Guiding Light
"The Guiding Light" was broadcast first by CBS Television on June 30, 1952, replacing the canceled soap opera "The First Hundred Years". These episodes were also 15 minutes long. During the period from 1952 to 1956, "The Guiding Light" existed as both a radio and television serial, with actors recording their performances twice for each day that the shows were broadcast. The radio broadcast of "The Guiding Light" ceased production during 1956, ending this overlap.
Guiding Light (1937–49)
From 1943 to 1946, "The Guiding Light" and two other Phillips-created soaps ("Woman in White" and "Today's Children") were aired as a programming block known collectively as "The General Mills Hour", with "Guiding Light" cast member Ed Prentiss acting as master of ceremonies. Major characters made crossover appearances between the three shows, and at one point during this period, Phillips considered the experiment of running the individual program segments longer or shorter than the then-traditional quarter-hour. However, the "Hour" was disbanded before Phillips could proceed further with the idea.