GLATWT88

20 hours ago, JAS0N47 said:

The wonderful Excel sort gets us the numbers super fast, so here's a sort I just did for you:

GUIDING LIGHT: LOWEST-RATED WEEKS (5.1 OR LOWER): JANUARY 1980-MAY 1992:

 

Thanks. Interesting to see more dates on the list from 87 than 88 or 89. 

16 minutes ago, kalbir said:

I think you're right. It disappoints me that Robert Calhoun era GL was so low-rated. I don't believe that the tail end of supercouple Days was a better show than Robert Calhoun era GL.

SOD named Andy alcoholism best storyline and Bob/Kim/Susan best triangle in the Best of 1990 issue. The write-ups are here. 

The end of 89 saw a ratings improvement for GL, but it wasn't sustained. There also is an overall downward trend for all the soaps at this point. 

3 hours ago, JAS0N47 said:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 3/5/90-3/9/90 & 3/12/90-3/16/90:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 3/19/90-3/23/90 & 3/26/90-3/30/90:

I was waiting for this. The point in 1990 when GL first drops below a 5. I believe this is GL's first HH rating below a 5, unless I missed one in 88/89 

4 hours ago, j swift said:

Ok, so that's amazing!

In 1992, 78% of the DAYS audience was women 25-54

30 years later in 2022, 80% of the audience is women over 54

Pretty much one of the many issues that led to the death of soaps - viewers were aging out (and also dying) of the younger demographics and these coveted demos weren't being replenished with new viewers for a number of reasons (one being the growing number of women in the workforce as working moms increased from 56 percent in 1980 to 72 percent in 2000).

2 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

I'm surprised at how quickly Roger's return tanked. 

Reva and Josh brought the ratings up but for me it was a failure ratings wise. They are supposed super couple and their wedding only ranks #7 for the week?

GL is pretty much done at this point. It is ranking in the moderate zone, but no longer has the pull to get those big numbers or leaps it achieved in the early 80s. The breakouts of the second half of the decade were ATWT, DAYS, and YR. YR continued to succeed and ultimately replaces GH as top soap. DAYS started the decade weak but shined during its supercople eras and ATWT solidifies itself as CBS' #2 soap around 86. 

3 hours ago, JAS0N47 said:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 6/26/89-6/30/89 & 7/3/89-7/7/89:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 7/10/89-7/14/89 & 7/17/89-7/21/89:

GL jumped up to a 6 for Josh and Reva's wedding after dipping back down to the mid 5s after Roger's return died down. 

BB starting to make gains, but will pretty much peak around this year but maintain numbers for a few seasons. 

5 hours ago, JoeCool said:

Moving AMC to 12:30 would have been better for ABC. I think though Restless would have still become Number 1 but when and for how long who knows. ABC was not willing to do it and they eventually lost the daytime ratings crown. This is my opinion, I think AMC would have done well going up against Restless and would have done well through the 80s and 90s. I think ABC was too worried and focused on GH than AMC.

AMC also lost ratings momentum in 1975 when it was moved for RH. So I think moving AMC to 12:30 in 1983 would have been a move of strength and would have increased Loving's ratings at 1:30 or if RH went there. RH was awful at 12:30PM. ET in the early 1980s.

I agree that YR would have done well either way, its rise to the top wasn't only a matter of a cushy timeslot, but really strong storytelling and soap as well. However, AMC could have held off some of this growth if placed head to head. 

1 hour ago, BoldRestless said:

Y&R has more than GH despite the 10 year difference!  And according to your site, Days has 413 but they will soon be surpassed, as they presumably will never have a preemption again!

I wonder if YR being scheduled so close to local news programs (12:30pm on most east coast affiliates and 11 on the west coast) plays any role in all these preemptions. Although, it does say full preemptions...

43 minutes ago, JoeCool said:

ABC Daytime was too rigid in its scheduling and really paid the price in the 1980s. Clearances really doomed RH, Loving and PC and of course Edge. ABC never really recovered once Restless moved to 12:30PM and ABC was not aggressive in trying to lessen Restless. RH overstayed its welcome on ABC and ABC starting Loving at 11:30AM doomed it from the start.

