Why is CBS Cancelling 'Guiding Light'?

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In summary: That Mrs. White always was kinky.Even the mention of Guiding Light brings back the smells of hot irons, starch and semi damp clothes. My Mom use to set up her ironing in the family room, so she could work and watch her...
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Ivan Seeking
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CBS' 'Guiding Light' to end in September

The soap, which began life in 1937 on radio, has fallen victim to a dwindling audience and racier shows.
By Meg James
April 2, 2009

CBS is turning off its "Guiding Light." After nearly three-quarters of a century on TV and radio, the serial drama about the intertwining lives of fictional families from different classes in the bucolic but placeless town of Springfield, will end its run in September. It is the latest example of the fragmentation of television...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-guiding-light2-2009apr02,0,9413.story

Some of my earliest memories are of hearing the theme songs from soap operas playing on TVs up and down the street, every weekday afternoon.

For our soap fans having a darker nature, I noticed that the Chiller Channel ran a Dark Shadows marathon the other day.
 
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  • #2
They should just merge all of them together.

As the Guiding Light Turns All My Children into the Young and the Restless and end up at General Hospital with One Life to Live.
 
  • #3
OAQfirst said:
They should just merge all of them together.

As the Guiding Light Turns All My Children into the Young and the Restless and end up at General Hospital with One Life to Live.
:-p
 
  • #4
OAQfirst said:
They should just merge all of them together.

As the Guiding Light Turns All My Children into the Young and the Restless and end up at General Hospital with One Life to Live.

They can't. Then they would be too big to fail.
 
  • #5
:smile:

Sure they can. If there are any problems, all they'd need is a bailout from Paramount, Warner Bros, etc. Though I'm sure there would be fallout when their programs and directors discovered that some of their writers would be loaned out to the soaps...
 
  • #6
OAQfirst said:
Sure they can. If there are any problems, all they'd need is a bailout from Paramount, Warner Bros, etc. Though I'm sure there would be fallout when their programs and directors discovered that some of their writers would be loaned out to the soaps...

If you think the government reaped the whirlwind over AIG bonuses, wait until they start mucking around in the entertainment industry contracts and their bonuses. LA might implode.
 
  • #7
:biggrin: :smile:

I almost think I would like to see that!

Maybe.
 
  • #8
OAQfirst said:
They should just merge all of them together.

As the Guiding Light Turns All My Children into the Young and the Restless and end up at General Hospital with One Life to Live.
As the world turns.
 
  • #9
Ahem. It was a merger. :cool:
 
  • #10
OAQfirst said:
They should just merge all of them together.

As the World Turns through the Days of Our Lives, the Guiding Light leads All My Children into the Dark Shadows of the Young and the Restless with One Life to Live at General Hospital.
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
As the World Turns through the Days of Our Lives, the Guiding Light leads All My Children into the Dark Shadows of the Young and the Restless with One Life to Live at General Hospital.
Ahah. I like yours better! :approve:
 
  • #12
It amazes me that Guiding Light lasted this long. I used to watch it and General Hospital with my grandmother when I got home from school...not because I liked soaps (I thought they were terribly boring), but because she was glued to it and nothing else happened until it was over and she didn't make us do homework until her soaps were done. For perspective, she started watching it when it first came on TV after my uncle (her son) was killed in the Korean War in 1951 (the soap started about a year later) when she would sit around the house not knowing what to do with herself and her grief. The soap opera outlived her.

As for when I stopped watching soap operas, the last I remember of them was watching General Hospital with my grandmother when Luke and Laura were the hot couple. Well, unless you count ER...but that was a nighttime soap, not a daytime one (I really didn't catch much of the last couple seasons, but did watch last night's series finale :cry:).

Oh, and I've still never gotten over my extreme disappointment when they brought back Dark Shadows for a season in prime time and ended with a cliff-hanger only to cut the series before the next season, never to resolve the cliff-hanger. :mad:
 
  • #13
Moonbear said:
Oh, and I've still never gotten over my extreme disappointment when they brought back Dark Shadows for a season in prime time and ended with a cliff-hanger only to cut the series before the next season, never to resolve the cliff-hanger. :mad:


Mrs. White did it in the Library with the Rope.

That Mrs. White always was kinky.
 
  • #14
Even the mention of Guiding Light brings back the smells of hot irons, starch and semi damp clothes. My Mom use to set up her ironing in the family room, so she could work and watch her soaps.
 
  • #15
hypatia said:
Even the mention of Guiding Light brings back the smells of hot irons, starch and semi damp clothes. My Mom use to set up her ironing in the family room, so she could work and watch her soaps.

Same here! My mother wasn't a huge soap fan, but she did watch them for a few years, and my only memory of this includes her at the ironing board.

There is nothing like the smell of steam from a hot iron. :approve:

Tsu was a Days of Our Lives fan for thirty years. When we first got married she was recording the shows religiously and continued to do so for a number of years. Unfortunately, since we lived in a small apartment for a time, I have seen more Days of Our Lives than I care to mention... course she would say the same about Dr. Who. :biggrin:
 
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FAQ: Why is CBS Cancelling 'Guiding Light'?

What is "CBS' 'Guiding Light' to go dark"?

"CBS' 'Guiding Light' is a popular soap opera that has been on the air for over 70 years. It first aired on radio in 1937 and then moved to television in 1952. However, in 2009, CBS announced that the show would be ending and going off the air.

Why is "CBS' 'Guiding Light' ending?

The decision to end "CBS' 'Guiding Light'" was made due to declining ratings and the high cost of producing the show. In recent years, there has been a shift in audience preferences towards reality TV and streaming services, leading to a decrease in viewership for traditional soap operas like "Guiding Light."

When will the final episode of "CBS' 'Guiding Light'" air?

The final episode of "CBS' 'Guiding Light'" aired on September 18, 2009. The show had a total of 15,762 episodes, making it the longest-running scripted drama in television history.

Will there be a replacement for "CBS' 'Guiding Light'"?

CBS did not announce a specific replacement for "Guiding Light," but they did introduce a new soap opera, "The Bold and the Beautiful," to fill the time slot. "The Bold and the Beautiful" premiered in 1987 and is still airing today.

Can I still watch old episodes of "CBS' 'Guiding Light'"?

Yes, you can still watch old episodes of "CBS' 'Guiding Light'" through various streaming services and online platforms. The show has a dedicated fan base, and many episodes can be found on YouTube, Hulu, and other websites.

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