Topic: Could Have Anything Really Saved Guiding Light From Cancellation?
Topic Posted by: Rocky
Date Posted: Thu Sep 24 0:16:09 2009
Additional Comments: A hard question for sure but could have anything saved Guiding Light ,at this point, from cancellation? A changing world where women are out at work mre than they were in the past. The fact that Proctor & Gamble gave up on the show didn't help matters. Changing demographics and changing times and affiliates in certain parts of the country that wouldn't show the program at all. No promotions from CBS or very little from it at the end. There are many reasons GL wound up as it did being cancelled after being on the air all these years but could have anything been done to save the show? Or was it just a dying show that pretty much had run its' course and had nothing left to say? Any thoughts or ideas about this?
Posted by: Tammy Date posted: Thu Oct 22 22:18:04 2009
Message: IMHO the death of GL began with killing off Maureen Bauer because of some dumb focus group. The sorry way they treated Michael Zaslow when he got sick is another good reason, again IMHO.
And P&G should've kept it on the air out of respect for its longevity and its fans; they aren't going to bed hungry if one of their shows doesnt turn a profit.
I dont think ellen wheeler ever understood GL. then she cast Outside in general as a leading character and we all saw how that worked out. She didn't stay true to the history of the soap, if she even knew it.
Im afraid ATWT's days are numbered, too. Im sorry but I just dont see P&G showing any respect for it either, and most of it is pretty boring right now, but no worse than AMC.
Posted by: Rosebud1 Date posted: Thu Sep 24 20:02:45 2009
Message: ICAM, there were lots of things that could/should have been done that weren't, because there wasn't any interest on P&G's part in keeping the show alive. CBS just went along with what P&G wanted all along. If P&G hadn't had that low opinion of their own show, CBS couldn't/wouldn't have done anything to get it off the air.
If P&G wanted GL (& any of their other soaps) to be in production they would be. There is a reason why they have only one show still in production, however short term that may be--it is how THEY want it. If P&G wanted to they could create their own network for their own soaps (they have over 20 titles & could always create more if they so desired) & have product placement all over the place for their own stuff, if they so desired. But they don't. They lack the basic interest & passion in the genre & see it as dead. They conveniently forget that they've killed it & keep insisting that soaps are dying on the vine because they have 'run their course' and insist that 'this is a natural death' when nothing could be further from the truth! There has been nothing natural about the death of soaps over the last couple of decades. There are still lots of stories to tell, even though P&G has said that there aren't. There are always stories for soaps to tell about flawed characters, their challenges & overcoming them.
The audience, for the most part, didn't leave soaps, soaps left the audience. Today's Suits may have MBAs but they aren't storytellers with a passion for soap operas. They also don't see any advantage in making them succeed, only fail. As long as that is their mindset, then soaps WILL fail.
There IS an audience out here, a broad audience and a strong foundation for the genre of soaps. There are also a wide variety of types of soaps. Not every type would appeal to that whole audience. I love soaps, but was never a fan of Dark Shadows or Passions--but at least they stuck to the vision of their creators. Not everyone wants to see a soap revolving around fashion (B&B) or a hospital (GH). I always loved soaps that knew their audience & had a focus. I loved Search For Tomorrow, Edge Of Night, etc. PC had great potential, until they went Vampire & Flying Monkey on the audience--losing their original vision.
Not everyone wants to watch infomercials, game shows, talk shows or 'informational shows' all day--cheap as they may be to produce.
Posted by: JennieGFe Date posted: Thu Sep 24 17:17:01 2009
Message: Nope! Although Ellen Wheeler certainly didn't help matters with her total destruction of the show. She's the worst EP. But that aside, audience erosion is happening for every show and they will soon sink down to GL levels and be cancelled themselves.
Posted by: fee Date posted: Thu Sep 24 10:24:14 2009
Message: Nothing could have saved it, because they didn't WANT it to be saved. They would and DID do anything possible to make the show go off. If money was the problem, they could have done something about that. They didn't WANT to do anything about it. Actually, I would have paid a monthly fee to watch this show. Actually, to watch any of them that have good stories and actors. But I would NOT pay to watch what that hack JP writes. But for GL? I would have paid. Also, if people were paying they should have had a say in the EPs and the HWs. But the show was worth a lot to me.
Posted by: Lulu Date posted: Thu Sep 24 9:04:06 2009
Message: Yes, they could have cut the show the one half hour and started calling it just The Light, hired a new producer, director and writers and were willing to work cheap, (I know they are out there) and continued on. I can not believe game, judge and talk bring any better ratings.
Posted by: katy kennicott Date posted: Thu Sep 24 1:40:01 2009
Message: Nothing could have saved GL. Even Ellen Wheeler told 60 Minutes that it had been on the chopping block for 15 years. When the networks can produce game shows, judge shows and talk shows and charge the same advertising rates (or more) and produce them for a fraction of what it costs to produce a daily scripted series, guess which door they take. They don't have to pay writers or actors and there are far fewer people who require hair and makeup. They also don't have to pay union wages to take down and put up the sets. Take a look at Oprah's set, or Ellen's, or Regis & Kelly. This is so cheap to produce. Remember these are businessmen and women. They are not interested in anything except the bottom line. Trust me, if and when the game shows become too expensive and/or don't pull in enough ratings to justify their ad rates, they'll be gone, too.