I'm glad that AMC went up. Contrary to popular belief I do want what's best for the show (I just totally disagree with pretty much every AMC fan here as to what that entails) and if the Tad/Dixie reunion had flopped, being the latest in a long, long line of flops, it would not have been good.

MEK and Cady proved that the adults are where the money is, the vets, the real actors, the rich history. Cady and MEK even got more teens watching! Imagine that...teen girls tuning in to see aged, out-of-shape MEK...why? Because CM & MEK are just so good together. Maybe T&D aren't the only reason AMC did well with teens, but I can tell you this: they weren't tuning in to see Colin Eggelsfield!

But alas it will be a temporary bump...and it happened at the worst possible time: McTavish's contract was up and, if there was any doubt as to its status, MEK and Cady just got it renewed for her.

I agree Rick-NBC can look at that and see growth and I am sure days was expecting crappy numbers in April based on all the filler and such. Both Days and Passions are banking on the summer with the big returns and vendetta. I think both will be fine and by end of summer will have pretty good numbers, although I expect alot bigger numbers for Days. Days will rebound as soon as next week IMO.

My god, you're still defending your show's ratings??? It's at its lowest ever and you're saying that NBC must be proud of those numbers. Wake up and smell the coffee honey, Days is in deep [!@#$%^&*] as is the rest of daytime.

Why would they fire him? the show is doing just fine for the season? One weeks bad ratngs mean squeat to the higher ups. It's the seasonal averages that they look at.

Interesting you forget to mention NBC had to make good with advertisers because the ratings are so low. If things are so good why did NBC have to do that? It's foolish to assume network execs don't care about one week's ratings. THEY DO! a difference of just 0.1 is a lot of MONEY! I have friends in the biz, writers, who feel pressure with the slightest rating movement. It's a bad thing network execs do because it interferes with the writers long-term story. Will NBC cancel a soap with just one bad week's ratings. No. Although to dismiss it as NBC doesn't care, you're wrong, they do!

Interesting you forget to mention NBC had to make good with advertisers because the ratings are so low. If things are so good why did NBC have to do that? It's foolish to assume network execs don't care about one week's ratings. THEY DO! a difference of just 0.1 is a lot of MONEY! I have friends in the biz, writers, who feel pressure with the slightest rating movement. It's a bad thing network execs do because it interferes with the writers long-term story. Will NBC cancel a soap with just one bad week's ratings. No. Although to dismiss it as NBC doesn't care, you're wrong, they do!

The article you are talking about if from the 4th quarter in 2005 no? Both CBS and NBC sold all of their advertising space for the 4th quarter, while ABC did not. Also, the make good situation you are referring to was an agreement from 2004, which the 3 nets still have not made good on.

I'm not oblivious to the fact that daytime as a whole is in the pits right now. Also, You cannot compare daytime to primetime shows. While a 0.1 slip in primetime ratings cause alarm and the writers are pressured to do something different. Daytime is a whole different ballgame. AMC and OLTL are currently down a great deal vs last season, are they seeing changes in the writing staff? Nope. Guiding Light hit it lowest ratings ever, are we getting staff changes? Nope!

Here is a clip of the article...

Complicating the situation is the fact that despite still owing certain advertisers makegoods from last season’s ratings shortfalls, the networks have gone out and sold $36 million worth of the available $44 million in scatter avails for the fourth quarter. That, according to media buyers, has left CBS and NBC virtually sold out in daytime. Media buyers said ABC still had some fourth-quarter avails left.

Here is a clip of the article...

Complicating the situation is the fact that despite still owing certain advertisers makegoods from last season’s ratings shortfalls, the networks have gone out and sold $36 million worth of the available $44 million in scatter avails for the fourth quarter. That, according to media buyers, has left CBS and NBC virtually sold out in daytime. Media buyers said ABC still had some fourth-quarter avails left.

