Bring Back Coronation Street to W Network

To Canada's W Network:

We, the undersigned, represent a large group called Bring Back Coronation Street to W Network, formed because W Network has cancelled our favorite show for the new fall lineup of 2003. We, fans of every age and background, would like to have it back on W. The network has aired older episodes since Sept. 2, 1997, taking on a comedy/drama series that has run for 40 years now, and still going strong. We feel it is unfair to loyal viewers to pull the plug on these older storylines, which we may never catch up on, or see again, if W doesn't bring it back.

Yes, the episodes were about 4 years behind the new ones we get in Canada on CBC but they're still extremely popular. Some of the new viewers get a lot out of the older episodes by seeing how the characters and stories developed to where they are today. Long-time fans who have already seen them also enjoy seeing them again. They have held up well over time and some even prefer them to the new and darker storylines.

Those who wrote to W about the cancellation received this email back, giving the reason for dropping Coronation Street as follows:

"As a broadcaster it is not uncommon for us to modify program schedules. With the start of the fall season, television networks introduce new schedules and quite often programs are removed to introduce new shows. Through our research we found that 'Coronation Street' was not well received by our viewers and therefore we have replaced it with a show, which we feel to have a broader appeal. We hope you can appreciate that while we do try to provide a varied schedule that will appeal to everyone, however, as a national network we also have a responsibility to program for the majority of our viewers."


We are not convinced that ratings trump loyal Corrie viewership in this case, especially since the message board at W has received more comments on this one program (Corrie) since August 27, 2003 than any other time in the boards' existence. Those of us who phoned Viewer Relations at W were told that the surveys they did indicated that viewers prefer Caroline in the City to Coronation Street. Since W also told us that their demographic is from ages 20 54, we assume that this means that younger people don't watch Corrie.

Many of the complaints about Corrie's removal at W's website are from viewers who are in their twenties and thirties, or have young relatives who watch the show. We see that W's Fall 2003 schedule had Caroline in the City airing 3 times a day on most weekdays, whereas Corrie only aired twice. Many have said that they wouldn't mind if Corrie was aired in the late hours of the night, this way we could tape it. We sincerely hope that W Network will reconsider having removed Coronation Street, and bring it back with episodes where they left off at the end of August any time of day or night. We really do prefer the realistic characters portrayed in Corrie to the ones it was replaced with.

If W does bring Corrie back, the network can be sure we will try some of the other programs this fall. Unfortunately, if Corrie doesn't re-appear, most of us have said that we are not willing to pay for cable fees to keep W in our homes. We have been told that W reevaluates their fall lineup a little way into the season, and that viewers' feedback can influence changes. We hope that our signatures here will give you an indication of some of the people who miss The Street. We also speak for the many fans without access to a computer.

If you would like to see Coronation Street back on W Network, please sign below and let your sponsors know that you want Corrie back on W!