November 8-12, 2010

[Saving ATWT]

NBC Daytime is making the most cash and scores the best demos with the extra two hours of Today and ultra low-cost 150,000 an episode Days. ABC needs to spend a lot more just to basically tie for 1st place--who ever thought NBC Daytime would come out as the big winner after the close of SB and Passions? Killing soaps pays off big time.

It looks as if The Talk is scoring below ATWT even at it's lowest point. Obviously, it is clear profit with low producion costs but I did think The Talk would do better. OLTL did everything right last week and still can't budge up into a 1.9 or 2.0. All of the soaps are basically stalled and Days seems to be the only show capable of real movement. GH loosing .2 during Brenda sweeps is lame and I've got this feeling that the show will never regain the lost ground.

CBS/PGP was probably smart to pull the plug on ATWT this year considering 4 out of 6 soaps can't even break a 2.0--pathetic.

[TeamEric]

The View's profitability has been noted several times in AD WEEK especially during Rosie's stint when its demos performed the best. But I have yet to read any article there or elsewhere citing The Talk as enormously profitable for CBS. In fact, I've read how it's a big risk to launch any new talk show.

Why move them when ABC likely wrote them as terminate at will contracts.

Disney isn't invested in soaps as they proved by dumping Soapnet so they would dump AMC and/or OLTL in a heartbeat IF they had a NETWORK replacement that was guaranteed more successful. ABC has a very long policy of being the most reluctant to cede back any time block to local affiliates.

[Saving ATWT]

It was Oliver--easy enough mistake for anyone to make considering they look alike. Owen, Oliver and nuTom are all the same 'type' of guy and Ridge clones.

[AS THE WORLD TURNS]

Owen and new Thomas look more like each other.

[marceline]

As long as AMC keeps pimping Gryass, I will be happy to see it drop.

When I'm off work I watch TNT's primetime in the daytime. Angel, Charmed, Las Vegas, L&O, etc...I'm just sorry they no longer show ER reruns. Those were better than any soap.

[DRW50]

Whether it's just fluctuations or not, I guess ABC will be happy if Marcil's return is finally bringing in more viewers. Since it is basically just recouping viewers they already had before they brought back VMG and Jonathan Jackson, it's hard to see this as something great, but certainly ABC will be pleased, especially if they think the Balkan story and BrendaSonnyBrendaDanteJasonBrendaSonnyBrenda brings in numbers. The show having so much more 18-49 than the other ABC soaps will probably make them continue what they are doing, even if the show seems made up as it goes along.

I'm glad OLTL is still going up in the ratings but I wonder what their numbers might be, even if the stories and pacing are improving, if they had better characters. The Fords are wretched and other overhyped pets fall flat. The show had several hundred thousand more viewers last year at this time, before they purged those who supposedly cost them ratings.

I still wish AMC were doing better, and I don't even watch the show that much these days. It's not about oh one is doing better than the other, because they're really not - it's just sad to see such a proud show sinking.

Y&R is so rotgut every week I can't even begin to think what moves their ratings up or down.

[Bella20]

This is more important than what the show has done in less than three months, and it's the same case for all of the shows. It's nice that DOOL showed an increase from last week, but it is hard to ignore that it is down over 500,000 viewers, or ignore the shows that are down .2 rating points from last year.

[jpoliver78]

I meant that if ABC were to expand GMA to three hours, the affiliates would probably be given an hour currently occupied by a soap. No hour is actually ceded, just shuffled around (ex: we'll give you 2:00 p.m. in exchange for 9:00 a.m., etc).

I believe that CBS is actually the most reluctant to give back daytime hours, hence the addition of "The Talk" and "Let's Make a Deal" when ATWT and GL were canceled. CBS could have easily given those hours back to the affiliates, but opted not to. ABC, on the other hand, was quick to hand over the 12:30 p.m. half hour when "Port Charles" was canceled. ABC could have easily placed a game show (i.e. the now-syndicated "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire") in that time period, but chose not to.

[LeClerc]

AMC is very likely to go up in the ratings reflecting this week's episodes just due to how bad these numbers are, and Frons will attribute that to Rylee since this week was the real reunion.

[Fevuh]

In regard to press releases and CBS - CBS did do regular press releases several years ago, just like ABC - but quit when they didn't have as much to gloat about. Their press releases normally included The Price is Right - broken into 1/2 hour segments so that they could claim Price is Right 1 tied for 3rd, and Price is Right 2nd half hour tied for 4th, etc. etc. They stopped all that when their demos really started skirting older and there wasn't as much to gloat about. They also used to claim total HH victories, etc...but the demos are what matters and they don't pull demos that are as good. They skew older.

