To: The Powers That Be at Guiding Light

From: Suzanne (last name) – Organizer

RE: “S.O.S. - Save Our Show” Campaign

No. of pages: 3, incl. this cover letter.


Hello! Sept. 2, 2008

The following two (2) pages were sent via certified mail to Ms. Barbara Bloom on August 28, 2008. This is intended to be a positive effort to help the show that we love so dearly to be successful by communicating ideas in hopes that we are heard. The way things have been going lately, with the way stories have been written and the steady, downward spiral of ratings, leave many of us to fear cancellation. It has already happened to another soap not long ago. The hope is that if TPTB (The Powers That Be) knew more about what fans think could help, then they could start to head the show in a better direction.

Guiding Light has been blessed with the golden gift of the most talented actors! We KNOW this show has all of the potential to be so much better with these wonderful actors! It’s very sad to see their potential not be used to create the best show possible. Given good material to work with, the amazing actors can do great things. Heck, they are turning lemons into lemonade now! For all that is not right with the show, it’s the actors that are the one thing that allows GL to keep going at all. They are pouring everything they have and then more to try to make the not-so-great stories work. Their collective talent simply amazes me!

The show has the talent, but something in the leadership and direction MUST change. I am hopeful that the new writing team structure is able to turn things around. However, with the current leadership and “new vision”, I fear they might not be able to do what needs to be done. Guiding Light is un-recognizable as soap opera now. I beg that the soaps as a genre are respected for the uniqueness that they are. Updated changes need to happen over time, that’s understood, but not a complete destruction of what used to be for a brand new type of show. We implore you to consider the suggestions in the letter. We believe that if the writers and other leaders can add good details to the general ideas presented, that Guiding Light could be a better show once again.

This campaign is being spread through emails, message boards, social networking sites, and every way possible. This was put together rather quickly (within the last week or so), and for more effectiveness, perhaps more time to spread the word would have helped. However, please take any participation as meaningful. I’ve created a MySpace page for this (just a few days ago, so don’t let the low friend’s list to mean much) It is intended to be a place where fans can come for the details on how to participate in this campaign, more so than to collect friends. http://www.myspace.com/fansofguidinglight It’s a work in progress!

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Feel free to contact me for further discussion.

This is an act of love for Guiding Light!!!

Sincerely,
Suzanne – Organizer
Apex, NC 27523
(home phone here)
(cell phone here)
Suzie NC46 – message board ID

For all of you who are spreading the word, you can direct them to this SOC blog for more details, or you can send them to the new MySpace page designed just for this. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=408918711 The name of the page is "Guiding Light Fans" I think another show of support would be to leave a comment there as well. if TPTB find the site and no one has made a post there to show supporet, it could be taken less seriously. Just a thought. I think the more important thing is to call and read the script, tune in during that desognated week and tune OUT on Wednesday of that week. making that direct contact is the most valuable thing. Also, spreading the word. The more people who participate, the stronger the voice, and hopefully the stronger the imnpact. Perhaps someone could consider making a video message for that unmentionable site. I don't know how to do that! I never had the need to do one before. Thanks, everyone!

S. O. S. – Save Our Show

 

To The Powers That Be at Guiding Light:

 

We, the fans and viewers of Guiding Light, have not liked many things about what we’ve seen for quite some time now.  We have called, emailed, and sent snail mail to express our opinions, yet not much, if anything, has changed.  We feel as if our voices haven’t been heard.  We love the show; many of us are long-time viewers who have been loyal to the show through years of highs and lows.  However, with the way things appear near, we are very concerned about the future of GL, specifically that the show may not survive much longer if the current trends continue.  The show as it is now is almost un-recognizable as the show we have grown to love.  It doesn’t resemble a soap opera at all.  Soap operas are a unique genre, and we hope that is respected and treasured for it’s unique style.  Reality shows have their place in television viewing, but not in soaps.  Soaps also have their place in television viewing, and we respectfully ask that Guiding Light honor that.

 

As an act of love and passion for Guiding Light, and in an effort to do all that we can to help our beloved show, we will be participating in an organized campaign that we hope will let out voices be heard. 

 

This campaign involves our complete support 4 days during the week of September 8-12, 2008 so that you know we are here and we love Guiding Light!!!  (but not in it’s current state).  It also involves one day where we hope to be heard by NOT tuning in to GL.  The date that we will NOT be tuning in is Wednesday Sept. 10, 2008.  We hope this helps you to value us as viewers by allowing our suggestions as listed below to be considered, to give GL a chance to survive and thrive once again.

