| medialifemagazine.com Dayparts update
It's the looming question in one of the most talked about plotlines of the soaps but, alas, daytime TV fans may never know. Olivia-Natalia, or Otalia, as fans refer to them, are two single mothers who have fallen in love on “Guiding Light,” but it looks as though the show, television's longest running scripted series, will end without that question answered. “Guiding Light” will air its last episode on Sept. 18, and it appears it will go out with a whimper, despite the buzz over the Otalia plotline. When the 36th annual Daytime Emmy Awards air this Sunday at 8 p.m. on the CW, “Light" will be up for only four awards, which places it eighth among all soap operas; ABC’s “All My Children” leads the list with 19, followed by NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” with 13. In ninth place is the canceled “Passions,” which has one nomination. As recently as 2007, “Guiding Light” led the list of nominees with 17. This is a humbling end for a series that has been on the air—on either radio or television—for 72 years, with more than 15,700 episodes by the time it ends. Begun as a radio series in 1937, "Guiding Light" series debuted on CBS television in 1952, and for the next four years cast members performed both the radio and TV versions. (The light of the title referred to a light in the study of one of the original characters, a minister.) Among the actors who have appeared on the series are James Earl Jones, Kevin Bacon, Hayden Panettiere, Christopher Walken, JoBeth Williams and James Lipton (of Bravo’s “Inside the Actors Studio”). In 2008, the show switched to an all-digital shooting and production process, which allowed the use of more naturalistic sets and more exterior scenes, but that didn’t help ratings, which continued to decline. By last spring, when CBS announced the series’ cancellation, “Guiding Light” was averaging 2.17 million viewers, with a 0.9 rating among women aged 18 to 49. CBS will be replacing the soap with a cheaper alternative, a new version of “Let’s Make a Deal” starring Wayne Brady. But back to our story: the cliffhanger kiss. Will it ever be consummated? Quite probably. Crystal Chappell, who plays Olivia, recently told The New York Times that she had asked Procter & Gamble, which owns “The Guiding Light,” to keep the Olivia-Natalia storyline going on the web or on “As the World Turns,” which Procter & Gamble also owns. Having failed at that, Chappell said that she plans to start a web-only series called “Venice,” in which she will play a single gay woman. Jessica Leccia, who plays Natalia, has agreed to appear in the first episode, which should debut in November. “In the first 30 seconds,” Chappell told the Times, “you see these two women kiss.” *** In dayparts for the week ended Aug. 16, ABC’s “Nightline” led the week with 3.3 million total viewers, followed by CBS’s “The Late Show with David Letterman” with 3.0 million and NBC’s “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” with 2.7 million. In late late night, CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” averaged 1.5 million total viewers, with NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” at 1.4 million viewers, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” bringing in 1.3 million and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” at 0.7 million. Among 18-49s, “Tonight” averaged a 1.0 rating, followed by “Nightline” at 0.8 and “Late Show” at 0.7 (with encore episodes). In late late night, “Late Night” averaged a 0.6, while “Late Late Show” and “Kimmel” averaged a 0.4 (with encores for “Kimmel”) and “Last Call” averaged a 0.3 (also in encore episodes).
SUNDAY MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Program
Network
Households
Rtg%
Shr
Adults 25-54
Total viewers (millions)
Meet the Press
ABC
2.4
7
0.8
3.359
This Week With George Stephanopoulos
NBC
1.8
5
0.6
2.470
Face the Nation
CBS
1.8
5
0.6
2.447
News Sunday
Fox
0.8
3
0.4
1.207
Source: NTI
LATE-NIGHT RATINGS
Program
Network
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Total viewers (millions)
Rtg%
Nightline
ABC
3.4
0.8
Late Show with David Letterman*
CBS
3.0
0.7
Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien
NBC
2.7
1.0
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
CBS
1.5
0.4
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
NBC
1.4
0.6
Jimmy Kimmel Live*
ABC
1.3
0.4
Last Call with
NBC
0.7
0.3
* Encore telecasts
Source: NTI
MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Program
Network
Households
People 2+
Rtg%
Shr
Total viewers (millions)
Today
NBC
3.6
15
4.702
Good Morning
ABC
2.8
12
3.657
Early Show
CBS
1.8
8
2.416
Source: NTI
DAYTIME RATINGS
Total viewers (millions)
Women 18-49
Network
(millions)
Rtg%
CBS
3.40
1.0
NBC
2.57
1.1
ABC*
2.51
1.0
*Includes encores of “The View”
Source: NTI
EVENING NETWORK NEWS RATINGS
Program
Network
25-54s
People 2+
Rtg%
Total viewers (millions)
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams
NBC
1.7
7.378
ABC World News with Charles Gibson
ABC
1.6
7.043
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric
CBS
1.2
5.336
Source: Nielsen Media Research
SYNDICATION
#
PROGRAMS
Syndicator
Households
(000)
1
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
CTD
5.5
6318
2
JEOPARDY
CTD
4.5
5180
3
TWO-HALF MEN-SYN (AT)
WB
4.2
4841
4
JUDGE JUDY (AT)
CTD
3.8
4394
5
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)
CTD
3.7
4230
6
ESPN NFL PRESEASON THU
ESP
3.5
4011
7
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW
CTD
3.4
3944
8
FAMILY GUY-MF-SYN (AT)
2/T
3.3
3835
8
CSI NEW YORK-SYN(AT)
CTD
3.3
3738
10
GEORGE LOPEZ (AT)
WB
3.2
3638
11
SEINFELD (AT)
SPT
3.0
3472
12
INSIDE EDITION (AT)
CTD
2.9
3321
12
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN(AT)
CTD
2.9
3363
14
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND
CTD
2.7
3051
14
LAW & ORDER:SVU-SYN (AT)
NBU
2.7
3048
16
SEINFELD-WKND (AT)
SPT
2.6
2952
17
KING OF THE HILL-SYN(AT)
2/T
2.5
2907
17
GEORGE LOPEZ WKND B (AT)
WB
2.5
2805
17
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY
DAD
2.5
2841
20
DR. PHIL SHOW (AT)
CTD
2.4
2714
21
MILLIONAIRE (AT)
DAD
2.3
2579
21
GEORGE LOPEZ WKND A (AT)
WB
2.3
2579
23
KING OF QUEENS-SYN (AT)
SPT
2.2
2567
23
FRIENDS (AT)
WB
2.2
2562
25
CSI MIAMI-SYN (AT)
CTD
2.1
2416
25
TWO-HALF MEN WKND A (AT)
WB
2.1
2367
25
HOUSE-SYN (AT)
NBU
2.1
2387
25
JUDGE JOE BROWN (AT)
CTD
2.1
2362
Source: Nielsen Media Research
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