True. ABC did very little to compete with YR and it ultimately hurt them in the end. Having AMC go up against YR's full hour when it was at its strongest could have taken a bit of steam from YR's engine, especially since AMC remained quite strong ratings wise until the mid-90s.

Instead, ABC decided to have weak soaps or debut new soaps in that very difficult timeslot against YR. It was almost as if YR had a whole half hour without much direct competition to establish itself and gain and grow an audience. 

1 hour ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Do you think RH would have really thrived if given that almost magical bookending? 

I wouldn't say thrive, but it probably would have helped with clearance. By the end of its run, RH was clearing about 80% of markets compared to about 97 percent in the early 80s. Capitol and Bold both benefitted from being hammocked between established soaps. While neither achieved the ratings success of their lead ins, it definitely helped. 

2 hours ago, kalbir said:

1979 Another World was head-to-head w/ General Hospital and as we all know, General Hospital blew up that year and would dominate for the better part of 1979-1986, therefore Another World effectively over.

I can understand it from this perspective, especially since GH blows up and AW lagged behind all other timeslot competition. But the same can be said for all of NBC soaps at the time. Each one was last in their timeslot, at least AW had better numbers. It would seem like a poor decision to axe it unless something else was going on behind the scenes. 

8 hours ago, kalbir said:

Yet Another World managed to stay on the air another decade. If NBC hadn't been such a mess on the whole in the late 1970s, Another World probably would have ended in 1979.

Isn't that a bit soon? AW was NBC's top rated soap in 1979. I don't think AW drops out of the top until mid 1980 and even then it's not like Days is pulling big numbers, at least not for a while.  

18 hours ago, JAS0N47 said:

Days never aired a repeat in its history except for one time when the NHL went on strike. They had to fill the time slot with a repeat episode (John/Marlena/Kristen/Susan in the secret room). So, any Days airdates have always been new episodes except that one time. (Also, for some reason, the last episode of 1999, which aired in its entirety, was repeated the following day, the first airing in 2000. I can only guess the show thought they were going to be preempted for Millennium coverage, but when they were not, they just aired the same episode twice in a row).

Thanks! It seems like ABC was a bit inconsistent with their Thanksgiving week schedule. In '97 and '99 GH had a new episode on Thanksgiving and preempted on Black Friday - while in 98, they aired Luke and Laura's wedding on Thanksgiving and preempted on Black Friday. I'm assuming ABC probably just aired new episodes all that week in '89.

On 10/25/2023 at 7:19 AM, Paul Raven said:

13 KOVR (ABC) Sacramento Friday, January 28, 1977
6:30 Guten Tag
7:00 Good Morning America
9:00 Morning Scene
10:00 I Dream of Jeannie
10:30 Happy Days
11:00 Don Ho
11:30 Family Feud
NOON $20,000 Pyramid
12:30 To Tell the Truth
1:00 Ryan's Hope
1:30 One Life to Live
2:15 General Hospital
3:00 Edge of Night
3:30 All My Children
4:00 My Three Sons

AMC at 3.30!

So bizarre, but I do feel like a Ryan's Hope lead in to OLTL works nicely. 

25 minutes ago, JAS0N47 said:

1989: PREEMPTIONS LIST:

 

Here's a sneak peek at the preemptions from 1989 for each show. These will eventually be added into the other years to make a full preemption list for each soap.

 

1/2/89-1/6/89    All My Children    Preempted Monday- Tournament of Roses Parade & Florida Citrus Bowl
1/16/89-1/20/89    All My Children    Friday episode- 1:08PM (52 minutes)
5/29/89-6/2/89    All My Children    Friday episode- 1-151 & 157-2PM (54 minutes)
6/5/89-6/9/89    All My Children    Tuesday episode- 1-106 & 124-2PM (42 minutes)

7/24/89-7/28/89 All My Children  Friday episode- 1-117 & 147-2PM (30 minutes) 

