April 16-20, 2007

[Gray Bunny]

ITA. It seems this argument is brought up every week.

I do wonder how DAYS has been affected locally, in Chicago, where DAYS & Passions switched timeslots back in early February, plus more people are receiving Soapnet now (like me!).

[ATWTCarOn4Ever]

The negativity doesn't really help matters. I swear the Internet is like the best and worst thing to happen to soaps. People come on forums and then bash soaps for no reason saying that "such and such soap is just horrible because of A, B, C" Then that gets passed on and on until it becomes "such and such soap is just the worst soap ever because of A-F" when thats not even the case. But of course this "fact" is spread from website to website and people tune out because of something they've been told. Yes some of the soaps are in bad shape but others are just fine IMO and if people would give it a chance instead of listening to all this negativity they'd actually be surprised at how great they are. Days, ATWT, and OLTL are all fantastic soaps that are doing good things right now yet they're constantly picked one for one dumb reason or another. Each deserves better credit that most are giving it but I guess that won't happen at all so theres no point in talking about it.

It just saddens me when I think of what you guys are saying might happen and how many people are missing out on these great shows.

[KLN]

I can't believe that Days has dipped below 2.0! That's frightening.

And the demographics are scary, too. Days used to occupy the 18 - 49 slot week after week after week for years at a time, and now it's at the bottom of the barrel there, as well?

Scary.

It's toast in 2009. TOAST.

It's really a simple fix, though. Focus on the right characters. Give them good stories. BALANCE. The problem is, has Days lost too many viewers at this point? Will any of them come back? How many viewers have been lost for good? At this point, I'd say quite a few. It's getting harder and harder to win back lost viewers, so Days can't afford to take idiotic risks because in today's soap world, they likely won't recover from the drop.

[King]

Yeah. I've come to terms that DAYS will be gone in 2009, and it's the best thing to do, IMO. Those that still think DAYS will be on the air after this contractual period are in for a big shock/disappointment.

And I don't think the ratings can ever be fixed. The show, yes. Any show can be fixed. Just make the quality of the show better. It's not as hard as soaps make it.

But the ratings have eroded *SO* much. There is no recovering from it.

[KLN]

The ratings go down year by year. Two years from now, in 2009, the ratings will be even lower than they are now. And Days is just so, so done. I've accepted it. And frankly, I'm not all that unhappy about it. I want the show to go out while it still means something, before it's completely wrecked. And once my show is gone, I can rid myself of the 'soap opera burden,' LoL

We know soaps are going down anyway, and although it doesn't make me happy, this is just a fact of life. Why prolong the inevitable.

[PhoenixRising05]

I hate to bring this up because I know the idea is going to fail and I don't want to sound like Rion or anything but you said the same thing about Passions. That show got picked up with a 1.5 rating and NBC actually had meetings with alot of suiters (CW, Fox, etc) for it. Frons indictated a desire for it and if it can at least get up to respectibility and be competitive then I think it will be fine. I think it could very well end up on Soapnet.

I think it's important that we stay hopeful. Otherwise, if all we deal in is negativity, it's hard to watch it. Plus, the show can and will be good again. There is always going to be hope until a show is cancelled and that last episode airs.

I just think optimism is the way to go because if all people are going to do is countdown to the end for Days and all soaps then this is going to be a gloomy message board. I think we all know what we are dealing with so I think beating it around like a dead horse is doing nothing but depressing everyone. Let's just hope for the best, enjoy our soaps, and discuss them in a manner where we don't tear them apart so much that all enjoyment is taken out.

JMO

[King]

PSNS got a reprieve, but it's still donezo. Their ratings are also lower than ever, and they will be even lower on DTV (restricted audience.).

Both NBC soaps will be off the air, in all formats, shortly. It's really sad. And it's kind of devastating considering how much I used to love both shows and NBC daytime in general, but the shows have NO ONE to blame but themselves. So, that lessens the sadness for me. I don't feel sorry when I see birds constantly flying into a window. So, I am not going to feel bad for these idiots when there show is canceled, and they are out of work! They refuses to give the fans what they want, so their ratings will fall, and they will get canceled. A + B = C!

[KLN]

I'm actually happy about the low ratings for Days. They deserve 'em, at the moment.

