Ratings from the 80's

[kalbir]

@JoeCool The CBS lineup starting February 4, 1980 was 12:30 pm ET Search for Tomorrow, 1 pm ET Y&R, 2 pm ET As the World Turns, 3 pm ET Guiding Light. 

Search for Tomorrow was now head-to-head w/ Ryan's Hope.

Y&R was now head-to-head w/ All My Children and Days.

As the World Turns was now head-to-head w/ One Life to Live and The Doctors/first 30 minutes of Another World.

Guiding Light was now head-to-head w/ General Hospital and final 60 minutes of Another World.

[Soapsuds]

AW dropped from #1 to #9 yikes!!

[JoeCool]

 

Thanks!

Gotcha. Now I see the schedule. Why did the move Search? They should have moved Y and R to 12:30PM ET and then Search to 1:30PM.

Edited June 12, 2023 by JoeCool

[kalbir]

As we'll see through 1980, the new lineup didn't work. On June 8, 1981, CBS rearranged the soaps again and the new lineup was 12:30 pm ET Y&R, 1:30 pm ET As the World Turns, 2:30 pm ET Search for Tomorrow, 3 pm ET Guiding Light.

[JoeCool]

Ok. Cannot wait to see the ratings and your commentary. Thanks.

Yes. Shocking. General Hospital strength plus a renewed and strong Guiding Light caused AW's demise.

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 1/28/80-2/1/80 & 2/4/80-2/8/80:

 

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[Planet Soap]

What do you all think it was about Y&R that eventually made it perform so well for new soap in the late 70s into the 80s?

Edited June 12, 2023 by Planet Soap

[kalbir]

Wow, Y&R first week at 1 hr plus being head-to-head w/ All My Children had a drop of 1 full point.

Did All My Children have a big dramatic story in February 1980 to send Susan Lucci off on pregnancy leave? Her son was born in March 1980 I believe.

[Soapsuds]

I was wondering why the big drop for Y&R.

[BetterForgotten]

I think Y&R was a perfect storm of many things. Being a “younger” soap with more “contemporary” tones may have helped attract some of the audience ABC was getting, but the show itself was also very traditional and Bell’s writing wasn’t that divergent from his mentor Irna Phillips, so regular CBS/P&G fans weren’t alienated either.

Affliate scheduling also helped - eventual 12:30 and 4pm timeslots in various markets was a great benefit.

[Planet Soap]

Thanks. Y&R is one of the few examples of a successful 12:30 soap. It's dark shadowy tone IMO fits for a late afternoon 4pm soap as well.

Edited June 12, 2023 by Planet Soap

[Paul Raven]

Y&R had the advantage of Bill Bell's writing which was very stylised , a good timeslot and unlike it's competition had the advantage of being new. There were no characters that had been around for years, married and divorced multiple times, on trial for murder etc.

They were mostly fresh young people and we viewers were there with them  as they experienced all this for the first time.

When Y&R expanded AMC had a lavish masquerade ball where Palmer discovered Daisy was in Pine valley, Nina and Cliff announced their engagement etc

[BetterForgotten]

I remember reading that Y&R (like EON) also had an unusually large viewership of men vs. other soaps as well. Whether that’s attributed to the timeslot or an alpha male character like Victor being front and center, is up for debate. But I think that was an interesting insight and not a demographic the show probably intentionally went out of its way to court.

[AbcNbc247]

Those ratings for Days…

I take it people weren’t big fans of Donna’s fake porno storyline 

[JoeCool]

Yes. Cliff and Nina’s romance was very big. Palmer’s costume party for Nina’s birthday will happen in the middle of February 1980.