7/31/89-8/4/89 All My Children  Mon ep- 1-128 & 140-2PM (48 minutes); Tue ep- 1-149 & 155-2PM (54 minutes)      
9/4/89-9/8/89 All My Children  Monday episode (157 affiliates; breakout; 5.9/17; not counted in ratings)        
10/16/89-10/20/89 All My Children Wed ep- 1:09PM (51 minutes); Fri ep- 1:12PM (48 minutes) 
12/18/89-12/22/89 All My Children  Friday episode- 1-122 & 142-2PM (40 minutes)     
12/25/89-12/29/89 All My Children Preempted Monday- Kelly Blue-Gray Football     
1/2/89-1/6/89    Another World    Preempted Monday- Hall of Fame Game
1/16/89-1/20/89    Another World    Preempted Friday- Inauguration '89
2/6/89-2/10/89    Another World    Mon ep- 2:37PM (23 minutes); 2-237PM PBO (177 affs; 4.9/15)
3/6/89-3/10/89    Another World    Fri ep- 2-204 & 230-3PM (34 minutes); 204-230PM PBO (176 affs; 3.7/14)
4/24/89-4/28/89    Another World    Friday episode- 2-221 & 239-3PM (42 minutes)
5/1/89-5/5/89    Another World    Thursday episode- 214-230PM (16 mins); 238-3PM PBO (72 affs; 1.0/4)
5/8/89-5/12/89    Another World    Thursday episode- 2-203 & 224-3PM (39 minutes); 203-224PM PBO (176 affs; 3.6/14)
7/3/89-7/7/89    Another World    Preempted Thu- Wimbledon Men's Quarterfinal/Fri- Wimbledon Men's Semifinal
9/4/89-9/8/89 Another World Monday episode (156 affiliates; breakout; 3.9/12; not counted in ratings)  

10/2/89-10/6/89 Another World  Wednesday episode (167 affiliates; breakout; 3.1/12; not counted in ratings)
10/9/89-10/13/89 Another World Monday episode (168 affiliates; breakout; 3.1/10; not counted in ratings)  
11/6/89-11/10/89 Another World  Thursday episode- 207-230 & 236-3PM (47 minutes)  

11/20/89-11/24/89 Another World Preempted Thursday- NFL Game  
12/18/89-12/22/89 Another World  Wed ep- 236-241PM (5mins); Thu ep- (56mins); Fri ep- 2-230 & 238-3PM (52mins); Wed ep- 241-3 PBO (176 affs; 3.3/11)  
1/2/89-1/6/89    As the World Turns    Preempted Monday- Cotton Bowl
1/16/89-1/20/89    As the World Turns    Preempted Friday- Presidential Inauguration '89
2/6/89-2/10/89    As the World Turns    Mon ep- 2-209 & 239-3PM (30 minutes); 209-239PM PBO (186 affs; 6.4/20)
2/20/89-2/24/89    As the World Turns    Preempted Monday- NBA on CBS
3/6/89-3/10/89    As the World Turns    Fri ep- 2-206 & 228-3PM (38 minutes); 206-228PM PBO (176 affs; 5.4/20)
4/24/89-4/28/89    As the World Turns    Mon ep- 2-205 & 213-3PM (52 minutes); Fri ep- 2-220 & 243-3PM (37 minutes)
5/1/89-5/5/89    As the World Turns    Thursday episode- 211-226PM (15 minutes)
5/8/89-5/12/89    As the World Turns    Thursday episode- 2-203 & 222-3PM (41 minutes); 203-222PM PBO (181 affs; 5.4/21)
5/29/89-6/2/89    As the World Turns    Wednesday episode (183 affiliates; breakout; 5.5/20; not counted in ratings)
6/5/89-6/9/89    As the World Turns    Tuesday episode- 2:13PM (47 minutes)
7/24/89-7/28/89 As the World Turns Tuesday episode- 2:18PM (42 minutes)  

7/31/89-8/4/89 As the World Turns Tue ep- 2-214 & 220-3PM (54 minutes); Thu ep- 2-233 & 239-3PM (54 minutes)  

9/4/89-9/8/89 As the World Turns  Preempted Mon & Fri- US Open Tennis  
10/2/89-10/6/89 As the World Turns Tuesday episode- 2-219 & 231-3PM (48 minutes)  

11/20/89-11/24/89 As the World Turns  Preempted Thu- Care Bears Movie II/Fri- Garfield & Friends & College Football  
12/18/89-12/22/89 As the World Turns Wed ep- 234-240PM (6mins); Thu ep (55mins); Wed ep- 240-3 PBO (184 affs; 4.8/16)  

