Topic: Katie
While CBS has the most nominations amongst all television networks, the Disney/ABC Television Group is the most honored programming group with nominations for the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Syndicated programming, and more. The television arm of The Walt Disney Company highlights their nominations below:
On the Thursday, April 4 edition of “Katie,” Katie Couric takes you behind the scenes of ABC’s “General Hospital” as she prepares for her “GH” debut!
“General Hospital” has seen a whirlwind of publicity celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and it looks like “Katie” is the next show to join in on the fun and feature the iconic soap and its beloved stars. Host Katie Couric and an audience filled with die-hard “GH” fans will be spending a full hour paying homage to the long-running drama, and several Port Charles residents are slated to participate!
As “General Hospital’s” 50th anniversary celebration kicks into high gear this week with a very special episode airing Tuesday, April 2 (episode was originally scheduled to air on Monday, April 1 as the 50th anniversary celebratory episode), fans will have no chance of avoiding the cast of the series as they grace your TV screens in more ways than one. In addition to the upcoming Special Edition of “20/20″ with Katie Couric,” wherein ABC News will feature “General Hospital” in a “Real Soap Dish” episode airing Saturday, April 6 from 9:00 – 10:00 PM ET on ABC, the daytime talk show newbie will host the series in a special edition of “Katie” airing on Thursday, April 4. Stars scheduled to appear in the episode include Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer), Genie Francis (Laura Spencer), Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin), Finola Hughes (Anna Devanne), and Kelly Monaco, with a special performance by Rick Springfield (Noah Drake).
For more than 10 years fans of daytime soap operas have been coming to Soap Opera Network to find out how their favorite soap was faring in the weekly ratings report. From time to time we would also provide analysis of how they stacked up when compared to their broadcast counterparts in the talk show and game show genres, but we’ve never looked at how the broadcast soaps (and to a lesser extent the broadcast talk and game shows) compared to syndicated television. Not that it wasn’t easy to provide a comparison, it was just never something we found necessary. In recent months, with the introduction of several syndicated talk shows including “Katie” and “The Steve Harvey Show,” which together took over the 3:00 PM slot from “General Hospital” in much of the country this past September after “GH” moved to 2:00 PM, and the second season without “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” things have changed. Recently, Broadcasting & Cable came out with a report that showed how syndicated programs might be a solid alternative to our soaps in the key demographics when it comes to Madison Avenue buying advertising time. While we wouldn’t want advertisers to give up on our favorite shows, B&C does provide a solid rationalization and even highlights the value of soap operas when it comes to the all important key women demos (Women 18-49, Women 25-54, etc).
Debuting amidst one of the most competitive landscapes in years for syndicated talkers, “Katie” opened as the clear No. 1 freshman daytime talk show, winning all 5 days of its opening week in Homes. On average during the week, “Katie” held wide advantages over its freshman competitors in both Households (2.3/7) and Women 25-54 (1.2/7), including “Steve Harvey” (+64%/+33%), “Jeff Probst” (+188%/140%) and “Ricki Lake” (+229%/+200%).
ABC’s “The Chew” returns for its second season MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 (1:00-2:00 p.m. ET), bringing with it a smorgasbord of exciting guests, culinary creations and tips and tricks to make life healthier, easier and, frankly, a whole lot more fabulous. Season Two will also continue to showcase the hosts’ signature series, including “Five in Five,” “Mario’s Simple Italian,” “The Power of Oz,” as well as “Clinton’s Craft Corner” and “C&C Food Factory.”
In an interview with John Nogawski, president, CBS Television Distribution, Broadcasting & Cable revealed that Disney/ABC Domestic Television is spending roughly $80 million just to get its Katie Couric hosted talker, aptly named “Katie,” off the ground in the next couple of weeks.
Prior to our posting the press release from the Disney/ABC Television Stations Group which revealed the premiere date of “Katie,” Soap Opera Network learned via its sources that ABC had quietly been informing their affiliates of the pending cancellation of “The Revolution,” which has greatly underperformed in key demographics and viewership compared to the series it replaced (“One Life to Live”) back in January.
On June 6, 2011, ABC finally announced (after months of rumors) that it had signed a deal with former “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric to host a new daily syndicated talk show, and that said show would replace veteran soap opera “General Hospital” in the 3:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT/CT timeslot. While initially the decision brought fear to soap opera fans, who only two months prior learned that ABC Daytime’s two other veteran soaps (“All My Children” and “One Life to Live”) would be replaced by two new food and lifestyle centered talk shows (“The Chew” and “The Revolution”). Now nearly a year since the announcement, it looks like Katie Couric may just be the lifesaver “General Hospital” desperately needs.








