CBS cancels "Guiding Light"

[Zuke]

This might be of interest to some.............



CBS To Flip The Switch On 'Guiding Light'
Network To Cancel Soap Opera After 72 Years On AirNEW YORK (CBS) ―

The soap opera "Guiding Light" is switching off after a 72-year run that predates television.

CBS says the show will have its final episode in September. Like most daytime dramas, "Guiding Light" has suffered from declining ratings and CBS is looking for a lower-cost alternative to the hour of programming.

The Guinness Book of World Records has cited it as the longest-running television drama, with more than 15,700 episodes airing.

Created by Irna Phillips, the show debuted on NBC radio on January 25, 1937 as the 15-minute radio serial "The Guiding Light." It made the switch to 15-minute episodes on CBS Television on June 30, 1952, although it continued to air concurrently on radio with the actors playing parts on both shows until 1956, when the radio show ended. In 1967, the series first started being broadcast in color, and a year later, the show expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. In November 1977, the show expanded to a full hour.

"Guiding Light has achieved a piece of television history that will never be matched; it has crossed mediums, adapted its stories to decades of social change and woven its way through generations of audiences like no other," said Nancy Tellem, President, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. "This daytime icon will always be an indelible part of CBS's history, with a legacy of innovation and reputation for quality and excellence at every step of the way. While its presence will be missed, its contributions will always be celebrated and never be forgotten."

The radio show's original storyline centered on a minister named Rev. John Ruthledge, and all the people of a fictional suburb in Chicago called Five Points. Today's show takes place in the fictional town of Springfield, and revolves around the Spaulding, Lewis and Cooper families. Throughout its historic tenure on the Network, "Guiding Light" has been the recipient of 69 Daytime Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series.

The show has broken ground with stories such as cancer, teen pregnancy, sexual harassment, alcoholism, abuse, AIDS and post-partum depression and, in 2008, premiered a brand-new daytime production model, featuring permanent sets inside its New York City studio and approximately 20% of the production shot in exterior scenes in the town of Peapack, N.J. In addition, directing and editing were changed to be done digitally and almost simultaneously, giving the sets a more realistic feeling and eliminating the need for production suites."

[pbans]

My Mom is crying in heaven........

Y & R and Guiding Light were her "programs"...
every day, for as long as I could remember!

[phjrsaunt]

I guess they finally ran out of men for Reva to marry!

(I say that in the most loving of terms-I've been watching GL off and on for a loooong time)

[RinglingRingling]

I guess they finally ran out of men for Reva to marry!

(I say that in the most loving of terms-I've been watching GL off and on for a loooong time)

Larry remembers the first broadcast.. and being in the studio audience.

[TropicalTroubador]

My Mom is crying in heaven........

Y & R and Guiding Light were her "programs"...
every day, for as long as I could remember!

Your mom and mine are probably having martinis together and commiserating. I was gonna say much the same thing as you.

[tikitatas]

SEVENTY-TWO years????????????????????

[PackPhanGirl]

This breaks my heart too!! I would come home after school every day since I was a little girl and my mom would have this on! I have watched this soap ever since.....bummer.....

[SharkOnLand]

SEVENTY-TWO years????????????????????

That was my first thought...

Boggles the mind that anything could run that long.

[phjrsaunt]

I always thought it was very convenient that it comes on at the same time as "General Hospital" so that I could keep up with both at the same time

[poohbear1324]

This breaks my heart too!! I would come home after school every day since I was a little girl and my mom would have this on! I have watched this soap ever since.....bummer.....

Same here
I have it tivo everyday
Im so sad
what am i going to watch now?

[Brown Eyed Girl]

My Granny used to listen to it on radio!

My mom watched it for years, then gave up on it. It's been out of our tv market for about 10 years now, I didn't even know it was still on the air until I saw a promo in SoCal.

[Lightning Bolt]

With today's programming, and cable, and 24 hr news, and.....etc.
I wouldn't be surprised if this didn't set off a wave of daytime soap cancellations.

[Glorfindel7]

I'm not quite sure I'm ready to believe ANY news that comes out today .....

[mikemck]

Oh, no. Whatever will happen to Lujack and Beth?