The people speak: Call it CW

Is the name “CW” growing on you? We hope so, because it’s not going anywhere.

“I swear!” an animated Leslie Moonves declared at a reception Wednesday, with his right hand raised as if he were testifying in court. Then the CBS Corp. president and chief executive explained that his people took a poll and learned that young people are OK with this moniker. Industry veterans who have joked about the country-western or the Can’t Work implications are a different matter. But those aren’t Moonves’ type anyway.

CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. are chasing the 18 to 34-year-olds that UPN and WB vied for, and the young have spoken. Of the 800 TV-watching members of that demographic polled, 48% said they liked the sound of “CW” and would likely tune in to its programs, he said.

“People are talking about CW like it’s a thing, like it’s already happening,” Moonves said. “It’s part of the vernacular. I remember when I first heard Yahoo, I thought, ‘What is that?’ ”

If CW still isn’t music to your ears, bear in mind that it could have been worse. The 120 alternatives Moonves was faxed while he was in a hotel room at Sundance included NOW, REV and JO. “That one would have been good for me,” Moonves said. “My mother’s name is Josephine.”