NBC Daytime

[j swift]

Is that what happened in San Francisco?

[Chris B]

 I love the idea of GL's Peapack reboot, but they should've put an EP in place with experience with the format. The camera work and music was just dreadful. Also, there would be random scenes of people standing in the woods and on the side of the road. It was like they felt it was so special being outside but didn't understand how to make sense of it and tell a compelling story.

I also wonder why no US soap builds a standing outside set. That's why the UK soaps are able to seamlessly film outdoors because they have outdoor town square type sets they can regularly use. 

[te.]

Well, Days did have Salem Place (which was a lot smaller than it looked, but clearly effective). But realistically it's just cost I'd assume - outside take up more space that could be used for other things, plus I remember daytime soap fans bizarrely complaining that Sunset Beach didn't look enough like a soap (!). 

[Paul Raven]

me

us   vintage car ads vintage truck ads map tv ads
1955 NBC Television

[Paul Raven]

From the Jan 89 Affilliate meeting

In a meeting with representatives of affiliated stations, NBC executives pushed the network's upcoming Generations serial drama and spoke extensively about other programing in 1989. Among the announcements were that the network plans a March test of a daytime talk show starring Rona Barrett, and that it is developing, for a summer debut, a magazine show to be supervised by the news division that would probably include "dramatic re- creations." Additionally, NBC -TV Network President Pier Mapes reviewed the network's continued strong ratings performance, but he balanced his positive appraisal against inroads made by broadcast and cable competitors into the three major networks' share. Mapes also announced what he said would be a first step in improved communications between the network and its affiliates, the videocassette distribution of a speech made by NBC President Bob Wright.

Generations, the half -hour daytime drama debuting March 27, was the major subject of programing at the meeting. Mapes, who started the meeting with a warning that competitors to the three major networks "are nibbling away at us," told the affiliates: "We have to have clearances on Generations." Vice president, daytime programs, Brian Frons presented the show, which features black and white "core" families, as a way for the network to gain a bigger black audience in daytime, which he said represents a disproportionately large segment of that daypart's audience. If NBC had "parity" with the other networks in black audience, he said, NBC would win the daytime daypart. If Generations performs well, Frons said, it is possible the show will be expanded from its half -hour length (double fed at noon and 12:30 pm) to one hour. However, he said, NBC has no "foreseeable" plans to recapture the half hour in daytime that affiliates are scheduled to gain when the program premieres. To help launch the show, Frons said, NBC has budgeted $1 million for print promotion. To promote the show at NATPE, the show's creator, Sally Sussman, made an appearance, along with four of the show's stars.

Another daytime show appearing in March will be a test run of a half -hour strip featuring Rona Barrett chatting with three guests a day over a morning meal at her home. Scheduled to preempt Sale of the Century for the weeks of March 6 and March 13, the show will be brought back in the third quarter of 1989. if successful, Frons said. In another move to improve NBC's daytime performance, Frons said the company is adding $1 million to the annual casting budget of Santa Barbara.

*the show titled 'At Rona's' was a flop and never came back.

[Jdee43]

I think NBC made a big mistake getting rid of all their game shows in the early 1990s. NBC had an amazing line-up of game shows in the 1960s, and probably the best line-up of game shows in the 1980s as well. They should have tried to maintain at least one of them through the years, like CBS did with The Price Is Right. My favorite NBC game show was Concentration. It was on the network from 1958-1973, and then 1987-1991, with reruns through 1993. Maybe NBC should have tried to keep Concentration going? Or imagine if they took the time to keep Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on their network? Maybe there would still be a NBC Daytime today!