Yes it does say that Rick. It is funny that NBC is the only one ever mentioned as having to make good to it's advertisers. The article says that "the nets are already in makegood situations". Notice it mentions all 3 networks and says the nets - not the net or NBC.

The ratings for all the shows stink.

If hitting new record lows should signal a shows cancellation then GL who has hit it or tied it a couple of times should be gone. Or if hitting 7th place should then just about all of them should be gone as AMC has it recently as have Days, ATWT, and OLTL. I think maybe GH is the only one in that middle pact that has not hit 7th place recently.

All the soaps are in danger. None of them are what they should be and they are definitely not what they used to be. And there is not just one bad show out there right now - there are several. There are at least 3 who have bad day to day writers (i.e. Days, Passions and GL). There are several who have bad head writers (i.e. AMC, OLTL, GL and GH) and one with a not so great headwriter (i.e. Days). And there is one with great day to day writers but an inconsistent headwriter (i.e. ATWT).

For most of the shows the performers are what is saving them. All the shows have those performers who can sell anything - they can take [!@#$%^&*] and turn it into diamonds. They are what keep many of us tuning in.

As far as behind the scenes, daytime needs a big influx of new blood, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon esp. with advertising dollars down for the whole genre and as this article says all 3 networks. At some point one of the network heads has got to say the status quo is not working, but I just don't know if any of them are smart enough.

Cancelling shows and making mass firings are not the answer until someone has some kind of plan in action. I for one am tired of being burned by thinking that anything has got to be better than what we have now. Hey I was one of those who said that when Malone was at OLTL the last time. I now regret ever saying that at all, because I believe Higley is 10 times worse than he was. Even at it's worst I enjoyed the show a lot more under Malone than I am now under Higley.

For the most part all of the networks have been stuck in a pattern of recycling writers for several years now and not just writers but producers too. All the ABC shows have recycled writers - 2 of them with writers that I think were fired by the shows once before. I know that McTavish was fired from AMC. NBC's both shows are written by the sometimes brilliant and many times not so brilliant James E. Reilly. And so on. Y&R is lucky now with Lynn Latham who was great in her primetime stuff but was only okay with her stint in daytime before at Passions. I am so glad that she is writing more for the show as she did on Knot's and not on Passions.

And another observation I have seen is that there are tons of former writers out there who were wonderful on their shows. They might have not been the greatest but they were good (i.e. Pamela Long, Claire Labine, Gary Tomlin, Millee Taggart, Donna Swajeski, Sherri Anderson, and many others). Sadly these are not the writers who seem to get recycled now.

And there are some good staff writers on shows who might make good head writers, but without some kind of test I don't even want to see them move up to a high position alone on a show. I got burnt when Days did that with Higley. She almost ruined the show and the show still has not fully recovered from her terrible stint.

The last several years TPTB or TIIC have made many many mistakes with their hirings and firings on the backstage forefront. Y&R made a big mistake with Jack Scott and have gotten lucky with Latham now. I still say that AMC made a big mistake bringing McT back and GH did with their writers too and OLTL definitely did with Higley. I think GL made the only decision they could make with DK (due to budget) but overall it has been a bad decision. ATWT is doing okay with Passanante but she has been too inconsistent for me. I love the show but there are times when the story ideas are not that great but the day to day writing is still some of the best in daytime.

With all the bad decisions the shows have made in the last few years - I am scared of change and rightly so. I just don't think until the networks sit down and try to figure out what is wrong and stop recycling the same old [!@#$%^&*], I don't want big changes. Big restructuring of the whole format needs to be done and all the networks need to make big changes, but they need to know what they are doing before they make them.