12/25/89-12/29/89 As the World Turns Preempted Monday- Homecoming & Winter Sports Special  
1/2/89-1/6/89    Bold and the Beautiful    Preempted Monday- Cotton Bowl
1/16/89-1/20/89    Bold and the Beautiful    Preempted Friday- Price Is Right 2
2/20/89-2/24/89    Bold and the Beautiful    Preempted Monday- NBA on CBS
7/24/89-7/28/89 Bold and the Beautiful  Friday episode- 1:45PM (15 minutes)   
7/31/89-8/4/89 Bold and the Beautiful Monday episode- 1:42PM (18 minutes)   
9/4/89-9/8/89 Bold and the Beautiful  Preempted Mon & Fri- US Open Tennis   

11/20/89-11/24/89 Bold and the Beautiful Preempted Thu- Dink the Little Dinosaur/Fri- Garfield & Friends 
12/25/89-12/29/89 Bold and the Beautiful Preempted Monday- Homecoming   
1/2/89-1/6/89    Days of Our Lives    Preempted Monday- Hall of Fame Game
1/16/89-1/20/89    Days of Our Lives    Preempted Friday- Inauguration '89
5/1/89-5/5/89    Days of Our Lives    Thursday episode (50 minutes)
7/3/89-7/7/89    Days of Our Lives    Preempted Friday- Wimbledon Men's Semfinal
7/24/89-7/28/89 Days of Our Lives Friday episode- 1-118 & 146-2PM (32 minutes); 118-146PM PBO (80 affs; 2.2/7)     

9/4/89-9/8/89 Days of Our Lives  Monday episode (157 affiliates; breakout; 4.9/14; not counted in ratings)     

10/2/89-10/6/89 Days of Our Lives  Wednesday episode (179 affiliates; breakout; 4.0/14; not counted in ratings)

10/16/89-10/20/89 Days of Our Lives  Friday episode- 1-112 & 125-2PM (47 minutes)     
11/20/89-11/24/89 Days of Our Lives Preempted Thursday- NFL Game     
1/2/89-1/6/89    General Hospital    Preempted Monday- Florida Citrus Bowl
1/16/89-1/20/89    General Hospital    Preempted Friday- Inauguration '89
5/1/89-5/5/89    General Hospital    Thursday episode- 3:06PM (54 minutes)
9/4/89-9/8/89 General Hospital Monday episode (156 affiliates; breakout; 6.0/19; not counted in ratings) 

10/16/89-10/20/89 General Hospital Mon ep- 3-358PM (58 minutes); Fri ep- 3-321 & 331-4PM (50 minutes) 

11/6/89-11/10/89 General Hospital Thursday episode (52 minutes) 
12/18/89-12/22/89 General Hospital  Wed ep- 3:16PM (44mins); Thu ep- 3:27PM (33mins); Wed ep- 3-316 PBO (198 affs; 5.9/19) 
12/25/89-12/29/89 General Hospital  Preempted Monday- Kelly Blue-Gray Football & Eagle Aloha Bowl 
6/5/89-6/9/89    Generations    Preempted Friday- French Open Tennis
7/3/89-7/7/89    Generations    Preempted Friday- Wimbledon Men's Semifinal
9/4/89-9/8/89 Generations Monday episode (148 affiliates; breakout; 2.6/8; not counted in ratings)
9/11/89-9/15/89 Generations Preempted Thursday- NBC News Special: Daytime Drug

10/16/89-10/20/89 Generations Fri ep (14 minutes); Fri ep- 1244-1PM PBO (80 affs; 1.0/3)
11/20/89-11/24/89 Generations Preempted Thursday- NFL Game
12/18/89-12/22/89 Generations Preempted Wednesday- NBC Special Report; Thu ep- 12:31PM (29mins); Fri ep-1230-1235 & 1238-1PM (27mins)

