This could prove to be problematic. NBC had its lowest primetime ratings EVER last week. This same thing happened in the early 1980s. NBC Daytime and Primetime were in the toilet. NBC took drastic measures by cancelling The Doctors and Texas. Many of their primetime shows were also canceled.

I haven't watched Days of our Lives in years but would hate for another soap opera to leave the airwaves. The situation is dire, but it can be turned around. Does anyone remember the threat that ABC made regarding General Hospital (the second worst soap) in 1977? (It must improve or it's through in six months.)

GH's ratings were mediocre in the 1974-78 period, but never so terrible as to warant cancellation- albeit, most ABC soaps were also mediocre in ratings with the exception of All My Children.

One thing about NBC though- isn't the Law & Order franchise their only truly strong-performing serials in Primetime? It seems like the jewel in NBC's crown (and rightly so).

Edited April 20, 200718 yr by David V

Excellent post Ridge. Corday and Hogan should have realized in late January early February that those stories weren't working they should have changed it then, instead of draging them on. Maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Once a show drops -.7 it's hard to get it back up again. It's easier if the drop happens over the course of a few weeks, but these drops have been occuring for three months.

Here are the ratings from January 1, 2007 -Present

Viewers

January 1-5..................4. DAYS 3,357,000 (John & Marlena backburnered. Bo & Hope being used as moral support for Shelle. Story shifts to Steve's crazy fits, Shawn/Belle/Phillip/Victor & EJ & Co.)

January 8-12...............4. DAYS 3,522,000

Jan. 17. 2007.........NBC Announcement that PASSIONS was ending in August and DAYS would probably not be picked up after it's contract ends in 2009

January 22-26.............5. DAYS 3,233,000 (DAYS potential cancellation announcement)

January 29 - Feb 2.......4. DAYS 3,379,000 (Shelle on the run, Nick/Chelsea/Phillow, Payla, EJ & Co. Mimi/Max)

February 5-9...............7. DAYS 3,274,000 " "

February 12-16............7. DAYS 3,252,000 " "

February 19-23............7. DAYS 3,001,000 (More Max/Clelsea/Abby/Nick, Shelle, EJ & Co., No Bope or Jolena)

Feb 26 - March 2..........7. DAYS 2,929,000 (John's kidney is harvested, More Shelle on the Island, Phillow, Clelsea/Nick/Dr. Rebert, Lumi/EJ)

March 5-9....................7. DAYS 2,840,000 (Island, EJ & Co. Steve in the asylum, No Vets) <--------New Loe

March 12-16.................7. DAYS 2,918,000 " "

March 19-23.................7. DAYS 2,738,000 <---------new low

March 26-30.................7. DAYS 2.774,000 " "

April 2-6......................8. DAYS 2,610,000 <----------new low

April 9-13....................N/A

On a side note. According to Corday he will not be able to legally shop the show until September.

As DAYS is only leasing time from NBC and NBC owns NO PART of DAYS, Corday could conceivable relocate the show intact.

As long as the show is on air I intend to watch DAYS and enjoy it and when the time comes I intend to write notes thanking the sponsors for supporting this 42 year old American institution and hope that they continue to support the show on it's new network.

Edited April 20, 200718 yr by Ilovemydays

Blaming Kevin Reilly for the loss of DAYS ratings? Oh please! If the show was good, people would still be watching, they wouldn't care what some bozo at NBC had to say.

It speaks volumes when a network cancels a soap and doesn't replace it with anything. DAYS is the sole survivor on NBC...even an offliner can see the writing on the wall: DAYS is the only soap on the air right now...how much longer will it be before its gone.

Affiliates(especially those from NBC) don't want to invest in daytime. It just totally wouldn't surprise me if DAYS left with PASSIONS in favor of something syndicated in some parts of the country. I see affiliates caring more about the acquisition of solid syndicated programming than the bleak future of DAYS.

NBC doesn't give a damn about DAYS because it doesn't have the ratings it once has and even worse, it doesn't own the show.

The numbers don't shock me, they actually make me sad. I take no glory in the downfall of an afternoon staple.

It speaks volumes when a network cancels a soap and doesn't replace it with anything. DAYS is the sole survivor on NBC...even an offliner can see the writing on the wall: DAYS is the only soap on the air right now...how much longer will it be before its gone.

