Variety: Turner axes WCW
Variety is reporting today that Turner Broadcasting CEO Jamie Kellner has officially announced that TBS is dropping all of its wrestling content and that Monday Night Nitro and Thunder are cancelled after March 26th.
WCW's poor ratings, massive losses last year and the fact that Turner Broadcasting is looking to attract more "upscale" viewers who are into movies and re-run programming are all part of the reason Kellner dropped the boom on WCW.
Kellner's decision puts WCW's deal with buyer Fusient Media Ventures in serious jeopardy as the agreement between the two hinged on Nitro and Thunder still being broadcast on TBS. A Turner spokesperson told Variety that "other buyers" (such as the WWF) are interested in purchasing the troubled promotion.
Former WCW Vice-President and the man who helped spearhead the Fusient Media deal -- Eric Bischoff -- is rumoured to be meeting with executives at Fox Broadcasting to see if they would be willing to provide a home for WCW programming.
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SLAM! Wrestling.