1/2/89-1/6/89    Guiding Light    Preempted Monday- Cotton Bowl
1/16/89-1/20/89    Guiding Light    Preempted Friday- Presidential Inauguration '89
2/20/89-2/24/89    Guiding Light    Preempted Monday- NBA on CBS
4/10/89-4/14/89    Guiding Light    Thursday episode- 3:21PM (39 minutes)
4/17/89-4/21/89    Guiding Light    Wednesday episode- 3-325 & 333-4PM (52 minutes)
5/1/89-5/5/89    Guiding Light    Thursday episode- 3:12PM (48 minutes)
5/8/89-5/12/89    Guiding Light    Monday episode- 3-336 & 345-4PM (51 minutes)
5/29/89-6/2/89    Guiding Light    Preempted Monday- NBA Playoff Game
6/5/89-6/9/89    Guiding Light    Mon ep- 3-340 & 348-4PM (52 mins); Tue ep- 3-340 & 349-4PM (51 mins); Wed ep- 3-341 & 349-4PM (52 mins)
9/4/89-9/8/89 Guiding Light Preempted Mon & Fri- US Open Tennis

10/16/89-10/20/89 Guiding Light Wed ep- 3-336 & 350-4PM (46 minutes); Fri ep- 3-312 & 334-4PM (38 minutes)

11/6/89-11/10/89 Guiding Light Thu episode (55 minutes); Fri ep- 3-313 & 319-4PM (54 minutes)

11/20/89-11/24/89 Guiding Light Preempted Thu- Care Bears Movie II & NFL Today/Fri- College Football

11/27/89-12/1/89 Guiding Light  Friday episode- 3-306 & 321-4PM (45 mins); Fri ep- 306-321PM PBO (184 affs; 4.5/17)
12/18/89-12/22/89 Guiding Light  Wed ep- 3:17PM (43mins); Thu ep- 3:34PM (26mins); Fri ep- 3:10PM (50mins); Wed ep- 3-317 PBO (184 affs; 4.5/15)
12/25/89-12/29/89 Guiding Light Preempted Monday- Winter Sports Special & NBA on CBS

1/2/89-1/6/89    Loving    Preempted Monday- Tournament of Roses Parade
1/16/89-1/20/89    Loving    Preempted Friday- Inauguration '89
5/22/89-5/26/89    Loving    Wednesday episode- 1230-1240 & 1246-1PM (24 minutes)
9/4/89-9/8/89 Loving Monday episode (126 affiliates; breakout; 3.5/11; not counted in ratings) 

10/2/89-10/6/89 Loving Tuesday episode- 1230-1246 & 1252-1PM (24 minutes) 
10/16/89-10/20/89 Loving Wed ep (19 minutes); Fri episode (14 minutes)
12/25/89-12/29/89 Loving Preempted Monday- Kelly Blue-Gray Football 
1/2/89-1/6/89    One Life to Live    Preempted Monday- Florida Citrus Bowl
1/16/89-1/20/89    One Life to Live    Preempted Friday- Inauguration '89
2/6/89-2/10/89    One Life to Live    Mon ep- 2:39PM (21 minutes); 2-239PM PBO (197 affs; 7.1/22)
3/6/89-3/10/89    One Life to Live    Fri ep- 2-204 & 229-3PM (35 minutes); 204-229PM PBO (194 affs; 5.3/20)
4/24/89-4/28/89    One Life to Live    Friday episode- 2-221 & 239-3PM (42 minutes)
5/1/89-5/5/89    One Life to Live    Thursday episode- 2-202 & 215-235PM (22 minutes)
5/8/89-5/12/89    One Life to Live    Thursday episode- 2-203 & 225-3PM (38 minutes); 203-225PM PBO (203 affs; 5.2/20)
5/29/89-6/2/89    One Life to Live    Wednesday episode (202 affiliates; breakout; 5.7/20; not counted in ratings)

7/24/89-7/28/89 One Life to Live Tuesday episode- 2-202 & 217-3PM (45 minutes)

9/4/89-9/8/89 One Life to Live  Monday episode (157 affiliates; breakout; 5.5/17; not counted in ratings)

