Guiding Light To Air Final Episode In September
April 1st, 2009 | 33 Comments | Email | Share | TweetThe world’s longest-running TV soap opera, Guiding Light, will broadcast its final episode on CBS in September due to slumping ratings, ending a 72-year run that began on radio. The daytime show transferred from NBC radio to CBS television in 1952. It has won 69 Daytime Emmy Awards throughout its history.
Guinness World Records has dubbed it the world’s longest-running TV drama. More than 15,700 episodes will have been broadcast by the time its final episode airs on September 18.
“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, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group president.
“We are working hard to find the show a new home, and we are exploring all our options to continue to bring loyal fans the characters and stories they love,” said Brian T. Cahill, senior vice president and managing director, TeleNext Media, Inc., which produces the show.
my mom Laura is 52 and I Julie am 32 my mother has been watching guiding light since she was 8 years old and i have watched just as long with my mom when something drastic happens on the show we feel it in our living rooms we love the show we are loyal watchers everyday and my mom watches it morning in afternoon rerun or not. We need to keep this show going we hope to see it on another station soon. Gonna miss watching our second family everyday.
Very Sad In Winchester Virginia,
Laura & Julie
P.S. What Can we do now!
I agree 200% I have been watching for many many of years and I hate to see it end. I hope they do put it on other channal i buy the channal if I have to. I would also like to know if you can buy them on dvd. How can the fans keep the show going?
I started watching the guiding light in the early 80’s when I was laid off. When I got called back to work, I had to go out and buy a vcr,$700 at that time,so that I would’nt missthe show. Please do all you can to keep it on the air.This is the only soap I watch daily, as I have come to know and love all of the characters.Plus I do not want these people to lose their jobs. Thanking you in advace for your efforts. Joyce.
This is soooo sad, when my sister told me about this i was like stop lying. I record guiding light everyday on my dvr and on weekends have back to back episodes. Is there something we can do like sign a petition, anything at all ?? …. This is trully very sad I love this show, this is one of the best no I must say the best soap out there right now.
I have always watched GL. I’m 53 yrs old and my Grandmother had me hooked on it when I was 5.
I have been watching GL since the early 50s. My grandma and mom and I always did so together. GL is a part of all our lives… With so many changes in the world, it was always comforting to know some things were solid. I do no know why it was decided GL would go off the air… I live in NJ and work near Gladstone Peapack. I rush to get home so as not to miss GL. Don’t leave all your “family” please stay…
My sister and i watch this soap it is the best one one t.v. She tapes it on her dvr, when i don’t get to watch it i will call her and find out what happened or go over to her house and watch. I don’t see how ratings are down.
I have been watching this show since the 70’s, my mother before me and her mother before her. Very sad that this has to end, CBS what are you thinking??
I love guiding light you cannot take this off the air period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they cant do this to us it is like taking away our family. please help keep this on the air
I enjoy Guiding Light and I do not want it to go off of the air either! What can we do to keep it on the air? My favorite character is Marina Cooper. I agree with Dee, this is very sad and I am going to miss it!
i LOVE THIS SHOE i AM 35 AND i WATCHED ALL OF THE SOAPS ON cbs WE SAT DOWN TO yOUNG AND THE RESTLESS TO cAPITAL and Then As the World Turns and we finished with Guiding Light……I cried when HB died…..when Reva car went off the bridge …..All ofthe Josha and Reva Breakup and make-up stories and you can’t forget the Spaldings…Alexandris, Phillip, Alex,Allen…..What about Mindy and the crew….The Bower Bar-B-Q I came to every year in my living room……Even though the old was the best…I love the new characters as well….We need to keep this on…T.V my daughter is 2 and it will not be the same watch are line up without this show…..So please find a new TOWN…LOL (station) to move to if Springfield is going down….We need this to stay.
This saddens me to no end. I have so many fond memories watch GL with my friends in high school. It was our thing to do after school during the week before we’d bother with homework. I have certainly taken breaks from watching it, but I have always ALWAYS been loyal and enjoyed every minute. Old and new characters. My favorite recent moment was when Tammy died and Jonathon flipped out. Had me in tears. I will miss every single character I’ve ever watched on this show and can’t believe such a big part of history is coming to an end :-(
I have been watching GL for 32 years. I know the characters, all of them, like my own family. My understanding is that GL had more viewers on a daily basis then either Leno or Conan so I don’t understand why it is going off the air. There is no end of commercials so it can’t be sponsorship. Why is it ending? I realize it is “just a TV show” but give me a break, it is also a daily part of the lives of MILLIONS of people. How can a network arbitrarily decide to end a 72 year old tradition? GL may have gotten off the beaton track once in a while with their story line, like when Reva had a clone or was able to go back in time by stepping through a mirror (that was just a tad over the top for my taste) but still, it is one of the most entertaining soaps on the air. It has always added levity and humour as well as casting some of the best actors on TV. I wish the network would reconsider this decision before they do anything fatal like killing off Phillip.
This is so terrible!!! GL is one of my favorite soaps to watch!!! Please keep it on. This show is a daily routine for me when i am eating lunch. This will affect a lot of people I think.
I cannot believe that they are taking Guiding Light off and leaving ignorant shows like Bold and Beautiful, Days of our Lives or some of the other soaps on. Just like our politics, it has all gone to hell!
How sad!! I can’t believe it!! I was waiting for reva and Josh to get back together!!
