Lights out for 'Guiding Light' after final show

Lights out for 'Guiding Light' after final show
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Today marks the final flicker of CBS' "Guiding Light." The venerable weekday soap opera is airing its farewell hour after 72 years on the air. The words "The End" appear on the screen before its final fade-out.

"Guiding Light" began on radio in 1937, then moved to TV in 1952. In recent decades it was set in the midwestern town of Springfield and focused on the Spaulding, Lewis and Cooper clans.

But now it becomes the latest victim of the ratings collapse afflicting the soap opera genre. With an average of 2.1 million viewers, "Guiding Light" was the least-watched of the network soaps, which after today will total only seven.

In two weeks, CBS will fill the slot "Guiding Light" is vacating with a new edition of the game show "Let's Make a Deal."

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CBS is a unit of CBS Corp.

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On the Net:

http://www.cbs.com

Published 9/18/09 by


AP TV News

Comments (13)

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  • Still missing it two months later!. Every morning, I look at the clock at the same time..COMPLETELY subconsciously, and it is always time to turn it on.
    BethM33 11/6/09 Reply
  • I dont watch cbs anymore during the time Guiding Light was on. I will not support that stupid game show. We are getting way to many reality shows. I dont even get how they can say the ratings are down. They must have ask the wrong people.
    Anonymous 10/11/09 Reply
  • I have been missing my guiding light soooo bad i hate cbs forever .
    Anonymous 10/8/09 Reply
  • I miss GL. It feels like an old friend has passed away.
    Anonymous 9/23/09 Reply
  • I sincerely miss Guiding Light. Didn't know what to do yesterday afternoon! I will never watch anything on CBS again!
    I watched faithfully for 25 years. I am discusted with CBS!!!
    Anonymous 9/22/09 Reply
  • I miss Guiding Light!! It's only Tuesday:( I will not be watching "Let's Make a Deal"..........I will watch Dr. Oz!
    Anonymous 9/22/09 Reply
  • I miss Guiding Light already and it has only been one day! I do not understand why it was taken off the air and not some of the other "horrible" soaps. Well you can bet I will be doing something else during my afternoons because the Guiding Light...
    Anonymous 9/21/09 Reply
  • It's really sad since in the last year G.L. has become the best soap on tv. (Except for the gay stuff)
    Anonymous 9/19/09 Reply
  • This is sad! I guess the networks are more concerned with the bottom line --- it's cheaper to make a tacky game show or cheesy reality show than a quality soap. Too bad - you can bet your sweet behind I won't watch either of those shows; I dislike...
    Anonymous 9/18/09 Reply
  • The guiding light was my favorite daytime show. I will miss it.Please bring it back. What happened to Jeffrey?
    Anonymous 9/18/09 Reply
  • Man this is the only soap i wacthed. Now I have no interest in daytime television. I hope they can bring it back on the air, because well never know what happened with jeffery and edmond
    Anonymous 9/18/09 Reply
  • I will miss the Guiding Light every day. There has to be a way to bring it back.
    Geeg 9/18/09 Reply
  • So sad! Love this show!
    Anonymous 9/18/09 Reply