DAYS: Looks like the soap might be in trouble.

[DrewH]

You're right, Chris. CBS would gain from aquiring DAYS. It's part of the big 3. CBS would dominate daytime television with a DAYS, Y&R, B&B, ATWT, GL line up. ABC wouldn't stand a chance. As for NBC, I hope the peacock gets slaughtered and plucked ASAP!

[dawn9476]

Considering that CBS has handed out paycuts of their own, I doubt Days would fair much better at CBS. Didn't GL make their actors and crew take a 15% percent pay cut ? Didn't they have to get rid of a lot of the crew as well? Even SOD mentioned when Kristoff St. John was in negoiations last year at this time, the offer he was given was a low ball offer because of standard pays cuts that actors are being asked to take. So I think you are all dreaming if you think Days actors will be paid the same or more by going to CBS.

[PhoenixRising05]

I agree Chris B.

There are similarities as far as how Hogan writes certain characters in relation to how he wrote characters on ATWT but the stories are different. That is why I hate when Hogan's ATWT period is compared to his current Days one. I see the character similarities but if the stories are different I don't even see the point in bringing it up.

As far as the vets, Victor has been seen alot under Hogan. Yes, it's been less lately but I like the fact that when he is on he is there for a purpose and not just as a talk to or a prop (unlike under JER when Victor was just there most of the time). Same goes for Maggie. Now she has been nothing but a supportive advice-giver (kind of like Alice used to be) and I am ok with that. I am happy with how much she has been on, although, again, not so much lately. I would love for both to be on more but I am ok with it.

Days is full of vets, unlike most shows, so Hogan really can't be trashed too much for backburnering vets when most of the show is vets. Hell, even FF has been on the show for over 7 years. That doesn't make her a vet but fans know her and some care about her. Bo and Hope were featured alot under Hogan his first few months and they are backburnered for two weeks and there is outcry. They are being featured this week and I just don't get what the big deal is that they are in a story lull when they just came off a year where they were used alot. I understand the J&M outcry but that is only two characters backburnered. It's not like Hogan and Days are backburnering everyone in favor of Willow, Philipe, Belle, etc. Sami, Lucas, Kate, EJ, Steve, Kayla, Billie, etc are being featured. I get what people mean about balance but the balance was really only off for one week. Now, we may not see the heavy-hitters much coming up but that isn't really a bad thing in my mind. I would rather go through periods where they aren't around instead of losing them for good. They will be featured at some point. I know the ratings may suffer but who knows. The ratings all hard to figure and with the college students being counted now Days may not hurt that bad by not focusing on the big 4.

Unlike ATWT, Hogan has a group of young character people care about. Nick/Chelsea, Max/Abby, Shawn/Belle, and. hell, even Max/Mimi all have fanbases already. JKJ is a fan favorite. I am not saying they should be on as much as they are but Hogan has more investment from the fans in these young group of characters then he did in his young characters on ATWT IMO.

I agree with Steve that the production and writing team should take cuts. We all know Hogan got paid a hefty dime to come and write. Now we do not know if any behind the scenes personnal took cuts or came to work for less salary. We only know that Hogan came with a hefty price tag so I'm not going to go nuts about this. I do agree that others besides the actors need to take cuts too.

I also think any vets that care for the show need to recognize what is happening here. Days has a loyal group of actors who I am sure will take cuts, unlike some shows. Some may need to take cuts more then others. I am sure many already have taken cuts and I applaud them because I think part of the reason behind the budget problems plagueing all soaps is because some vets were getting paid ridiculous salaries. Of course, the same could be said for pro-sport stars and any star for that matter. I probably wouldn't be complaining if I were being paid that kind of cash but, to me, if you give years to a show and you really love it there (like so many Days stars do) then you take one for the team and do what it takes.

Having said all this, I think Corday should look for a new home right now. I worry about ABC but you never know. I am always hopeful something better can come around and, let's be honest, Days is stuck right now. They are in a big mess and they can see the writing on the wall potentially in 2009 so Corday should look far and wide and make a move if he feels the situation can be even a little bit better. NBC doesn't want Days and to stay there for two years only to have the budget get worse and to have to hear fans bicker and so on is not worth it. Take the show elsewhere and see where things go next. They really have nothing to lose at this point.

