“Good Afternoon America” is A Bust, off 70% from “One Life to Live”
I never thought I’d say this or it would be possible. But ABC should bring back “One Life to Live” and fast. Its two replacements have been ratings horror shows. First “The Revolution” was an utter disgrace, a low point in mindless TV chitchat. Then “Good Afternoon America,” which the network thought would kill off “General Hospital”: it’s a dud. Even the watchable nonsense called “The Chew” has turned into a flop vs. the old numbers for “All My Children.” If Katie Couric’s talk show isn’t a big hit out of the box, there’s going to be big trouble. (ABC’s Brian Frons, who carried out all these hatchet jobs, must be very pleased with himself.) So ABC, re-start the soaps. “The View” was enough. Spend some money and buy some good will. “GAA” is 70% off of the “One Life to Live” ratings. Embarrassing.
Here are the numbers courtesy of TVMediaInsights:
-Total Viewers:
The View (ABC): 2.58 million (-15), The Talk (CBS): 1.89 (-10), The Chew (ABC); 1.86 (-26 from All My Children), Good Afternoon America (ABC): 1.36 (-56 from One Life to Live)
-Women 25-54:
The View (ABC): 670,000 (-22), The Talk (CBS): 555,000 (-10), The Chew (ABC): 433,000 (-42), Good Afternoon America (ABC): 289,000 (-68)
-Women 18-49:
The View (ABC): 527,000 (-18), The Talk (CBS): 404,000 (-16), The Chew (ABC); 336,000 (-41), Good Afternoon America (ABC): 215,000 (-70)
-Women 18-34:
The View (ABC): 190,000 (- 8), The Chew (ABC): 134,000 (-26), The Talk (CBS): 101,000 (-19), Good Afternoon America (ABC): 85,000 (-61)
Who’s the genius that came up with the idea to
Pull soaps? Guarantee its a man! Fools!
@Me:
Even if I’m not a soap opera enthusiast like I once was I still regard The Chew and Revolution to be crappy shows and I also don’t make an effort to watch the Katie Couric Show and I don’t have to view that show if I refuse to do so.Having said that I can’t say I felt bad that Revolution got canceled and that would still be the day if The Chew gets yanked off the air.
You boobs, you wouldn’t know a good show if you saw one. I loved this show. They were so bubbly and upspirted. My gosh those soaps have been doing the same things for years. Get a life.
What can we do to get them back? I thought by now I wouldn’t miss them so much, but everytime I see one of them on a different show or start to look for something to watch in the afternoon it makes me sick that a-holw Frons convinced Disney to get rid of the Soaps. I don’t watch any of the replacement shows, never have, never will. I’ve tried to get into the soaps on other channels but its hard to figure out what the heck is going on. So many years watching OLTL and AMC has ruined it for other soaps for me. How do we get Disney to listen?
I miss Good Afternoon America. It was entertaining and had up to date news. Viewers need to get out of fantasy land (it is scarey) and find out what is going on in the real world. The Chew is great and so was Good Afternoon America.
I so agree with the others on bringing back the soaps— I have watched VERY little on ABC since AMC was taken away. The Chew is horrible– I did try it but there is one on there who just made it impossible to watch — SO annoying—I have never enjoyed anything with Katie in/on it so why would I watch a whole hour of her????????? Kelly is annoying enough at times– I liked her on AMC but not so much on her show– she was tolerable when Regis was there but since it has been HER show she is annoying for the most part– TV used to be for enjoyment– now more of an annoyance—
When you grow up watching these soaps the become your family, I watched several from the very beginning, OLTL and AMC were only two of them. The shows were a very big part of my life, it gave me freedom to live in someone else’s life for awhile each day and escape my own. Well you have and Idiot named Brian Fron’s who comes along and says people want Reality! What people was he referring to? it certainly wasn’t the people who watched the programs he replaced. Did the fool think people want to see something just because he did? Reality…. Give me a break who wants to watch more talk shows, listen to an opinion of the daily news by some Dumb women, here about the lives of Celebrities who are being divorced, The Kardashians,,,, that smut shouldn’t be allowed on tv. They talk like sailors and have the morals of Alley cats…. I dont want that SHIT I want my SOAP’s or I just watch another Channel.. I watch General Hospital, and then ABC and the DISNEY channels don’t exist to me until the next day. ABC took part of my life so I deleted them….. Have a nice life ABC I intend to and Boycott your channels from now on…..
