Ratings from the 50's.

[Paul Raven]

May 19 1959

 

CBS broadcast a special 'Woman - Teen Marriages' hosted by Claudette Colbert from 3-4pm, pre-empting The Big Pay Off and The Verdict Is Yours

 

CBS - Woman - 8.9/50 

NBC - Young Dr Malone @3 - 4.9/29  

            From These Roots @3.30 - 4.7/27

ABC - Beat The Clock @3 3.0/17

           Who Do You Trust @ 3.30 3.1/16

[Paul Raven]

June 1954

Search For Tomorrow 11.8

Love of Life 10.5

Guiding Light 10.1

Valiant Lady 9.5

Secret Storm 5.2

Three Steps to Heaven 4.9

Hawkins Falls 4.2

[Paul Raven]

Bumping this up now that JASON47 has new info.

[JAS0N47]

I'll start this off with an "eerie" find!   When I was doing research tonight, I happened to find this page in a 1954 magazine called Broadcasting Telecasting. I couldn't believe the headline, mentioning CBS, Y&R and B&B.   I thought I had stepped into The Twilight Zone for a moment, but then was happy to see that was not the case!

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For those following along with my 1970's and 1980's ratings posts, here's a treat for 1954 ratings fans:

 

1954 SAMPLE INFO....

 

There are a few 1954 issues, from microfilm, very hard to see, but from what I can make out, this is a sample of what would be available in 1954 issues. I think back then they only gave the 2-week average of ratings, but they actually gave program coverage to an extra decimal point! I think I am typing up the correct rating data, it's in quite a different format than the ones I am used to. Also, the NBC data is pretty much useless as it can't be read on the charts in the microfilm. ABC & Dumont do not seem to have programmed anything against the CBS soaps, so that's why they have such a big share.  Search for Tomorrow, if I'm reading it right, had a 79 share! And, the sponsors are listed as well, so actually you get more data points in the 1950's issues than in the 1970's (although only 2-week averages of ratings, not the weeklies). The 1955 stuff should be all readable, so at least we know now every data point (and more) are around in 1954 (in 2-week average format).

 

Weeks of 4/12/54-4/16/54 & 4/19/54-4/23/54:

 

Valiant Lady...Coverage: 90.2...Rating: 10.2...Share: 53.9...Sponsors: General Mills (M/W/F) & Toni Gillette Razor Co. (Tu/Th); (Aired M-F)

Love of Life...Coverage...93.0...Rating: 14.5...Share: 70.0...Sponsor: American Home Products; (Aired M-F)

Search for Tomorrow...Coverage...96.0...Rating: 17.2...Share: 79.0...Sponsor: Procter & Gamble; (Aired M-F)

Guiding Light...Coverage...95.8...Rating: 15.7...Share: 73.9...Sponsor: Procter & Gamble; (Aired M-F)

Brighter Day...Coverage: 79.9...Rating: 6.5...Share: 41.3...Sponsor: Procter & Gamble; (Aired M-F)

Portia Faces Life...Coverage: 31.6...Rating: 5.4...Share: 32.9...Sponsor: General Foods Corp.; (Aired M-F) 

Secret Storm...Coverage: 56.5...Rating: 5.4...Share: 31.7...Sponsor: American Home Products; (Aired M/W/F) (Sustaining Tu/Th)

Hawkins Falls...Coverage: 80.1...Rating: N/A...Share: 17.8...Sponsors: Wesson Oil & Snowdrift (all but Mon-Week 1) & S.O.S Co. (Mon Week 1); (Aired M/W/F Week 1; Aired W Week 2)

Three Steps to Heaven...Coverage: 87.8...Rating: N/A...Share: 21.4...Sponsor: Procter & Gamble; (Aired M-F Week 1; Aired M-W Week 2)

 

Based on the Soap Opera Encyclopedia, Woman with a Past (CBS) also aired at this time, but is not listed at all in the ratings book. The CBS 4PM time slot, when it aired, is blank on the chart. In another book I found, it says that Woman With a Past was "sustaining", meaning it did not get any rating. So that would be the reason it is not listed on the charts. Upon further research, I've found that Secret Storm was sustaining on Tue & Thu, that's why it's not listed as airing those days.