Affiliates(especially those from NBC) don't want to invest in daytime. It just totally wouldn't surprise me if DAYS left with PASSIONS in favor of something syndicated in some parts of the country. I see affiliates caring more about the acquisition of solid syndicated programming than the bleak future of DAYS.

NBC doesn't give a damn about DAYS because it doesn't have the ratings it once has and even worse, it doesn't own the show.

The numbers don't shock me, they actually make me sad. I take no glory in the downfall of an afternoon staple.

I still don't see how any of this explains the ratings decline. None of the affiliates have dropped DAYS from their schedules. If that had happened, it would have been reported by numerous posters on the boards. I have noticed some affiliates have moved DAYS to a later timeslot in the afternoon but that is probably just a tactic to pick up more younger viewers in the summer months.

As for the announcement being to blame, I just don't find that plausible. If a viewer is loving the storylines and seeing their favorites every day, they aren't going to tune out because some network exec. says the show "MIGHT" be cancelled in 2 years time. If that were true, every show that is rumored to be cancelled in the next few years would suffer these sort of declines...and there's no evidence to support this being the case.

I still don't see how any of this explains the ratings decline. None of the affiliates have dropped DAYS from their schedules. If that had happened, it would have been reported by numerous posters on the boards. I have noticed some affiliates have moved DAYS to a later timeslot in the afternoon but that is probably just a tactic to pick up more younger viewers in the summer months.

As for the announcement being to blame, I just don't find that plausible. If a viewer is loving the storylines and seeing their favorites every day, they aren't going to tune out because some network exec. says the show "MIGHT" be cancelled in 2 years time. If that were true, every show that is rumored to be cancelled in the next few years would suffer these sort of declines...and there's no evidence to support this being the case.

This isn't a typical drop off in ratings, this is more like a MASS DIE OFF. If you look at this scientifically, this what you would see if there is a drastic climate change or cataclysmic event. In DAYS case the announcement of the cancelation of Passions (and DAYS tenuous future on NBC) has drastically altered the NBC landscape.

Edited April 20, 200718 yr by Ilovemydays

GH's ratings were mediocre in the 1974-78 period, but never so terrible as to warrant cancellation- albeit, most ABC soaps were also mediocre in ratings with the exception of All My Children.

Actually, General Hospital's ratings were that bad (Soap Opera History, Page 140): "By mid-1977, with General Hospital facing certain cancellation six months down the road, ratings had plummeted. Grabbing at straws, the latest headwriters focused on a youthful plot for teenage Laura and young Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner). Still, the serial did nothing more than take a few drowning gasps until fate and three strokes of genius intervened."

At this time, General Hospital had just been expanded from 45 minutes (3:15 - 4:00 ET) to an hour (3:00 - 4:00). In the ratings, it was above Love of Life but close The Edge of Night which wasn't even aired on all ABC affiliates.

I agree that All My Children was the pride and joy of ABC daytime during the '70s. However, Ryan's Hope was doing OK for a relatively new show (debuting mid-1975).

As for your assertion that the cancellation of General Hospital was not warranted, this is the decade that saw many shows get canceled in the hopes that their replacements would do even better. Also, it a show were dropped by its network affiliate, a competing network affiliate was able to pick it up for that market. Under the Reagan administration, this pretty much ended.

The past 20 years have been the most stable in daytime. Look at the ABC and CBS schedules. CBS hasn't changed since the Bold and the Beautiful debuted (except in markets where Guiding Light has been bounced around). ABC, with the exception of Loving/The City/Port Charles, is pretty much in tact.

Edited April 20, 200718 yr by REALTOR Rich

Doug Marland was the headwriter that turned GH around and saved it from cancellation.

I don't care about the cancellation comment.

The reason I stopped watching DAYS is simple: THE STORIES SUCK.

Days low ratings are caused by many things right now.

Cancellation rumors, which have spread and spread... nobody wants to invest in a sinking show.

Horrible balance.

Behind-the-scenes friction between Corday and Hogan, as it seems.

I think that by this point, too much damage might have been done with the cancellation talk. Believe it or not, people know... news spreads through word of mouth. Even if the ratings bump up by this summer and the show gets great again, it might not be enough to make a significant difference because people simply have no interest in watching a doomed show.