DEMOGRAPHICS

WOMEN 18-49

1.(1) Y&R 2.0 (-.1)

2.(2) GH 1.9 (SAME)

3.(3) DOOL 1.8 (SAME)

3.(4) AMC 1.8 (+.1)

5.(5) OLTL 1.7 (+.1)

6.(5) B&B 1.4 (-.2)

6.(7) PASS 1.4 (-.1)

7.(8) ATWT 1.3 (SAME)

7.(8) GL 1.3 (SAME)

WOMEN 18-34

1.(1) DOOL 1.8 (-.2)

2.(2) PASS 1.5 (-.1)

2.(3) Y&R 1.5 (SAME)

2.(4) GH 1.5 (+.2)

5.(5) AMC 1.4 (+.2)

6.(7) OLTL 1.3 (+.3)

7.(7) ATWT 1.1 (+.1)

8.(6) B&B 1.0 (-.1)

8.(7) GL 1.0 (SAME)

WOMEN 25-54

1.(1) Y&R 2.4 (-.2)

2.(2) GH 2.2 (SAME)

3.(3) AMC 2.1 (+.1)

4.(4) OLTL 2.0 (+.1)

5.(6) DOOL 1.9 (+.1)

6.(4) B&B 1.8 (-.1)

7.(7) ATWT 1.5 (SAME)

8.(8) GL 1.4 (SAME)

9.(8) PASS 1.3 (-.1)

WOMEN 50+

1.(1) Y&R 5.5 (+.3)

2.(2) B&B 4.1 (+.1)

3.(3) GH 3.1 (SAME)

4.(4) ATWT 3.3 (+.3)

5.(6) AMC 2.9 (+.1)

6.(5) OLTL 2.8 (-.1)

6.(7) GL 2.8 (+.2)

8.(8) DOOL 2.2 (-.2)

9.(9) PASS 1.1 (-.1)

I like how Y&R owns almost all the Demographics, though I don't get how they can be 1st in 18-34 yet be third in 18-49?? That must be the area where DOOL and PSSNS most shines in. I'm looking forward to the week where Y&R is #1 in everything!!! I'm sure with Victor grabbing life by the balls again this will soon happen. His increase in airtime has caused some increase in viewers, especially women 50+. It can only get better from here I hope.

Great posts Steve and Rick-I agree .

On my post above I replied to a post made by Rick which he had edited and it may or may not make sense. But the article did state as I said that all the networks had to make good and not just NBC.

Here is another article that states that all the networks are off some and all are having trouble - not just NBC.

from http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cf...e&art_aid=42177

Networks' Daytime Ratings Slump; Advertisers Seek Pricey Alternatives

by Wayne Friedman, Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 8:20 AM EST

STRUGGLING DAYTIME PROGRAMMING ON THE broadcast networks is now causing some massive end-of-the-season advertising inventory problems for the $1.2 billion business. But for alternative daytime TV sellers such as syndication and cable, there is opportunity.

Daytime shows are down by as much as 19 percent for the year in key demographics. With networks giving make-goods to make whole on their advertiser guarantees, this is causing a squeeze on second-quarter inventory, leaving many networks with little to sell. Others--perhaps looking to drive away business--are pricing what little inventory they have at a whopping 30 percent increase.

NBC, CBS, and ABC spokespersons were not reached by press time.

Through April 2, for the season so far, NBC is off 16 percent among key women viewers ages 25-54, and 16 percent among women viewers 18-49. ABC is down 12 percent in women 25-54 and 11 percent in women 18-49. CBS has lost the least--only off 5 percent in women 25-54 and 6 percent for women 18-49. NBC and CBS are also down in teen viewers, and ABC less so.

Limited inventory has daytime advertisers looking to buy in the scatter market, in syndication and cable.

"In daytime we are writing very healthy increases over the upfront," said Bo Argentino, senior vice president of advertising and media sales at NBC Universal Television Distribution--for shows such as "Maury," "Starting Over," and "Jerry Springer." Argentino did say the ratings and advertising problems in daytime are creating opportunities for daytime syndicated shows.

Media buying executives agree: "Syndication is in a better position than most."

This is because during the last upfront--a soft affair that took most of the summer to complete--syndicators held back more than the usual amount of inventory for the scatter period in an effort to sell daytime shows at a better rate. That has turned out to be true--as many shows are now getting high single- or double-digit percent increase in cost per thousand (CPM) viewers versus the upfront sales period.

