CBS may soon decide to pull the plug on “Guiding Light,” the longest-running daytime drama in television history.

While no final decision has been made, the network’s deal for the Procter & Gamble-produced drama—the least watched of the eight daytime serials currently on the air—ends in September. But if CBS does drop “Guiding Light,” it likely would lock in a decision within the next month, people familiar with the matter said. That would give writers a chance to tie up storylines.

CBS also would need to finalize new programming for the daytime hour that “Guiding Light” would be vacating.

In the most significant indication that the network is seriously pondering life without “Guiding Light,” CBS has been talking to outside studios about potential replacement programming for the show, sources said.

Possibilities under discussion include both game shows and talk shows. CBS could easily cut its programming costs for the hour in half by switching away from a scripted drama.

Complete article at: http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/03/cbs_sho...ght_replace.php

It would be awesome to have new network daytime game shows for the first time in 15 years, but would the affiliates still carry GL's replacement? I wouldn't be surprised if CBS simply gives the slot back to the affiliates.

I wouldn't be surprised if CBS simply gives the slot back to the affiliates.

Just a thought......How about a second hour of Price? Older episodes with Barker...Since they wouldn't be seen anywhere else anyway....

Affiliates will take any/every hour that's offered to them.

I'm sure most affiliates will see the 3:00 hour as a prime chance for either a) another hour of local news or b) a chance to pair up whatever combo they have of Oprah / Phil / The Drs. and the upcoming Dr. Oz shows.

Affiliates will take any/every hour that's offered to them.

I'm sure most affiliates will see the 3:00 hour as a prime chance for either a) another hour of local news or b) a chance to pair up whatever combo they have of Oprah / Phil / The Drs. and the upcoming Dr. Oz shows.

Agreed, which is why I think CBS should open up the 3 pm hour for such a combo. Thus, 10 am would be perfect for a game show, to pair up with Price is Right. As said before, GL airs at 10 am in most markets anyways.

If I'm not mistaken, only two CBS affilates don't air GL at all (WNEM in Saginaw, MI, though they do air it on their My5 subchannel and KOVR in Sacramento, ironically a CBS O&O!).

When CBS bought KOVR in 2005 from Sinclair, they apparently decided that it wasn't worth bringing GL back in the middle of a storyline.

If CBS entertains the idea for another daytime game show, they can put together a homebrew show and work something simple...no million-dollar cash prizes, no vote-offs, no money ladders, none of the gimmicky stuff.

Agreed, which is why I think CBS should open up the 3 pm hour for such a combo. Thus, 10 am would be perfect for a game show, to pair up with Price is Right. As said before, GL airs at 10 am in most markets anyways.

In today's economy, a station might consider a network show to a syndicated one that they have to purchase, especially if local advertisers are not as buying as many spots as they used to.

Isn't there a barter aspect to most syndicated acquisitions? That allows the station to keep 100% of the revenues from the local ad avail spots in the show.

The network show might not make that kind of arrangement offer.

My guess is that they'll wind up expanding The Bold And The Beautiful to an hour, maybe put it in the old GL slot, and give the 12:30 Central half hour to the stations, whereupon some may choose to expand their noon news to an hour without wiping anything out.

The comments on that page make my head hurt. The posters are worse than your worst fanboi (game show, SciFi, or otherwise).

May I suggest a daytime run of Million (divided by four or ten) Dollar Password?

I don't care about the business model

Changing from soap to game show cuts programming costs by half? I thought soaps were pretty low-budget themselves. Must be the expansive casts.

Way back when (the 70's at least) CBS gave a minute of local avails in the 10 or 10:30 show. IIRC, it usually came in the first break of the show. If your station didn't sell it, you'd see network-fed PSAs. Maybe they could make that sort of deal again.

Hold your breath, please, if you think there's any chance that the hour will be programmed with network game shows instead of being given back to the affiliates.

Seriously.

Game shows still carry with them the "older demographic" baggage.

I think one key thing to consider is that, regardless of what the affiliates do, CBS is going to make its decision based on 3:00 being the hour that's being vacated. On CBS's schedule, 10:00 is already a 'local' hour.

That's what makes me think that it's going to be returned, not re-programmed.

Although it hasn't been mentioned yet, and as much as I'd like to see an extra hour of TPIR classic shows, I also wonder something else. Maybe this is the opportunity Bill Bell has been waiting for - to finally expand B&B to an hour. CBS would give the 12:30-1pm (EST) half hour back to affiliates, bump Y&R to 1pm, and air B&B where GL was, from 3-4pm or 10-11am or whatever.

Well, was waiting for, anyway -- Bill Bell died almost four years ago. Somebody mentioned eons ago that he had the next commitment, but judging by this article I think that's gone by the boards.

Exactly what sorts of people do they expect to be watching TV at that time of day anyway? The 25-39ers out there are either at work making the disposable income necessary to spend on whatever the advertisers would be selling, or don't have that sort of income to begin with.

It wouldn't shock me if CBS came up with something along the lines of The View.

It wouldn't shock me if CBS came up with something along the lines of The View.

WKMG in Orlando airs Guiding Light at 10 AM every day before TPIR. If it gets cancelled I am sure it could be replaced with a daytime game show. It sure would make up for WKMG preempting $25k Pyramid, PYL, Eubanks CS, and Combs Family Feud 10-20 years ago.

Just call it "The Eye".