Guiding Light has been broadcast continuously on television and radio for 72 years. I have been alive for roughly half that time, and I have never watched the program. Evidently, there are others like me. CBS announced that it's cancelling the soap opera.

Considering that broadcast television has only been around for that long, I would say that that was a pretty good run. So I think it's less about the advent of reality tv than it is worn out programming.

It's a lag in soap sales, most likely.

I don't buy any soap that doesn't offer free glassware in the box.

My mother, who passed away in January 2008, watched all the CBS soaps every day from 12:30 to 4:00, with perhaps a few minutes of napping interspered. I can remember watching with her during the summer. Characters like Bert, Mata, and Papa Bauer created a lasting impression.

The two newer soaps, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful came along in the '70s. It saddens me to see Guiding Light go. It's a connection to an America that I miss.