The show is done in 2009 either way, regardless. So, a low rating when the show is bad will serve as a well-needed wakeup call and with any luck, it'll get TBTB to get their asses in gear, turn the show around and give me a good soap to watch for its final two years.

[King]

I agree. I haven't watch the show in weeks, and before that, months. If you asked me that from the time I was 8 until the time I was 22...that I would have stopped watching DAYS daily, I would have laughed in your face.

Honestly, I don't think DAYS is much worse than anything else on the air. All soaps should be hovering down in the low 2.0's in my opinion.

Except Y&R of course, but not even that show deserves what it's getting!

DAYTIME = SCREWED.

[King]

With all of the casting news I am hearing, I have no doubt the show will be excellent this summer, and I am going to enjoy it, I am sure! But the ratings will never be the same!

[David V]

Ratings go down every year but it was an accepted reality for many years- only difference now is that we've seen far more people desert soaps in the 21st Century than they ever did during OJ.

Soaps only reap what they sow. When all you go for is a short-term gain, it can only have devastating effects in the long term. That's how network execs, producers and writers work these days and that's why we've come to this.

[Ilovemydays]

Zucker made it clear; the ratings are NOT what prompted his decision to end DAYS. NBC simply has no interest in soaps. They want reality based programming, news and sports. Even if DAYS pulled ratings in the 3's or 4's NBC would want out. And at this point that is just fine with me IMO that would be the best thing to happen to DAYS in a decade. As NBC does not own any part of DAYS it is quite possible that another network will consider picking up DAYS. Ever since NBC cut AW from its lineup they have been undermining and hurting DAYS by deconstructing the daytime lineup. In my area the lead in for DAYS is LOCAL PROGRAMING. At least it's new programming this year. Last year it was clips of new pieces filmed over a decade ago. I KID YOU NOT!

If DAYS was on any other broadcast network I have no doubt in my mind that DAYS would be in second or third place. NBC has been costing DAYS ratings points and that has been affecting DAYS budget which in turn has been effecting how Corday is able to run the show.

After 2009 I will never watch another NBC daytime program. NBC daytime will be dead to me.

[bellcurve]

Doesn't help that DAYS's second airing is at Midnight, when a lot of people are still awake and/or are probably used to seeing DAYS in that later timeslot.

I understand what Frons was trying to do(by featuring hip, young DAYS as the primetime lead-in instead of its SONY sister, Y&R), but that honestly hurt the show.

The affiliates, especially the O&O's are looking for any excuse to get rid of DAYS. The San Francisco affiliate got rid of AW, right?! You'll have to wait until the summer leading up to fall to see if any local affiliates plan to drop DAYS after the summer. I'm willing to bet my ass that they have an insurance plan(RE: more syndicated programming and news) for fall if DAYS continues on their downward spiral.

And even if DAYS survives the 2007-2008 season, there is no guarantee the affiliates will do it for what could be DAYS's final months on the air. The Olympics will be coming up in August of '08 and after that, who knows if the affiliates will want to carry a dead show through March, 2009?!

DAYS could rise in the ratings again...but affiliate support is ever so crucial right now.

I doubt that, but I do think NBC sabotaged its own daytime lineup.

In my area, infomercials are the lead-in for DAYS. I do think that is another huge problem with DAYS and that is the lack of proper support from its affiliates.

NBC is NOT 100% to blame for the state of DAYS right now. I repeat, NOT 100% to blame.

I think half of that responsibility belongs to Ken Corday, who insists on forcefeeding the fans what they THINK they need to see instead of what they want to see.

And again, I say that not snatching up Eileen was one of their biggest mistakes.

*sigh* How I wish it were 1995-1997 again! DAYS totally ruled the world back then.

[David V]

If planned storylines using the vets don't go according to plan, the axe might fall on Days sooner than the predicted 2009 date

Many will think that the woes at NBC Daytime are just part of a greater malaise at NBC- perhaps. They can only rely on the gem that is the Law & Order franchise for so long, surely.

I agree that Corday has a lot to answer for, but the network's abysmal support for soaps has been so evident ever since the axe fell on Santa Barbara.

[ATWTCarOn4Ever]

LOL...I post about how negativity isn't going to help the situation and immediately its followed by a barrage of "doom and gloom" posts.