Guiding Light - Origins, Plot Development, and Cast - 1950s

1950s

The Guiding Light began airing on CBS Television on June 30, 1952. With the transition to television the main characters became the Bauers, a lower-middle class German immigrant family. 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 each day the shows aired. The radio broadcast of The Guiding Light ceased production in 1956, ending this overlap.

The Guiding Light ranked as the #1 rated soap opera both in 1956 and 1957, before being dethroned in 1958 by As the World Turns. After Irna Phillips moved to As the World Turns in 1958, her protege Agnes Nixon became Head Writer of The Guiding Light.