12/18/89-12/22/89 One Life to Live Wed ep- 2-201 & 236-240PM (5mins); Thu ep (55mins); Wed ep- 240-3 PBO (193 affs; 4.9/16)
12/25/89-12/29/89 One Life to Live Preempted Monday- Kelly Blue-Gray Football
1/2/89-1/6/89    Ryan's Hope    Preempted Monday- Tournament of Roses Parade
1/2/89-1/6/89    Santa Barbara    Preempted Monday- Hall of Fame Game
1/16/89-1/20/89    Santa Barbara    Preempted Mon- Soap Opera Awards/Fri- Inauguration '89
5/1/89-5/5/89    Santa Barbara    Thursday episode- 3:08PM (52 minutes)
6/5/89-6/9/89    Santa Barbara    Tuesday episode- 3:06PM (54 minutes)
6/26/89-6/30/89    Santa Barbara    Preempted Thursday- Daytime Emmy Awards
7/3/89-7/7/89    Santa Barbara    Preempted Thu- Wimbledon Men's Quarterfinal/Fri- Wimbledon Men's Semifinal

9/4/89-9/8/89 Santa Barbara Monday episode (156 affiliates; breakout; 3.3/10; not counted in ratings) 

10/2/89-10/6/89 Santa Barbara Preempted Wednesday- ALCS Game 2 

10/9/89-10/13/89 Santa Barbara  Preempted Monday- NLCS Game 5 

10/16/89-10/20/89 Santa Barbara Friday episode- 3-312 & 334-4PM (38 minutes) 
11/6/89-11/10/89 Santa Barbara Thu episode- 306-354PM (48 minutes); Fri episode- 3:07PM (53 minutes) 
11/20/89-11/24/89 Santa Barbara  Preempted Thursday- NFL Game 
12/18/89-12/22/89 Santa Barbara Thursday episode- 3:31PM (29 minutes)

1/2/89-1/6/89    Young and the Restless    Preempted Monday- Tournament of Roses Parade
1/16/89-1/20/89    Young and the Restless    Preempted Friday- Presidential Inauguration '89 & Price Is Right 1
2/20/89-2/24/89    Young and the Restless    Preempted Monday- Price Is Right 1 & Price Is Right 2
4/24/89-4/28/89    Young and the Restless    Fri ep- 1230-1250 & 113-130PM (37 mins); 1250-113PM PBO (184 affs; 7.1/29)
5/1/89-5/5/89    Young and the Restless    Thursday episode- 1230-1256PM (26 mins); 1256-130PM PBO (194 affs; 6,6/26)

7/24/89-7/28/89 Young and the Restless Tue ep- 12:48PM (42mins); Fri ep- 1230-112PM (42mins); Tue ep- 1230-1248 PBO (192 affs; 7.5/27); Fri ep- 112-130 PBO (135 affs; 4.4/15)     
9/4/89-9/8/89 Young and the Restless Preempted Mon- US Open Tennis/Fri- US Open Tennis & (Local Fill: 1240-112PM)     

9/11/89-9/15/89 Young and the Restless Tuesday episode- 1230-1244 & 101-130PM (43 minutes); 1244-101 PBO (119 affs; 5.8/24)   
9/25/89-9/29/89 Young and the Restless Monday episode- 1-130PM (30 minutes); 1230-1 PBO (124 affs; 5.5/23)     

10/16/89-10/20/89 Young and the Restless Wed ep- 1230-1249 & 107-130 (42mins); Fri ep- 1230-1241 & 123-130 (18mins); Wed ep- 1249-107 PBO (141 affs; 4.3/14); Fri ep- 1241-111 PBO (142 affs;4.2/15)  

11/6/89-11/10/89 Young and the Restless Fri ep- 1230-1234 & 1250-130PM (44 mins); Fri ep- 1234-1250PM PBO (118 affs; 6.0/23)     

11/20/89-11/24/89 Young and the Restless  Preempted Thu & Fri- Muppet Babies I & Muppet Babies II     

11/27/89-12/1/89 Young and the Restless Thursday episode- (44 minutes); Thu ep- 114-130PM PBO (138 affs; 3.7/14)   

12/18/89-12/22/89 Young and the Restless Thu ep- 1230-1239 & 103-130PM (36mins); Thu ep- 1239-103 PBO (119 affs; 6.0/19)     
12/25/89-12/29/89 Young and the Restless Preempted Monday- Homecoming     

Seems like the NBC and CBS soap lineups were preempted on Thanksgiving with the CBS lineup also preempted Black Friday '89. Do we know if ABC aired new episodes on Thursday and/or Friday or were they repeats. Did NBC air new episodes Friday? 