I agree 100%. It is so nice to get into the lives of your favorite soap charactor. I LOVE All My Children and miss it so much, I refuse to watch The Chew. There are enough of these cooking and talk shows on all these other 200 channels. I still can’t understand why they had to take shows off that had life time loyal viewers.GAA was exactly like Live with Kelly. Why have 2 of the same type shows on the same channel?Networks are running out of ideals, so back to talk shows they go. BRING BACK OLTL AND AMC, PLEASE. These viewsers do not leave. If there is any kind of petition to sign, I would be happy to.
I’ve been boycotting ABC ever since they cancelled All my Children and One Life to Live. Every day after the mid day news, i switch to NBC and have been watching Days of Our Lives. I’ll bet alot have been doing so. Later in the afternoon i switch back to ABC for General Hospital. Disney needs to read all the feedback and realize what a mistake they made. Bring back our shows and all will be forgiven!!! Those shows didn’t last 40 years for nothing!!! They had a lot of faithful viewers!!!
I for one will not watch Katie Couric, did not watch The Revolution and will never lower myself to watch The Chew. ABC sucks pure and simple. They have screwed up daytime TV. I watched the soaps in the evening on SoapNet but not anymore. I would rather watch I Love Lucy reruns. I do have a life working in a legal as a paralegal. The soaps were a great escape but now I am escaping ABC.
Finally some sense !! ABC/Disney needs to listen and bring back One Life to Live. I too boycott everything ABC and Disney except for General Hospital. I will continue to do so until OLTL is returned to my screen. And I do read books and walk my dogs.
Yes indeed! WE WANT OUR SOAPS BACK
NEVER been spoken- BRING BACK OLTL!!!!!! Yes indeed! WE WANT OUR SOAPS BACK
Kudos to everyone banding together all this time for out beloved soaps. it takes a village everyone! I am still hopeful for ABC to return to it’s senses, swallow their pride and egos and do what is right! Love watching old friends on GH every day and still boycotting ABC. And for the jerk saying we have no lives, well lots of us are homebound and ill and have no other way to enjoy ourselves except for the TV. If that person were in our shoes their cruel comments would slap them in the face! Thanks again for all the work!
For those that don’t understand we have a life we just want to escape for a few hrs a day with our soaps not more reality. Most shows don’t last 40 + years but soaps do because generations carry them on to the next generation & yes they do become like family. That is why soap fans are so loyal. We told ABC it would be like this when are they going to wake up & realize we meant it our loyalty deserved respect & if they can’t realize that then we are done with them. I am supporting soaps on other networks not watching the cheap drivel they are putting on.
If you want viewers back there is only one thing to do bring back OLTL & AMC. OLTL had it all good writing, producing, good ratings and was under budget. What more could you have wanted. Frons had a sick obsession to get rid of soaps & look where it has got you. He is gone but ABC Daytime is a laughingstock. Wake up ABC
Its absolutely stunning, not suprised
Thank you for the article, Mr. Friedman. You may never have envisioned telling ABC to bring back OLTL, but millions of fans have been saying just that (along with bringing back AMC) for over a year now. With the exception of General Hospital, there is nothing on ABC daytime that is worth watching. The ratings disaster that is now ABC Daytime is beginning to be felt in primetime and will become an avalanche of lost money. Note to ABC: You know very well how to fix this monumental mess. Keep GH and bring back OLTL! And as for “Me” who suggested soap fans “get a life” I will say this: I am a professional female, with a family and a very full life – soaps are a tiny vacation for me to watch when I get home from work; you demean yourself by inferring that fans who love this genre are less than you.
