Kstw-TV Will Join New Wb Network

KSTW-TV, Channel 11, yesterday said it would become an affiliate of the newly announced Warner Brothers Network, which is set to launch late next summer.

WB would be the nation's fifth commercial television network. The Time-Warner Inc. venture was unveiled this week and plans to start with two hours of prime-time programming two days a week, gradually expanding over five years to 10 hours a day, seven days a week.

A sixth planned network was announced by Paramount Communications earlier, but its projected start-up is January 1995. WB and the Paramount network are competing for independent stations around the country. Among those stations are three - including Channel 11 - owned by Gaylord Broadcasting.

"After carefully looking at our individual markets, we have elected to join the Warner Brothers Network and are excited about the future possibilities for each of our stations" in Seattle, Dallas and Houston, said KSTW general manager Gary Schneider.

The WB program lineup has not been announced, but the schedule leaves the 10 p.m. time slot open for affiliates, and KSTW has no plans to end its daily "10 O'Clock News," said KSTW spokeswoman Julie Furlong. Schneider said present sports contracts, including the one with the Seattle Mariners, would not be affected by the affiliation.