CAN anyone think of a programme, either on radio or television, which has lasted for the past five or six decades? Up to Friday, September 18, 2009, there was a programme on television which lasted for over seven decades and came to an end. The viewers and fans of the television serial ‘Guiding Light’, aired weekday afternoons on American Television Network Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) are literally still in tears about the cancellation of their beloved soap opera and today’s tearful final episode.

The network CBS announced the show’s cancellation early this year due to poor ratings and rising costs to produce and make such programmes. Daytime soap operas, as many people know, are a dying genre of television viewing. This began to take place just after the start of the new millennium. So, what happened to the millions upon millions of people who used to tune in to daytime shows on TV? Many persons have more channels and shows to choose from now; more people (including women who make up the majority of viewers for these soaps) are working and find little time to watch soap operas, and rising cost of living with the global economic crises are proving heavy for producers and even the U.S. TV networks to still have these shows on their airwaves and on their programme schedules.

Guiding Light, last Friday, joined sterling shows such as Another World, Port Charles, Sunset Beach , Ryan’s Hope, Santa Barbara , The City and of most recent Passions (which was cancelled last year by DirecTV and NBC both). Today, Guiding Light has put out its light which has been burning for over 70 years. That’s a real long time if you ask me. Indeed, it is the longest running scripted programme in television history. It began on radio back in 1937 and continued until 1952 when it began its futuristic run on American network CBS. A soap opera which garner so many years on the air and have to end always is sad for me. Any show for that matter which has entered people’s lives and homes for years upon years and has to somehow end their run is always sad.

With the death of Guiding Light comes the speculation as to which soap opera will next come under the axe. Daytime fans and viewers have every right to be nervous as it has appeared that each New Year will bring another show under cancellation. (2008 PASSIONS and 2009 GUIDING LIGHT). Days of Our lives contract with NBC will be up for renewal next year (2010), and with ratings for that show not too good over the past years (though it has kept steady reasonable ratings [higher than other shows in previous months at #3 on the Nielsen Ratings Chart in August]) there was high chatter as to the future of that show.

There are now only seven soap operas remaining on the U.S. TV line- up. The two that are doing very well and may be on for many more years to come are The Young & the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. Those fans have little to worry about, although all of these shows have announced huge budget cuts and staff salary cuts to level costs.

Many networks such as NBC are trying to phase out the soap opera genre and this has fuelled the belief of many that its only soap on the air (Days of Our Lives) would soon face cancellation.

Fans of the Guiding Light must now console themselves and join the bandwagon of broken hearted soap opera fans that have lost their favourite shows over the past years—shows which gave them memories that will surely last a lifetime.
LEON JAMESON SUSERAN