Recently released ratings for ABC’s General Hospital show that significant numbers of viewers remain uninterested in the show and are tuning out. Since the beginning of April of 2009, General Hospital has hit new lows in total viewers, HH, and in the women 18-49 demographic (2,360,000, 1.8 rating and 1.1 rating respectively, for the week ending
April 24, 2009) and for the last three weeks (ending June 12, 2009), ratings for total viewers have been at a steady 1.9, a decline of 14-17% from 2008.

As reported by The Nielsen Ratings Corporation, last week’s ratings (June 8-12, 2009) for ABC’s General Hospital are again down, 21% in total viewers and 19% in the 18-49 demo vs. last season’s results. While it’s true that soap operas in general are lower in audience numbers than in previous years, there are still shows with noticeable improvements occurring. In the current ratings race, Days of Our Lives, which was on the verge of cancellation just last year, has gained viewers while General Hospital has continued to lose viewers. For the 2008-2009 season, Days is now tied with General Hospital for third place in total viewers and second place for the 18-49 demographic. For the same time period last season, Days was in fifth place in total viewers and in third place in the 18-49 demographic.

Having joined together to form the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital Campaign, fans of Sonny and Kate, Jason and Elizabeth, Patrick and Robin, and Jax and Carly are asking ABC/Disney to listen to the viewers and make changes. Provide viewers with character-driven storylines incorporating character growth and development, maintain historical integrity and respect for characters, and balance the light-hearted and dark emotive story lines. These desires, along with “…rootable couples, less sleaze, more romance, a sense of integrity in storytelling and an overall enjoyable escape are what the viewers and long time fans of General Hospital miss,” stated a 20-plus year fan of the show.

The number of fans joining the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital Campaign continues to grow in support of working for a better General Hospital. For more information on the campaign, contact Dana L. Meyer or Kecia K. Picard at saveoursoapgh@gmail.com or visit the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital page on Facebook.