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!
Looking at how daytime television has become the pre-primtime of the entertainment landscape in more ways than one, Variety.com, now part of Penske Business Media, LLC (owners of Deadline.com and TVLine.com), has highlighted several of daytime’s biggest stars in front of and behind the scenes who help make the daily drama, the fun & games and the topics of discussion millions of viewers tune into each and every weekday. Those featured in the article include Angelica McDaniel (Senior Vice President, CBS Daytime), Frank Valentini (Executive Producer, “General Hospital”) Kelly Ripa (Tak Show Host, “Live with Kelly and Michael”; ex-Hayley Vaughan Santos, “All My Children”), Heather Tom (Katie Spencer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”), Katie Couric (Talk Show Host, “Katie”), Judge Judy Sheindlin (Judge, “Judge Judy”), Carla Hall and Clinton Kelly (Co-Hosts, “The Chew”) and many more.
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).
As previously reported by Soap Opera Network, ABC News’ “20/20” will be honoring the 50th anniversary of ABC’s “General Hospital” on Saturday, April 6. Dubbed “‘General Hospital’ – The Real Soap Dish,” Katie Couric will take viewers behind the scenes of the fictional town of Port Charles, NY. The hour-long special will include interviews with such “GH” stars as Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer), Genie Francis (Laura Spencer), Jack Wagner (Frisco Jones), Rick Springfield (Noah Drake), Kelly Monaco (Sam McCall), Lisa LoCicero (Olivia Falconeri) and many more. Fans will also get to hear from Frank Valentini, who has spearheaded the soap into increased ratings since taking over as executive producer in January 2012.
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.
On Thursday, March 15, 2012, the Disney/ABC Television Stations Group released a press release (see below) informing stations across the country of its plans to launch the long anticipated talk show “Katie,” hosted by news personality Katie Couric, on Monday, September 10. What wasn’t stated was “General Hospital,” which currently occupies the planned 3:00 PM ET/2:00 PT/CT timeslot for Couric’s talk show, is likely to air its final episode in that timeslot on Friday, September 7. As we all know ABC is scheduled to turn over the timeslot to its affiliates, which will allow them to air various programming across their stations, including the option of airing “Katie.”
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.
