September 15-19, 2008

[Supersage]

If, as Mark posted, PGP/Telenext had spun off GL another soap with new characters with existing characters going and coming with a 1 or 2 day a week showing, I think that would have been fine. If that worked out, like GH: Night Shift, it could have been expanded throughout the week after a year or two. Unfortunately, they didn't do that. In my opinion, the powers that be have had enough time to work out the kinks in the current process, and they have had more than enough time to write good stories, which they haven't in over four years now.

I would rather have seen them cancel the show outright than whittle it down to nothing. It doesn't even bare a resemblance to the Guiding Light we saw just a few short years ago. The characters change daily and there is very little emotion in the scenes. To me, its like the show died and we continue to beat its dead corpse just for the sake of Proctor & Gamble's advertisements.

As for Goutman's statements regarding viewers don't want to watch soaps five days a week, I find that condescending and out of touch with soap viewers. With DVRs and VCRs, viewers would watch five days or more IF there was anything there to watch all five days. It is apparent that producers of some soaps don't want to invest their time for "five day a week" watching. ATWT and GL included. When people are entertained, they'll go out of their way to watch it. It simply isn't happening on most soaps now.

[marceline]

I wonder which of these sponsors was the one to try and walk away from ABC.

[Supersage]

From a completely financial stand point, I would think Ford would be the one trying to walk away. From a soap industry standpoint, I have to think its P&G. Why advertise on soaps that are your direct competition... unless you don't believe in your own soaps.

[Soapsuds]

It has been good but the Victor pouting/hiding in his home has gotten stale and boring.

[Jess]

It was so good for a few weeks that the sudden slow down seems so much worse. The Victor story could be interesting if it moved. :lol:

[Sylph]

Or if it didn't feature Victor.

[marceline]

I don't know about that. Why would Disney advertise on any channel besides ones they own? Or GE? A global corporation with a million divisions can't afford to think like that. I can easily see Ford slashing its ad buy. But the rumor is the advertiser was a major sponsor of the soap that to me says Johnson & Johnson. Losing or potentially losing that kind of client would certainly start the cancellation talk.

[miajere]

I find it interesting that reruns of Law and Order during the day do better in the ratings than many soaps. I can see the comparisons to SVU, but can't say it's meeting that shows standards. At least when I watch reruns of Law and Order I can never remember the ins and outs of the episode, and still feel enough intrigue to continue watching.

I'm starting to think RC pulls character fates out of the horoscope section in his newspaper every morning. Something's just not adding up.

[Jess]

ReRon??? :lol: That is good.