I USED TO WATCH DAYS WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER.THEN A FRIEND OF MINE WAS WATCHING YOUR SHOW EVER SINCE THE EARLY 80S I GAVE UP ON DAYS AND HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE LIGHT. PLEASE, PLEASE,PLEASE TRY TO KEEP IN ON . WE LOVE IT AND WILL MISS THE SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There has to be something you can do to save Guiding Light” I have be watching this show for over 40 years. I search the articles in hopes that another station will pick up this wonderful daytime drama. Please don’t let long running show go off the air. Please don’t disapoint so many loyal fans. Please Find Guiding Light a new home!!!!!!
5 generations 2 younger then i.have tuned in every day.Charicters like Alen Spalding and Roger thourp dont die intill the acter does.maybe you can do one of thows miricals (riva shane)we love so well.or not, injoy your game show.time to break the chane ,with out the guiding light, there is no reason to stay in side anymore.!
i cried today when alan died. for years i have hated him, loved him, felt sorry for him and wished him gone. now that he is it is like part of my family died. for over 50 years guiding light has been part of my life. i will go through with draw not being able to see what is happening in springfield.i feel like part of my up bringing is gone. i hope some chanel will have the sense to pick the program up and keep tradition going.
I am 52 and have been watching the guiding light since I was 5 with my mom. Now my whole family (wife and two kids) sit down every night and enjoy the show. It is a tragedy of epic proportion if this program is not allowed to continue. The guiding light has been a part of many family’s life throughout Canada and the US, writers, producers etc… are responsible to keep this tradition alive. Losing the guiding light will be like losing a second family. Please for my family and the millions of others around the globe keep the “light” shining.
I started to watch Guiding light over 40 years ago with my late mother and it became a tradition that continued even when my sisters and I were in school. We would hurry home to watch it with her and even after she passed away last year it was still the only soap opera we would watch and think about sitting with my mother, watching it, doing our home work while she started our supper. I will not watch another soap opera because it just will not be the same. If it is ever picked up again on another channel I hope I am able to get it, even it I have to pay extra to see it. There are so many memories behind it.
I can not believe they are taking Guiding Light off the air!!! It was the most realistic show on tv during the day. That is the only show I am dedicated to. I was upset when they killed Alan off, but I never thought they would end the whole show. I have my DVR set to record it and get furious when I am bothered while watching it!!! I really hope that you’ll bring it back soon!!!!!!!!!!! It is the only one I watch and will never watch another. It was a big mistake ending that show. CBS is going to regret that!!! Please turn the “Light” back on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There can’t possibly be an issue of view decline with this soap! To the best of my understanding this was the most liked show on day time tv! I love this show and the actors that are in it. This show is better than than any other soap there is. CBS is making a huge mistake taking this show off the air! So were are the stars of the show going now? What is going to take its place? Daytime tv isn’t going to be the same without the Light! I missed a few years due to work but this is the only soap I have ever kept up with. During both my pregnancies I watched this show everyday! And now I record every episode and watch it daily! This show was great and I hate to see it end! I really hope they will reconsider and put it back on the air soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can not believe they are taking Guiding Light off the air! I was upset that they killed Alan off the show, but I never in a million years thought they would end the show! This was the most realistic show on tv. Yes there were some episodes that were kind of crazy but this show was great. Most of the soaps are all muffled sounding like they are on stage inside, but this one was like it was filmed right inside their homes and always had outside shots!! This soap was the best of all time and the longest running!!! Please turn the “Light” back on!! TV wont be the same without it.
I want to know if reva and josh ended up together when the show ended.
my great-grandmother watched this show faithfully when she was alive and introduced me to the show…I am now 36 and have watched GL for the majority of those years. It was the one and only show I watched faithfully, giving CBS my viewing time. Now, with CBS ending GL, I will no longer give CBS ANY of my viewing time. ABC or NBC will now get that time…And I’m sure if enough people who love this show, as much as my family did,boycotted CBS;they would see how much of a following GL had and see that canceling this show was a huge mistake for thier precious ratings.
Joy, I felt the same way…but other soaps need our support in order to stay on the air. ATWT is canceled as well and will air it’s last episode next fall when their contract is up :-( We need to keep daytime alive.
I am 56 years old and I have been watching the Guiding Light forever. I just got an upgrade on my cable so that I could tape some of the episodes. I didn’t know they were going off the air until last week. I will truly miss this soap because it is the only one that I watched. I hope they can find a new home for them and take up where they left off.
Does anyone out there have the Final Episode of Guiding Light,9-18-09, I may purchase on Dvd.??? Thanks, Leslie
Yes, Reva & Josh did get back together! Hurray! Leslie, I have the last week on dvd if you are still looking.
I have been watching GL since I was 4 y/o and I am nearly 40 y/o now. I am deeply saddened. I certainly hope that the show continues elsewhere. They certainly deserve to continue on after all of these years of giving us great entertainment. It is like loosing my family members and knowing that I might never see them again. I feel that I know each one of these people personally. I would certainly be loyal and continue to watch them no matter where they might cast. I am also wanting to at least see the last episode that was filmed on CBS- I think they are nuts for getting rid of the show. BUT, the show will survive for a long time, just like they did this time if given another opportunity!!!
This was very disturbing to me, I have watched this show since I was in grammer school and I am 62 now. I hope you can find a new home for the show, they deserve to come back if they want to, they still have many loyal fans.