When and what will it take for ABC to realize that the daytime fans want there soaps back…..Bring back OLTL!!!!!! It should have never been cancelled. Two replacement shows that are doing poorly is there spot one was already axed how long before the other? Wake up ABC/Disney!
Please bring back OLTL. I loved that show. I dont even watch tv much anymore especially ABC. Why would i trust when you take a show with good ratings off the air.That means you making decisions based on well magbe this show will do better.OLTL fans wont watch anything you put its place.
It was stupid to take a show off the air when the ratings were so good. It would be awesome if it were to come back. I loved coming home from school eating cereal and chillin with One life to live. I barely watch tv anymore because when i start liking a show im afraid its gønna be taken off the air. Bring back one life to live and i will definitely start watching again.
I will continue to boycott ABC except for the General Hospital hour until OLTL is back on the air.
ABC/Disney has made one poor decision after another. Bring Back OLTL!!!
Enough is enough!!! How much money is ABC willing to lose before they admit to this colossal mistake?? Bring back OLTL and AMC now!! I thought the whole idea behind programming was to give the people what they enjoyed and subsequently ratings go up and then cha-ching, so do profits! Well the people have spoken Loud and Clear, we want our soaps!!!!
Honestly, GAA is so bad that I am too embarrassed to watch the hosts make complete idiots of themselves. There is just way to much sexual insinuation going on! I can’t even tune in any more. And now it is very difficult for me to watch GMA and appreciate Josh and Lara. So sad. Listen to what viewers you have left, ABC!!!
Truer words have NEVER been spoken- BRING BACK OLTL!!!!!! Yes indeed!
The bad decisions at ABC are staggering.
People who are this obsessed with soap operas really need to seek some professional help. There is obviously a huge huge void in your real lives if you are STILL upset over fictional TV shows that were cancelled ages ago.
Did you also refuse to watch NBC, and any of the Olympics, because NBC cancelled “Friends”? Have you boycotted “Big Bang Theory” because CBS cancelled “Dallas” 100 years ago?
And you can’t complain about talk shows being “recycled” when Erica Kane was married 45 times, babies were kidnapped, women had dual personalities, or any of the other ridiculous soap storylines that have been repeated AD NAUSEUM since the 60s.
Read a book. Volunteer at your church. Go for a walk. GET A LIFE.
I think that everyone, and myself included, are so VERY fed up with all of the talk/lifestyle/reality type of programming. It is on almost every channel in the afternoon. There is no new topics of discussion, just the same RECYCLED stuff that we see on the morning shows! ABC/D has made it very clear that they do not care what their viewers want, so I do not care what they try to replace my beloved shows with. The only thing that I do watch is General Hospital and that is it. ABC/D, you have an opportunity to bring viewers back, if you would only listen.
Thank you Roger, for telling it like it T-I Is and standing up for our soaps!! ABC needs to just come out and admit that they made a horrible mistake and bring OLTL back ASAP, We will NOT watch any of the garbage they have put in their old time slot and we won’t watch Katie’s show either!
ABC is dead to me except for GH. It is NOT allowed in my house anytime. Bring back our soaps or suffer the consequences!
I love the new show except for one thing Mrs Spencer (co-host) is too raunchie.
ABC has destroyed two of the best vintage soaps to have ever existed. Not one day passes when I am not in mourning over my beloved families of Llanview and Pine Valley. I will continue to support GH as I want to see the soap genre survive. I will NOT be watching ANYTHING else, though will take note of the sponsors so they too will be boycott. You can’t just throw away 80+ yrs. of history for this garbage. Katie (what’s her face) is destined to fail! Any and EVERY show you cancel and replace will sink like the Titanic. You once had a LOYAL fan base and you could get us back. You could return OLTL to our screens or give Agnes Nixon her shows back! ABC / Disney …. boycott … all but GH. I hope Brian Frons is getting his long overdue karma. ABC, YOU have gone too far! We will NOT watch or support anything you shell out … especially your sponsors. Please take this into consideration as you watch Katie get “Chew”ed up and spit out. Your one-time viewers ARE the “Revolution”. You are just the trolls that took away generations of fond momories and devotion.