 

We have listed the top ten suggestions that we believe will help GL become the show that we loved once again.  These are general suggestions that we hope help to express what many fans would like to see.  Specific ideas are left for the GL team to decide, but we hope the following general ideas are used as guidelines to help GL get back on a track to better days:

 

*  Better stories – This is the number 1 thing that is wrong with the show.  Write stories that take the right amount of time to develop, have a good flow, interesting, and make it hard for me to wait to tune in the next day.

*  True to history – for example, aging Leah to be older than a brother who was born before her is not true to history.

*  No more writing stories for shock value, or to create a negative buzz, or to pit fan bases against each other.  Rather, write stories that sometimes include something or someone we can all root for.

*  We want traditional soapy music!  Music montages are great, once in a while.  We don’t like the current music being used.  Timing of the music, and appropriate style for the scene are also important.

*  Use outdoor scenes that are meaningful.  While a scene showing one lone person walking down a dirt road might have value and impact when used sparingly and at the right moment, showing too many outdoor scenes of people doing nothing is a waste of my time and is not enjoyable viewing.

*  Return the show to some of the core components that viewers of any age tuned it to see:  corporate world dealing, with offices where people work, not out of a hotel room.  Springfield has business that we never see being used, such as WSPR, the newspaper, Lewis Construction, Spaulding Enterprises, Outskirts, The Country Club, and more.  This also includes core families like the Bauers, Lewis’, and a few more Spauldings.

*  We don’t like the “new vision” of a reality TV show look and style. 

*  Quit trying to chase after a younger audience.  If you write a good story and produce a good show, they will be there.  Realize that most viewers today began watching when they were young because they became hooked when their mom and/or grandmother watched.  Write and produce a show that mom will watch, which should include a variety of characters and story types, including some young people, and others in the household will watch too.  People of all ages like a good story.

*  Address and fix at least some of the key “wrongs” that have been done in the past 2-3 years.  (some of the character’s changes in their character, and core relationships, etc)  We’ll let some issues get swept under the rug and go away quietly if some of the key “mistakes” will be addressed and fixed.

*  Read Doug Marland’s Rules, “How Not To Wreck A Show” If GL were doing these things, it would be a far better show.

 

 

Please accept our heartfelt actions as support for this special show that we love!  Our intention is to save the show!  This is an attempt to communicate with you so that you know where to make the changes.   When you, TPTB, realize what is and what is not working, positive change can happen.

 

With warmest regards,

The Fans of Guiding Light

Suzie NC46 - organizer.

 

(personal info ommited)

Apex, NC

suezq38@yahoo.com

 

 

S.O.S. – Save Our Show

Ok, everyone, it’s time to get involved! Mark your calendars!

The week of Sept. 8-12, 2008 is the week to participate - spread the word!

Mon, Tues., Thurs., and Fri, - Every GL fan should tune in.

Wednesday Sept. 10, 2008 – DO NOT TUNE IN! (this one day only)

I sent the letter out today (Aug. 28, 2008) via certified mail to Barbara Bloom. I anticipate that GL will receive it within 3-5 days, and then add several days for it to get noticed. (see the letter above).

We need every GL fan, everyone who wants to see GL be successful – this is the time to be heard! We need everyone to participate and be counted!

Here’s what to do:

1. Starting now (Aug. 28, 2008) call or write to GL at the information provided
below. Read this brief script:

“I will be participating in an organized campaign during the week of
September 8-12, 2008, designed to let the voices of the fans be heard.
It is my hope that positive changes can be made, including the ideas listed in
the certified letter. There are (fill in the blank) number of people in my
household that watch GL.”


We want TPTB to be aware of how many people are participating in this by hearing this same message. Call only once please. If you prefer to write, I suggest a postcard or a letter that only states the script. With all voices united with the same message, it will strengthen the voice AND the message.

2. Then during the week of September 8-12, tune in to GL on the 4 designated days and tune out on Wednesday September 10th. Whether you intend to watch that day or not, tune in (or out on Wedesday) anyway, to be counted. Watch or don’t watch any show you want, but participate by tuning in (and out) to help make an impact!

3. Then, return to your regular viewing patterns and be patient while we wait for an adjustment period to put changes into place and get them to air on TV. That should be approximately 2 months +/- That’s it! It’s quite easy to participate in this effort where together, we hope to serve as a ‘Guiding Light’ for our beloved show to get back on a successful course.

Help spread the word!

