Ratings from the 80's

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST 1983 & NOVEMBER 1983:

 

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FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM FEBRUARY 1984 & MAY 1984:

 

[Ryan Mason]

Now we're hitting the part where I remember watching a lot of this stuff while I was stranded at my grandparents' house during the summers while my mom worked! I remember the reruns of Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Too Close For Comfort and Benson, and the game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Sale of the Century. (I even vaguely remember WATCHING Dream House, but couldn't tell you a thing about it!)

Matter of fact, game shows wound up being my gateway into soaps. I also had started watching the Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour, which Santa Barbara replaced. So I watched the first episode to see what it was like, and it ended with Santana going to the bus station with a gun to kill Joe. I had to see if she shot him or not, and the rest is history!

[kalbir]

Same here. The Price is Right lead me to Y&R.

[Contessa Donatella]

My mother was just as into her game shows as she was her soaps! The soap bug bit me. The game show bug did not. 

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST 1984 & NOVEMBER 1984:

 

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FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM FEBRUARY 1985 & MAY 1985:

 

[kalbir]

@JAS0N47 When putting together the 1980s game show ratings, have you come across any weeks where Wheel of Fortune finished ahead of both halves of The Price is Right?

Edited July 6, 2024 by kalbir

[JAS0N47]

 

2/1/88 is the last time (of the sweeps checks), where Wheel ranked higher than TPIR 1, but it never beat TPIR 2. But, of course, I only checked 4 of the 52 weeks each year. The last time TPIR 2 was not 1st place (from my sweeps checks only) was in 1981.

[kalbir]

Thank you @JAS0N47

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST 1985 & NOVEMBER 1985:

 

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FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM FEBRUARY 1986 & MAY 1986:

 

[kalbir]

The game show ratings are now four months away from Oprah going national. November 1986 chart I'm expecting a drop in clearances for the game shows not named The Price is Right.

ABC hadn't programmed 10 am at all since the 1970s; I'm not sure if they ever did. NBC gave up 4 pm in December 1977. ABC gave up 4 pm in December 1984. CBS gave up 4 pm in September 1986.

We can see ABC struggling w/ 11 am and I don't think they had any success at 11 am until The View.

It will be interesting to see if NBC Wheel of Fortune clearances were impacted by Oprah going national.

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: SATURDAY DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM FEBRUARY 1980

 

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Nothing ever aired on ABC from 10-1030AM. However, from the Daytime TV Encyclopedia, this is what was in the ABC time slot from 1030-11AM:

 

NO NETWORK SERVICE (thru 3/28/64)

The Price Is Right (3/31/64-12/25/64)

NO NETWORK SERVICE (12/28/64-3/31/67)         

1030-1055: Dateline: Hollywood (4/3/67-12/1/67)

1055-11: The Children's Doctor (4/3/67-12/1/67)

The Family Game (12/4/67-12/15/67)

Donna Reed Show (12/18/67-3/1/68; repeats)

The Dick Cavett Show (3/4/68-1/24/69)

NO NETWORK SERVICE since 1/27/69

 

The Breakfast Club may or may not have been a full ABC network show, but some sources have it listed as such. It possibly aired on the ABC network from 9-10AM from 2/22/54-2/25/55.  The early years are hard to fully confirm if some series were network or just local/syndicated. If we ever do get the ratings from the 1950's, all of that will finally be confirmed.

Edited July 13, 2024 by JAS0N47

[kalbir]

@JAS0N47 Thank you for the clarification re ABC 10 am programming.

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST 1986 & NOVEMBER 1986:

 

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FROM THE VAULT: NON-SOAP DAYTIME RATINGS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM FEBRUARY 1987 & MAY 1987:

 

[kalbir]

The first set of post-Oprah game show ratings.

$25000 Pyramid and Card Sharks clearances dropped a little.

NBC other than Wheel of Fortune and Scrabble not looking so great.

ABC also not looking so great.

We know September 1987 NBC ends Wordplay and moves Scrabble to 12:30 pm.

[Gray Bunny]

Also from the Chicago area, and from what I understand, our local ABC (WLS) was always the top-rated local network, starting with Oprah at 9am and it stayed No. 1 throughout the daytime, with even shows like Loving beating Y&R.