ABC made a huge mistake dropping OLTL and it’s time they owned up to it! I was a loyal fan of OLTL and many programs aired on ABC, it was a hard habit to give up but I did just that. The only thing I watch is GH, and it hasn’t clicked for me, I usually have one eye on the tv while doing other things. One Life had me watching and rewatching many episodes, I didn’t want to blink an eye. If somehow ABC decides to rescue their daytime lineup with bringing back my friends in Llanview I would once again be a fan of the network. I have never tuned in for any of the replacement shows, I giggle every time I read how badly they are doing in the ratings!
The fans screamed, NO!!! Don’t take our soaps… and ABCD snubbed their noses and did it anyway. Nothing that has replaced AMC and OLTL has been nearly as successful and they still do nothing. If I had stock in ABC I would get rid of it. Katie Couric’s show is going to crash and burn and cost millions. The writing has been on the wall, but no one seems to be able to read at ABC.
That’s what fans have been trying to tell ABC all along. We want our soaps or we will just watch soaps on other networks. We will not watch any of these programs including Katie Who? Show loyal fans some long overdue respect and put OLTL & AMC back on or lose loyal fans for good. You had most loyal fans you disrespected now you have nothing. Wake up ABC before it’s too late for you.
Personally if they thinking about bring back soap they could bring back ONe Life to live then put Dr Oz back at 3pm on my SO CAL ABC channel keep General Hospital
I doubt Katie bring the ratings she is not afternoon person but more of morning person that just me Roger LOL!
The only show that would work in the OLTL time slot is GH. The upper execs at ABC do not care in the least what the viewers want to watch. Do they know that they made a major significant mistake yet? I doubt it because they keep adding more talk, news and reality that has proven that the people do not want these shows. We want our shows back or at least sell the freaking rights. They won’t do that either because it means that some other network will have millions of built in viewers. Enough of the junk ABC puts on the air. Whoever is the programmer should be fired now.
ABC ignored the old saying “if ain’t broke don’t fix it”, OLTL had good ratings and if you ask me (a long time viewer and supporter of both shows) was even more interesting at the time of its demise than General Hospital.ABC spit in the face of their long time faithful viewers, is it really hard to believe the viewers got pissed and retaliated with a boycott to show their displeasure? Bring back One Life to Live!
Bring back the soaps and you will get your ratings back ABC. You were dumb in the first place. Why not chalk this up to a BIG mistake, admit your faults, and make your viewers happy?
Too much talk shows, reality shows, lifestyle shows. I want soaps in the afternoon. Not 5 hours of more of the same. ABC used to be my go to channel. From the morning until primetime. Now I only watch GH on ABC. Don’t plan on watching Katie either.
I had watched #OLT for 20 years or so & I could not believe that this show was cancelled. I do not watch the replacement shows. I turn in #GH when it comes on.
Thanks for the support. The problem is, the ABC big wigs will never ever ever admit that they were wrong. No matter how big the trouble gets. They will just keep coming up with lame replacement shows and keep telling themselves it’s what the viewers want. Soaps Rule! Bring back AMC and OLTL!
Soap fans are outraged by ABC’s decision to cancel shows that have been on (and successful) for over 40 years. They will not watch any show that replaces the soaps until One Life to Live is back on the air somewhere — whether on ABC or another channel.
Once again advertisers and stock holders,we are the customer!!!!!!!!!We want All My Children and One Life To Live not talk,cooking or reality shows.So ABC is trying to cheapen their network with 6 hours of Good what ever.Byeeeeeeeeeeeee ABC except for General Hospital
I hope ABC now knows what a huge mistake they made cancelling OLTL and AMC. The replacement shows have failed big time. I do not believe Katie Couric’s show will do any better. ABC needs to bring back the soaps to bring back the viewers.
