"THE LIGHT" Executive Producer, Josh Hawkins announced last week that Dan Gobble, longtime "Guiding Light" fan would be joining the SONBC blog effective immediately. Recently an interviewer with SONBC sat down with Gobble for his first interview in the position.

SONBC: Congratulations on joining "THE LIGHT".

DG: Thank you. It is a pleasure to work with Josh to bring the SON viewers an alternative to the tepid daytime world of today.

SONBC: Tell "LIGHT" readers why you have decided to join the blog now?

DG: Quite honestly, I was inspired by David Kreizman's previews for 2007. This is a banner year for the show with its 70th Anniversary next month. It was horrible, in my opinion, to see such awful projections for such an important year in GL's history. I joined with Josh to give justice to the show and also to give viewers an escape.

SONBC: Will "TL" also be celebrating 70 years of Springfield throughout 2007?

DG: Josh and I have extensive plans to celebrate the 70th anniversary. We are honored to be given the opportunity to celebrate this milestone with the viewers. They have followed this show for so many years, so they deserve to be rewarded for their intense devotion to the citizens of Springfield

SONBC: As a new co-head writer what are some of the plans that you and Josh have worked on to address the 70th year?

DG: We plan to celebrate the longevity of the show by bringing the viewers the same character-driven drama and family-filled storylines that they are used to. However, one of the challenges of soap writing is the balance between respecting the show's history and moving forward to keep the show fresh. In the spirit of moving forward into the next 70 years, Cedars Hospital will be undergoing a remodeling, which will involve the entire town. Furthermore, we will continue to use the characters that the fans have grown to love in storylines with warmth, heart, love, and community.

SONBC: The LIGHT had a slow start in the end of 2006 and some stories are in place, do you think some things will be rewritten to facilitate new stories?

DG: The Light has built a strong foundation for future storylines. We began our run by tying The LIGHT together with the storylines from 2003. Now that they are taking care of and that foundation has been laid, we are able to build on it to craft powerful storylines that the viewers will enjoy.

SONBC: With new writers usually come new characters. Are we going to see that with your arrival?

DG: When I first came on the show, I looked at the canvas as a whole. At this point, I feel that we have a strong canvas full of interesting three-dimensional characters that the audience enjoys. It would be counterproductive to shove new characters that the audience's throat.

SONBC: Currently scheduled for a return to the “LIGHT” canvas is three returning veteran characters, Alan-Michael, Lucy and Hope. How will they interact with the rest of the canvas and when do you anticipate their arrival?

DG: Each of the characters bring with them significant relationships with the canvas. Their returns will bring a great deal of drama to the town of Springfield. I suspect the returns of A-M and Lucy will be sometime shortly after the first of the year as the couple will be involved in the anniversary plans.

SONBC: In the past you have been very vocal about your dislike for certain characters that remain a big part of “THE LIGHT” cast, how do you feel about crafting stories for them?

DG: As a writer for the “LIGHT”, my personal dislike for certain characters does not mean anything. My obligation is to create stories for the characters that the fans love. I'm not simply writing the show for myself. My responsibility is to the fans. If there is something that they find objectionable, I need to be at least cognizant of their concerns.

SONBC: GL has become so many different things over the last few years with each regime change. What do you feel GL is about and how can you capture that through writing “THE LIGHT.”

DG: One of the overrarching themes of GL is hope. Not necessarily in a hokey "everything-will-turn-out-okay" kind of way, as we know that life is seldom like that. In a larger sense, the hope that GL brings is in the "brotherhood of man" that Irna Phillips created the show to emulate. Through the community, we are able to draw strength and courage from each other. I want the show to reflect that hope. Throughout the year, we will emphasize the community of Springfield and how through the relationships of the characters, they are able to send light "into the lives of others" and how it "comes back into their own

SONBC: Finally before we let you get back to writing, throughout the last few years on "GL" interesting characters and fan favorites such as Jonathan Randall and Dinah Marler have been introduced to the canvas. Will "THE LIGHT" be introducing these characters in the near future?

DG: We have planned some intrigue regarding the introduction of some of the 2007 cast in the next year. The introduction of those characters will put a monkey wrench in the lives of Springfield.

SONBC: Thank you very much for sitting down with us today! Good luck with the blog and we look forward to reading your stories in the very near future.

DG: Thank you!