BUT, they issued press releases last year during (guess what) the first couple weeks after Guiding Light's cancellation...and they crowed about "Let's Make a Deal's" Ratings for a couple weeks. I haven't seen LMAD's ratings in ages. And just like this year with "The Talk" vs. ATWT....in their press releases they just couldn't wait to talk about how LMAD was fairing slightly better than GL in certain demos "Year over Year"....as if Soaps have a season....but those press releases stopped a few weeks later, probably because LMAD doesn't have much to crow about. And, people aren't stupid. Your competition isn't what you replaced...your competition is on the other networks.

So it doesn't surprise me at all that we saw 1 or 2 initial press releases about The Talk, and now nothing. Although, with Mr. Julie Chenbot as head of the network, maybe if anything remotely good happens for The Talk, aka The Crap, they'll probably release another press release at that time.

As a former GL and ATWT fan, I haven't turned on The Crap, and won't. They can go ahead and gloat about all the money they're making with LMAD and The Crap, but the bottom line is...if you aren't watching it live, you're not going to DVR either of those shows. They have no real soul and the identity of CBS Daytime has changed forever.

Nothing will ever take the place of the "stories" as my older family members would call them. I'm 39, male, and watched since 1982. In 10 years is anyone going to talk about, "Man...remember that time on The Talk when Julie Chen said yadda yadda yadda?" Or, "Remember when Wayne Brady gave away that $100 bill to that ugly woman dressed as a bumble bee!??" "MAN those were the DAYS!"

Although my heart will always be with GL and ATWT, I'm now pulling for One Life to Live in that time slot...I hope viewership continues to hang in there and they PASTE The Talk. Long live the NY-based soaps....

[Ann_SS]

So do I. It is a very good line up. It would be perfect if they had kept the ER and NYPD Blue repeats.

[TeamEric]

GH's been so erratic since VM came onboard, it's really hard to form any long-term trend for that show.

Actually last week's year over year is very misleading for all ABC soaps as last year Veterans Days produced articially high spikes. You're better off looking a prior week when OLTl was only down 82,000 viewers year over year. OLTL's October was only down 2,500 viewers compared to October 2009 which was good news.

I hate to lose AMC, too, but man those demos are approaching ATWT territory and they don't appear able to spike out of the gutter.

[TeamEric]

ABC has the most complicated relationship with affiliates and advertisers built around that 3 hour block. I daresay OLTL owes its part of it continuted existence to ABC's reluctance to break up that block.

Actually ABC had already given the affiliates the 12:30 slot before PC was cancelled. The Boston affiliate for example had already switched it to overnight time slot. That's why PC was doomed it's last year like GL it lost its guaranteed network slot. ABC ceded that timeslot rather easier after the failures. It's not like their 3 hour block well established for decades with same show.

[bellcurve]

Can you list a source for this information please? Because "I" would like to know how it's a big risk to launch a network daytime talk show. CBS had nothing to lose by launching a daytime talk show. It's cheaper than a soap opera, tapes in Los Angeles, they co-own the product, there's a ton of opportunity for product placement and promotion for other CBS shows. Even if the demos suck or the households aren't that good, The Talk will never be in the red or be in danger of having their budget slashed. The Talk will need at least a good five years and maybe even a timeslot change to be allowed to truly compete with other talk shows and daytime shows. 2PM is not a good time for this kind of talk show. CBS should swap The Talk and Y&R.

I can see how it's a risk for a production company to launch a new syndicated talk show(affiliate clearance and the like), but how is it risky for a network to launch a talk show?

I don't mind people ragging on The Talk's sh*tty ratings or the content of the show, but I think it's important to support your counterargument with something other than "I read..." if your counterargument is intent on bursting someone's bubble.

ABC didn't "give" the half-hour back to the affiliates. How can you "give" a half-hour of time back to an affiliate if you're still airing content in that timeslot? Affiliates chose for themselves how they would structure that noon hour and ABC allowed them to do it, but ABC didn't outright "give" them the time back. ABC was still transmitting material for that half-hour.

[DRW50]

I think when they involve Julie Chen, since she's married to Moonves, that brings more risk, because of PR issues if the show doesn't do well.