Ratings from the 80's

[will81]

These must be a few months behind as I have several newspaper articles citing Y&R as the #1 soap in January 1980. So the April issue must have been January's ratings.

[VanessaReardon]

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[VanessaReardon]

So in the Dec 1980 Daytime TV ratings, Texas bumped Another World from the Top 10. I don’t know which week these ratings are from. 

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[robbwolff]

 

Wow! That drop for Days is astounding. From 7.0 to 4.8.

[watson71]

 

From July 1980 to November 1980, Another World went from a 7.8 to a 5.6 rating.  In the December 1980 ratings, Texas bumped AW out of the top 10.  Days and AW had a total ratings collapse.  Also, I never knew that TEXAS ever beat AW in the ratings.

[teplin]

ABC was coming on strong and AW & DAYS were both, quite frankly, in terrible creative shape -- I'm not surprised they experienced such a ratings drop. But I am surprised about Texas beating AW, especially given that Texas was up against GH and GL.

[VanessaReardon]

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[Paul Raven]

Thanks for continuing to post these.

Surprised to see ATWT as the top rated CBS soap and #4 in the ratings, while Y&R was lower. GL was in better shape but had to fight GH so in that sense was holding up well.

NBC was a disaster.

[kalbir]

Looking at these ratings, the 1 hour expansion and time slot change in February 1980 might have caused Y&R to drop a bit. All My Children must have been killing it back then. I'm guessing Y&R ratings picked up again with the June 1981 time slot change.

[vetsoapfan]

 

 It was the year writer Nina Laemmle came aboard the show, full of bravado and contempt for the show's past storylines and writing, and ended up massacring Salem. Believe me, it was painful to sit through her material. No wonder so many viewers fled.

Edited August 24, 2019 by vetsoapfan

[Gray Bunny]

 

Wow, Y&R hit No. 1 as early as 1980? 

[Mitch]

Wasnt this the Jan/Feb where Tom and Margo were stuck in Mr. Big's castle??? I can see why those ratings made them think they could do another one in the summer and other GH kind of stuff but it didnt work long term.

 

[soapfan770]

 

The 1980-81 line-up was disastrous CBS Daytime. Contrary to popular belief, the June 1981-March 82 line-up actually fared very well for CBS Daytime. 

 

I had good laugh seeing EON beating Days even in the wake on an increasing amount of ABC affiliates dropping the program. The 1980 massacre at Days really did a number. 

 

This is interesting, I can understand the 1994 drop in ratings as the show greatly sputtered out with BTS changes and the even further drop in ratings 1996 under McTavish but what caused the 89-90 drop? 

[watson71]

 

During this time was the Soni/Solita multiple personality storyline with Will Jeffries.  They were looking to cash in on the Lewis fortune, and Jeffries kidnapped Marah, and later married Mindy Lewis before falling off a cliff to his death.  The story was convoluted, and both Soni/Solita and Will Jeffries were suddenly gone from the show after eating up a large amount of screen time.  Rick Bauer became engaged to Fletcher's sister, Dr. Meredith Reade. Meredith had a fling with Phillip and became pregnant with his baby.  Rick was suspicious that the baby was not his, and Meredith had a miscarriage and left town.  This caused a rift in Rick and Phillip's relationship.  Also, Reva and Billy's son Dylan arrived in Springfield, got Harley pregnant.  Reva was also pregnant and after her delivery suffered from post-partum depression and drove her car off a bridge in the Florida Keys when Kim Zimmer left the show..

 

The combination of characters eating up storytime then leaving the show, the repetition of the pregnancy plot device, and Kim Zimmer leaving is what probably contributed to the ratings drop in 1989-90.

[soapfan770]

 

Ah thanks, I was trying to think of what all was going on around that same time after the first half of '89 had been absolutely stellar. I know the Dana Jones/Beth stuff, Neil's murder, and Looney Rae Rooney weren't all that well received either.