"We have more scatter inventory as of late," said Argentino. "Last upfront wasn't as big as in the past."

Some broadcast networks are reportedly adding some extra ad inventory into shows to take care of the shortfall. As a result, networks don't have much to sell to traditional daytime advertisers such as pharmaceuticals--and there are some 30 percent price hikes.

"If you have to be on, you are going to have to bite the bullet," said a media buying executive who refused to be identified."

Media buying executives say there may be a problem in making good all the advertising promised to advertisers for this year--which could spill over into advertisers getting their guarantees fulfilled next season. That said, broadcast networks typically sell most of daytime avails during the upfront period. It typically doesn't sell as much scatter inventory as it does with prime-time shows.

Privately, some TV network executives are complaining that daytime's ratings problems are a possible Nielsen Media Research measurement issue. That's because for more than a few shows, the median average age has grown by nearly two years or more since last season. For instance, NBC's "Days of Our Lives" grew 1.8 years to a median age of 47.0; CBS' "Bold and the Beautiful" rose 2.6 years to 56.8; and CBS's "Young & The Restless" added 2.0 years to 57.0.

"Theoretically, it doesn't make sense," says Jon Currie, president of Currie Communications, a Pacific Palisades, Calif. TV research company. "Shows shouldn't grow [in median age]by two years--unless there are many new viewers coming into all these shows. It seems like it's a sampling issue."

And as far as this Make-Good thing this kind of explains what it is:

From the National Media Forum Glossary of Terms it defines a Make-Good as:

MAKE-GOOD

Replacement of a TV or radio spot missed or mis-scheduled, with a spot of equal or better value.

And here is an article from About.com's Advertising section in terms of Make-Good Ads and a Blackout:

The heart of the advertising industry sat in darkness during the blackout but advertisers across the country were affected. The impact hasn't gone unnoticed and industry pros suspect a loss of $10-20 million for networks as well as network affiliates.

When the power outage hit, west coast affiliate stations were in daytime dramas or other network programs. Did my ad run? is the big question for national advertisers.

Most stations on the east coast were in local or syndicated programming, such as Oprah, Montel, Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune.

Some television stations have contracts in place with the networks that allow them the option to take the network's special reports. For example, if you live in New Mexico and you're watching a station that has an option to take the special report, they're not required to take network programming during breaking news. A station may decide the blackout doesn't affect their city enough to take the special report. They'll stick to regularly scheduled programming and not have to worry about lost ad revenue.

But if the station is required to take special reports, they have to take network programming or they could face stiff penalties, fines and, as a drastic measure, loss of network affiliation. The station doesn't have a choice but to take the network programming.

However, once stations learned the magnitude of the story, they went with the network coverage. Optional special report or not, stations will have to go with the networks on big stories. Think of how bad a station would've looked if they didn't take network coverage during the week of September 11.

During the blackout, let's say a station was running Oprah and had to take the special report. Now advertisers have the task of finding out if their ad aired before the network coverage broke.

For stations that went off the air because of the blackout, the financial loss could be devastating. A majority of stations that were on the air were affected because of each network's wall-to-wall news coverage.

So how can a station make its advertisers happy? The answer isn't quite so simple.

Ads are bought based on guaranteed ratings in a time slot, which were drastically interrupted because of the coverage. Make good ads are the easiest solution but availability depends on the ad inventory.

Make goods are basically make up ad time. The ad is fitted in at a later time.

But let's say you had a sale for the weekend and your ads were scheduled to air the day of the blackout. Make good ads aren't going to do you any good. Your sale is screwed up because you missed out on the extra exposure.

For national advertisers to be worked into make good ads, it all depends on how popular the program is and how long you're willing to wait. If you had an ad scheduled to appear on Friends, you're going to have to wait a while for any make good time for your ad. Networks and stations can't create inventory.

