpongeBob or Survivor? |url = https://money.cnn.com/2005/12/19/news/fortune500/viacom/index.htm |first = Paul R. |last = La Monica |publisher = CNN |date = December 19, 2005 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130404101820/http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/19/news/fortune500/viacom/index.htm |archive-date = April 4, 2013 }}</ref> The split took effect on January 1, 2006.

On January 24, 2006, UPN parent CBS Corporation and [[Time Warner]], the majority owner of The WB, announced that they would shut down the two respective networks and launch a new broadcast network that would be operated as a joint venture between both companies, [[The CW]], which incorporated UPN and The WB's higher-rated programs with newer series produced exclusively for The CW. The new network immediately signed 10-year affiliation agreements with 16 stations affiliated with The WB (out of 19 stations that were affiliated with the network) that were owned by that network's part-owner, the [[Tribune Media|Tribune Company]] – including stations in the coveted markets of [[WPIX|New York City]], [[KTLA|Los Angeles]] and [[WGN-TV|Chicago]] – and 11 UPN stations that were owned by CBS Corporation.<ref name="UPN, WB merge"/><ref>{{cite news |title = UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/business/media/24cnd-network.html?bl |first = Bill |last = Carter |newspaper = The New York Times |date = January 24, 2006 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151017035638/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/business/media/24cnd-network.html?bl |archive-date = October 17, 2015 }}</ref> Fox Television Stations' nine UPN affiliates were passed over for affiliations as a result, and two days later, those stations removed all UPN branding from those stations and ceased promotion of the network's programs. One month later on February 22, Fox announced the formation of [[MyNetworkTV]], a new network that would also launch in September 2006 that would use the company's soon-to-be former UPN affiliates as the nucleus.<ref>{{cite news |title = News Corp. to Launch New Mini-Network for UPN Stations |url = http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-02-22-fox-my-network_x.htm |agency = [[Associated Press]] |newspaper = [[USA Today]] |date = February 22, 2006 |access-date = January 21, 2013 }}</ref> Over the next eight months, determinations were made as to which shows from the two networks would cross over to The CW, as well as which of UPN and The WB's affiliate stations would be selected to become affiliates of the new network. Programming-wise, six UPN shows – ''America's Next Top Model'' (which was the last surviving series from UPN that remained on The CW's schedule until it moved to [[VH1]] in 2016), ''Veronica Mars'', ''Everybody Hates Chris'', ''[[Girlfriends (American TV series)|Girlfriends]]'', ''All of Us'', and ''[[WWE SmackDown|WWE SmackDown!]]'' – were chosen to move to The CW for its inaugural 2006–07 fall schedule.

With the exception of ''WWE SmackDown!'', all of the programs that aired during the network's final three months were reruns. Unlike The WB, which closed its operations two days later with ''[[The Night of Favorites and Farewells]]'' (a special night of programming paying tribute to the network's most popular series), UPN closed with little to no fanfare on September 15, 2006, fading to black after that night's ''WWE SmackDown!.'' The Fox-owned UPN stations had disaffiliated from the network on August 31; as a result, UPN's last two weeks of programming did not air in 10 markets where Fox owned a UPN affiliate that was set to become an owned-and-operated station of MyNetworkTV, when that network launched on September 5, alongside other markets where the local UPN station affiliated with MyNetworkTV or terminated their UPN affiliation during the summer. Shortly after the network's closure, UPN's website was redirected to The CW's website, and then to CBS's website.