Sign in to wowOwow

Enter the email address that you used when registering at wowOwow.
The password field is case sensitive. Click here if you have forgotten your password.

Please register for wowOwow

Newsletter subscriptions
Sign up to receive wowOwow's weekly newsletter and get our best picks delivered right to your inbox. Our newsletter content is hand-picked by the wowOwow editorial team and provides the top features, news, and commentary from our site. Subscribing to our newsletter is free and safe. We will never share your email or other information with a third-party without your direct consent.
By registering, you indicate that you have read and agree
with our privacy policy and terms of service.
Home › Money

The Greatest Depression | 04/01/2009 3:25 pm

Lights Out for 'Guiding Light'

CBS announced the end of the longest-running soap opera in history and reportedly will replace the program with something cheaper to produce
By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© Shutterstock

The lights will soon go out on the set of "Guiding Light."

CBS just announced that they are pulling the plug on television’s longest-running drama. While the network’s press release doesn’t give a clear explanation for the cancellation, many believe that the show’s low ratings — 2.17 million viewers daily — are to blame. We are absolutely crushed saying good-bye to the Bauer, Spaulding, Marler, Lewis and Cooper families. Though their lives are complex, the drama has entertained us, our friends and families since 1937.

The series first premiered on radio before debuting on CBS television in 1952, and while many sit at home after receiving pink slips, they won’t have this soap opera to keep them company. After 72 years and more than 15,700 episodes, this iconic drama’s final episode will air on September 18.

As the network reportedly shops for a cheaper program to air in its place, a top executive at CBS says the spirit of the soap will live on.

"This daytime icon will always be an indelible part of CBS’s history, with a legacy of innovation and reputation for quality and excellence at every step of the way," said Nancy Tellem, president, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. "While its presence will be missed, its contributions will always be celebrated and never be forgotten."

Yet another legend crumbles under this dreadful economy …

Tune in with us on September 18 to watch the final episode on CBS. 

Read more about: CBS, Celebrity, Drama, Entertainment, Guiding Light, News, Recession, Television

19 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Helen O'Reilly
Who or what was the eponymous "guiding light?"
By Helen O'Reilly on 04/01/2009 3:32 pm
Misty Kruger

 

From the wiki entry about the show:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiding_Light 

The show’s title refers to a lamp in the study of Reverend Dr. John Ruthledge, a major character when Guiding Light debuted in 1937, that family and residents could see as a sign for them to find help when needed.

By Misty Kruger on 04/01/2009 7:29 pm
Helen O'Reilly
Thanks!
By Helen O'Reilly on 04/02/2009 11:26 am
M J
This soap opera has been on forever! I used to watch it when it was only 15 min. long. Then Douglas Edwards would come on with the noon news. Though I haven’t watched it in eons, I do know it had its audience or it never could have lasted that long. Goodbye to a very old friend.
By M J on 04/01/2009 4:31 pm
S.J. Morgan

I used to watch all the time whn my son was a baby……20 years ago! 

By S.J. Morgan on 04/01/2009 5:02 pm
Patricia Sprofera
GL was a multi-generational "friend" for so many viewers.  But even my viewing declined when the hand-held filming equipment came to the fore as well as the "NJ format."  I did meet many of the actors during several Fan Club Luncheons and I thank them for their kindnesses, their art and wish everyone connected with GL the best, always.
By Patricia Sprofera on 04/01/2009 5:38 pm
Kris Merrill
I remember listening to this in my grandmother’s kitchen - on the radio. Don’t know that I’ve ever seen it on TV, but the sweet memeories of my grandmother and the wonderful feeling in her kitchen are still real to me!
By Kris Merrill on 04/01/2009 5:47 pm
Beth Cornell
I have watched this some since the early 1980s. I am a recapper for a soap website and recap GL. I will be out of a non paying job in Sept. :(
By Beth Cornell on 04/01/2009 6:06 pm
S.J. Morgan
As the World Turns I can remember that show as a little girl in grade school!  1960’s 
By S.J. Morgan on 04/01/2009 6:42 pm
C. Aune

Those GL families where like part of our family when by Grandma was alive…seriously, after she had a stroke she’d talk about them like they were family members LOL.

RIP Guiding Light

By C. Aune on 04/01/2009 7:28 pm
nanchan u

This makes me so sad.

My grandmother used to watch it with me all the time and we would call each other to discuss the plots.  She taught me the immortal lesson in life, "They aren’t really dead until you see them in the ground".

OK, Grandma!  You up there?  Kick some CBS booty and keep this on the air!  I won’t believe it until I see it in the ground.

By nanchan u on 04/01/2009 8:43 pm
Rosemary Butt
The demise of GL make me sad too, at the age of 73, I have listened to it on the radio, and off and on tv thru the years.  The tv shows of today are so pathetic, especially the reality shows, that I tape the soaps and watch them in the evening instead of what is on the networks.  Ah well, guess I will just stop even watching tv.
By Rosemary Butt on 04/01/2009 9:56 pm
S.J. Morgan

Who could forget the Spaulding Family!

Cast over the years…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Guiding_Light_cast_members

By S.J. Morgan on 04/01/2009 11:45 pm
Rosemary Butt
The demise of GL make me sad too, at the age of 73, I have listened to it on the radio, and off and on tv thru the years.  The tv shows of today are so pathetic, especially the reality shows, that I tape the soaps and watch them in the evening instead of what is on the networks.  Ah well, guess I will just stop even watching tv.
By Rosemary Butt on 04/02/2009 7:12 am
Rosemary Butt
The demise of GL make me sad too, at the age of 73, I have listened to it on the radio, and off and on tv thru the years.  The tv shows of today are so pathetic, especially the reality shows, that I tape the soaps and watch them in the evening instead of what is on the networks.  Ah well, guess I will just stop even watching tv.
By Rosemary Butt on 04/02/2009 7:16 am
12next ›last »