I’m not surprised at this news. You can’t tick off soap watchers by cancelling their favorite shows and put on garbage replacements. I will continue to boycott ABC except for the General Hospital hour.
This is what we have been saying from the beginning. I even stopped watching ABC in primetime. The ONLY program I watch IS General Hospital !!! I miss some of the primetime shows but my boycott stays until they bring back One Life To Live or give the rights back to Agnes Nixon. The afternoon line-up is horrible !!! Reality TV is cheap to produce but does NOT produce good ratings !!! I live “reality” (unlike ABC exec’s) !!! I WANT TO BE ENTERTAINED….NOT TALKED AT . I will NOT watch Katie Couric in a soap opera time slot !!!!
Cry me a river ABC/Disney! Goodbye Katie! We soap fans tried to tell you. Bring back our soaps!! No Soaps = No ABC/Disney! No Mouse in MY House!! Get the RAT (Sweeney) out of the House of Mouse!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Do you get it now ABC!? Brian Frons Screwed you’s with his “knowledge” of what the daytime viewers want! WE DON’T WANT stupid cooking shows and stupid talk shows or Katie Couric WE WANT OUR BELOVED SHOWS BACK AMC AND OLTL! Put them back on the air NOW!!!
Wake up ABC and realize that your viewers want quality entertainment in the form of great soaps. We don’t need anymore reality/talk/garbage as there is already enough of that. I will never watch the chEW, Katie,or GAAg, just like I didn’t watch The Revolting. Bring the soaps back!
Please, please, please bring our soaps back! We DO NOT want more talk shows. They are boring and that is all that is on anymore. With our soaps we had entainment for 3 hours a day and I for miss them terribly! AMC, OLTL and GH need to be put back in place. I will not watch these stupid shows you are putting on the air.
Thank you, Mr. Friedman! ABC should definitely just bring back OLTL & AMC and admit their mistake! It’s amazing how the OLTL slot is sort of haunted now; no talk/reality/lifestyle show has been able to bring in nearly the same ratings as OLTL during its timeslot. We know when GH moves to 2pm, this will all change. It seems soap opera is the only thing that can fill the OLTL slot and bring in decent ratings. And it’s also amazing how OLTL essentially has breathed life back into GH– the regime of crew, and the wonderful cast/characters!
We all just have to focus now on ensuring The Chew continues to spiral down in ratings (1.86 this week!!! Though it could be attributed to the Olympics being on, but we’ll see if the ratings go up afterwards). And we must ensure Katie is a flop, and then I think we will have some serious legs to stand on, as far as brining AMC & OLTL back goes. Also, Vikki Dummer (Frons’ replacement) recently promised to figure out what to do with OLTL & AMC once they fully get back the rights, in January 2013. Viva La Daytime! And daytime is nothing without soaps! Soap fans are the best!
If ABC wont produce new episodes I think that ABC should cut their losses and showcase a “Best of OLTL” selection of episodes for the remaining weeks. They could have intros filmed by OLTL stars such as Ilene Kristen, Erika Slezak, Erin Torpey, Tuc Watkins, Brandoun Routh, Jerry Ver Dorn etc. That would bring in the ratings for the time slot!
I could not agree with you more. But at the end of the day I think ABC is just going to keep putting more money into these mindless TV shows until one sticks. I don’t think one every will. How many talk shows can one realistically watch in one day? Did anyone not think of that?
From your mouth to the ABC execs’ ears –thanks, Roger Friedman for telling it like it is again. Unfortunately the execs at ABC seem to be a hardheaded group who don’t understand (despite being told over and over again) that we viewers are not interested in the chatter shows. We want our stories back, OLTL and AMC.
They seemed to have listened to you regarding GH, maybe they’ll listen to you again.
Thank you Mr. Friedman for saying what the Soap Opera Fans have been saying since they cancelled OLTL and AMC ABC was wrong to think that Reality and talk shows could make a difference in their ratings as well as thinking people would just automatically watch. The viewers of Daytime know what they want to see. It is very simple if its not there the channel gets switched. OLTL when cancelled was under the budget and with wonderful ratings. Now look what ABC has done. Pretty soon if they keep this up we will be saying I remember ABC Thank God they still kept General Hospital for it is the only daytime programming worth watching.
