THE WB BRINGS VIEWERS THE EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST NETWORK AIRING OF THE CLASSIC "WIZARD OF OZ" FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR AND FIRST TIME IN HIGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION

Burbank, CA - December 1, 2004

DECEMBER HOLIDAY FAMILY SLATE ALSO INCLUDES "DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS," "A SCOOBY DOO CHRISTMAS" AND "GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER"

The WB is proud to bring viewers the exclusive broadcast network airing of the timeless 1939 film THE WIZARD OF OZ on Sunday, December 19, 7:30-10:00 p.m. ET, for the third consecutive year. This is the movie's broadcast network premiere in High-Definition television (HDTV). Prior to The WB earning the exclusive broadcaster rights to air the movie in 2002, THE WIZARD OF OZ had last been seen on a broadcast network in May 1998.

With previous airings of THE WIZARD OF OZ setting all-time Sunday record highs for The WB in total viewers and other key demographics, last year's airing of the classic film delivered a two-year best among Teens 12-17 (2.5/8) and Male Tweens 12-17 (2.2/7) and ranked #2 in the equivalent 7:00-9:30 p.m. ET time period in Teens 12-17 and Female Teens 12-17 (2.7/8). THE WIZARD OF OZ also achieved year-to-year double-digit gains for the time period in Total Viewers (6 million, +80%) and Persons 12-34 (2.1/6, +17%).

THE WIZARD OF OZ, based on L. Frank Baum's beloved family classic novel, follows Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), who is swept away from her Kansas home and off to the magical land of Oz, located "somewhere over the rainbow." She is befriended by a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), who help her avoid the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) as they travel down the yellow brick road to see the Wizard (Frank Morgan) whom they believe can help Dorothy return home.

The WB also brings laughter and cheer to viewers with its additional holiday family entertainment slate, including GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER on Thursday, December 9, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET; DR. SEUSS': HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS on Friday, December 10, 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET; and A SCOOBY-DOO CHRISTMAS on Friday, December 10, 8:30-9:00 p.m. ET, with an encore presentation during The WB%s "Easy View" lineup on Sunday, December 12, 5:30-6:00 p.m. ET. These perennial favorites also have been successful on The WB as families look forward to watching them together each year.

Based on the hit song that became a worldwide holiday phenomenon, comes GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER. This goofy and heartwarming adventure features young Jake Spankenheimer on the quest of a lifetime to track down his missing Grandma on Christmas Eve and prove that Santa Claus is indeed real. Michele Lee ("Knots Landing") provides the voice of Jake's greedy Cousin Mel and recording artist Elmo Shropshire provides the narration. GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER has built its audience each year with its 2003 airing increasing from its 2002 performance with single and double-digit ratings/shares gains in Females 12-34 (1.7/5, +21.4%) and Women 18-34 (1.7/5, +30.8%).

Once again, all The Whos in Whoville will be watching The WB to catch DR. SEUSS': HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, the beloved 1966 animated tale, adapted from the children's book by best-selling author Dr. Seuss. Seuss tells the classic holiday story about a mean and bitter old Grinch who dislikes holiday cheer so much that he decides to steal Christmas away from all the Whos in Whoville. Boris Karloff provides narration and the Grinch's voice. In 2003, THE GRINCH delivered its best performance in three years among Teens 12-17 (2.9/11) and Female Teens 12-17 (3.6/13), achieving triple-digit growth over the equivalent week last year in the 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET time period in Total Viewers (5.8 million, 155%), Persons 12-34 (2.3/8, +156%), Females 12-34 (2.7/9, +200%), Adults 18-34 (2.1/8, 200%) and Women 18-34 (2.4/8, 200%).

Finally, A SCOOBY-DOO CHRISTMAS, the first primetime holiday special from Scooby-Doo and friends, follows the Scooby Gang as they stumble upon the quaint town of Winter Hollow and discover that strangers are not welcome and Christmas is not even discussed due to a headless snowman that appears every Yuletide to destroy people's houses - and their holiday joy. The Scooby Gang spends a chilling Christmas Eve trying to solve the mystery of the snowman and return the spirit of Christmas back to Winter Hollow. Last year, A SCOOBY-DOO CHRISTMAS delivered its best performance in three years on The WB in Persons 12-34 (2.1/7), Females 12-34 (2.3/7), Males 12-34 (1.9/7), Adults 18-34 (1.9/6), Women 18-34 (2.1/6), Men 18-34 (1.7/6), Teens 12-17 (2.7/10).