CBS Daytime

[Paul Raven]

Late 71. In a surprise move CBS nabbed Bud Grant from NBC to head up daytime,replacing Paul Rauch.

Changes in effect around that time were the return of Irna Phillips to ATWT, Christopher Bell (Loring Mandel) appointed as LOL headwater and Labine/Mayer becoming headwriters of Where The Heart Is.

[danfling]

It is rather funny that on Where the Heart Is, Pat Falken Smith was eventually replaced by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer.     Then, on Ryan's Hope, Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer were replaced by Pat Falken Smith.

I post the word "eventually" because Labine and Mayer did not start writing Where the Heart Is as a team.   One of them (I think Paul Avila Miller) came to the show first and then Ms. Labine was hired as a writer.

They may have been a team, though, by the time that Pat Falken Smith departed from that show.

[Jdee43]

I never knew Paul Rauch got his start in daytime by working at CBS Daytime for a couple of years, until late 1971. To go from playing a role in running the daytime division of a broadcast network to running a P&G show on another network is an interesting career change. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Jdee43

[Contessa Donatella]

I just learned that Paul jumped the fence from the network sometime in the past 6 months. I do not think Paul ever lacked a feeling of power. And he & MADD together were an amazingly powerful couple. One thing about them both though is that they would go to the absolute ends of the earth to fight for their show or their people. When Paul died he was putting parties together to talk about a venue for GL to go to. And he was retired. He had no official standing. Did not stand in his way! 

[Contessa Donatella]

Claire Labine & Paul Avila Mayer were in the pack, the writing team on Love of Life & people discovered they could write very effectively together & they became co-HWs there. So that was their first time. Then I believe they began on Where the Heart Is together, as a package deal. That was their second outing. And, RH was next. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will tell us, but I think this is accurate. 

[Paul Raven]

As stated above Labine/Mayer began on Where The Heart Is late 71 before Love of Life in 73.They left Love of Life to begin Ryan's Hope in 75.

[Contessa Donatella]

Thanks. 

@danfling   Thanks. I told you someone would come along.

[soapfan770]

If I recall right Kay Alden was a big fan of Labine/Mayer’s work on both WTHI and and LOL, to the point I think Alden once said WTHI had been her favorite soap.

Did Labine ever consider launching Ryan’s Hope on CBS? I wonder if there was just a lack of room for it on CBS schedule at the time. 

[danfling]

I do know that ABC wanted another version of General Hospital.   They requested that Ryan's Hope emulate that Hollywood serial.   The first episodes of Ryan's Hope had a lot of hospital scenes, and many of the initial characters (Dr. Ed Coleridge, Dr. Nell Boulac, Dr. Seneca Boulac, Dr. Roger Coleridge, Dr. Faith Coleridge, Dr. Bucky Carter, Dr. Clem Moultrie, Jillian Coleridge, Ramona the nurse and Dr. Patrick Ryan) were workers at the hospital.

But, what ABC got (and acknowledged that they had gotten) was a family show.

The show really came together when Robert Costello was hired as the second producer.

 

CBS probably was not interested in a new daytime drama in 1975.    They were busy expanding already-existing show and had to chuck The Edge of Night and, eventually, Search for Tomorrow.

ABC was considering expansion of All My Children.    However, there was a lot of resitance from the cast and from Agnes Nixon.    But, the expansion eventually came about.

Please forgive the crossed out letters.    I am not sure why my computer suddenly began crossing out the letters.  (it is still legible.)

Edited September 12, 2023 by danfling

[Contessa Donatella]

That's good common sense, since it was their first success in daytime. I've always thought it soap ironic that THE DOCTORS on NBC and GENERAL HOSPITAL on ABC were launched at the same time. 

[kalbir]

Looking at CBS soaps that had runs of three or more years, I divide them into three tiers based on their CBS runs.

Top tier (30+ years): Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Y&R, B&B, Search for Tomorrow

Second tier (10-29 years): Love of Life, The Secret Storm, The Edge of Night

Third tier (3-9 years): The Brighter Day, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Capitol, Valiant Lady, Where the Heart Is

[Contessa Donatella]

I divided soaps by year & then by success or not: 

Between 1946 and 1960, DuMont had 3 soaps in 1946, in 1946 & in 1949-50. All would be considered Fails. Same time frame, CBS had 19 soaps. Same time frame NBC had 22 soaps. Out of all of those are 6 successes: in order: SFT/CBS, LOL/CBS, GL/CBS, Secret Storm/CBS, ATWT/CBS and EON/CBS. Note they were all CBS. Their longevity ranges from 20 yrs to 57 yrs. Another grouping from here would be considered marginally successful with longevity ranging from 3.5 yrs to 8.5 yrs. They are Hawkins Falls (NBC), From These Roots (NBC) The Brighter Day (CBS) and Young Dr. Malone (NBC).

[Contessa Donatella]

Last night a friend & I were talking about GL at the end. He worked at GL at the end. We were talking about how much we miss it & then we segued into people in power. Paul Rache & no matter what you say he was a feirce defender of the show. MADD same thing & then when she retired they did away with her position so Goutman & Wheeler had no one to fight battles for them. And the he said when Richard Mensing was out there was no one left who was pro-GL. And I said who the heck is Richard Mensing & he told me. I'd never heard of him. Maybe you had. 

 

Richard Mensing was the Vice President of Daytime Programming at CBS from 2003 to 2008. He worked alongside Barbara Bloom and was ABC Daytime's Creative Director from 1999 to 2002 . Michelle Newman replaced him in May 2008.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Ever wonder if there's some "whoo-whoo" in what happens when? I mean, soap-wise, with an eye to the calendar, look what we have on the imminent horizon:

 

AMC end 9-23-2011
Love of Life begin 9-24-1951
Best of Everything end 9-25-1970
Morning Star begin 9-27-1965
Never Too Young begin 9-27-1965
The Nurses begin 9-27-1965
Paradise Bay begin 9-27-1965
The Brighter Day end 9-28-1962
Our Five Daughters end 9-28-1962
Bright Promise begin 9-29-1969
For Richer, For Poorer end 9-29-1978

[danfling]

If I am not mistaken, Where the Heart Is and Love is a Many Splendored Thing also began in September.