Guiding Light (1950–59)
The Guiding Light (known since 1975 as Guiding Light) was a long-running American television soap opera.
On June 30, 1952, "The Guiding Light" began airing on CBS television. From June 30, 1952 to June 29, 1956, "The Guiding Light" ran on both CBS television and radio, with the actors performing, the same scenes but for different audiences, live twice each weekday. The live television performances were in the morning, and then in the afternoon the actors read for the live radio show. On July 2, 1956, "The Guiding Light" became a CBS television show, only, and the show no longer was heard on radio. Episodes continued at 15 minutes in length.
Guiding Light (1980–89)
A replacement headwriter was found in Pam Long (who originally started writing in fall 1983 with Richard Culliton). Long was an actress who had appeared on the then-recently canceled Procter & Gamble soap opera "Texas" and, in an unusual move, was given the headwriter reins of that show during its last months. At "Guiding Light", she eventually clashed with CBS and Procter & Gamble executives who resisted her idea of introducing a Jewish family, the Weisses, to Springfield. With the rejection by Procter & Gamble and CBS of her idea for this new core family, Long left the show in early 1991. The only Weiss to ever be introduced to the canvas was Matt Weiss—and he only appeared for a couple of months in early 1991.