NBC Daytime

NBC Daytime was the daytime programming block of NBC. It historically featured many soap operas, game shows, and talk shows. Its main competitors were CBS Daytime and ABC Daytime.

Game shows were discontinued from NBC Daytime's lineup in 1994 and soap operas were largely dropped in the 1980s and the 1990s. By the 2000s, NBC Daytime had been reduced to only two shows: Days of Our Lives and Passions.

Passions was moved to DirecTV's 101 Network in 2007. With Days of Our Lives the only remaining daytime program on the network's schedule, the NBC Daytime branding was discontinued entirely.

Current program

Days of Our Lives

Former shows on NBC Daytime

Soap operas

NBC has aired more than 30 soap operas between 1949 and 2007. Despite the discontinuation of the NBC Daytime programming block in 2007, Days of Our Lives continues to air to this day as a standalone daytime show on the network.

Game shows

NBC ended its game show block in 1991. They briefly revived the format with three game shows in the 1993–94 season, but has not returned since. NBC now programs no game shows. Some of NBC's local stations now get their game shows via syndication. All network-based game shows since 1993 have been weekly or semi-weekly primetime game shows.

Talk, informational, variety, and magazine shows
  • America Alive! (1978–1979)
  • The Arlene Francis Show (1957–1958)
  • Ask Washington (1954)
  • The Betty White Show (1954)
  • The Bill Goodwin Show (1951–1952)
  • The Bob Smith Show (1954)
  • Breakfast in Hollywood (1954)
  • Breakfast Party (1952)
  • Bride and Groom (1953–1954, 1957–1958)
  • The Bunch (1952)
  • Close-Up (1957–1958)
  • A Closer Look with Faith Daniels (1991–1993)
  • Club 60 (1957–1958)
  • The Court of Human Relations (1959)
  • Cover to Cover (1991)
  • Dave and Charley (1952)
  • The David Letterman Show (1980)
  • Dinah's Place (1970–1974)
  • Dr. Dean (1992–1993)
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show (1955–1956)
  • Glamour Girl (1953–1954)
  • A Guest in Your House (1951)
  • Here's Hollywood (1960–1962)
  • Hollywood Today with Sheilah Graham (1955)
  • Home (1954–1957)
  • It's a Problem (1952)
  • It's Time for Ernie (1951)
  • The Jane Whitney Show (1994)
  • John & Leeza from Hollywood (1993)
  • The Johnny Dugan Show (1952)
  • The Kate Smith Hour (1950–1954)
  • Kovacs on the Corner (1952)
  • Later Today (1999–2000)
  • Leeza (1993–1999)
  • Life With Linkletter (1969–1970)
  • The Marsha Warfield Show (1990–1992)
  • Matinee in New York (1952)
  • The Merv Griffin Show (1962–1963; in syndication and CBS from 1965–1986)
  • NBC Bandstand (1956)
  • One on One with John Tesh (1991)
  • The Other Side (1994–1995)
  • Parent's Time (1955)
  • The Pat Boone Show (1966–1967)
  • The Ransom Sherman Show (1950–1951)
  • Real Life (1996–1997)
  • The Regis Philbin Show (1981–1982)
  • Ruth Lyons 50 Club (1951–1952)
  • The Search for Beauty (1955)
  • Straw Hat Matinee (1951)
  • The Swift Home Service Club (1947–1948)
  • Take My Advice (1976)
  • Ted Mack Matinee (1955)
  • The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1955–1956)
  • Trialwatch (1991)
  • Welcome Travelers (1952–1954)
  • The World at Home (1955)