Mr. Friedman-
Thank you for pointing out to ABC and your other readers what fans of OLTL have known all along: THERE IS NO LIFE FOR ABC WITHOUT LLANVIEW! While I continue to watch GH, I fear that moving it into the old OLTL slot is a dangerous gamble, as NOTHING else has survived there. Even with the MASSIVE amount of advertising that was done for the Revolution and the Chew (and now GAA,) these “replacement” shows are COLOSSAL failures. After dumping all that $$$ into development, advertising, launches, and the like, soaps like OLTL (which came in at roughly the same cost as the Revolution) and AMC (which needed to come back to NYC and restore the integrity of the show, despite the fact that it was running on a SEVERELY bloated budget in LA) have staying power that NONE of the drivel they have been replaced with will ever have. While it is clear from Vicki Dummer’s comments at the TCA’s that ABC/Disney has to wait until the end of the Prospect Park contracts (AMC is released back to ABC next month-OLTL in January 2013) to move forward, I would hope there are plans to do so, and restore the integrity of the collapsed ABC/Disney daytime lineup!
Clearly, ABC/Disney needs to change there Market Research/Focus groups. ABC/Disney would not invest money into the shows for them to fail miserably. I am betting that Brian Frons totally withheld information from Disney Executives. He thought he would take a big gamble and win big with Disney. Unfortunately, he lost big. Now ABC is trying to save grace, and I think EGO’s are affected here. Time to hedge your losses ABC/Disney. You have better spent a lot of money on Research/Focus for Katie’s show because if that show fails, then there will be a HUGE shakeup with ABC/Disney. Don’t you think it would be more prudent to bring back at least one soap? If that Soap does well, then do the 2nd one. Your choice which goes first. OLTL or AMC. Get some balls ABC/Disney, and admit your failures and move on.
Bless you Mr. Friedman, for a fantastic article. ABC/D is going to find out that Katie or whatever show get put on in that time slot is going to fail just like the other replacement shows have. They simply need to suck it up and give us back our soaps.
Any true ABC soap lover will NEVER watch these replacement shows! I only watch General Hospital since ABC cancelled All My Children and One Life To Live. Katie Couric’s show is destined to fail also because soap lovers have united to take down anything other than bringing back AMC and OLTL.ABC primetime is also affected because of the cancellations.
What is wrong with the idiots in charge over at ABC? Do they REALLY expect Katie to do any better? WOW! What’s it gonna take?
Thank you, Roger! I could not agree with you more. ABC has lost all semblance of the Daytime dominance it once enjoyed. In addition, with so many fewer viewers watching ABC Daytime, there are fewer viewers to see ABC’s Primetime program promotion as well, and I note ABC’s primetime is lagging behind the other networks, including Univision. ABC needs to save its self along with its poor long-suffering affiliates, and return both All My Children & One Life to Live to its daytime line-up. General Hospital has the weakest lead-in in the history of modern network television, and I predict Katie will be a flop of near epic proportion because soap fans know darn well ABC intended to cancel GH too which is why they gave her the time slot GH had for nearly 50 years in the first place. It is irony indeed that ABC is now depending on GH to deliver numbers for Katie, but ABC needs to know soap fans are committed to tanking everything on ABC Daytime, except GH, until the soaps are returned.
ABC has taken leave of its senses. Just to try to prove themselves right they are losing viewers. Millions of them & they seem as if they could care less. We soap fans, 7,000,000+, care deeply. OLTL is part of our family & we want them back. Until them ABC daytime will produce duds. Boycott still on.
Thank you Roger for standing behind soaps!!!
Thanks so much for saying what ABC Daytime viewers have been saying since April 14th of last year. Viewers want “Love in the Afternoon” Not mindless chit chat and nonsense.