And, of course, for stations that run make good ads, they're just fulfilling their end of the deal. They're not making any additional revenue. In turn, that means more lost money for the station.

Rick, Here is another article that shows all the networks are having to do the make-goods and not just NBC. It also shows that all the networks have shows that are in trouble and all have shows that are down in double digits in young viewers and it is causing big troubles with advertising for all 3 networks:

from http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_di...t_id=1001478636

Sun Setting on Net's Key Daytime Demos

John Consoli

NOVEMBER 14, 2005 -

The $1.2 billion broadcast network daytime daypart is in the dumps once again this season, with ratings for women 18-34 and 18-49 down 13 percent and 12 percent, respectively, cumulatively across ABC, CBS and NBC.

The nets are already in makegood situations, and if the ratings situation does not turn around, it could cost them between $150 million and $225 million in lost ad revenue for the season.

Complicating the situation is the fact that despite still owing certain advertisers makegoods from last season’s ratings shortfalls, the networks have gone out and sold $36 million worth of the available $44 million in scatter avails for the fourth quarter. That, according to media buyers, has left CBS and NBC virtually sold out in daytime. Media buyers said ABC still had some fourth-quarter avails left.

“We have been offered no makegoods for daytime fourth quarter yet, which means the networks are having a hard time finding them,” said one media buyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Daytime ratings at this point last season were down similar percentages across the Big Three and, for the most part, never recovered. Adding to buyers’ concerns is the fact that the morning daypart—an alternative for their clients to reach more women—is also virtually sold out in fourth quarter.

Some advertisers, whose media agencies pressed the networks’ sales staffs, have been given units here and there in prime time as audience-deficiency units, or makegoods, but most have been stalled by the networks.

Ratings in broadcast have been steadily declining each season for the past decade, but some of the numbers, particularly in the women 18-34 demo, are starting to push below a 1 rating.

Crossing that threshold will force buyers to supplement broadcast buys with, or even possibly move money to, cheaper—and perhaps more efficient—cable.

Daytime syndication, also a possible alternative to reach younger women, is less attractive to buyers because it is more expensive than daytime cable and, in some cases, even more expensive than broadcast daytime.

The soap taking the hardest ratings hit among young women is NBC’s Days of Our Lives, down 19 percent to a 2.0 among women 18-34 and down 16 percent to a 1.8 among women 18-49. Days has lost 35 percent of its female 18-49 audience over the past five years.

But CBS soaps As the World Turns and Guiding Light are also down double digits among young women, as are ABC soaps All My Children and General Hospital.

The shortfall puts buyers in a quandary since broadcast daytime has been the cheapest way to reach masses of women for decades. For example, this season, according to buyer sources, the average cost per thousand for a 30-second spot in broadcast prime time for the Big Three nets is $24, while the average daytime :30 is $6. “That’s a significant difference,” said one media buyer, who did not want to speak for attribution. “And those gross rating points are hard to replace.”

The networks are working diligently to try to shore up the ratings. ABC Daytime launched a General Hospital blog last month based on the return of popular character Robin Scorpio, and it has received about 400,000 page views so far.

And during the first week in November, the show delivered its best ratings among women 18-49 since May. ABC is also planning to launch a One Life to Live blog called Split Reflections, based on a character on the show who has a split personality, while Rick Springfield next month will reprise a role he played on General Hospital.

ABC Daytime is also planning to launch a series of marketing initiatives to attract a broader scope of viewers, including new mothers, college students and Internet users.

NBC last month launched an online viewer loyalty program for Days of Our Lives, designed to increase viewing with reward incentives through Sony Corp. Viewers are given daily questions to answer for points redeemable for Sony merchandise. NBC also started a Passions Red Web site, on which viewers can find clues to a mystery woman on Passions, who will be revealed in December.

At CBS, daytime execs are planning to revive its live online soap opera talk show and recently made podcasts of Guiding Light available, with plans to make episodes of As the World Turns available as well.

