Broadcast History
CBS' Daytime division, which produced the serial in-house, made the strategic error of scheduling the show in the 12 Noon/11:00 AM Central timeslot, moving ahead the previous occupant, Love of Life, one half hour. It was the final addition to what would be, for two-and-a-half years, a daytime lineup on CBS consisting of eight soap operas and no game shows. Where the Heart Is had a struggle on two fronts: first, Jeopardy!, one of daytime’s most popular shows, aired on NBC against it, and, second, because of its rather strong prurience and intimations of taboos such as incest, some affiliates, primarily in the Midwest and South, refused to clear the show. Late in its run, other markets (where the show was tape-delayed an hour to run in the 1:00 PM/12 Noon access slot) saw Where the Heart Is air against ABC's up-and-coming All My Children.
Although the soap achieved fairly healthy ratings, averaging a 6.7 and 26% share for its three-and-a half year run, it was typically the lowest-rated soap on CBS’ daytime schedule. Advertisers weren’t thrilled either, as demographics suggested the serial was attracting a younger, less desirable cult audience. In February 1973, with the network locked in a battle with NBC for daytime ratings supremacy, CBS decided to cancel it, along with another “underachiever,” Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, in a bid to bring up the daypart’s overall rating. As one industry insider revealed about the cancellations, "It was a matter of pride, CBS didn't like being third in the ratings. So, rather than struggle to improve the quality of these shows, it just canceled them."
Read more about this topic: Where The Heart Is (1969 TV series)
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