Before agreeing to produce any new series for UPN, Columbia TriStar TV asked the netlet for -- but did not receive -- a clause in its contracts guaranteeing that UPN would not only cover all license fees, but also would pick up the tab for all the production costs and deficits if the netlet goes out of business. While UPN execs insist that owners Viacom and Chris-Craft are firmly committed to UPN, the netlet has been struggling this season, and there are concerns in the industry that it won't make enough money in the upfronts to keep going. UPN does not comment on business affairs, but one source said, "People ask us for outrageous things all the time."
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