Edited May 6 by Jdee43

[Paul Raven]

The Times Recorder Zanesville Ohio Dec 21 1975

Dynamic Lin Bolen Raises Daytime Television Ratings Bv VERNON SCOTT HOLLYWOOD (UPD -

Lin Bolen, who holds the highest position of any woman in the networks, has changed the face of daytime television almost single-handedly. Pity Lin doesn't have an even higher job than NBC vice president, daytime programs. Lin is a 34-year-old brunette native of Benton, 111., (pop. 10,000) weighs 98 well distributed pounds, chain smokes and is probably brighter than any of her superiors at the network. Since she assumed her job three years ago, NBC has surpassed ABC and CBS in daytime ratings.

Among Lin's contributions is long-form pro-gramming, lengthening daytime soap operas from the traditional 30 minutes to an hour. But Lin's most impressive innovation is the addition of new game shows and the renovation of old ones. NBC's dazzling array of daytime games has wiped out the opposition. "Part of my responsibility is to look for the economic and social trends in our society," said Lin in a well modulated voice. "Right now we're in the midst of a recession, made worse by inflation.

"Viewers want fantasy oriented games. It's the same thing that happened during the depression of the 1930s. People couldn't afford to spend money on what they wanted to do. .But they could afford to go to the movies for bank night, free dishes and escapist entertainment. "Our game shows allow viewers to win money and prizes vicariously.

They can project themselves into the games by coming up with the answers at home. It's a form of fantasy participation. "We've added gambling to our shows the horse race on 'Celebrity Sweepstakes'; roulette on 'Wheel of Fortune'; a dice game on 'High Rollers'; and a pinball game on "The Magnificent Marble Machine.'" Lin Bolen, who spends half her time in Hollywood and half in New York offices, may be television's most knowledgable game show executive She said there are seven types of video game programs The hard question and answer show"' "Jeopardy." Celebrity entertainment panel, "Hollywood Squares." Word games, "Password." Audience participation, "Let's Make A Deal." Auctions, "The Price Is Right." Trivia games, "Gambit." Human interest, "Queen for a Day." "Human interest shows are too tacky for today's sophisticated viewers," she said. "They create sad situations and aren't bright and upbeat enough for people facing economic and social problems of their own. "Game shows were static when I came to the network.

Contestants sat at desks with buzzers and bells. I tried to find new faces and personalities for emcees along with good ideas and visual gimmicks. "Our game shows are popular because we've added the unique gambling element to them. And now we're increasing the stakes." It is possible for a contestant to win as much as $100,000 on "High Rollers" in the course of a week. Before Lin took over the top prizes were about $7,500, but most contestants were lucky to take away $2,000.

"By upping the stakes we've increased the fun and excitement," she explained. Lin was reminded that huge amounts of money involved on the "$64,000 Question" and a few other crooked game shows brought television to its knees back in 1958. "There isn't a chance of similar scandals happening again," she said. "We have new controls and safeguards. Individual producers no longer control the questions.

"Even the master of ceremonies doesn't know the questions or answers or the contestants until he faces them on the air. "The contestants are chosen at random by a special watchdog committee the Compliance and Practices Department which reports to the Federal Communications John Paul Jones, who almost single-handedly recruited enough men to man the few ships of the new American Navy, was not given the overall command of the fleet he desired. He left America years later and ended his days as an officer in the Russian navy. Commission." Lin continues to experiment with daytime shows. She is lengthening "Hollywood Squares" and "Wheel of Fortune to an hour after the first of the year.

"We've found some game shows build more suspense in the hour form," she explained. "Next I'd like to see a woman as a game show host. "Ninety per cent of daytime viewers are women. Research shows they are accustomed to the male voice and authority figure on the shows. They find a woman's voice irritating.

But I'm working to overcome that." Lin also is developing a daytime comedy show, a first, starring David Steinberg. Another first is her 90-minute dramatic series, "First Ladies Diaries." Confident and fully autonomous, Lin Bolen is perhaps the best thing to happen to daytime television since the tube was invented. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Thanks for that really long one! Enjoy about Lin Bolen.

[j swift]

Can you imagine a modern news profile that mentioned a woman's weight?  That really stuck out like a sore thumb.