February 14-18, 2011

[Saving ATWT]

For ABC and Day, the numbers are bad are somewhat within range. For CBS, this is a total wipe out. The weather was better but not all that great. With unemployment rates near 10% and cable sales dropping, there really are more viewers at home but they have no interest in the genre.

Cancellation is pretty complicated. PGP wanted out so GL and ATWT aren't really part of the convo. Demos matter but I'm convinced through the comments of Les Moonves that HH are also considered. The biggest factor is cost. LMAD could drop a little bit more and still be a money maker. NBC is set though extending Today+Days.

As for this OLTL/AMC death watch, AMC could be brought within budget with a new EP. The two shows are pretty much tied and LA is a lower cost location. I have little doubt that OLTL is the stronger show but that AMC will be the surviver.

Low cost talk/game shows plus repeats will be the future of daytime. It is only a matter of time before broadcast fully takes on the cable model of re-airing programming over and over again.

[DRW50]

AMC won't get a new EP. If they were going to they would have by now.

[Soapsuds]

Reminds me of Chris Goutman at ATWT.

No matter which way you look at it....these numbers dont help out AMC or OLTL.

The demos are bad.

[Saving ATWT]

Whatever happens, I still think there will be some effort made to 'merge' the two shows. A few fan favs will be moved. For ABC, this will be very easy because they own both shows. Whenever a soap dies, the top talent, most recently with ATWT, get picked up by other shows. ABC won't want to loose the actors and already well-grounded characters are easier to shape than newbies. If PGP had been willing to sell actual characters (as opposed to be greedy and wating to sell te entire show), AW characters would have been scattered across ABC daytime.

I still wonder how a soap would do in primetime? Y&R often ties or comes close to the numbers of the CW teenie soaps. This sort of proves how low a show can go ratings wise and still make money.

[Saving ATWT]

PGP loved Goutman because of how he cut costs and (behind the scenes) worked as head writer without the extra pay. Goutman is a show killer but seems easy to exploit. I still think he had a small DL role over at GL, too. I still think MAB will use him for any and all grunt work at Y&R. Plus, she can keep destroying the show and just blame him for it

[EricMontreal22]

I'm still kinda shocked they didn't do it with the move. I guess it leads some credence to the fact that Frons sees himself as these shows' EP--have ANY changed since he's been in charge? And there is probably the (obvious) big problem

[tylerbo20]

just because AMC has susan lucci doesnt mean much look at days they dumped their star and the show got renewed for 2 years.

[marceline]

Dallas and Knots Landing was 30 years ago. They had no concept of branding back then. You can't use the era of New Coke and Crystal Pepsi as an indicator of how Disney (there's a brand for you) or any other company, does business now.

[Steve]

ICAM! It's clear from the cross-promotion that someone at ABC is still invested in AMC. The Castle episode is especially telling since it stars a former OLTL actor, is called "One Life to Lose" and still features actors from AMC instead.

As far as this week's ratings, ABC must be very disappointed in OLTL, which just had the culmination of a major storyline involving Jessica/Natalie and their men and it fell in all the ratings demos, was barely ahead of AMC in the 18-49 and was beat by AMC in overall viewers. If one show is really going to be cancelled it seems obvious that it will be OLTL.

[DRW50]

It features Mathison and Budig. Frons seems to place them at the highest priority. If he can find a role for them outside of AMC then I'm not sure whether AMC would have a future.

[Eric83]

You must not realize that OLTL and Castle are filmed on two different coasts? I am sure NF would have loved to have 1 or 2 OLTL actors on the show, but it probably wasn't possible. Budig and Mathison are Frons pets anyway it is more about them than the show.

[MontyB]

It's not clear to me. Castle and AMC are filmed in Los Angles,so why not take advantage?

As far as the ratings are concerned ..........it's just one week. OLTL has been beating AMC in the "key" demos for more than a year. Who cares about the "men" demos? It's isn't obvious at all that ABC will cancel OLTL first. Actually nothing is obvious at this point.

[Southofnowhere]

No matter what Budig ,Mathison and Minshew will have jobs. Budig on GH ,Minshew on One Life and Mathison on either one or maybe a talkshow.

[Kylie]

So it makes sense not to spend a few dollars you're going to save when you cancel AMC...to send a few OLTL actors to LA? To be on an episode of Castle called "One Life to Lose"? You know that it's going to be your other 'anchor' of your daytime line up but you still send actors from the 'dead' soap? I'm sorry, I don't understand it.

[MontyB]

JMO, but ya'll are over thinking the whole thing, LOL.