Ch. 11 drops CW tag and goes back to WPIX

By RICHARD HUFF

DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

Tuesday, October 28th 2008, 4:00 AM


WPIX/Ch. 11 is changing its image - again.

After years of being the WB11 and now the CW11, the station will revert to being called WPIX/Ch. 11.

"We really think that the station has a very rich history," said station president and general manager Betty Ellen Berlamino.

PHOTOS: 60 YEARS OF WPIX
Management started to think about the move during the recent celebration of Ch. 11's 60th anniversary, said Berlamino.

"The words WPIX and PIX just have a very positive meaning and a very good place in people's hearts here in New York.

"WPIX is part of New York, WPIX is New York," Berlamino added. "Along the way we may have kind of forgotten that."

The station began teasing a new logo over the weekend and will continue to do so until the transition is complete by year's end.

So, in December get ready to say so long to the "CW11 Morning News" and the "CW11 News at Ten" and hello to "PIX Morning News" and "PIX News at Ten."

The promos that began over the weekend are the first phase, Berlamino said. The goal now, she said, is to reintroduce the look to viewers.

In a memo to staffers, Berlamino likened bringing back WPIX to reintroducing an old friend.

The move is significant in that it downplays the CW name, and goes back to a logo and station brand that was in place for decades until 1995, when The WB launched.

The CW debuted in 2005, after a merger of The WB and UPN, both struggling networks. The CW has had a slow start, but has generated good buzz and ratings this year with "Gossip Girl" and "90210."

Berlamino said the shift in no way signals a move away from The CW, which is owned by CBS and Warner Bros.

"We are not abandoning our network affiliation by any stretch of the imagination," Berlamino said. "We're very happy with The CW and enjoying year-to-year ratings growth.

"WPIX has a strong history, and a very highly rated history, and there's no issue with the network," she added. "We are one of their strongest affiliates."

rhuff@nydailynews.com