Not only do television stations have to deal with battling technology nowadays, but they also have been fighting another war when it comes to selling ads. Unfortunately for the CW, it seems to be losing quite a bit on both fronts, selling nearly 40% less of prime time ads than they did the previous year.

The drop in sales is not merely from the drop in ratings this year (down 23%)—in actuality, it may be largely due to the fact that the troubled station has cut down its programming from 15 to 10 hours a week, eliminating Sunday night from their lineup. Marketing was, however, able to sell 8% more in ad prices compared to last year, solely relying upon its appeal to younger audiences with shows like Gossip Girl, America’s Next Top Model, and the upcoming Beverly Hills 90210 remake. With their break from WWE, the CW will have to pray that more pre-teen girls jump on board to watching their shows to cover the lack of ratings pull Smackdown received.

Although I consider it a smart move to attract those too young to have nothing but television to look forward to at night, it’s a tad riskier to find those gems they’re willing to watch, unlike other networks who have come across surprise hits from varying/odd genres (i.e. science fiction Lost or comic book-esque Heroes). Let’s just hope it stays afloat so I can keep watching America’s Next Top Model.