Edited April 20, 200718 yr by Kenny

As for the announcement being to blame, I just don't find that plausible. If a viewer is loving the storylines and seeing their favorites every day, they aren't going to tune out because some network exec. says the show "MIGHT" be cancelled in 2 years time. If that were true, every show that is rumored to be cancelled in the next few years would suffer these sort of declines...and there's no evidence to support this being the case.

ITA! Lets take Passions for an example. They are being canceled, but their ratings haven't fallen like DAYS. I can't put all the blame on Reily because when it comes down to it, it's on the writing and the show exec. to produce a quality show. Corday CAN shop DAYS around to another network, but these ratings is what spell the end for DAYS, IMO. Why should NBC want to keep a show that's not producing the product that keeps and/or brings in the viewers?

Glad to see AMC bump agian!!

QUOTE(Ponz @ Apr 20 2007, 09:49 AM)

As for the announcement being to blame, I just don't find that plausible. If a viewer is loving the storylines and seeing their favorites every day, they aren't going to tune out because some network exec. says the show "MIGHT" be cancelled in 2 years time. If that were true, every show that is rumored to be cancelled in the next few years would suffer these sort of declines...and there's no evidence to support this being the case.

Exactly Ponz

And hardly no one is willing to place the blame on the writing as to why the ratings are down. I hear all the blame placed on Kevin Reilly for his possible cencellation statement. But then keep hearing "When the vets return in May, ratings will rise"

ITA! Lets take Passions for an example. They are being canceled, but their ratings haven't fallen like DAYS. I can't put all the blame on Reily because when it comes down to it, it's on the writing and the show exec. to produce a quality show. Corday CAN shop DAYS around to another network, but these ratings is what spell the end for DAYS, IMO. Why should NBC want to keep a show that's not producing the product that keeps and/or brings in the viewers?

I think the reason Passions hasn't dropped further is because the viewers that are watching are the same ones that will watch it's final episodes. Most of the remaining viewers had come to the conclusion that Passions was on borrowed time long before the announcement. the news did not take most of them by surprise.

I don't know about you but Zucker's comments about DOOL took me completely off guard. The show had been doing well. DAYS had even placed in #3 for many weeks over the summer. My issue with blaming the writing is that IMO the writing hadn't really changed suddenly.

Corday can't shop DAYS until Sept. but I'm hoping that the show will rally and the ratings will improve over Sweeps and the summer.

October 2-6…………………….....................5. DAYS 2,993,000

October 9-13…………………..….................3. DAYS 3,386,000)

October 16-20…………………....................7. DAYS 3,033,000)

October 23-27…………………..…................5. DAYS 3,217,000

October 30 - November 3……................5. DAYS 3,190,000

November 6-10…………………...................5. DAYS 3,136,000

November 13-17………………….................5. DAYS 3,280,000

November 20-24………..……...................4. DAYS 3,354,000

November 27 - December ..................4. DAYS 3,265,000

December 4-8……………….…….................4. DAYS 3,159,000

December 11-15……………..............……..5. DAYS 3,070,000

December 18-22…………….............……...4. DAYS 3,329,000

December 25-29…………….............……...4. DAYS 3,612,000

January 1-5…………………….…..................4. DAYS 3,357,000

January 8-12…………………...............…....4. DAYS 3,522,000

January 17th Zucker announces Passions is cancelled

January 22-26...................................5. DAYS 3,233,000

January 29 - Feb 2.............................4. DAYS 3,379,000

February 5-9.....................................7. DAYS 3,274,000

February 12-16..................................7. DAYS 3,252,000

February 19-23..................................7. DAYS 3,001,000

Feb 26 - March 2................................7. DAYS 2,929,000

March 5-9..........................................7. DAYS 2,840,000

March 12-16......................................7. DAYS 2,918,000

March 19-23......................................7. DAYS 2,738,000

March 26-30......................................7. DAYS 2.774,000

April 2-6............................................8. DAYS 2,610,000

4. ATWT 3,126,000 (+130,000/+11,000

At least there is one positive thing for ATWT this week.

4. ATWT 3,126,000 (+130,000/+11,000

At least there is one positive thing for ATWT this week.

I agree I was very happy to see that, hopefully we will see total viewers and HH's even go higher for this week we just had