* Post this notice and the letter on any message board that will permit it.
* Post this on your blog. Encourage others that you know who have blogs to post this
too.
* Post this on MySpace. Post this as a bulletin for all of your friends to see and
add the not to pass it around. Post a comment that directs people to this blog or
to your site that has this information.
* Post this on Facebook, or any other social networking pages.
* Send this in an email to as many people possible, and ask that it be forwarded on.
Please add the reminder of when this ends. (this doesn’t need to be Snopes.com as
an urban myth in 5 years because it never ended!
* Call or write to soap magazines and let them know about this. If they get a lot of
calls and if this creates a lot of buzz, they may be able to help (if printing time
allows)
* See if this can be printed in any free publications, to help spread the word.
* It is crucial that people with Neilson ratings diaries and systems know about this.
If you know how to reach any, please ask for their help with this.


There’s not much time to create a buzz about this, so I am relying on us all to pull together to help this iconic and loved show!

One more thing, and this is just an optional thing:
I would like an email from everyone who participated, from everyone who called the show, or made a post somewhere. It will be at least some sort of gauge as to how effective this campaign is. My email is listed below.

I’ll keep everyone updated through my SOC blog. (soapcentral.com, ID = Suzie NC46)

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to add their voice!

Suzie NC46 – organizer

My email: suezq38@yahoo.com

CBS phone – call and read that script: 212-986-5330

Barbara Bloom
CBS Television City
7800 Beverly BLVD
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Hey Guiding Light Fans!

Here’s a chance to let your voice be heard to “The Powers That Be” (TPTB).

Ratings are low. Many fans stopped watching, for a variety of reasons, they stopped. Many others who are still watching are not very happy about the way the show is going. They are not happy about one thing or another, but in general terms, still not happy. There is a general feeling that GL is going downhill. Many people have called, emailed, and/or written to GL to express their opinion, but there doesn’t seem to be improvement.

I’ve organized a plan to help the GL voices be heard loud and clear.

The Goals:

1. Letting them know they have many fans still wanting the show to be alive and well for many more years.
2. Letting them know that we want our voices heard strongly enough that we are willing to take an action such as this – that we are this passionate about our beloved GL.
3. Letting them know that we are not happy about the way things are going.


The Plan:

I will send GL a letter by certified mail to let them know about this campaign. (see the letter below)

1. Call GL (on or after designated date – after receipt of the certified letter) and say only this simple statement:

“I will be participating in an organized campaign during the week of (designated dates) designed to let the voices of the fans be heard. It is my hope that positive changes can be made, including the ideas listed in the certified letter. There are (fill in the blank) number of people in my household that watch GL.”

2. On (designated day), we are asking all GL viewers that have a Neilson ratings box or Diary to NOT watch GL.

3. For every day during that same week, we are asking every GL fan with a Neilson ratings box or diary to tune into GL, even if it might not be a day that sounds like you’d want to watch. Turn it on, and do something else if it’s not a show that you want to see on a given day, but turn it on to be counted.





The effect:

What this should do is show a more accurate count of viewers who are fans of the show – be counted!

It should also show that the fans are insisting their voice be heard by making a ratings impact on the one day when GL fans tune out.

The overall message to TPTB is: “Hear the fans who want the show to survive. We want to help, by letting you know what we want, what we like in our show. What will work, and what will not work. We believe if the show continues on the path that it is on, we will lose the show to cancellation. We want GL to live on for many years and we want it to do well!”

Keep in mind:

* This is NOT about any fan base!
* This is NOT about any one actor or couple!
* This is NOT a time to express individual desires. Fans are still encouraged to do that on their own, and not through this campaign. This campaign will have its best chance of being effective if fans are all saying the same thing. These issues and statements are designed to be general and common goals for everyone. It’s not intended to be the complete answer, but a good basis to begin to bring back a better GL.

What is needed is for this info to be passed around as much as possible. Copy and paste this and send through emails, post wherever you have permission to, print it out and hang it up on wall or bulletin board where permitted. When the exact dates are known, I’ll create a flyer to spread around.

What I need now is a little feedback on time frames.

I can send the certified letter out this week, and by the end of the week (or maybe early next week), I should have my signed receipt saying that it was received. After that, I can post an entry that says now is the time to call. I think allowing one week for calls I s suffice. Considering the holiday weekend that is coming up, this would take us into about the about the week of Sept. 8-12. This would give about 2-3 weeks time for this information to be spread to as many people as possible. While there is a temptation to have the “no viewing” day on Sept. 11 (aka 9/11), that might not be the best idea! My thinking at this time is Wed. Sept. 10th being the “non-viewing day”, and the other 4 days are the days when everyone tunes in, even if they don’t watch the show, but to be counted.

