The Edge of Night

The Edge of Night was a long-running American television crime drama mislabeled as a soap opera. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956. It ran on that network until November 28, 1975 and aired on ABC from December 1, 1975 until December 28, 1984. 7420 episodes were produced, with some 1800 available for syndication.

Ratings

Due to the show's crime format, and its late start time (the show usually aired either at 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon, when many men could rush home early from work), Edge had an audience which was estimated, at one time, to be more than 50% male. When the show moved to 2 PM in 1972, the show slid from a solid #2 in the Nielsen ratings to near the bottom of the pack, and it has been hypothesized that this drop was due to the exodus of many male viewers who could not watch earlier in the afternoon.

Related Topics:
1972 - Nielsen ratings

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Despite ABC's decision to move Edge back to its old 4 PM slot when it debuted on the network in late 1975, the serial never recovered from its steep drop, and stayed close to the bottom until its cancellation. As the show moved into the 1980s, more and more ABC affiliates either moved Edge to late-night timeslots or chose not to air the show at all, causing the show's sponsor to lose more money with each passing year. An announcement that many ABC affiliates would drop The Edge of Night in 1985 caused P&G to pull the plug.

Related Topics:
1980s - 1985

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