Daytime TV History: A Look Back at Clearance Rates

[JAS0N47]

I was posting this on another board and thought people here find might it an interesting read too. (Just realized I posted in the wrong thread...didn't mean to post in Spoiler Section...sorry!)

 

A LOOK BACK AT CLEARANCE RATES...

 

Someone mentioned "clearance rates" tonight (the percentage of clearance each daytime network show has per all of their affiliates), so I remembered I had a few charts that listed them from a long time ago. Here's a look back at each show's clearance rate for several years. I had never studied these stats before, so they are quite interesting! B&B slowly rises from 93 percent coverage in 1989 to 96 coverage in 1993, while Another World drops from 99 to 96 and Santa Barbara drops from 99 to 94. Also, this time frame is when NBC started to slowly give back its network time to local affiliates. They gave the 10-11AM time slot back to local affiliates between 1990 and 1992, and the 11-1130AM time slot in the fall of 1992.

 

CLEARANCE RATES FOR NETWORK AFFILIATES...SEPTEMBER 1989 & FEBRUARY 1990...

 

[LOCAL TIME, 10-11AM]

Home I (ABC, 11AM)...88...82

Home II (ABC, 1130AM)...94...89

Perfect Strangers (ABC, 12PM)...68...65

Loving (ABC, 1230PM)...88...SAME

All My Children (ABC, 1PM)...99...SAME

One Life to Live (ABC, 2PM)...99...SAME

General Hospital (ABC, 3PM)...99...SAME

 

Family Feud (CBS, 10AM)...84.....80

Wheel of Fortune (CBS, 1030AM)...78...SAME

Price Is Right I (CBS, 11AM)...98...SAME

Price Is Right II (CBS, 1130AM)...98...SAME

[LOCAL TIME, 12-1230PM]

Young and Restless (CBS, 1230PM)...99...SAME

Bold and Beautiful (CBS, 130PM)...93...95

As the World Turns (CBS, 2PM)...99...SAME

Guiding Light (CBS, 3PM)...99...SAME

 

Scrabble (NBC, 10AM)...81...75

Classic Concentration (NBC, 1030AM)...82...79

Golden Girls (NBC, 11AM)...97...95

Win, Lose or Draw (Sept)/227 (Feb.) (NBC, 1130AM)...92...90

[LOCAL TIME, 12-1230PM]

Generations (NBC, 1230PM)...98...99

Days of Our Lives (NBC, 1PM)...99...SAME

Another World (NBC, 2PM)...99...SAME

Santa Barbara (NBC, 3PM)...99...SAME

 

CLEARANCE RATES FOR NETWORK AFFILIATES...JULY 1992 & MARCH 1993 & SEPTEMBER 1993...

 

[LOCAL TIME, 10-11AM]

Home I (ABC, 11AM)...79...74 ...76

Home II (ABC, 1130AM)...82...85...84

Home III (July)/[LOCAL TIME, March] (ABC, 12PM)...51...N/A...N/A

Loving (ABC, 1230PM)...83...81...82

All My Children (ABC, 1PM)...99...SAME...SAME

One Life to Live (ABC, 2PM)...99...SAME...SAME

General Hospital (ABC, 3PM)...99...SAME...SAME

 

New Family Feud Challenge (CBS, 10AM)...66...57...51

New Family Feud Challenge (CBS, 1030AM)...79...68...61

Price Is Right I (CBS, 11AM)...99...97...99

Price Is Right II (CBS, 1130AM)...99...SAME...SAME

[LOCAL TIME, 12-1230PM]

Young and Restless (CBS, 1230PM)...99...SAME...SAME

Bold and Beautiful (CBS, 130PM)...97...95...96

As the World Turns (CBS, 2PM)...99...SAME...SAME

Guiding Light (CBS, 3PM)...99...SAME...SAME

 

[10-11AM GIVEN BACK TO LOCAL AFFILIATES SINCE 1990]

Dr. Dean (July)/[LOCAL TIME, March]/John & Leeza (Sept) (NBC, 11AM)...64...N/A...94

Classic Concentration (July-March)/John & Leeza (Sept..see above) (NBC, 1130AM)...55...74...N/A

[LOCAL TIME, 12-1230PM]

Closer Look (July)/Family Secrets (March)/Caesar's Challenge (Sept) (NBC, 1230PM)...83...78...84

Days of Our Lives (NBC, 1PM)...99...SAME...SAME

Another World (NBC, 2PM)...96...99...SAME

Santa Barbara (July, 3-4PM) (NBC, 3PM)...94...N/A...N/A

Scrabble (March) (NBC, 3-330PM)/Classic Concentration (Sept)...N/A...91...74

Scattergories (March)/[LOCAL TIME, Sept] NBC, 330-4PM)...N/A...88...N/A

[Paul Raven]

Thanks Jason. I recall reports of affiliate meetings where NBC management were pleading with local stations to clear the network shows.

 

How come nothing is 100% cleared?

 

I recall SOD reporting at some stage that DOOL now had 100% network clearance

[JAS0N47]

You would think most of the soaps would be 100. Maybe the column they used on the paper could only fit two #s in that column. If not, then I guess there was one rogue affiliate for each of ABC, CBS, NBC which did not carry the shows back then. I only have some random reports from that time frame in late 80s/early 90s. Would be fun to see how it continued on in the past 20+ years.

[DramatistDreamer]

Speaking of affiliates,

Did you guys know that in the NYC area, Days is being shifted to noon? Kind of weird that the news is being moved to 11am. However, it doesn't seem at all like a negative thing for Days though.

[Gray Bunny]

Dang, poor Loving. Wonder what the rates were for The Edge of Night and The Doctors and Search for Tomorrow in the early 80's. 

[soapfan770]

`

I'd say because you had that one stations like KDKA not airing ATWT for several years in favor of a local talk show, KXTV and later KOVR not airing GL, WUSA not having TPIR,  KVII not airing AMC, WDTN not airing General Hospital etc. Sure it may be just one or two stations but if the station is in a bigger market, it wasn't going to be considered 100%. 

 

The Bells had campaigned for B&B to get full clearance and Lee Phillip Bell even visited herself several stations not airing B&B. I believe it was by 1995 they finally succeeded. 

 

The local affiliates use to wield a ton of power in programming their own schedules to fit their own needs-ie soaps airing out of order or a day behind, shows being preempted for local shows and what not. Those practices and a lot of stations airing local programming pretty much died out the Telecom Act of '96 and by the late 90s I believe the networks were requiring full carriage of network programming and made examples of dropping stations that pre-empted network programs in favor of local programs.