ABC can replace GH with a remake of Jokers Wild with CamMat hosting and a revised version of Match Game with soap actors and Rebecca Buddig as host

Cheap and quick to develop and keeps Frons faves employed

I don't know if the ice queen and crazy eyes would be suited to those types of roles. The Match Game they wouldn't do because they have no use for their soap actors. It would either be all regular people or a few washed up standup comedians.

My guess is if Frons go, so do they. If he stays, then Budig will end up in some type of healthy living panel/consultant role on Revolution, and Mathison would be an occasional fill in reporter on GMA or something.

Edited May 19, 201114 yr by CarlD2

Honestly every showrunner out there who cares should be concerned about all these numbers. Y&R has I thought had a pretty climatic sweeps haven't they

and well promoted and I don't see a big return on that. Days got a one week jump because they promoted the he*l out of that Rafe confrontation during

primetime with who else, Allison Sweeney featured. Like it or not people know her and I saw that promo during NBC primetime a lot.

Katie's show will also flop, and will probably cost more money than the soaps. I don't get why they are even considering taking her on.

None of the decisions from ABC in recent years have made financial sense. Frons should have been out long ago. My guess is that if Guza went it was nothing to do with Frons and is probably a sign that Frons' days are numbered no matter what.

Talk shows are a hard sell regardless but every network is after those lapsed Oprah viewers, everyone. I don't like Katie Couric but I can see her appeal

in a daytime role. I thought she was actually well suited to the today show and daytime is where she belongs. Unlike Diane Sawyer she just doesn't come

across as a credible journalist. Is ABC going to overpay for her of course. Is she going to flop, probably but I don't think its because she's not popular, its because talk shows are hard to sell and I really don't think ABC has demonstrated they can do it based on their recent lack of successes across the board

Y&R has done so many stunts that mean nothing, viewers have seen through them. A lot of screaming and yelling over Fluckers, a character no one gives a crap about. More boring farm adventures with Sharon the blow-up doll. Idiotic stories with Cane. Billy Miller tanking every scene as Kevin and Chloe show what worthless characters they are, over and over and over. There's no reason to tune in - nothing on the show ever changes, unless it gets worse.

Once OLTL is gone I wonder if they might end up hiring RC for Y&R. He has turned OLTL into the same - trashing of longtime characters, sick camp revolving around rape and slovenly "heroes" played by actors who don't give a damn - but his destruction has generated a ratings increase this past year.

Talk shows are a hard sell regardless but every network is after those lapsed Oprah viewers, everyone. I don't like Katie Couric but I can see her appeal

in a daytime role. I thought she was actually well suited to the today show and daytime is where she belongs. Unlike Diane Sawyer she just doesn't come

across as a credible journalist. Is ABC going to overpay for her of course. Is she going to flop, probably but I don't think its because she's not popular, its because talk shows are hard to sell and I really don't think ABC has demonstrated they can do it based on their recent lack of successes across the board

I think the Today Show would be a very different format than a talk show. Jane Pauley was much better on Today than Katie was and Jane failed in daytime.

Generally I think talk shows are done. Oprah was an anomaly. The exceptions are the last dregs of baby daddy R us, and Ellen, who has never been a huge hit.

Except they have nothing to replace it with right now. Even if Katie Couric lands at ABC (which is apparently iffy now), her show wouldn't be ready until next fall (Sept. 2012).

Brian Frons definitely has egg on his face, now, though. OLTL costs less money, and is poised to be able to charge the same or more than GH does for advertising based on these May Sweeps ratings so far. And the affiliates, already losing Oprah at many ABC affiliates, are likely to be pissed to see 2/3 soaps gone and the last one fading fast.

If The Chew is an instant bomb...look for Frons to be out by October.

Once AMC and OLTL are gone....GH will continue to drop in the ratings. They are almost in the bottom of the cellar as it is.

Poor AMC...the ratings still going down. It reminds me of GL.

Looks like we're in the bargaining phase now. Baby steps.

Because Disney wants out of the soap business! They've wanted out of the soap business all the way back to the Aisha Tyler pilot. That has been the plan for years. None of these shows were going to be saved. It was never a matter of if but when. They don't want to make this product anymore. They are closing down the soap "factory." What part of this is still unclear?

+1

Disney also wants out of the entire ABC-TV Network business but that's a whole 'nuther kettle of fish.

I know it all means nothing now but I'm curious how Nielsen did the math for these three days:

OLTL

Monday: 1.8/2,442,000

Tuesday: 1.8/2,429,000

Wednesday: 2.0/2,631,000

Thursday: 1.9/2,631,000

Friday: 1.9/2,779,000

It drew the exact same total number of viewers on Wed/Thurs yet received different numbers. Then it drew even more viewers on Fri but received a smaller number.

ABC can replace GH with a remake of Jokers Wild with CamMat hosting and a revised version of Match Game with soap actors and Rebecca Buddig as host

Cheap and quick to develop and keeps Frons faves employed

Jane, I realize the point you are trying to make but the idea of MatchGame with soap stars actually sounds awesome. I mean, if I'm not gonna have my OLTL, I'd take that over Tim Gunn and an American Idol reject telling me how to revolutionize my life.

Way to go OLTL!! I also love that it makes Frons look like an idiot for canceling OLTL instead of "good creative shape" GH. Bravo OLTL!!

+1

Disney also wants out of the entire ABC-TV Network business but that's a whole 'nuther kettle of fish.

I know it all means nothing now but I'm curious how Nielsen did the math for these three days:

OLTL

Monday: 1.8/2,442,000

Tuesday: 1.8/2,429,000

Wednesday: 2.0/2,631,000

Thursday: 1.9/2,631,000

Friday: 1.9/2,779,000

It drew the exact same total number of viewers on Wed/Thurs yet received different numbers. Then it drew even more viewers on Fri but received a smaller number.

Households are not the same as viewers, because of the fluctuation of viewers per household.

Because Disney wants out of the soap business! They've wanted out of the soap business all the way back to the Aisha Tyler pilot. That has been the plan for years. None of these shows were going to be saved. It was never a matter of if but when. They don't want to make this product anymore. They are closing down the soap "factory." What part of this is still unclear?

Exactly...and NBC isn't going to pick it up either. It's still a show with a $750K-$1 mil a week price tag garnering less than 700,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo. That's a lot of money for so little return. OLTL's status as the top rated ABC soap is great for the show and its fans, but it's nothing more than "bragging rights," to use a sports cliche.

Exactly...and NBC isn't going to pick it up either.

Where did the NBC rumor come from? Was it reported by any legitimate source? Or did it come from the same place that brought us Oprah as soap savior?

Where did the NBC rumor come from? Was it reported by any legitimate source? Or did it come from the same place that brought us Oprah as soap savior?

It came from Nellie Andreeva at Deadline, but she implied that the economics weren't going to work out for a potential pick-up.

It came from Nellie Andreeva at Deadline, but she implied that the economics weren't going to work out for a potential pick-up.

Do you have a link? I've got Deadline up in another window but I'm not finding the mention. They're not real good with the tagging.

Do you have a link? I've got Deadline up in another window but I'm not finding the mention. They're not real good with the tagging.

Here's the link: http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/days-of-our-lives-and-the-young-the-restless-to-recruit-alums-from-canceled-abc-soaps-amc-and-oltl/#more-125981