May 10-14, 2010

[Gray Bunny]

I knew that once one of the Big Eight (Yes, I include B&B, even though it's "only" 23 years old) was axed, they'd all start falling off like dominoes. Other short-lived soaps (Passions, Port Charles, Sunset Beach) can come 'n go, but once the long-time shows start getting pulled off the airwaves, it's a sure thing the other ones will soon follow.

[Gray Bunny]

It's all a sign of the times. Network television can't expect the numbers it received 15-20 years ago because so much of their viewers have gone to cable or the internet. So while once upon a time Santa Barbara's low 3's prompted cancellation, now low 3's would be a vast improvement. Same with primetime network television. I believe Desperate Housewives just had 12 million viewers for their latest episode, and they're still a top-viewed TV show. Compare that to the mid-80's when The Cosby Show had 30 million viewers on a weekly basis. It's a sign of the times.

[marceline]

If you insist.

There is no explanation because the question isn't a valid one, at least not as far as I can see. It's not a matter of fairness. ABC, CBS and NBC are different businesses with different objectives. GL and ATWT got canceled because P&G didn't think it was worth dealing with them anymore. There wasn't enough value in it. End of story. ABC and NBC still see some value in their soaps so they're still here but the moment a more valuable property makes itself available those shows are dead. If all the soaps were owned by one entity then maybe we could discuss fairness but right now it like expecting Burger King to stop carrying the chicken sandwich just because McDonalds is no longer selling the McRib.

JMHO.

[EricMontreal22]

Creative Horizons owned Loving/The City till the end.

[Sylph]

Of coooourse! That's the answer I was hoping you'd give.

[DRW50]

They probably think the ratings increase are down to more focus on the teens. I do notice the ratings go up when this truly horrible and dull Kelly story is briefly MIA.

I know a lot of people hate Starr but it seems like when she's on the frontburner the young demos go up.

[Saving ATWT]

Sad fact is that ATWT is basically tied with AMC, B&B, and OLTL in ratings and DEMOS with only .2 seperating the bottom four shows. Everyone always harps about the bad ATWT demos but they are only slightly below average and not nearly poor enough to turn off ad buyers. Generally, the soap era as we knew it is over and CBS is moving on looking for lower cost programming. Repeats of Cold Case and CSI are now rating higher than most soaps so why would a network want to waste money? ABC is sort of stuck because of SoapNet but the cable outlet does allow them to repurpose the line up and it gives them original content which is still rare on cable. I do not believe that any network is holding onto a soap because of history or fan backlash. There are no special soaps! The soap media makes, via heavy press and promo, special soaps and it is reflected in the ratings. A good example of this can be found in the fact that no soap mag has even given ATWT a cover in years but stirs up Victor buzz that helps Y&R.

I'm sure ABC is already looking at new options to replace both SoapNet and the daytime lineup. With over 100 cable channels plus internet there really is no room for original programming in the daytiume., a network can make just as much money with either a gameshow or by using the cable business model of repeats. I can seriously see a network like NBC replaying primetime shows during the daytime.

[Khan]

Frankly, I'd welcome reruns of primetime shows in daytime. Soaps just need to die, pure and simple.

[Sylph]

It was a difficult road, but finally you've come to that conclusion.

[Khan]

Listen, when Gary Tomlin won't touch ALL MY [!@#$%^&*] CHILDREN, a show every hack in the business would have given their youngest child to work for back in the day, because he thinks it's unsalvageable? It's time to admit defeat.

[Sylph]

That's just sad. And true.