• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Update on Guiding Light's Replacement

imhomerjay said:
Interesting possibility. Dangling the 10 a.m. option might help maintain clearances in the face of demo concerns. If you have some CBS affiliates with syndie games in the afternoon, it might help them build a block there in lieu of pairing with Price in the morning.
Click to expand...

One slight problem: CBS ran game shows in the 10-11 AM slot ("$25,000
Pyramid," "Press Your Luck," "Card Sharks," "Family Feud," and even
"Wheel Of Fortune" for a couple of years) and experienced so many
clearance problems that it gave back the time in 1994; that lasted
until some of the o&os and affiliates started running "GL" at 10 AM.
That could happen again; OTOH, there hasn't been a successful
afternoon network game show since "Match Game" went off in 1979.
A game block from 3-4 would make good counterprogramming to
"General Hospital" (CBS did, from 1973-75, counter the likes of "GH,"
"One Life To Live," and "Another World" with "Price" and "Match Game"),
and might even be a good lead-in demographically for stations like
Atlanta's WGCL that start their news at 4. But I'm afraid the affiliates
just might shy away from games at either time (10 or 3) and that, in
the end, CBS will give back both time slots.

I do expect both of my local CBS affiliates, WFMY and WRAL, to
clear the games from 3 to 4, although in WRAL's case it will disrupt
the program flow; it runs "ATWT" at 2 and "Y&R" at 4. WFMY already
has "Wheel" and "Jeopardy!" from 7-8, as well as "Price," and games
will go down well with its audience (it carried "Price" and "Match Game"
in the '70s in that slot; WRAL was an ABC affiliate then, but WTVD
also carried the two CBS shows).
 
Although the "lasted until stations ran GL in the morning" part is just swapping out a clearance--it didn't improve or diminsh total clearance levels (save for debating the relative value of clearing a soap at 10 am). There isn't really a problem in offering the games at either time--if anything, it gives them more leverage to offer it in whichever way works best, case by case. If that's at 3 pm, no one's likely to complain at CBS.
 
Depending on each station's affiliation agreement, preempting the network in any daypart is HIGHLY frowned upon by CBS. Even with the departure of GL, the Tiffany network will not simply allow stations to just decide on their own to dump the GL replacement programming and go local with syndicated fare. In primetime, each station has a basket of time that can be preempted each year (12 hours or so depending on the station) for telethons and specials. For example, Gannett corporately negotiates one agreement with CBS for all five affiliates (D.C., Greensboro, Columbia, Macon and Tampa Bay) and the expiration date is for all stations simultaneously. There's intense pressure from CBS to clear the network line-up as is at all stations. Yes, there are exceptions, but CBS must sign-off on any movement of their programming.
 
imhomerjay said:
Although the "lasted until stations ran GL in the morning" part is just swapping out a clearance--it didn't improve or diminsh total clearance levels (save for debating the relative value of clearing a soap at 10 am). There isn't really a problem in offering the games at either time--if anything, it gives them more leverage to offer it in whichever way works best, case by case. If that's at 3 pm, no one's likely to complain at CBS.
Click to expand...

Which goes without saying. I do have my doubts as to whether games will work at all,
given--as I pointed out--the clearance problems CBS had in the 10-11 AM slot in the '80s and early '90s, and the poor track record of games in the afternoon (if you think back over the years only about a half-dozen worked in the afternoon: Match Game, Tattletales, You Don't Say!, Queen For A Day, Who Do You Trust?, and The Big Payoff).
 
What games did or didn't work decades ago then is largely irrelevant today. Some stations have found a niche with games in the early fringe slots (Deal, Millionaire, Feud), and to a viewer it doesn't matter one bit if those shows come from a network or syndication. There was once a time when we could say the only really successful talk shows in the afternoon were variety type shows...but that's changed as well.

Clearances alone weren't the sole issue with CBS and 10-11 am. By that time, Feud was running its course, and the genre was in a downward cycle (a loooooong one as we'd learn). If Feud was kicking tail in NY, Philly, Boston, Chicago etc., the stations that delayed it a day or bumped it entirely wouldn't likely alone have caused the hour to be given back. A contributing issue? Sure, that may be. But there's a fair difference between telling your affiliates you want them to clear 10 and 3, and telling them you want them to clear 10 or 3.

Will the entire experiment work? Who knows. Even pulling comparable ratings to GL but at a lower cost could be called a win. Show an improvement and you're putting icing on the cake.
 
imhomerjay said:
Although the "lasted until stations ran GL in the morning" part is just swapping out a clearance--it didn't improve or diminsh total clearance levels (save for debating the relative value of clearing a soap at 10 am). There isn't really a problem in offering the games at either time--if anything, it gives them more leverage to offer it in whichever way works best, case by case. If that's at 3 pm, no one's likely to complain at CBS.
Click to expand...

What I was trying to say is that CBS was down from 10 to 11 until it started
same-day feeds of "GL" to the morning stations.

BTW, Steve Beverly says that the producers of the game shows being considered to replace "GL" will learn their fates probably Wednesday, July 22, so perhaps by this time next week we'll know what's taking over "GL"'s timeslot(s) (parentheses since "GL" is fed three times: 9 AM, 10 AM, and 3 PM).
 
bpatrick said:
"Ryan's Hope" did quite well for ABC at 12:30; I don't
know if it ever consistently beat "Y&R," and in '82
"General Hospital" (#1) and "Guiding Light" (#4) were in a real
fight at 3 (ET).
Click to expand...
I had the same problem here. I couldn't understand why the whole world wants to watch "General Hospital". My show was "Guiding Light". Ever since Nola started scheming and causing problems for Morgan.

