Sure the Vampire Diaries has premiered with the best ratings for a new series for the CW network ever. Which sounds impressive until you actually try and name another new series for the CW that isn't called Gossip Girl. Yeah.

Meanwhile Tribune stations who have formed part of the backbone of the CW in key markets are preparing to jump ship by switching back to their original brands. For example the Tri-State Area's WPIX which switched its name to the WB11 when it affiliated with the WB network, briefly tried out being CW11, before going on to PIX 11 now. That branding doesn't make a lot of sense because WPIX is no longer the movie station and shows CW network programming instead of movies between 8 and 10, but it's part of Tribune looking for other options.

The CW can't survive for very long this way. Its hit shows are old. Gossip Girl pulls in poor ratings. And even if Vampire Diaries manages to keep these ratings going for a year or so, with Smallville on its last legs, Supernatural following after, that just leaves CW to turn into the America's Next Top Model network.

The CW may be betting on the Melrose Place relaunch, but that's a long shot. After the failure of the 90210 relaunch. The smarter move, let's face it the only move, would be to fire Bonnie Fuller, who destroyed UPN and is doing the same thing to the CW. And once the old WB shows are gone, that will leave Fuller with nothing but her own series and America's Next Top Model as a UPN holdover. And that's when the CW dies for good.