This is truly incredible! Thank you for sharing all this information with us. I have looked forward to coming on here just to see how these numbers played out through the decade. 

1 hour ago, Soapsuds said:

What happened to some of the faces? 

The week between Christmas and New Years Day 87/88 (which usually sees a nice boost for all soaps), sees GL get its first 7 rating since the week of Feb. 10-14, 1986 - almost two years earlier. 

Also, this is the first time this decade that an ABC soap has not scored the top spot for that week. GH topped that week in 1980 - 1982 and 1985 - 1987 and AMC in 1983 and 1984. 

I was completely shocked to stumble upon the new of Suzanne Somers' passing on Twitter. I love Three's Company and remember watching Step by Step growing up. I had no idea of her journey and I hope she's in a better place and that her family finds peace. Will watch some more Three's Company this week for sure. 

That's great, @JAS0N47. I appreciate you sharing all of this data with us, especially since you're putting so much time into typing it all out and organizing. 

Woo-hoo at finding that missing December 87 week and a very interesting week at that. AMC and OLTL above GH with YR at their heels. 

53 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

I think someone mentioned that WJB threatened to take YR to another network if BB didn't get ATWT timeslot.

I would've said go head. YR would've lost viewers had it changed networks.

Wow, that's quite the statement. I mean NBC would have happily taken YR, but I don't necessarily see it fitting with the rest of the lineup.

Bold is doing okay. It's pretty much getting Capitol's numbers, but in a different timeslot. GL being outperformed by Bold some weeks is crazy. 

12 hours ago, te. said:

I mean, I think the fact that Chris Atkins looked the way he did was intentional - Peter was never meant to represent a real threat to JR and if anything it became more sleazy because Atkins looked like a boy. They could've easily hired a 23-year old 6'3 stud, but then people might've actually taken the romance seriously.

I get that, but I'm just not quite sure what Sue Ellen would find appealing about Peter. Yes, he was boyish and a non-threat to JR's manipulation and power. However, I feel he should have been more rugged, maybe from the wrong side of the tracks-  initially pursuing Lucy but ends up trying to conquer Sue Ellen. He gives Sue Ellen the attention she wants and in some ways JR is intimidated. Peter does play a huge contrast to the men that Sue Ellen had been with before, but maybe I'm a bit bias because I don't find Chris Atkins appealing at all. 

Wow Guiding Light is such a mess. I'm surprised it has weakened so quickly. 

I've noticed that the spring ratings after Feb sweeps tend to be quite low all around. 

58 minutes ago, kalbir said:

B&B was head-to-head w/ second half of supercouple Days and second half of All My Children, plus it did not have full clearance, so there's some struggling in the early years.

From the annual ratings, B&B first moves past Days in 1990, then Days overtakes B&B in 1996, then B&B moves past Days in 1999. B&B would move past All My Children in 1996.

I know YR was nicely situated in its 12:30 timeslot in the east coast, but I wonder what it may have looked like if BB was placed at 12:30 and YR was head to head for the hour with Days and AMC. It clearly had no issues holding an audience, because its numbers were good. Although, the 12:30 slot didn't seem to be very successful for most half hour shows in the 80s and 90s. Not sure if being isolated from the rest of the lineup made it more difficult to grow. 

Also, would have been interesting to see what may have happened if CBS kept Capitol and had a 4 hour lineup. I wonder how they would have arranged that. 

3 hours ago, te. said:

To be fair, Capitol had a very cushy time slot plus is a clear "hammock" despite being in the middle of the ratings pack (ie it slumps between As the World Turns and Guiding Light. The only real option for it to survive was to retain ATWT/GL's ratings - and even then CBS would've had to move it to make room for B&B.

While timeslot was a critical part of soap success, the same can be said for BB. BB will replace Capitol, but it will never outpace Capitol at its peak even with a much stronger lead in from YR versus Capitol's ATWT. 

Personally, I feel CBS wasn't invested in Capitol as it did pretty well, but once it was certain it would be replaced they had no interest in supporting it. I think they had too much faith in Bell to create another massive YR