Fans Rally to Save General Hospital
A group of ambitious soap opera lovers have organized a campaign to help keep General Hospital on the air, spurred on by recent near crippling ratings. I think once you see which couples these fans want to see back together, you'll see why I endorse this campaign wholeheartedly! Check out the press release below:
Time for ABC/Disney to Improve Product Before It Is Too Late
For the week ending June 19, 2009, the ratings for GENERAL HOSPITAL (GH) plummeted to all-time lows. GH lost more viewers than ALL MY CHILDREN (AMC) and ONE LIFE TO LIVE (OLTL) combined in both total viewers and in the women 18-49 demographic according to the numbers reported by The Nielsen Ratings Corporation. GH also recorded its first ever 1.6 rating in total viewers and, for the first time in the history of any ABC soap, had a market share of 5. As GH fell to sixth place out of the eight daily soap operas rated (which will soon be seven when Guiding Light's cancellation takes effect), the question raised is: Will ABC/Disney continue with the status quo at GH and can they afford to?
One year ago, GH, led by fan favorite pairings Sonny and Kate, Jason and Elizabeth, Patrick and Robin, and Jax and Carly, was comfortably in third place in total viewers and in second place by a wide margin in the women 18 to 49 demographic. Each of the four couples mentioned is consistently rated eighth or higher in polls by ABC Soaps In Depth or Soap Opera Digest weekly, even while two of them are no longer allowed to share screen time. This separation is depriving many viewers of what used to be an enjoyable experience. Evidence of this is apparent in last week's numbers when only 754,000 women in the 18-49 demographic watched the show, down 7,000 viewers from GH’s previous all time low of 761,000 (week ending April 24, 2009).
All of this, combined with analysis of last week’s ratings (June 15-19, 2009) vs. last season's numbers, shows ABC's GH is currently down 25% in total viewers and down 31% in the 18-49 demographic. Given this continued steep decline in viewership, and over six months of complaints from GH fans who are loyal ABC/Disney customers, it is clear that management has not listened to the viewers by taking steps to improve its product.
Having joined together to form the SOS/Save Our Soap! GENERAL HOSPITAL Campaign, fans of Sonny and Kate, Jason and Elizabeth, Patrick and Robin, and Jax and Carly share a common goal in asking ABC/Disney to listen to the viewers and make changes. Over 12,000 postcards have already been sent to ABC/Disney executives to that end. All involved in this campaign want GH to be successful and want to help restore GH to the position it once held. However, as one fan stated, “women, who are the backbone of GH’s viewership, and obviously the most important demographic, resent being virtually banned from their TV screens by being forced to endure the degradation of strong, independent and professional female characters in favor of showcasing immoral, manipulative, lying female characters on a day-to-day basis. Women viewers have had enough and have decided that GH is no longer entertaining or enjoyable to watch and the ratings reflect that.”
The number of fans joining the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital Campaign continues to grow in support of working for a better GENERAL HOSPITAL. For more information on the campaign, contact Dana L. Meyer or Kecia K. Picard at
saveoursoapgh@gmail.com or visit the SOS/Save Our Soap! GENERAL HOSPITAL page on Facebook.- Login or register to post comments
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Comments
12 June 2009
1 year 51 weeks
This should be a campaign for the four other soaps on the air (seeming that Y&R and B&B are safe). GH is Disney's flagship soap. Even though if AMC or OLTL will seem a bit better at times, GH is always going to be promoted the most.
20 August 2008
20 weeks 5 days
i am one of the viewers that gave up on GH last year. but you know, i would LOVE it if the soap could return to its former glory. i would be back in a heartbeat if there was some sign that things were truly changing. fire guza. get new writers. get a new EP. *something*! with that in mind, i wholeheartedly sign on to this campaign. i'll send a postcard, but i'm still not hoping for much.
20 August 2008
20 weeks 5 days
one more thing. they also need to add "jason and sam" to the couples list. i loved them together. sam seemed comfortable in her own skin around lucky, and lucky for once seemed like a real man. they had great chemistry and i still can't believe the writers broke them up for a jasam rehash.
11 April 2009
5 days 21 hours
And people have been worried about OLTL!
It's time to dial back on the mob wars and bring back the Quartermaines.
Why not reboot the show? Monica steps out of the shower and realizes that it was all a bad dream: Alan and Emily didn't die. Jason Quartermaine is at his patient's bedside...
Seriously, if Dallas can spin it, why not GH?
