Ratings from the 80's

[Max]

 

Thank you so very much, Carl. I hope that all is going well with you.

 

Though I have not posted in a few years, I still love to visit SON and read the thoughtful comments that people write. When it comes to the level of knowledge and insight of those who post, no other message board even comes close.

 

Thanks again for your kind words.

[Paul Raven]

Over the years the numbers representing a ratings point changed a lot so a 16.1 in 1953 meant far fewer viewers than a smaller number years  later.

[Soapsuds]

He/she was harassing posters that's why she/he got banned. She is now on YouTube harassing people. She or he was on the live chat during the Melanie Smith and Mary Ellen reunion. 

[beebs]

Oh I saw. Had her on mute after awhile so I wouldn't have to see her posts, too. She was BRUTAL.

Imagine having that much time on your hands and choosing to use it like...that. 

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 Can someone break into her house and find the rest of those ratings she had in her basement? LOL

[Soapsuds]

OMG..

[Vee]

It's pretty obvious who VR actually is/was.

[Max]

 

Your point is well taken.

 

I've tried to ascertain the number of viewers which one Nielsen ratings point has represented over the years, but I have been unsuccessful in my search. (I could definitely visit a site such as Newspapers.com and do further research, but I simply do not have the time to do so in the next few days.) I have read statements to the effect that one ratings point is equal to one percent of the households in the United States. Yet to go back to the aforementioned SFT example, I find it implausible that only 16.1 percent of households with televisions were tuned into that soap during the 1952-53 Season.

 

During the highest rated week of daytime history (November 16-20, 1981), GH scored a mammoth Nielsen rating of 16.0. Its highest seasonal rating of 11.4 was actually during the prior season (1980-81), though the 1981-82 Season still garnered an 11.2 rating. Based on what you told me, there had to have been more people watching GH during the very early-80s than were watching ATWT at its 1963-64 Neilsen ratings peak of 15.4. And as I already stated, GH's pop culture impact exceeded whatever impact ATWT had at the height of its popularity.

 

I have long been surprised that GH held onto the yearly # 1 position for a far shorter period of time--only about nine years--than either ATWT (before it) or Y&R (after it). And the history is even more surprising when one examines the weekly ratings, as ATWT and Y&R held uninterrupted weekly streaks of # 1 performances for about 11 years and 30+ years, respectively. The fact that GH was knocked out of the top weekly spot as early as 1982 (which I never knew before reading this thread) is truly shocking.

 

NBC Daytime made so many mistakes during the 1980s that one could write an essay discussing them. CBS wasn't perfect, as evidenced by the fact the network's executives oversaw a decline in GL's quality during the second half of the decade and--more significantly--erred in replacing SFT with Capitol. But the executives at ABC clearly have to shoulder the blame for the fact that GH's reign at the top was a lot shorter than it should have been given the soap's level of pop culture prominence.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Max

[Soapsuds]

Speaking of YR and ATWT... It's a shame Marland never beat YR in the weekly ratings. The closest was the week of July 2 1987 when YR had a 8.1 and ATWT a 7.2. I wonder if the new time slot hurt ATWT.

[Pine Charles]

Was that when AMC hit #1 in the summer months of 1982??

That was the summer of Jenny & Jesse fleeing to NYC (living “in hiding” with Mrs. Gonzalez), as well as the All About Eve-inspired storyline with Erica and Silver, with Silver (whom we later learned to be an imposter) gaslighting Erica while she was signed to Sensuelle.

Interesting how most of the action during that period was taking place in the Big Apple, as opposed to Pine Valley.

 

[Paul Raven]

July 1986

At NBC, the network's daytime ratings for the second quarter were the best in seven years. "Three years ago," said NBC vice president of programming, Brian Frons., "we were in fourth or fifth place," referring to when NBC was three rating points or more behind its two competitors. Now less than one rating point separates the three networks.

 

But NBC has problems in daytime, including its loss of the rights to repeats of Family Ties which have been getting its schedule off to a fast start at 10 a.m. Ties goes into syndication in January and will leave NBC's daytime schedule then. In the second quarter, the program was tied in its time period with CBS's $25,000 Pyramid, with a 4.5/19. (The 10 -11 a.m. period is programed by ABC affiliates.) Frons said he is still considering what to do once Ties is gone. Among his choices are several game show pilots he revealed to the affiliates at their meeting last month, along with three others in earlier stages of development.