Brian Frons, president of ABC Daytime, said that while not all of the ratings declines can be attributed to daytime viewers watching more cable news to stay on top of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, “our research people are telling us when the world calms down, the ratings will turn around.”

Chris Ender, CBS senior vp of communications, said CBS’ daytime ratings have also been hurt in markets hit by the hurricanes, especially New Orleans, where the network affiliates were totally shut down. In those markets, CBS has been running 60-second “catch up” spots at the beginning of each soap, trying to update viewers who may have missed past episodes.

Sheraton Kalouria, senior vp, NBC Daytime, said that since his network’s soaps draw larger percentages of college-age women, they are being hurt by Nielsen Media Research not measuring TV viewing on college campuses. “We know we get hurt the most because of that,” he said.

Both Frons and Kalouria said their networks have been working hard to diversify their soaps’ casts and story lines more to mirror the ethnicities and lives of younger viewers. “Every show is written in hopes that we can stop these declines,” Kalouria said.

Andy Donchin, executive vp/director of national broadcast for Carat, said that despite the ratings declines, he is upbeat about daytime: “During a time when there is so much fragmentation in every daypart, the fact that the broadcast networks can still draw in so many people in daytime, with all original shows each day...I see that as the glass being half full, not half empty.”

I don't believe anyone claimed it was only NBC who had to make good. Those articles you presented, clearly states NBC is down in the 18-49 demos and teen viewers. Some rush to praise Reilly when he gets DAYS to 2.9 (two weeks January 2006) but some just can't stand him getting blamed when its 2.3! You can't have it both ways!

I don't believe anyone claimed it was only NBC who had to make good. Those articles you presented, clearly states NBC is down in the 18-49 demos and teen viewers. Some rush to praise Reilly when he gets DAYS to 2.9 (two weeks January 2006) but some just can't stand him getting blamed when its 2.3! You can't have it both ways!

I don't think you heard of any of us saying that JER should not be blamed - what we are saying is that JER should not be the only one ever blamed. You do not hear the same thing said when AMC, GH or any of them drop or hit new lows. And quite a few shows have hit them.

Notice the article talked about Days but it also mentioned 4 other shows who are down double digits in those same demos.

Quote from the article:

The soap taking the hardest ratings hit among young women is NBC’s Days of Our Lives, down 19 percent to a 2.0 among women 18-34 and down 16 percent to a 1.8 among women 18-49. Days has lost 35 percent of its female 18-49 audience over the past five years.

But CBS soaps As the World Turns and Guiding Light are also down double digits among young women, as are ABC soaps All My Children and General Hospital.

So with that in mind then Passanante, Kreitzman, JER, Guza, and McTavish need to all be handed their walking papers this week. Because all are down double digits in key demos. And I guess since all are down the same digits the same reasoning needs to be applied and why just fire the writers just hand all them their cancellation papers because that is what everybody is hollering for Days.

I don't think you heard of any of us saying that JER should not be blamed - what we are saying is that JER should not be the only one ever blamed. You do not hear the same thing said when AMC, GH or any of them drop or hit new lows. And quite a few shows have hit them.

No other soap writer has been sold as a savior as Reilly was. That is why he receives the attention, especially on soap boards like this. I don't remember ever seeing a screenname QueenMegan or KingGuza, if posters want to elevate James Reilly unto a level other soap writer and producers are not, expect Reilly to be the focus of attention. This is not a slam to those who like Reilly, although to question why Reilly is the focus, its Reilly's own fans who bring him into the center stage and in doing so is why he is criticized more than some other soap writer/producer. If it was up to me most of these bastards would be fired and replaced with new talent like some on this very message board.

