Guiding Light To Go Dark

Cbs Soap Emmy Award-winning soap opera Guiding Light on the air for more than 70 years will go dark this September CBS announced on Wednesday. ...

by The Associated Press

Published: Wed, April 01, 2009 - 2:04 pm CST Last Updated: Sun, April 05, 2009 - 3:24 pm CST

NEW YORK (AP) - The soap opera "Guiding Light" is switching
off after a 72-year run that predates television.
CBS says the show will have its final episode in September. Like
most daytime dramas, "Guiding Light" has suffered from declining
ratings and CBS is looking for a lower-cost alternative to the hour
of programming.
The Guinness Book of World Records has cited it as the
longest-running television drama.
It began as a 15-minute serial on NBC Radio in January 1937 and
debuted on CBS television in 1952, focusing on the Bauer family of
Springfield.

Response from CBS
After fifteen years on radio, GUIDING LIGHT premiered on the CBS Television Network June 30, 1952. The series is credited by The Guinness Book of World Records as "The Longest-Running Television Drama."

"GUIDING LIGHT has achieved a piece of television history that will never be matched; it has crossed mediums, adapted its stories to decades of social change and woven its way through generations of audiences like no other," said Nancy Tellem, President, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. "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. While its presence will be missed, its contributions will always be celebrated and never be forgotten."

"No show in daytime or prime time, or anytime, has touched so many millions of viewers across so many years as GUIDING LIGHT," said Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President, Daytime Programs, CBS. "We thank the cast, crew and producers – past and present – who delivered this entertainment institution, the beloved characters and the time-honored stories to our audience every day for seven decades. It's been a privilege to work with such an extraordinarily talented group of people."

Of course, its success would not have endured for two generations were it not for viewers such as yourself whose loyalty to the program will be ever-appreciated by CBS. It is our hope that you will enjoy, too, the daytime dramas AS THE WORLD TURNS, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, and THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS on CBS. GUIDING LIGHT will continue to air on the Network and will have its final episode Friday, September 18, 2009.

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lucky9213 Says:

Mon, Apr 06, 2009 at 3:49 am

all good things must come to a end my wife use to watch the guiding light but now she,s to busy working

carl Says:

Wed, Apr 01, 2009 at 3:22 pm

Intersanctum and Stella Della and the Grand Ole Oprey on a Sears & Roebuck battery powered radio because we had no power lines in our neck of the woods.Only people who never had to get up in a cold house and go outside to pump a bucket of water the first thing or go to the out house about a hundred feet away on freezing mornings would call it the good old days.For this old Swamp dweller these are the good ole days.

Hate-it Says:

Wed, Apr 01, 2009 at 3:09 pm

We like to think so, it was our good ole days. No telling what you will say when your time comes.

FLOWERCHILD Says:

Wed, Apr 01, 2009 at 2:59 pm

Seventy two years is a long time for a show to broadcast. Last night I watched Andy Griffith and Aunt Bea was listening to a soap opera on the radio. Were those the good ole days?