As much as people kick Chuck Pratt, at least his show is doing better than GH.
1 June 2008
6 hours 16 min
GH NEEDS TO CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
15 April 2008
18 weeks 5 days
What about fans of other parts of the show? Fans of those couple only represent a small margin of the audience. Last time I checked GH had bigger cast than 8 characters.
20 August 2008
20 weeks 5 days
oh and one more thing... television without pity is doing voting for their tubey awards and GH is in a couple of categories. fans might wanna head over here and vote:
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/tubeys/nominees.php
make sure to vote in the following categories that have GH nominees:
#14 most unwelcome new character - claudia, GH
#16 character most in need of being killed off - sonny, GH, luke GH
#23 worst retcon (IOW, worst rewrite of history) - Luke cheated on Laura with Holly Sutton and fathered Ethan, GH
on #16 i voted for sonny, because wiping the mob off GH's canvas would go a long way towards opening up opportunities for the characters we love.
1 April 2009
8 hours 38 min
They should have fans send in 'scripts' ....In all seriousness, I think the fans should be a bigger part of the writing system on this show.
Stage a contest, employ fans-turned-writers for a year. Imagine the press ABC Daytime would get with the recession still going on....Unemployment still at an all time low; a creative idea to save this show AND jobs...
I'm not saying fire the current writers (yes I am! yes I am! arrgh!) but it's the fan's that know what works and what does not. Because just like txriotgrrrl, I gave this show up a year or two ago after a LIFETIME. The fun was gone. There has no reason to tune back in...
23 March 2009
1 day 1 hour
Don't forget the reckless and needless trashing of history (with Tony Geary's blessing apparently just so he could attach himself to Nathan Parsons) of Luke/Laura and Robert/Holly. You don't just mess with history of the glory days of a show without repercussions. The three hugest couples of the 1980's on GH were L&L, R&H and Frisco/Felicia (and they've already trashed Felicia's character). Why in the world would they mess with GH history like this.... Ethan probably won't even be a long-term character... he'll go the way of Logan where they initially are excited to write for him and then they lose interest. (At least with Logan, they didn't have to change history... they inserted Logan's conception during one of Kin's absences from the show. If they were determined to make Ethan Luke's son, they could have done it in a way to not trash these couples, but instead they rushed the story through and didn't bother to connect the dots as usual.
20 June 2009
2 years 31 weeks
Not all the fans love those couples. I am a huge fan of patrick and robin and jax and carly. If I remember correctly, ratings were in the 3.0 range when jason and sam were together so reunite them. Dream for GH: JASAM married with a baby! SPIXIE! No ETHAN! No REBECCA! More Quartermaines! I do love the numichael and kristina though! So keep them involved with alexis and sonny and carly and the Q's! We need a huge story involving the PCPD, the metrocourt, and GH! No mob. Of course, johnny and jason can be involved but can someone else be the hero like spinelli, matt, patrick, robin, tracy, lulu....please!
11 June 2009
2 years 5 hours
I still watch this ridiculously bad show (mostly on mute) even though I can't stand any storyline but Spixie... but if Liason got back together I would start to care again:)
p.s. GH is bad but almost no show is worst than AMC... don't let those residual Eden Riegel ratings fool you, lol
13 June 2009
19 weeks 2 days
Well, while I don't think it's necessarily the couples that are the problem (I love Jolivia, for example, and Spixie, of course) I DO agree that things have to change at GH.
Why can't the campaign be less couple-centric?
Because if the writing continues to be as erratic as it's been, does it really matter whether it's Jason and Sam or Jason and Liz, or Jax and Carly or Sonny and Carly together?
1 July 2009
2 years 31 weeks
ok im new here but in reponse to #10 I would never ever watch GH again if they had jason and sam have a baby!!! I mean he wont be around jake cuz it's sooo dangerous sooo why would they have him have another kid, that would be pointless and hypacritical! i want liason to be together and havent watched since they broke them up!
18 January 2008
16 weeks 5 days
Sooo, what, if I'm not a fan of Skate, Liason, CarJax, or Scrubs, I shouldn't bother to participate in this campaign? Last time I looked, Scrubs and CarJax WERE together, and they don't seem to be setting the Nielsens on fire. What's needed here is a full change of guard backstage, not one couple getting together. Like Mardou said, what does it matter who's with who as long as the show is as bad as it is?