I will be open to suggestions to this plan, including the dates to be used, but only for a few days. I’d like to move on this ASAP. Maybe by Tuesday Aug. Sept. 26. (this might also push the “active” week into the next week, but still keeping the “non-viewing day” as Wed.

I’ll be open to all suggestions, including a catchy name for this effort 9I used SOS – Save Our Show) – use positive language, please). I’ll take suggestions on phrasing, word choices, etc. Anything at all.


(The Letter)

S. O. S. – Save Our Show

To The Powers That Be at Guiding Light:

We, the fans and viewers of Guiding Light, are not and have not been like many things about what we’ve seen for quite some time now. We have called, emailed, and sent snail mail to express our opinions, yet not much, if anything, has changed. We feel as if our voices haven’t been heard. We love the show, many of us are long-time viewers who have been loyal to the show through years of highs and lows. However, with the way things appear near, we are very concerned about the future of GL, specifically that the show may not survive much longer if the current trends continue. The show as it is now is almost un-recognizable as the show we have grown to love. It doesn’t resemble a soap opera at all. Soap operas are a unique genre, and we hope that is respected and treasured for it’s unique style. Reality shows have their place in television viewing, but not in soaps. Soaps also have their place in television, and we respectfully ask that Guiding Light honor that.

As an act of love and passion for Guiding Light, and in an effort to do all that we can to help our beloved show, we will be participating in an organized campaign that we hope will let out voices be heard. This campaign will begin with this letter. The next step is fans will be calling you to let you know they will be participating in this, and giving you a count of the number of people in their household that watch GL. (You might want to be prepared to note these calls and viewer counts!) The next phase involves letting our voices be heard through ratings. For the week of (date to be determined), GL will have our complete support 4 days during the week so that you know we are here and we love Guiding Light!!! (but not in it’s current state). It also involves one day where we hope to be heard by NOT tuning in to GL. We hope this helps you to value us as viewers by allowing our suggestions to be considered, to give GL a chance to survive and thrive once again.

We have listed the top ten suggestions that we believe will help GL become the show that we loved once again. These are general suggestions that we hope help to express what many fans would like to see. Specific ideas are left for the GL team to decide, but we hope the following general ideas are used as guidelines to help GL get back on a track to better days:

* Better stories – This is the number 1 thing that is wrong with the show. Write stories that take the right amount of time to develop, have a good flow, interesting, and make it hard for me to wait to tune in the next day.

* True to history – for example, aging Leah to be older than a brother who was born before her is not true to history.

* No more writing stories for shock value, or to create a negative buzz, or to pit fan bases against each other. Rather, write stories that sometimes include something or someone we can all root for.

* We want traditional soapy music! Music montages are great, once in a while. We don’t like the current music being used. Timing of the music, and appropriate style for the scene are also important.

* Use outdoor scenes that are meaningful. While a scene showing one lone person walking down a dirt road might have value and impact when used sparingly and at the right moment, showing too many outdoor scenes of people doing nothing is a waste of my time and is not enjoyable viewing.

* Return the show to some of the core components that viewers of any age tuned it to see: corporate world dealing, with offices where people work, not out of a hotel room. Springfield has business that we never see being used, such as WSPR, the newspaper, Lewis Construction, Spaulding Enterprises, Outskirts, The Country Club, and more. This also includes core families like the Bauers, Lewis’, and a few more Spauldings.

* We don’t like the “new vision” of a reality TV show look and style.

* Quit trying to chase after a younger audience. If you write a good story and produce a good show, they will be there. Realize that most viewers today began watching when they were young because they became hooked when their mom and/or grandmother watched. Write and produce a show that mom will watch, which should include a variety of characters and story types, including some young people, and others in the household will watch too. People of all ages like a good story.

* Address and fix at least some of the key “wrongs” that have been done in the past 2-3 years. (some of the character’s changes in their character, and core relationships, etc) We’ll let some issues get swept under the rug and go away quietly if some of the key “mistakes” will be addressed and fixed.

* Read Doug Marland’s Rules, “How Not To Wreck A Show”

We are aware that change takes time to implement, and time before we see the changes aired. We will be watching for that to occur withing those reasonable time frames. We would also very much appreciate a response, written, verbal, in-person, or other, as part of the communication we seek to do here. Please use the contact information provided below.

Please accept our heartfelt actions as support for this special show that we love! Our intention is to save the show! This is an attempt to communicate with you so that you know where to make the changes. When you, TPTB, realize what is and what is not working, change can happen.

With warmest regards,
The Fans of Guiding Light
Suzie, organizer.
(contact info here)