[SteveFrame]

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Steve, I actually disagree with you in regards to the show moving to CBS. I think that could be a HUGE move in a positive way. If CBS heavily promoted the switch and made sure DAYS had the quality (and budget needed), the show could at least match it's current ratings of a 2.6-2.7 which is much higher than what ATWT and GL are getting. I don't think GL will ever rebound in the ratings and could be cancelled for DAYS.

Another positive is that DAYS is one of three soaps to get heavy press in the soap mags. Thats more easy publicity. More people talk about DAYS than they do GL. I think it's a no brainer especially if CBS wants to stay #1.

I agree with you in many ways, but some I don't. I think it will hurt them if they cancel any show for it - even if it is GL. Their best move is to keep the lineup at least the same for at least a year after Days comes aboard to keep from angering any fans.

My main point was that I don't CBS which has already cut the budgets of it's soaps drastically increasing Days budget that much just for switching networks esp. if they have to pay the licensing fees too. And the big expenses for the cast that Days has now. With the licensing fees, the cast of veterans, and the writing staff that Days has now along with Corday and Wyman - Days has to be an expensive show still to produce. If Days ratings go down anymore then CBS is not going to willing to extend a big budget increase until they see what the ratings are going to do on their network. They have to look at history in that the two shows that have switched networks did not do well. And even if Days is a different show and gets more publicity, they will look at history. It will be a good business investment for CBS but for a good part of 2006 ATWT got better ratings that Days did - right now it doesn't, but if Days has to cut more who knows what the ratings will do. All that will have to be figured in on how CBS looks at the show, and will greatly factor in to that. I just don't see a network change as the fix all to the budget crisis. Increased ratings are the only thing that can do that. And Corday has got to do a lot better than what is going on right now to make the show look better to the networks.

I am one that thinks when GL goes that ATWT will probably go too or P&G will sell it to CBS. I just don't see P&G staying for one soap. I honestly think at this point GL & ATWT are a package deal.

[Brandeis]

DAYS moving to CBS is a pipe dream. It won't happen.

[dawn9476]

Days ain't going to CBS. CBS has way too many proplems with ATWT and GL to pick up Days. Look at how many vets GL and ATWT have fired. Or how many are back burned or stuck on recurring status. Or How many families are isolated or totally phased out. CBS picked up Days when GL and ATWT are in so much trouble would be a disaster. And now considering that Frons is developing two new shows for Soapnet, I see all their budget going towards than and not the acquisition of Days. Plus, all three ABC soaps have way too many problems of their own for the fans to roll over and accept Days being addded to the line up. Look at how many vets ABC has fired lately. You think ABC fans are just going to sit back and watch those vets be thrown out like garbage while happily accepting the addition of Days. Uh uh. Ain't going to happen.

[dawn9476]

Yep. Same for it going to ABC. I know it is easy for Days fans who only watch Days to think that CBS or ABC will make it all better for them. But what about the crap that GL, ATWT, GH, AMC, and OLTL fans have to put up with and have put up with it for years? All those problems that Days fans have mention in this thread are pretty much the same ones that those other soaps have. So Days going to CBS and ABC is not a solution. ABC and CBS have to clean up their own crap first before bringing Days over.

[R!ck]

CBS would cancel both shows in a heartbeat to have DAYS at 2:00pm

Unfortunatly, From a business standpoint CBS would totally cancel ATWT/GL (the two lowest rated soaps in demos) for DAYS which is the #2-#3 soap in demos (fluctuates) and #1 in 18-34. From the money they would save by cancelling the PGP soaps they could use it for Y&R/B&B/DAYS and have the #1 daytime network.

However, I just don't want anymore shows cancelled... period.

[dawn9476]

Then they better hope that the Days fans that follow it to CBS are enough to keep it on the air. I doubt many ATWT or GL fans would stick around to see their show which have been on the air for 50 and 70 years be replaced.

[sema608]

But why? I like Days, but what is it about Days that interests the networks? I'm not too sure why they would want to cancel their own soaps for Days. ???

(Oh, I'm back, but in the safe threads. lol)

[Chris B]

Dawn, GL got that severe budget cut because the ratings are in the toilet, same with the quality. The only person ATWT had to let go at that time was Hunt Block who'd been on the show for 5 years. 30 year vet Larry Brygman being fired and not getting a final episode is because Hogan doesn't care about vets or history. That was long before any budget cuts. Ellen Stewart being written off was by the hacks before Hogan. Besides those two no vets have been fired from ATWT and most are still on contract. The writers just choose not to use them. And by looking at ATWT, it certainly doesn't seem strapped for cash on GL.