Nancy Reichardt's summary said Phillip, Beth, Rick and Mindy were back together on July 4. I'd like to have seen that but I wouldn't have thought of it and didn't know in advance anyway.
 
The Four Musketeers were reunited on July 4,
and even Alan-Michael parachuted in for the
Bauer barbecue.

I think I see one storyline that's going to wrap
up happily: Reva's current husband Jeffrey is
reportedly dead in a plane crash; she's in denial,
but I think on or about September 18 she and
Josh will get married and live happily ever after.
I also wouldn't mind if Ed Bauer finds a miracle
cure for Phillip's condition so he, too, can live
happily ever after (I'd be even happier if somebody
knocked off Alan, but that's asking too much).

But back to the subject: not everyone agrees with
me about the prospects for game-show replacements,
and imhomerjay, you may be right that if CBS can make
more money with games (and they should, they're a lot
cheaper to produce), even if the ratings aren't higher,
it's still a victory for the Eye Network. But there hasn't
been a successful new game on the networks since the
'80s (what was the last--"Scrabble," "Win, Lose Or Draw,"
or what?), and I still maintain that history is against the
afternoon game show unless it's either a comedy game or
celebrity-oriented. If I were a betting person I'd put my
money on better ratings on the morning stations, and if
that be the case I hope CBS picks up "Let's Make A Deal"
instead of "The Dating Game." No, there'll never be another
Monty Hall, but "Deal" and "Price" would make an ideal tandem.
OTOH, "Deal," "Pyramid," and "Dating Game" have successful
track records on ABC earlier in the afternoon, between 1:30
and 3 ("Pyramid" and "Dating Game" have aired at 4 as well),
but that was years ago. So who knows? I still think, though,
that my two local CBS stations will stay with the afternoon feed.

I also didn't know that CBS (and I suppose ABC and NBC as well)
have agreements with the affiliates over how much time they
can pre-empt. I've gotten stations that were pre-emption happy
(WBRC Birmingham, when it was an ABC affiliate, was probably the
worst, and I resented it every time they pre-empted a show Ch. 11
in Atlanta was carrying, because I might or might not be able to
pick it up from Atlanta) and don't like it, but stations also ought to
be free to drop a loser network show, IMO.

I think someone left out a Gannett CBS affiliate: they're in Greensboro
(WFMY/2), Washington (WUSA/9), Tampa/St. Petersburg (WTSP/10),
Little Rock (KTHV/11), Macon, GA (WMAZ/13), and Columbia, SC
(WLTX/19).
 
bpatrick said:
BTW, Steve Beverly says that the producers of the game shows being considered to replace "GL" will learn their fates probably Wednesday, July 22, so perhaps by this time next week we'll know what's taking over "GL"'s timeslot(s) (parentheses since "GL" is fed three times: 9 AM, 10 AM, and 3 PM).
Click to expand...

If Embassy Row putting an ad on Craigslist for Pyramid contestants is any indication, I think Pyramid is all or part of the answer...
 
"Pyramid" was the first show mentioned as a
replacement for "GL" back in April, so I agree
with you; I think it has the inside track. Whether
it's 30 minutes or an hour, we may know as early
as today.
 
I'm going to play like an old-time radio soap
announcer at the end of the show: Will CBS
find a replacement for "Guiding Light" before
September 21? Tune in the week of August 3.
Seriously, CBS had delayed the decision another
two weeks, claiming it needs more time to look
at pilots. At this rate, you have to wonder if
"GL"'s replacement(s) will be ready to go by
Sept. 21.
 
Straying away from the subject:

vchimpanzee said:
My show was "Guiding Light". Ever since Nola started scheming and causing problems for Morgan.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I first started watching GL around 1977 because my sister asked me because I got out of school before her & she wanted to know what happened. I'm a big Douglas Marland (R.I.P.) fan and he wrote 3 of my favorite GL storylines: Kelly & Morgan love story, Nola from bad to good girl and the incredible Carrie Todd Marler story.


bpatrick said:
I think I see one storyline that's going to wrap
up happily: Reva's current husband Jeffrey is
reportedly dead in a plane crash; she's in denial,
but I think on or about September 18 she and
Josh will get married and live happily ever after.
I also wouldn't mind if Ed Bauer finds a miracle
cure for Phillip's condition so he, too, can live
happily ever after (I'd be even happier if somebody
knocked off Alan, but that's asking too much).
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised if Reva and Josh get married on the last episode and Jeffery shows up as the wedding ends. Or in classic soap action, when the minister asks "is there anyone who has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace..."
 
And that just might happen. Jeffrey is alive,
even though Reva thinks he's dead and is
packing up his things. Phillip is refusing
treatment for his condition so I assume he'll
die sometime that last week.

CBS will probably announce "GL"'s replacement(s)
this week. I'll be watching for Steve Beverly's blog.
 
Multiple sources report a one-hour Let's Make a Deal is the replacement for Guiding Light.
 
A double-run of TPIR has been suggested about by a few affiliate GM's. I think their idea is to have fresh shows for this second airing.

September 18th can't come soon enough.
 
I'm beting if you do a google search, you'll find some. :)
 
"Let's Make A Deal" has indeed been chosen to replace "The Guiding Light" and it might be introduced by the network at the Television Critics Association press tour today. The show will be produced by Fremantle Media and the host will be Wayne Brady.
 
That sounds like a great one-two combination
("Deal"/"Price") in the morning markets. I'll hedge
my bets re the afternoon markets.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom