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1 hour ago, DM James Faiba ks said:

n Sept. 1972, EON moved from it's late afternoon slot (4:30 p.m.) to (2:30 p.m.) so that P&G could group it's soaps together. For the previous seasons, EON was #2 (69-70), #2 (70-71), #4 (71-72) and, then after move #10 (72-73). It was a stupid move since 50% of audience was male + big with after school bunch. Also, there was between 17-19 soaps during that period. (Half-hours) Finally, the ratings were far smaller as the US population was 200 MM in 1970 and 308 MM in 2010. (Although there were significantly more women at home and with far fewer choices, it would be interesting to know how many people were really watching.)

Actually, EON was on at 3:30 from 1962 until 1972, than moved to 2:30.

I hope we are able to see the September 1972 ratings.  I will be interested to see the affiliate coverage when there were so many soap!  Fingers crossed!  

14 hours ago, GLATWT88 said:

I wouldn't be surprised if it could have performed well beyond that. Just a few months earlier it was able to get a 5 with 157 stations and 80 pct clearance. Unfortunately EON never got full clearance or anywhere near it after its switch to ABC. 

I don't know why ABC or P&G didn't fight for Edge of Night.  It did very well in the markets that carried it.  I personally think it was a very good fit following General Hospital and capturing the kids after school.  I hope in 2024 that Jason is able to post the ratings and affiliates from the network switch from CBS to ABC.  It's really still really beyond me that CBS didn't move it following the Guiding Light when As the World Turns expanded though it may have faced cancellation when Guiding Light expanded.  Sigh.....

Breaks my heart to see Edge with so few affiliates!  I think I remember reading there were going to be more affiliates dropping in the first of the year so it was no longer profitable for P&G.  

I've always wondered if CBS time slot changes in 1981 would have been served better with Search for Tomorrow moving to 1:30 instead of 2:30.  I don't know about the demos for either show but CBS was weakened with cancelling Search and putting on Capitol.  As the World Turns head to head with One Life to Live seems a stronger move for CBS and that kept the one, two punch of As the World Turns and Guiding Light together.

3 hours ago, JAS0N47 said:

Nothing. That was me seeing it as 8.9 on the Fast National page. When I noticed your message, I looked at the page again and it actually says 6.9. The Fast National weeks are sometimes a little harder to read, and I don't always do a double-check of them because they are different than the usual 2-weeks-per-issue issues, which are listed by time period (just the like the order I have them listed on the charts I type up), as opposed to the Fast Nationals, which are only listed alphabetically.  

So, if you ever notice something weird like that, please point it out. I've done my best to put the accurate numbers each week. I double check the 2-weeks-per-issue issues, so there's much less of a chance I have anything wrong in those. So the ones to be on the lookout would be random jumps in the Fast National weeks. I have replaced the wrong chart above and issued the correct one, with YR at 6.9 for that week:

 

 

 

1978-1989 at the moment. 1977 coming next. Probably next year will be the earlier years of the 1970's, so you need patience until 2024!

You are the best!  I love seeing the ratings of the 1970s!  I am happy to be patient and wait for earlier years.   Thank you so much!

You are a rock star Jason!  Very interesting to see Search for Tomorrow's final rating from CBS and first week on NBC.  I wonder what CBS thought of Capital's ratings?  Falling fast!

It would also be interesting to see the same scenario for The Edge of Night's last week on CBS November 29, 1975 and first week on ABC December 6, 1975.   By any chance can you go back that far?

That's a great start!  I think that's enough for a book!  I can't imagine how this would even get started.  I'd love to hear the recollections of these folks!

Lois Kibbee would have been ideal to write a book about Edge.  The first lady of Edge Ann Flood would have been a perfect partner!  Great idea!  I think today's biggest Edge cheerleader, Sharon Gabet would be a wonderful choice to spearhead this!  I'm not sure who is left now from the early days but Don Hastings and Millette Alexander are still around.  From the 60s Emily Prager (Laurie Ann) and Christopher Norris (Sarah Louise), Alberta Grant (Liz Hillyer), Fran Sharon (Cookie) and Millee Taggart (Gerri McGrath). From the 70s Lucy Martin (Tiffany Whitney), Maeve McGuire (Nicole), Leslie Ray (Babs Micelli), Jeanne Ruskin (Laurie Ann), Sharon Gabet (Raven Whitney), Terry Davis (April Cavanaugh), Holland Taylor (Denise Cavanaugh)....  There are too many to name still left and that isn't including crew and behind the scenes.   Well.... I can dream.    

I see there is a new book on Ryan's Hope coming out in October 2023.   I will buy this book which is an oral history of the show.  I miss the soaps (especially Edge!)!  I bought the oral history of One Life to Live as well.  It was a very interesting read.   I wish there could be such a book on The Edge of Night.  We've already lost so many cast members.   I am afraid that this history will be lost.  Thank God for Sharon Gabet!  She is a wonderful cheerleader for Edge.  Mariann Alda too.   

The Edge of Night is on fire!  Beating Days of our Lives, The Doctors and Love of Life for the week October 9-13!  Imagine if they had the number of affiliates the other shows had!  

What is the reason for the differences in the number of affiliates/stations from week to week?  Interesting that no soap opera had 100% clearance.

Happy 47th ABC Birthday to The Edge of Night!  I wish the 90 minute debut episode was available in it's entirety.   Cheers to the cast and crew!

Happy Birthday 70th Love of Life!  So many wonderful memories!  I wish more episodes of this show were available to view on Youtube.   I could only watch when I was home sick from school and summer holidays but I loved what I saw!  

3 hours ago, Forever8 said:

 

Thank you so much Forever8!  That brought a tear to my eye!  What a wonderful woman and actress.  I miss her and the show very much. 

3 hours ago, YRBB said:

 

The website no longer exists. They have partnered with/moved to https://watch.itsrealgoodtv.com/. There were several emails sent out announcing the move, maybe you have them in Spam or something.

Thanks YRBB!!  

Is anyone else having trouble with The Doctors website?  I hadn't been for quite a while but when I go to https://watchthedoctors.com/home, I get a message saying it's not a safe site.  I've attached a picture below.  This site used to work so that I could see subscription options and episodes available.  Has something changed?  I am getting an Amazon Fire Stick this weekend.   I hope it will be available there but I will still need to be able to subscribe.

Thanks!

Very sad to hear.   God bless you Forrest!

I agree.... CBS was the best bet.  If we could turn back time!   

Who are your favourite heroines from Edge?    Mine were Nancy Karr, Nicole Travis Drake, Liz Hillyer Fields, Laurie Ann Karr,  Phoebe Smith, April Cavanaugh Scott, Deborah Saxon, Jody Travis and with her transformation.... Raven Alexander Whitney!

Oh.....  I don't know if you would consider her a heroine but I loved Babs Micelli.    Leslie Ann Ray really playes Babs so well.  I cried when Babs was murdered.  Oh!   And Lucy Martin.  Loved her as Tiffany Whitney!  

I wish Terry Davis had stayed longer.   I was hoping that April and Raven could have been like Viki and Dorian on OLTL or Jill and Katherine on Y&R.  The loss of Terry Davis, Tony Craig, Denny Albee and Frances Fisher weakened Edge in my opinion.  I was thrilled that it pushed Sharon Gabet and Larkin Malloy front and center but with the loss of Henry Slesar as head writer the show lost it's backbone.  Given time and shoring up affiliates I think Edge would have survived.... but we will never know.   

1 hour ago, beebs said:

Higher clearances for the same ratings, I'd venture.

I agree... not great ratings on NBC.   I don't think NBC would have picked it up though.  They had a full slate in the afternoon.   Another World was an hour form 3:00 to 4:00 and Somerset was still on at 4:00 to 4:30.   I think the 4:00 time slot was doomed for any show... soap or game show because of less expensive syndicated shows.  

I guess we will never know.   Edge never recovered from the 1972 time slot change debacle.   