And these complaints started a lot longer than just six months ago, and the ratings have been on steady decline for a lot longer than that. The Titanic's been sinking a long time, and all I see are deck chairs being moved around. Personally, I could care less about any of the couples named in this. I just want a show I can watch again, with or without the Great and Powerful Liason, or Scrubs, et al.
30 November 2007
4 weeks 8 hours
At the moment, I wouldn't want Liason together unless they were written better than the last time, when they just jerked us poor fans around then ended it abruptly. A Liz/Nik or Liz/Matt romance might be interesting, maybe. But I would certainly like them to shake it up and try something different, something that didn't rely on endangered pregnancies, mob shootings, and various characters on the run together.
22 April 2008
44 weeks 4 days
'I just want a show I can watch again, with or without the Great and Powerful Liason, or Scrubs, et al'.
.....................................................
Amen,and Liason really isn't that powerful. More time should be spent using all the cast members and not making stupid decisions by killing important people like my Ric off and bringing useless characters in. Cough..EthaN..cough cough
17 June 2009
3 weeks 3 days
GH is dead to me with these storylines, and the show repeats the same old story over and over with nickolas etc..jason & sam are boring....
Y&R and B&B are far better than GH have been these days for several years, perhap GH can learn something from them...the families of the Abbotts & the Newman and Jill & katherine and the Forresters of B&B are the reasons we watch them and they have great ratings...GH killed most of the Quartermines which is why GH went down..no more Alan no more AJ or Ned etc.... Its GH mobs tories...sick of Sonny and him falling in love..Sarah Browns, and that poor actress playing Rebecca are boring..
GH need to bebetter and get reality, forget Mobs, go to the Hospital..Grey's Anatomy, ER, Chicago Hope, those shows is what GH should be about familys & the hospital dramas..not the Mobs or Sonny or Jason or Sam..the show is not what it should be about...
FIRE Jill Farren Phelp, get rid of Bob Guza bring in new ideas and fresh ideas, the opening sucks too...so 90's...
GH need to have a new beginning, new fresh start and a new heart to keep it going!
10 February 2009
6 hours 7 min
When are they firing Frons and Guza and hiring Sri Rao? That's all it would take.
23 August 2008
1 year 2 weeks
Bring back EMILY, ALAN,...THE Q'S! Jiz, Sonny & anyone, needs to stay dead. Give Jason a worthwile pairing (not a fan of Robin, but I loved her with Jason). Get rid of the extra mess, Spixie, the Z's, Olivia.
GET RID OF GUZA!!
29 May 2009
2 years 31 weeks
the show went down hill since claudia and all the z have came in!!! but i stopped watching all together when they said that jason and sam were getting back together. can not stand for all that mob story line anymore. give us what we want to see jason & liz, sonny & kate, quartermaines AND NO MORE MOB!!! and then we will be back. send claudia back were she came from and NEVER here from her again.
1 July 2009
3 weeks 2 days
I agree that as of late GH has been not as good as it once was but it is nothing compared to the summer of 2005. That was just awful. They do need to make a change and not let Sonny and the Mob ruin GH. It does appear this could be the summer of the Corinthos family though. I am so excited about the reveal of Dominic as Dante but if they leave Kate out of it completely it would be the biggest mistake ever. I think it would so redeeming to have Kate be involved in that and find out from Jerry about Claudia's involvement in the shooting of Michael. Then she can set the record straight and reconcile with Sonny. That will leave Olivia to be with Johnny and that viper Claudia to go after Dante! As for the pairing of Jason and Liz that will never happen as it goes against everything Jason stands for. I do agree that GH should do some bizarre dream sequence that allows Allan to have never died, Emily to have never died, and AJ to have never died. Recast AJ (seeing as Keenan is back on B&B) and give him a storyline with Michael. Wouldn't it be a great twist if it were revealed that Jason never did kill AJ. I mean how could he kill Michael's father/his brother? I don't think Jason is that cold! Give Matt more of a storyline. He could be paired with Liz. That would be fun! While I do like Lucky and Liz unless they reveal that Jake is in fact a Spencer (I don’t believe they ever had Liz look at the paternity test) then I cannot actually root for a couple that I feel is GH's only legacy couple next to Robin and Patrick. I think Lucky should be with this girl that he new while being held by Helena! As for Ethan I like him and love that he is Luke's son. I don't think in any way does that tarnish Laura and Luke or Holly and Robert. In fact it is just like Luke and Holly to do something crazy like that. It totally fits! Laura cannot judge. She left her hubby for Luke! GH is still there beating away like crazy and will get better in time. The firing of Guza (much needed!) and hopefully a new Executive Producer will be all it needs. They need Gavin to take the reigns of Head Writer and do the magic he did during the writers strike. Paging Wendi Richter! Paging Wendi Richter. Please come to the 2nd floor nurses station and save our General Hospital!
