NBC Daytime

[Jdee43]

Since NBC Daytime is no more, and NBC has become the first of the big 3 networks to no longer air scripted daytime drama, perhaps a thread to commemorate it, celebrating what went right and analyzing what went wrong?

I would venture to say daytime drama on NBC was at its best from 1966-1968, when they just had 3 shows, all at 30 minutes: Days of our Lives at 2pm; The Doctors at 2:30pm; Another World at 3pm.

Perhaps the pinnacle of that era was 1968, with Bill Bell, Rita Lakin, and Agnes Nixon at their respective shows. Was the quality of NBC daytime dramas ever as high again?

 

[Paul Raven]

Yes 1968 was the pinnacle for NBC daytime at that point both creatively and ratings wise. For a short time they came within striking distance of CBS.

Their big mistake was allowing Let's Make A Deal to slip away to ABC. In renewal talks they only offered the same amount for the nightime version and Monty Hall/production company felt they deserved more. ABC met their demands and the deal was done.

NBC were caught on the back foot and made the mistake of slotting Hidden Faces in the 1.30 slot.

LMAD fans went to ABC and the show did almost as well as it had at NBC and brought a ratings windfall to ABC, boosting the shows that followed LMAD.

HF was more suited to a later timeslot like Edge of Night. NBC should have catered to the gameshow audience. Once LMAD went Days, TD and AW lost ratings points.

[kalbir]

It's so funny that NBC dominated primetime for the better part of 20 years (start of The Cosby Show until the end of Friends) yet was mostly a mess in daytime in that same era despite supercouple Days, Santa Barbara Emmy and SOD awards run, and Reilly Days.

[TVFAN1144]

Gotta give NBC credit for taking risks and trying after this peak although most either failed miserably or the network had no patience. Hidden Faces, introduction of 60 minute AW and DOOL,  spin-off- Somerset and Lovers and Friends / For Richer or Poorer, Generations, 90 minute Another World debacle, Texas, Santa Barbara, Sunset Beach, Search for Tomorrow 

[Paul Raven]

And Bright Promise, How To Survive A Marriage and Return to Peyton Place. They were all tried at 3.30 following AW and the successful soap block but were all cancelled. Maybe they should have persevered a bit longer with one of them and maybe it would have taken off.

[DeliaIrisFan]

And wasn't it the opposite previously, at least by the '70s?  AW and DAYS were still doing well by that point, but wasn't NBC's primetime lineup a wreck?  I've read that the network took big chances on shows like Cheers and Hill Street Blues—ironically, helping open the door for serialized storytelling in primetime—and gave them time to find audiences because NBC hadn't had a hit sitcom or weekly drama series in so long.

Edited January 23, 2023 by DeliaIrisFan

[Paul Raven]

CBS dominated primetime and daytime in the 60's. By the late 60's NBC was closer in both daytime and primetime.

Early 70's pretty much CBS in both but NBC close. Then ABC took off in primetime and daytime, but as stated when NBC broke through in the mid 80's they could never acheive that success in daytime.

Of course a lot goes back to who was running the daytime division and the decisions they made.

I did some research and here's what I've got so far.

NBC

Bob Aaron 61-66

Larry White 66-67 

Bud Grant 67-72

Clare L Simpson June 72 - Oct 73

Lin Bolen Oct 73 -  Feb 76

Madeliene David Feb 76 - 77

 Michael Brockman 77-80

Lucy Johnson 80-81

Linda Line Nov 79?  title was vp  of serials

Brian Frons March 83- May 89

Jackie Smith May 89 – May 91

That's what I have at the moment.

[kalbir]

@DeliaIrisFan NBC was a mess on the whole in the late 1970s and early 1980s. As we all know, NBC didn't recover in primetime until the start of The Cosby Show. Daytime remained mostly a mess. It's quite telling that NBC's longest-running soap block was Days nearly 15 year run as NBC's lone soap.

[Paul Raven]

It's interesting that Somerset got a 6 yr run w/o great ratings but no other soap got that opportunity.

Guess they wanted to keep in good with P&G who wielded a lot of power in those days.

I wonder how the creation of Y&R came about?

Bill Bell was successfully working on Days. You would think that NBC would be interested in taking on a new soap from him. 

[Broderick]

They were.  In his "Television Archives" interview, Bill Bell said it was Screen Gems (now Sony) that courted him to create a new show in the early 1970s.  The Screen Gems reps were under the impression (initially) that his new show would end-up on NBC, but Bill Bell shrugged and said, "I always knew we were going with CBS."  (Had Lee Bell's talk show been on the CBS affiliate in Chicago?  Bell seemed to have an allegiance to CBS that he never had to NBC, possibly because he saw the chances of success were greater at CBS, or possibly because of his involvement at CBS with Irna Phillips, or possibly because of Lee's experience there.)  But he was very emphatic that he never seriously considered NBC for Y&R.  

[will81]

Yes Lee's show was on the CBS O&O in Chicago. Bell also started his tv career with CBS in the 1950's.

[Broderick]

Makes sense --- he made it clear that his allegiance was to CBS for many years.  I figured Lee Bell's talk show was likely part of the reason, and of course his own experience with Irna & ATWT was also a factor.  

[will81]

That's interesting. Everything I have ever read states Lin Bolen was the first woman to achieve such a high ranking position at a network. She was made VP of Daytime programming August 1972. I had never heard of Clare Simpson before

Lol NVM Clare Simpson is a man. So Lin Bolen's achievement still stands

Edited January 23, 2023 by will81

[Paul Raven]

I was going to make a note of that . I assumed Clare was a woman until an article established that was not the case.

You have August 72 as Bolen's start date, which doesn't tally with my research. I have found it difficult to get clear dates for some of those appointments.

One of Clare Simpson's projects was a daytime version of Ben Casey.

[will81]

First mention of Bob Aaron I have is Dec 1960

I have Larry White beginning January 1966

Bud Grant January 1969

Clare Simpson January 1972 which matches Bud Grant going to CBS and taking over from Fred Silverman

Lin Bolen August 1972 as seen in the article below

 

I think the issue is the press never refer to the position in the same way twice. Was Lin Director but Clare was still VP. Were they two separate positions or the same? Maybe that is where the confusion lies.

 

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Edited January 23, 2023 by will81