kalbir

We're now at the point that each network has 3 1/2 hours of soaps (3 1 hour soaps and 1 30 minute soap) all broadcast between 12:30 pm-4 pm ET. Let's see how they got there over the course of the 1980s. CBS: The decade began w/ Y&R, Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Love of Life. February 1, 1980 Love of Life ends. February 4, 1980 Y&R expands to 1 hour. March 26, 1982 Search for Tomorrow CBS run ends. March 29, 1982-March 20, 1987 Capitol run. March 23, 1987 B&B premiere. CBS had four different soap blocks in the 1980s. ABC: The decade began w/ Ryan's Hope, All My Children, One Life to Live, General Hospital, The Edge of Night. June 27, 1983 Loving premiere. December 28, 1984 The Edge of Night ends. January 13, 1989 Ryan's Hope ends. ABC had four different soap blocks in the 1980s. NBC: The decade began w/ Days, The Doctors, Another World. August 4, 1980-December 31, 1982 Texas run. March 29, 1982-December 26, 1986 Search for Tomorrow NBC run. December 31, 1982 The Doctors ends. July 30, 1984 Santa Barbara premiere. March 27, 1989 Generations premiere. NBC had seven different soap blocks in the 1980s.

Also Y&R was killing it. Remember that in the Eastern time zone second half of Y&R was head-to-head w/ first half of Days.

Two pivotal events are coming up on Y&R: Victor takes over Jabot and Phillip III's car accident. That sets everything in motion for the 1990s. B&B is showing growth. April 27, 1989 was Bobbie Eakes debut. Guiding Light is showing some signs of life. We're a month away from Springfield learning that Roger survived the fall off the cliff in Santo Domingo, and two months away from Robert Calhoun becoming EP. The last year and a half of the supercouple era is starting with a ratings crash.

CBS and P&G were really shaken up by the huge rise of ABC in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and we've seen evidence of that in the ratings threads and of course on screen.

@Paul Raven @AbcNbc247 Bo/Hope wedding May 20-24, 1985 Days was 3rd tied w/ Y&R. Remember that 1985 Days time slot competition was strong All My Children, rising Y&R, middle ranked As the World Turns. 1987 Days time slot competition was strong Y&R, not yet a hit B&B, weakened All My Children.

Y&R is killing it! Brad in a cage had wrapped up and the next big storylines were Phillip/Nina wedding and George Rawlins murder. Surprised to see Generations premiere w/ 97% clearance. I thought it would be lower.

Scrabble dropped w/ the move and Generations didn't inherit the Scrabble audience. Thank you @JAS0N47

Remember too Days gets a new lead in on March 27, Generations. NBC moved Scrabble from 12:30 pm to 10 am. I wonder if the change in lead in played a part, but then again, 12:30 pm had been a dead zone for NBC for many years. @JAS0N47 Do you have ratings/clearance for Scrabble March 20-24, 1989 and March 27-31, 1989. Thank you. 1989 was big for daytime network game shows. NBC runs of Sale of the Century, Super Password, Wheel of Fortune; Win, Lose or Draw came to an end. CBS run of Card Sharks came to an end. CBS had a short-lived revival of Now You See It, and picked up Wheel of Fortune after the NBC run ended. 1989 in syndicated talk shows saw Hour Magazine end its run and Joan Rivers launch her talk show in the fall.

Also 1985/86 Riptide was head-to-head w/ Moonlighting, which was showing growth that season.

Peter S. Fischer Dead: ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Co-Creator Was 88 – The Hollywood Reporter

Miami premiere tonight. I am only here for any Larsa/Marcus drama. Marcus Jordan Wants Dad Michael as His Best Man at Larsa Pippen Wedding (usmagazine.com) AFAIK an engagement hasn't been confirmed. If there is a marriage, get ready for Larsa Pippen Jordan. She's so going to be using both last names.

Michael Zaslow (RIP) returned in January 1989 but everyone in Springfield didn't learn that Roger survived the fall off the cliff in Santo Domingo until May. January 17, 1989 Darlene Conley (RIP) debut. SOD named Sally best new character in the Best of 1989 issue. Maybe viewers were getting tired of the action/adventure and supercouple trends. Most Days fans I know consider the Summer 1990 shipwreck as the last big action/adventure storyline of the supercouple era and Stephen Nichols departure that fall as the end of the supercouple era.

What to watch for in 1989. Y&R dominates. The two big storylines that set everything in motion for the 1990s were Victor taking over Jabot and Phillip III car accident. 1989 the big cast departure was Terry Lester. B&B Darlene Conley arrival and not long after B&B will start showing growth. As the World Turns Martha Byrne and Hillary Bailey Smith departures. Guiding Light Michael Zaslow returns. Robert Calhoun becomes EP. Debuts of Jean Carol, Morgan Englund, Kimberley Simms, Sherry Stringfield, Beth Chamberlin. Ryan's Hope ends. Generations premieres.

Knowing Josh Griffith, it'll be sleeps.

Agree

Y&R December 5, 1988 Brenda Epperson debut. We saw Y&R December 23, 1988 as a holiday classic on Christmas Day 1998.

Is it in the realm of possibility that SOD could digitize their archive? There are articles/interviews from the 1980s and 1990s that I'd love to read.

Yes. Don't give Josh Griffith any ideas though 😆

Yes. Y&R November 1988 a pregnant Nikki leaves Genoa City and returns 2 months later w/ baby Nicholas. Exit storyline for Melody Thomas Scott pregnancy leave. Y&R December 2, 1988 Eileen Davidson departure.

@BoldRestless September 8-12, 1980 Y&R rating was 7.1. Y&R lowest rated week of the 1980s was May 3-7, 1982; rating 5.6.

Between Christmas and New Year's so holiday bump. We saw March 28, 1984 during the classics. From this thread, Y&R's lowest rated week of the 1980s was May 3-7, 1982; rating 5.6, 5th for the week. Two of the four non-holiday weeks where Y&R had ratings higher than 10 were just before the 1 hour expansion.

Y&R #1! I think around this time was Ruthless publication that exposed Ashley ending the pregnancy by Victor and Victor quickly divorced Nikki and married Leanna in order to deflect attention away from Ruthless.

September 29, 1987 as per YT upload, but the date could be wrong.

1987 and 1988 were off years when you factor in Iran-Contra pre-emptions, Nielsen people meters, and the writer's strike.

Darlene Conley first episode was actually January 17, 1989. I think Sally was first mentioned in 1988, that's probably why I thought she arrived in December that year.