@JAS0N47 Thank you for posting the article.

CBS used reruns of Family Affair, All in the Family, Here's Lucy, M*A*S*H, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Alice as time fillers in the daytime schedule.

REISSUE (TO ADD "RYAN'S HOPE" PRIMETIME PREVIEW) FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 6/30/75-7/4/75 & 7/7/75-7/11/75:

 

Chart has been corrected in the thread.

 

FROM THE VAULT: DAYTIME TV SPECIALS: 1/1/75-12/31/75:

A complete ranking of all rated Daytime TV Specials aired in 1975:

Edited September 14, 20241 yr by JAS0N47

3 hours ago, JAS0N47 said:

FROM THE VAULT: DAYTIME TV SPECIALS: 12/30/74-12/28/75:

Earlier in the thread I thought Thanksgiving 1976 was the earliest CBS pre-emption for an NBA game. It's now moved up to Christmas 1975.

17 hours ago, kalbir said:

Earlier in the thread I thought Thanksgiving 1976 was the earliest CBS pre-emption for an NBA game. It's now moved up to Christmas 1975.

Totally missed that. I looked it up. The game started 3:30pm Eastern. 

FROM THE VAULT: DAYTIME TV SPECIALS: 1/1/76-12/31/76:

 

A complete ranking of all rated Daytime TV Specials aired in 1976:

 

Edited September 14, 20241 yr by JAS0N47

FROM THE VAULT: DAYTIME TV SPECIALS: 1/1/77-12/31/77:

 

A complete ranking of all rated Daytime TV Specials aired in 1977:

 

Edited September 14, 20241 yr by JAS0N47

FROM THE VAULT: DAYTIME TV SPECIALS: 1/1/78-12/31/78:

 

A complete ranking of all rated Daytime TV Specials aired in 1978:

 

Edited September 14, 20241 yr by JAS0N47

FROM THE VAULT: DAYTIME TV SPECIALS: 1/1/79-12/31/79:

 

A complete ranking of all rated Daytime TV Specials aired in 1979:

 

NIELSEN RATINGS SPOT CHECK:

 

While we are waiting for the arrival of 1974, I have some good news for ratings fans! We now have a small amount of ratings info for the first few weeks of each year from 1965-1974. This will provide a good spot check as to how all the daytime shows were doing at the beginning of each year. Only the ratings, shares and full preemption data is available for now. No stations, percentage covered or partial preemption info, but at least it's something to enjoy until the full 1974 data shows up! I will post each year from 1965-1974 backwards, starting with 1974:

 

NIELSEN RATINGS SPOT CHECK: JANUARY 1974:

Days is the top soap for the week of 1/7/74-1/11/74, woohoo!!  😃

@JAS0N47 Thank you! Early Xmas gift.

Interesting to see How to Survive A Marriage ahead of Y&R.

Y&R had been on air for almost a year but was still among the bottom soaps along with Secret Storm(about to be cancelled) and perennial also-rans Love of Life and Somerset.

Meanwhile HTSAM had a choice timeslot following AW and debuted with better numbers than its' predecessor Return to Peyton Place.

At the time it would seem that HTSAM would continue to build and Y&R might struggle but the opposite occurred.

Edited November 11, 20241 yr by Paul Raven

1 hour ago, Paul Raven said:

@JAS0N47 Thank you! Early Xmas gift.

Interesting to see How to Survive A Marriage ahead of Y&R.

Y&R had been on air for almost a year but was still among the bottom soaps along with Secret Storm(about to be cancelled) and perennial also-rans Love of Life and Somerset.

Meanwhile HTSAM had a choice timeslot following AW and debuted with better numbers than its' predecessor Return to Peyton Place.

At the time it would seem that HTSAM would continue to build and Y&R might struggle but the opposite occurred.

From what little data I've seen from 1974, I think they spend the next few months with similar ratings. It would seem Y&R starts building more in the summer of 1974. While HTSAM stagnates.

But will be interesting to see how it played out, once more of 1974 eventually comes in next year.

Looking at the yearly ratings, six soaps jockeyed for the #1 position during the spring and summer of 1974. By the fall of 1974, ATWT took control of the #1 spot.

NIELSEN RATINGS SPOT CHECK: JANUARY 1973:

As The World Turns @#1.

Jan 73 was a year into Irna Phillips return as headwriter. A lot of reports from that time say Irna brought the ratings down with some not well received stories so it will be interesting when we get the rest of 73 as she was fired later that year.

Game shows were really having their moment. 5 of the Top 10. They would have been even cheaper than soaps to produce but I guess the demos might not have been as desirable? and viewers not as loyal?