There is no denying that DAYS has more ratings potential than GL. No matter what they do at GL the ratings aren't picking up. ATWT saw some big increases last year, but the writers are so inconsistant they don't know how to maintain them.

If CBS and the soap mags promoted DAYS moving to CBS, I can see them getting the ratings and more. It's the only way DAYS can be saved because there is no space on ABC and NBC is 100% cancelling it.

[Wendy]

Exactly. I know Days has a passionate fanbase, but the shows that would be cancelled also have fans. And I could see a huge backlash if one soap was axed and replaced with Days.

And network changes rarely work: It didn't for Search For Tomorrow (CBS to NBC) and it didn't work for Edge of Night (CBS to ABC).

Days would be no better and would sputter to a sad death. People rarely follow soaps to new places and have no desire to try.

[PhoenixRising05]

I agree. So will ABC.

Days is popular and gets far more regular press then ATWT, GL, etc. I don't want any soap cancelled but I really do believe another network will pick it up, unless it bottoms out under a 2.4 ratings or something and stays there.

We know Days is very popular with the young demos ABC and Frons salivates over. Plus, Days has come close to ABC in the past. Not to say this is a gurantee, I just see it as someone will take a risk because the potential reward can be huge. A strong lead-in alone could give Days a bit of an increase. I do think Steve is right in saying that whoever has plans to get Days should wait a year to pick them up so it's doesn't look like a case of one or two soaps out for another one. I also agree that GL and ATWT are a package deal and, if one goes, so will the other.

In any event, I watch all three networks and I say the chances of Days being picked up are very high. This is not a pipe dream from a Days fan, which I am. I am not saying it's guranteed but it's what I believe will happen and, the fact that CBS and ABC have problems with some of the shows right now only makes the stronger case that a Days move will happen. It seems CBS and ABC are committed to staying with soaps in some way (that doesn't mean soaps won't be cancelled but the more popular ones will remain) so, if that is truly the case which I believe it is based on the responses of CBS and ABC to Passions' cancellation and the GH spinoff news (Yes it's primetime but it's still soap related), then I can see Days ending up on one or the other. I would rather it be CBS or that it stays put but I am just stating what I feel will happen.

[R!ck]

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There is no denying that DAYS has more ratings potential than GL. No matter what they do at GL the ratings aren't picking up. ATWT saw some big increases last year, but the writers are so inconsistant they don't know how to maintain them.

If CBS and the soap mags promoted DAYS moving to CBS, I can see them getting the ratings and more. It's the only way DAYS can be saved because there is no space on ABC and NBC is 100% cancelling it.

If CBS/PGP did cancel GL which airs at 10:00am in some areas. I wonder if they would be required the affiliates to air DAYS at 3:00pm or would they put DAYS on at 2:00pm and move ATWT to 3:00?

[PhoenixRising05]

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Dawn, GL got that severe budget cut because the ratings are in the toilet, same with the quality. The only person ATWT had to let go at that time was Hunt Block who'd been on the show for 5 years. 30 year vet Larry Brygman being fired and not getting a final episode is because Hogan doesn't care about vets or history. That was long before any budget cuts. Ellen Stewart being written off was by the hacks before Hogan. Besides those two no vets have been fired from ATWT and most are still on contract. The writers just choose not to use them. And by looking at ATWT, it certainly doesn't seem strapped for cash on GL.

There is no denying that DAYS has more ratings potential than GL. No matter what they do at GL the ratings aren't picking up. ATWT saw some big increases last year, but the writers are so inconsistant they don't know how to maintain them.

If CBS and the soap mags promoted DAYS moving to CBS, I can see them getting the ratings and more. It's the only way DAYS can be saved because there is no space on ABC and NBC is 100% cancelling it.

Exactly Chris.

The other soaps that moved were nowhere near as popular as Days. Days as a huge fanbase and even if some are bitter right now they will be interested at the thought of the show moving to another network thinking it may have a change at soaring. Again, it's what I think and feel will happen and I'm not saying it will 100% work but I do think the reward is worth the risk and the networks will see it that way.