No other soap writer has been sold as a savior as Reilly was. That is why he receives the attention, especially on soap boards like this. I don't remember ever seeing a screenname QueenMegan or KingGuza, if posters want to elevate James Reilly unto a level other soap writer and producers are not, expect Reilly to be the focus of attention. This is not a slam to those who like Reilly, although to question why Reilly is the focus, its Reilly's own fans who bring him into the center stage and in doing so is why he is criticized more than some other soap writer/producer. If it was up to me most of these bastards would be fired and replaced with new talent like some on this very message board.

I think you need to look around at some of the other postings just a little more. There are a few OLTL fans who paint Higley as teh greatest thing to hit daytime and hate anything negative being said about her. And the same goes for McTavish fans at AMC. I have read some who just absolutely worship him. And I have read a few who feel the same way about Kreitzman at GL. If you will look at the percentages the ones who think those writers are great equal the same percentage of fans who think Reilly is great.

King might have King Reilly as his nickname but I have heard King say many times about how boring Days is. I don't think JER is the greatest thing to hit Days or Passions, but I don't think he is the worst either. Higley to me was far worse and the writer who wrote the teen crap - was the next worst. I absolutely hated Days under them.

I am the first to tell you that Days can be better and that Reilly can do better but I do not think Reilly is all of Days problems but he is the one that gets all the blame. The reason I am arguing is that I just want some consitency in the arguments. NBC is the only one ever mentioned with the make-good - it is brought up almost every week in the ratings thread but every network had to do it. Days is the only one with the exception of GL and Passions who is ever cancellation called for - while the ratings experts show that Days, ATWT, GL, AMC, and GH are all down in viewers in the double digits for the last quarter. So if one is going to be cancelled or one writer is going to be fired then I want fairness and call for all the be cancelled or fired.

Then we all can come on here and talk about Y&R, B&B, OLTL, and Passions. Because if the shows that are the most down in ratings are cancelled then that is all we will be left with. Because let me tell you if they are having a hard time interesting advertisers (and the articles clearly state that) for the shows that have been on and are proven, advertisers are definitely not going to jump to advertise on an unproven new show.

No other soap writer has been sold as a savior as Reilly was. That is why he receives the attention, especially on soap boards like this. I don't remember ever seeing a screenname QueenMegan or KingGuza, if posters want to elevate James Reilly unto a level other soap writer and producers are not, expect Reilly to be the focus of attention. This is not a slam to those who like Reilly, although to question why Reilly is the focus, its Reilly's own fans who bring him into the center stage and in doing so is why he is criticized more than some other soap writer/producer. If it was up to me most of these bastards would be fired and replaced with new talent like some on this very message board.

I agree. I love DAYS right now but I do wish Reilly would get fired. I think it would be the best for DAYS. I think firing alot of the writers would do the show good. Get some old writers back or bring in some new blood.

I see there is more Days fighting going on around here .

Steve is right. ATWT is one of the best shows on the air right now and constantly gets praise and last week it hit a record low of 2.4 so let's go fire Jean Passanate then. I have never cared for JER. I liked his first run for sure but his second run mostly has sucked. The show could be alot better right now but its the best its been in a long while so I see it as an advancement.

The fact of the matter is soaps are in trouble. Even Y&R has dropped in numbers but it has held on the most to what it had. I think what people like me and Steve are asking is for people to stop acting like NBC is the only one with problems. They aren't. I wouldn't mind if JER got fired but it would depend who was hired. Usually the same writers are recycled and I don't want another Higley promoted since we still can't shake what she did to us. The only writers I would like to see return are B&C. I would also be interested in Sheffer. That is it. New blood would be fine but if I was Corday I would get a breakdown first of that writer's plan. Otherwise, I wouldn't make a change-not because I am a JER advocate or are making excuses for the show's ratings but because I am fearful that someone could do worse. It has happened to so many shows already in the last few years-with every change things get worse. I think too many writing changes is what has hurt soaps the most any ways since it constantly changes the show's story and feel. It becomes too choppy. JER isn't the worst writer-Higley and Langan have done far worse. McTavish and and Pratt and Guza (his second run) rank up there too along with Higley.