1 June 2008
6 hours 16 min
Gh has lost another good actor and another good character Alan,,,
Yeaa Alan is dead And I don't think they should bring him back BUT Now That Jason is feeling sorry and regretting what he done to his family wouldn't it be the perfect opportunity to show Ghost Alan and Jason have their talk that they didn't have before he died .. Alan could have pushed him to be with his son ... what a waste of good Storylines .............
And if they do bring liason back would it be good if it will be like the same scenes I want to be with you but my life isn't safe , it is too dangerous for you be around him and so on........
They need to change the writing .. the heart of the show .. stop with the mob thing make Sonny and Jason not mobsters make sonny the coffee importer Jason as the ELQ head have Jason fighting Tracy .. on it...
And I am sorry for saying it BUT let go of Ethan and Rebecca their characters suck and on offense to the actors but they can't act.. Sorry NL was great as Emily but as Becky she sucks and her scenes with Ethan the kiss is ugly .. Ethan is just annoying I hate him....................
Let go of Claudia SBJ is amazing actress But Claudia is annoying Al was better bad guy and there were timed that I really liked him...........
14 December 2007
15 hours 23 min
Very proud be apart of SOS/love my skate and I miss Gh
30 April 2009
2 years 26 weeks
#13 I am with you. Really? Jason and Sam with a baby and he does not even see Jake? Really? I can not even buy them as a couple, the Jason Morgan that is true to himself would NEVER go back to Sam, come on, a woman who put Jake in danger more than once. get real.....Jason with Jake storyline is gold...but these stupid writers would not know gold if it bit them on the *ss! Liason is beautiful, heartwarming, fun to watch, perfection! I will get on board with this campaign if it puts Jason back with his family!
17 June 2009
3 weeks 3 days
its me again! lol
GH is so dead now that I just realized that ATWT is turning around to be a great cast with so many former GH stars! Lucy Cole Quartermaine, Jon Linstrom, Julie Pinson and Marie Masters and now STAURT DAMON is joinging ATWT.....
GH is so dead that it only focus on teenyboppers....
Y&R and B&B and now now ATWT focus different ages groups, Jeanne Cooper is 80 and has a storyline..Katherine vs. Jill is so fresh and exciting....
Stephanie Forrester is in her late 60's fresh storylines...
What about Leslie Charleson and over 40/50 actresses?
GH better fire Guza and Phillips now!!!
ATWT is getting to have all the best of GH stars..and B&B got Rick Hearst..where does GH have..just Marth Byrne..how long is she gonna be around GH?
GH need to wake up from the life support, before its too late..
22 January 2008
4 hours 26 min
ATWT is making the same mistake Santa Barbara made at the end. Bringing on a bunch of names from other soaps in hopes of drawing over their fans. They hired the biggest names in soaps, Eileen Davidson, Thaao Penghlis, Jack Wagner and even Kim Freaking Zimmer and it didn't work.
27 January 2008
1 year 50 weeks
Oh, I dunno Jamey. I'm gonna start watching ATWT. LOL. Why not? I've got time now that I've stopped watching GH.
29 April 2009
2 years 17 weeks
Liz and Matt is the best idea I've heard in a long time
21 May 2008
1 week 6 days
GH just needs to get a new executive producer and a new head writer. It's NOT about certain couples. It's about the overall focus of the show: violence, sex and mob, mob, mob. And don't forget the dumbing down of women. After what GH did to two of it's greatest supercouples (Luke & Laura and Robert & Holly), there is absolutely NO HOPE FOR ANY COUPLE!
GH just needs a new regime.
11 April 2009
5 days 21 hours
Again, go the Dallas route and make it all a dream. Damon probably has a short term contract on ATWT. As soon as it ends, have him back to GH.
The Quartermaines weren't amoral. The were immoral at times but they weren't mobsters and killers.
As much as I like Maurice Bernard, GH needs to be less Sonny-centric.
Also, this show finally needs to bring in viable brown folks. The only two people of color on the show are Epiphany and Dr. Lee. Neither of whom has a storyline.
How screwed up is this show? Michael has been out of his coma for weeks and his Grandma Bobbie, who lives in the same town, has not seen him! What's up with that?