JoeCool

Oh yes!! Thanks!! I remember reading about that storyline.

3/10: GH and AMC battling it out for Number 1. OLTL a solid Number 3. Another World at Number 5..beating Y&R? What was going on AW? 3/17: All My Children a solid Number 1. Another world Number 4!? Also Y&R weaker than Feb. 1980..the time chage and expansion really damaged Y&R strong momentum.

10/2: Wow! Guiding Light and As the World Turns battling it out for Number 1. Y&R Number 3. AMC No 4. 10/9: All My Children Number 1 and GH a close Number 2 with a lower share. What caused DAYS drop? Y and R still strong. AW tying OLTL??!

Week of 2/25: Strong GL and Y&R. GH Number 1 solid lead over Number 2 AMC. GL battling AMC for Number 2. Week of 3/3: GH and AMC battling it out for Number 1. GL and OLTL battling for Number 3. And look how close AW is to Y&R.

Very True. I bet ABC regretted passing on Y&R. ABC wanted to focus on AMC and OLTL. Imagine if Y&R was on ABC..GH probably would have been canceled.

You posted Nielsen yearly season which was September to September. The networks official season ran from September through April. Eventually the networks did yearly seasons for daytimes sometime in the late 1990s.

Yes. Marland became the HW of GL in 1979. Marland was also HW of GH in 1978. He set the stories with Gloria Monty for GH's resurrection in 1978.

All My Children very strong Number 1...Daisy and Palmer! Cliff and Nina. Nina's masquerade costume birthday party!! Y&R struggling after the time change and expansion but still strong. AW beginning its descent and ATWT no longer Number 1 but still strong.

Yes that is right. ABC Daytime was on the upswing. College students were ABC's new draw. But fall 1978 Y&R got strong as well.

Week of Sept. 4th...Erica and Tom got Married on All My Childen. ABC has the top 3 shows. Ryan's Hope Number 6. Very Close for Number 2 to Number 4. Week of Sept. 11: ABC has top 3 spots. Ryan's Hope Number 6. Nice rebound for AW.

It seems that DAYS went up 0.5 in the ratings and AMC was up a small amount 0.2. I do not understand the significant drop for Restless. I know Bill Bell fought the expansion with CBS for over a year until CBS told him we are doing the expansion with or with you, Bill. Bill Bell relented.

Agreed. Jackie Smith was instrumental in ABC Daytime’s increase. Jackie created the famous “Love in the Afternoon” promos and pushed the expansions of OLTL and GH. Fred Silverman, President of ABC wanted the afternoon block of just soaps and vigorously supported ABC Daytime and was a huge admirer of Agnes Nixon.

Yes. Cliff and Nina’s romance was very big. Palmer’s costume party for Nina’s birthday will happen in the middle of February 1980.

Ok. Cannot wait to see the ratings and your commentary. Thanks. Yes. Shocking. General Hospital strength plus a renewed and strong Guiding Light caused AW's demise.

Thanks! Gotcha. Now I see the schedule. Why did the move Search? They should have moved Y and R to 12:30PM ET and then Search to 1:30PM.

Very Interested to see the new CBS soap lineup and the ratings.

Y&R and AMC battling it out for Number 2. A strong OLTL at Number 4. Also a strong Guiding Light and ATWT battling out for Number 5. Thanks for posting!

Agreed. In early June/July, AMC knocked off AW first. But you are right AW cratered and ATWT was stagnating.

Yes. RH was well written and it showed in how many writing Emmys RH garnered. Yep. July and August 1978 was the turning point for ABC...AMC, GH and OLTL. It is also a turning point for the Young and Restless as it will join the top 3 in 78-79 season. Restless begins to get stronger until 1980 and the move from 30 to 60 minutes plus time change. All My Children dethroned ATWT and AW in the summer of 1978. AW fell farther first when ATWT fell out of the top spot but was still Number 4 when AMC was Number 1, followed by GH then Y and R. AW fell from Number 2 to Number 8 in 78-79. In 79-80, ATWT fell to Number 6 and AW was Number 8. Essentially your assumption is correct. AMC knocked off ATWT and AW and GH knocked them of the top 3 as did Y&R. It all happened beginning in the summer of 1978.

General Hospital beginning its rise. All My Children a solid Number 1. Restless getting stronger as well as One Life. Ryan's Hope Number 4. For the week of 8/21, ABC had the top 4 spots. Another World begins to slide and fade and ATWT begins to decrease. All My Children began its ascent to Number 1.

That is true. I know Nielsen measures every 30 minutes in Daytime. For Example, All My Children 1:00 to 1:30PM, All My Children 130PM to 2.

Nielsen divides PIR into the 1st Half Hour Price 1 and 2nd half Price 2.

Thank you. All the hard work, thanks. Take your time!!!! A solid Number One ranking for All My Children. And Ryan's Hope Number 3 wow!! I cannot believe RH beat the Young and the Restless!!

Solid All My Children at Number 1. Days looking strong at No. 2. One Life to Live strong as well. ATWT on the decline. Thanks for posting!

Yes ABC's "Love in the Afternoon" promos began in the summer of 1978. Jackie Smith and Fred Siilverman planned the blitz in 1978 for ABC Daytime. They wanted to target and attract younger viewers to ABC Daytime.