Executives

Head of writer development

NameTitleYearsNotes
Lin BolenVice President of Daytime Programming1972–1976Served as head of writer development from 1968 to 1975. Bolen was appointed Vice President of Daytime Programming in 1972. She became the first female Vice President of Programming at a TV network and took NBC to #1 in the national Nielsen ratings. In 1975 Bolen expanded Days of Our Lives and Another World to an hour-long, which attracted new viewers and became hits with young women. Bolen cancelled the fifteen-year run of game show Concentration in early 1973 to replace it with game show Baffle, which ran one year, in order to increase ratings of younger female audiences as daytime and late-night were seen as NBC's profit center at that time, and advertisers wanted programs that attracted young women. Bolen also ended the eleven-year run of Jeopardy!, feeling its demographics were old. The show's creator and producer Merv Griffin did not wish to change the show's format making Bolen commission a new game show from Griffin, Wheel of Fortune, which debuted on January 6, 1975, and was an immediate ratings hit; Jeopardy! would later be revived in 1984. Bolen departed NBC Daytime in the spring of 1976 while it was still #1 to form her own Production Company, "Lin Bolen Productions, Inc.".
Fred SilvermanPresident of Daytime Programming1978–1982Retooled Lovers and Friends and replaced it with For Richer, For Poorer – which lasted a short while; L&F/FRFP was a replacement for the cancelled Somerset; changed the line-up consisting of three soaps, Days of Our Lives, The Doctors & Another World; expanded Another World to 90 minutes which coincided with the death of character John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan); had to cut back AW to 60 minutes (from 90 minutes) to make room for another one of Another World's spinoff shows, Texas (TV series); canceled Password Plus to make room for the relocating Search for Tomorrow, and canceled The Doctors & Texas on December 31st, 1982, right before he left NBC.
Earl GreenburgVice President of Daytime Programming1981–1983
Susan D. LeeSenior Vice President of Daytime Programming1983–2000Began in 1983 while having second-in-command vice presidents working alongside of her throughout her tenure with NBC Daytime. In 1996, there was uproar when Another World killed off the character of Frankie Frame. Word had it that both Susan Lee and then-Executive Producer Jill Farren Phelps chose Frankie as the next victim in the show's stalker storyline while then-head writer Margaret DePriest ran with the idea and crafted the excessively violent murder for Frankie.
Brian FronsVice President of Daytime Programming1983–1991Under his leadership of NBC Daytime, he brought in several new game shows such as Dream House, GO!, Hit Man, Hot Potato, The Match Game – Hollywood Squares Hour, Time Machine, Your Number's Up, and Wordplay – all were canceled due to low ratings and neither lasted more than just one season. The only games that would make it pass season 1 or more were Sale of The Century (1983–1989; revival of the 1969–73 original, which also aired on NBC), Super Password (1984–1989), Classic Concentration (1987–91) and Scrabble (1984–1993). He canceled the long running daytime version of Wheel of Fortune (1975–1989). He also added a new soap opera Santa Barbara (1984–1993). He canceled Search for Tomorrow in December 1986, after it was on NBC for 4 years. Frons previously work for Search For Tomorrow, while working as the head for CBS Daytime. Frons appeared as God on Santa Barbara in a dream sequence involving Mason Capwell (Lane Davies). He helped Santa Barbara garner three daytime emmys for best drama series and brought the short-lived soap Generations (1989–1991).
John RohrbeckVice President of Daytime Programming1991–1996Gave Another World another shot to improve ratings and offered them an extension on their contract and instead first, Generations was canceled in 1991 and then Santa Barbara, 2 years later in 1993.
Don OhlmeyerVice President of Daytime Programming1996–1999Brought soap opera Sunset Beach, canceled Another World and replaced it with Passions in July 1999.
Sheraton KalouriaVice President of Daytime Programming2000–2005Appointed in the spring of 2000 to replace outgoing longtime Senior Vice President Susan Lee. Kalouria had previously worked on ABC Daytime as Vice President of marketing and promotion of daytime since 1998. Kalouria new job with NBC Daytime was to head development and strategic planning for Days of Our Lives and Passions.
Jeff ZuckerPresident of Daytime Programming2000–2007Canceled the soap Passions and sent it to Direct TV's 101 Channel in 2007. Made a statement about Days of Our Lives in 2007 that the show would most likely not "continue past 2009".
Annamarie KosturaVice President of Daytime Programming200*–2007Still in the position by June 2007
Bruce EvansSenior Vice President of Daytime Programming2007–presentPromoted to Senior Vice President on Monday, February 4, 2007. Mr. Evans had already been working at NBC in different positions for several years by the time of his promotion. Mr. Evans previously served as Vice President, Current Series, since July 2000. Among the shows he oversaw included Heroes, Law & Order, Medium, Crossing Jordan, and Just Shoot Me. He served as a Director of Primetime series since July 1998 and a manager of Primetime since August 1997. In August 1996, he began his program executive career at NBC as an Entertainment Associate after his job as a coordinator in the same department. In his new position, Evans handles many of NBC's current series as well as having responsibility as head of the daytime programming that is included under Current Series, while also serving as a liaison for Paula Madison, Executive Vice President, Diversity, NBC Universal & Company Officer, General Electric, and her staff as they look to increase diversity in front of as well as behind the camera on NBC's shows. At the time of his promotion, NBC was a month away from deciding on whether to keep or drop Days of Our Lives, however the opportunity was seen as the ticket to installing new life in the show. Days was renewed and remains on air to date while Evans decided to cancel lowest rated soap Passions.

Proposed series
  • Coming of Age: created by Bill Bell Jr.
  • Days of Our Lives spin-off[2]

See also

References
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