I thought the actors from the Mansion of the Damned storyline were all just short term contracts for that specific storyline.  I read that Kim Hunter and Bruce Gray signed contract extensions because Henry Slesar wanted to use them for the Deborah/Steve/Owen triangle and the Margo Huntington murder.    My memory is fuzzy but I think that is how it went.

Part of me wishes that CBS hadn't cancelled Edge and just moved it to 3:30 again.  With the affiliate clearance issue getting worse every year it was on ABC, I don't think it really ever had a chance.  I think considering it's low clearance in many markets Edge performed very well.   I asked Lois Kibbee about the ratings in a letter many years ago and she said that the markets that carried Edge, it's ratings were very good.

12 hours ago, VanessaReardon said:

I found a gem that I forgotten I had. It pretty much confirms my belief that it was a myth that GL hit #1 in 1984. Yes, GL beat GH for 3 weeks, but GL was not the number 1 soap. 

Thanks - there’s so much more coming in the future months. I have tons of stuff in my basement that will flesh out the ratings. I hope to sort through that info during the winter and post it. I have many weeks of ratings from the mid 80’s onward that will fill in the gaps between the Daytime TV monthly ratings. 

I'm looking forward to all your ratings info!   Thanks for the above clipping too.    That finally puts to bed the "Guiding Light hit #1 in 1984" debate.  I love this site!

I had forgotten that Days was doing so well in 1986!  Thanks so much Vanessa Reardon for posting these!  

17 hours ago, antmunoz said:

SFT?  Hmmm. That’s a tough one. 
 

Mary Stuart is accused of being a diva many times, usually by producers and P&G execs, in her autobiography, BOTH OF ME. But was she?  Maybe.  Co-star Anthony George thought so at least once, according to her own book. 
 

Ann Williams allegedly told her kids that Mary got her fired from her role as Eunice due to Ann’s popularity. I don’t think Mary had that kind of power, though. Ann doesn’t receive a lot of mention in BOTH OF ME, however.  Mary was her son’s godmother, I believe.  (Mary apparently did get at least one male love interest fired.)
 

Marie Cheatham, according to entertainment writer Nelson Aspen (who worked behind the scenes and on-camera on SFT), trash-talked the writers one day and was gone the next, replaced by Louise Shaffer. It was not a good recast, especially of an actress who originated a role a decade earlier. It hurt the show and the character was killed off.  Wonder if firing Cheatham was the culmination of years of diva behavior?
 

 

 

 

That's interesting!   I have Mary Stuart's book in paperback somewhere.  I'll have to reread it.   I do love me some Anthony George!    

I read back in the day that Mary Ellis Bunim was wanting to kill off Jo and Mary Stuart went above her head and was spared by P&G so Mary Ellis spitefully killed off Ann Williams because Ann and Mary Stuart were good friends.    Interesting!!

I always wondered what happened with Marie Cheatham!  A foolish move on the part of the higher ups!  I love Louise Shaffer but she was never Stephanie for me.   I wonder Marie would have stayed until the end of the show if she hadn't been fired......

Thanks for sharing!!

On 5/16/2019 at 7:56 PM, titan1978 said:

I love scenes with HBS’s Margo and Barbara.  I wish I had been a viewer then.

 

I loved Nora on OLTL but I really loved her as Margo with Greg Marx as Tom.  YouTube has been good to soap fans.

I loved HBS and Gregg Marx too on ATWT.   They were magic.  Sorry to see both of them leave the show.  

Does anyone remember anything about Donald May (Adam Drake - The Edge of Night) being difficult at the end of his "Edge" run and was fired?

It was big soap news in 1977.   I remember him being very vocal about not pairing up Adam and Nicole (Maeve McGuire) again.  He wanted

Adam to stay with Brandy Henderson (Dixie Carter).  I think Donald and Dixie were dating at the time.  I don't know if there were other issued

behind the scenes.   

Where there any divas on Search for Tomorrow, Love of Life or The Edge of Night?