 

But Frons also said he was exploring the use of another hit cornedy from the prime time lineup as a shortterm solution for 10 a.m. But that alternative, he noted, means that "sooner or later you have to replace it" when that show goes to syndication. If he can come up with a hit game show, said Frons, "we could be set for 10 years."

 

NBC's serial block is in its best competitive position in years. Santa Barbara, only two years old and competing against two top  10 programs from 3 to 4 p.m., General Hospital and Guiding Light, grew almost 20% in rating and 16% in share in the second quarter. Days of Our Lives, (I -2 p.m.) is making a serious run at ABC's All My Children for first place in the time period, having beaten or tied its rival for the last five weeks. A real question mark among NBC's serials is Search for Tomorrow, the oldest soap on the air which celebrates its 35th anniversary later this year. Compared to a year ago. Search is off both in rating and share and is third in its time period (12:30-1 p.m.). Frons admits the program's situation is "dicey." But, he said, Search has rebounded from an 8 share last December when a new executive producer, David Lawrence, came on board, almost back to where it was a year ago-a 12 share. One of its problems is a clearance rate in the low 70% range. But Frons says he won't consider canceling the program unless "it dives to a 7 or 8 share and stays there."

 

But the key to how things take shape in daytime in the coming months, suggested Frons, is the 2 -4 p.m. time period. That's where the biggest HUT (homes using television) levels in daytime appear. ABC dominates that period now, with General Hospital, which was up almost 7% in rating in the second quarter, and One Life to Live, which was up almost 12 %. The gains of NBC's Another World and Santa Barbara appeared to come at the expense of CBS's Capitol and Guiding Light. Another World (2 -3 p.m.) was up a tenth of a rating point, while Capitol (2:30 -3) was off three tenths of a point. Santa Barbara was up almost 20%, while Guiding Light was off 9% in the same 3 -4 time period. Sustaining the momentum, said Frons, is something NBC must do to remain competitive and close the gap further. "We can't stop. We must keep growing." What he comes up with to replace the popular Ties at the top of the schedule next January may be an important factor in NBC's future momentum.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Paul Raven

[Chrissy81730]

I still think the ratings for #GH were exceptional during that era.. the production value and sets were amazing. I know the ratings points - were higher as were the household numbers. As someone stated the 16.1 household seasonal rating for #SFT doesn’t compare to #GH’s - 16.0 for the week of November 16, 1981. 20 million plus tuning in. 30 million for 16th, & 17th. They had to have reached a 20.0 rating or more for those two days. That’s unbelievable. Meaning that it was just as popular or more so, as any nighttime show. Gloria Monty in my opinion was outrageously genius in her producing skills. Genie Francis to me in those years and episodes, rivaled any Hollywood star. Comparable to Meryl Streep in beauty and talent. She was #GH. Her leaving completely changed the shows dynamic. If she had stayed I think #GH would have been #1 for a lot longer. 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Chrissy81730

[pdm1974]

I never really watched SFT, but I wonder, what, if anything, could have saved the show.

[beebs]

Realistically, more consistency behind the scenes, and, barring having stayed on CBS, they really needed to have higher station clearances. I think someone mentioned upthread how much of a self-fulfilling prophecy that was. The lower the ratings, the lower the clearances, the lower the interest from the network, the lower the ratings would sink, and the cycle continues.

[pdm1974]

Sounds like the same thing happened to Edge of Night and Ryan's Hope...less and less clearance...and of course, smaller ratings as a resullt.

 

I do wonder if a new soap ever got launched again (which of course is doubtful) that if a show like Edge of Night that targeted men and women viewers with a focus on mystery/crime would work. Or even a Dark Shadows reboot. I think a new soap would need a very high concept to get attention.

[beebs]

I think, to do that, networks would have to really put their foot down about clearing the shows. Because honestly, at this point, if you're not at near-full clearance, you'd be lucky to clear 1M viewers.

 

Regardless, it's not gonna happen on broadcast TV, that's for certain. That ship has well and truly sailed, IMO.