Word is that ABC is considering the possibility of moving General Hospital to primetime during the summer months.
While the ratings for ABC’s only remaining soap opera aren’t very strong (especially by primetime standards), the show is comparatively inexpensive to produce. Episodes cost approximately $200,000 to make and primetime dramas which can cost more than a million.
There’s of course also the possibility that General Hospital will stay in daytime. ABC has said that they’d be releasing the final hour of daytime (2pm Central or 3pm Eastern/Pacific) back to the affiliates in September 2012, so they can fill it with their own programming. That will leave three hours of daytime for ABC to schedule.
The View is a huge success so that’s not going anywhere. ABC-owned stations have committed to a new Katie Couric talk show for fall and that will fill another hour. That leaves one hour left up for grabs. The Chew and The Revolution aren’t performing as well as the soaps they replaced but are cheaper to produce. Only one of them, or General Hospital, will likely survive.
Another possibility is that ABC could produce General Hospital for first-run syndication. This solution would allow ABC affiliates to keep the show in its current timeslot, if they chose to buy it. If not, other stations in the broadcast area could pick up the soap and put it in an available timeslot. As with any daytime solution, the declining viewership and cost would likely be a deterrent.
What do you think? Could GH realistically make a move to primetime for limited summer runs? Would you be in favor of that solution?
Image courtesy ABC.
I love General Hospital, but it is the show to watch while kids are napping. I don’t know if it would do well prime time because it’s not racy enough, which is fine by me. I hate all the sex and swearing on TV now. Leave well enough alone, unless it would cause cancellation.
I look forward to watching this program on Fridays when I am off. I record them during the day on Wear TV. Please leave it on daytime. I discovered it did not record today when what I had recorded was blank.
General hospital is a program a started watching 31 years ago. In the mth of august i deleivered a little girl named melissa but with a long hard deliever she passed away. It was very hard on my husband and myself , but life go on .I started to watch the show while i was recovering it made me forget what i went threw . And to this day i still watch this wonderful program. And will keep wathing ,it was the only one in the passed and is my favorite program has of today . So please do not… Read more »
what idot consultant told disney that they need a disney junior channel? nick already beat them to that many many many years ago, corp america will be the death blow to this country!
Well its too bad that abc wants to show stupid shows that cost less to run. Take general hospital off and see how much money you make. Stupid stupid stupid. Why cant soap net carry our soaps. I beg abc to open their eyes and keep gh on.
Yeah, money’s ALWAYS the issue! Forget what WE want to watch! I miss AMC & OLTL so much, I cry every time I hear about them. And leave GH right where it is! There isn’t enough decent programming on daytime as it is! If I hear about ONE more inane reality or talk show coming on, I think I’ll put my foot thru the boob tube! What a WASTE of air space & time! It’s all garbage! YUCK! I would NEVER be desperate enough to view that ca-ca! And I HAVE been desperate at times for something to watch! After… Read more »
I will never watch. Katie C ! Been a fan of OLTL and GH since it began. How do we kn ow ratings are bad that’s just what ABC is telling us we should do an internet survey!
Some times General Hospital hits a low slow point, but even at the worst time is a zilliion times better than Katie Couric could ever be.
Thats one way to make General Hospital go away and FAST by putting a soap thats been running DEAD LAST in the ratings on prime time…HAHAHAHAHA!!
i like the revlotion and the chew save them abcty good person cancel one apon a time megan.
I think it was horrible that the only two soaps that I have watched for 30 years have been taken off the air for the money interests of the television network! It was irrelevant what the public wanted. I do hot like either the Chew or the Revolution. It is a boring repetition of shows that we do really regard as meaningful. Dr. Oz and the doctors are enlightening, we learn alot and its enough.I cannot watch those two shows. They bore me to tears!
The View may be high in ratings but it definitely shouldn’t be called the view anymore! By now we all know exactly what the view of each of those women on the panel is. There are no more surprises. I’ve watched it since it first started and I find it’s gotten tired and predictable. Nothing new on the view anymore. Each host is so set in their ways I could tell you exactly what will come out of their mouths before they say it!
I record The Chew and The Revolution, but end up erasing the programs based on the subject matter. I think America is tired of seeing other people’s sob stories of not being able to lose weight, or ANOTHER way to save money on makeup or whatever. The View may be high in ratings but it is just a bunch of unattractive women gossiping about today’s issues. Soaps take a person away from reality for awhile and you get to see attractive people in different situations. AMC, OLTL, & GH are such long traditions-we don’t need ANOTHER talk show!!!!! Bring back… Read more »