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Line 68: === 1999–2004: Viacom era and decline === [[Image:Paramount networklogo.jpg\|225px\|thumb\|Proposed logo for the scrapped Paramount Network.]] Six months ~~after~~before the company announced its $36 billion merger with (the original) [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation\|CBS Corporation]], in March 1999, Viacom applied a contractual clause that would – within a 45-day grace period – force Chris-Craft to either buy Viacom out of UPN, or have the former sell its ownership stake in the network to Viacom. Three days later on February 8, Chris-Craft subsequently filed a lawsuit against Viacom in the [[New York Supreme Court]] to block the latter's merger with CBS, claiming that a pact signed between the two partners in 1997 had prevented either from owning "any interest, financial or otherwise" in "any competing network," including CBS, for a four-year period through January 2001. On March 17, New York Supreme Court judge Herman Cahn ruled against Chris-Craft's move for a permanent [[injunction]] to curtail the Viacom-CBS merger and the enforcement of Viacom's ultimatum.<ref>{{cite news \|title = Viacom Makes 2 Offers to BHC on TV Venture \|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/04/business/viacom-makes-2-offers-to-bhc-on-tv-venture.html \|newspaper = The New York Times \|date = February 4, 2000 \|url-status = live \|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171103205351/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/04/business/viacom-makes-2-offers-to-bhc-on-tv-venture.html \|archive-date = November 3, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|title = BHC Sues UPN Partner Viacom over CBS Deal \|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-09-fi-62554-story.html \|first = Sallie \|last = Hofmeister \|newspaper = Los Angeles Times \|date = February 9, 2000 \|access-date = September 2, 2015 \|url-status = live \|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015095028/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/feb/09/business/fi-62554 \|archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|title = Chris-Craft Loses UPN Ruling \|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/17/business/chris-craft-loses-upn-ruling.html \|newspaper = The New York Times \|date = March 17, 2000 \|access-date = September 2, 2015 \|url-status = live \|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015095032/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/17/business/chris-craft-loses-upn-ruling.html \|archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref> Unable to find a suitable partner, on March 20, Chris-Craft allowed Viacom to buy out its 50% stake for $5 million, giving Viacom full control of the network.<ref>{{cite news \|title = Viacom Buys Chris-Craft's Stake in UPN for $5 Million \|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/21/business/viacom-buys-chris-craft-s-stake-in-upn-for-5-million.html \|first = Bill \|last = Carter \|newspaper = The New York Times \|date = March 21, 2000 \|access-date = September 2, 2015 \|url-status = live \|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117102355/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/21/business/viacom-buys-chris-craft-s-stake-in-upn-for-5-million.html \|archive-date = November 17, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title = Viacom Wins UPN so Let the Digestion Begin \|url = http://www.medialifemagazine.com:8080/news2000/mar00/news20321.html \|periodical = [[Media Life Magazine]] \|date = March 2000 \|access-date = May 4, 2013 \|url-status = dead \|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130617235807/http://www.medialifemagazine.com:8080/news2000/mar00/news20321.html \|archive-date = June 17, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title = UPN Deal Done; Viacom Buys out Chris-Craft Share \|url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62239976.html \|first1 = Melissa \|last1 = Grego \|first2 = Joe \|last2 = Schlosser \|periodical = Broadcasting & Cable \|date = April 10, 2000 \|access-date = June 22, 2013 \|url-status = dead \|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140611025706/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62239976.html \|archive-date = June 11, 2014 }}</ref> This gave UPN the rare distinction of being one of the only broadcast networks to not have had [[owned-and-operated station]]s (O&O) in the three largest media markets, New York City, Los Angeles, and [[Chicago]] (with The WB – the only network that never have had an O&O – being the only other, as minority owner [[Tribune Broadcasting]] owned most of its charter affiliates including those in [[WPIX\|all]] [[KTLA\|three]] [[WGN-TV\|markets]], while majority owner Time Warner only owned [[WPCH-TV\|WTBS-TV]], an independent station that originated then-[[superstation]] [[TBS (TV network)\|TBS]]). With Viacom taking full ownership control of UPN, KCOP-TV and WWOR-TV lost their statuses as O&Os and automatically became affiliates of the network, with the network's ''[[de facto]]'' owned-and-operated flagship stations becoming [[Philadelphia]] outlet [[WPSG]] (now an independent station) and [[San Francisco]] outlet [[KPYX\|KBHK-TV]] (now KPYX, also an independent). In addition, neither Chris-Craft or Viacom had ever held ownership of Chicago affiliate [[WPWR-TV]], which had been the largest UPN station that was not owned-and-operated by the network before the Viacom buyout.

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