At this very challenging time for daytime soap operas, which are still very much alive, I have a word to current soap viewers. I know that some recent events (such as a sorrowful Nicole and Taylor mourning their mom throughout DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Salem, and YOUNG AND RESTLESS' Lily keeping secret her visions of her deceased husband Cane) have made it challenging or difficult to watch today's soaps, but I'm asking in the strongest way possible: Do not give up. If your show — especially the show you love — wrongs a character or gives you an upsetting or dull storyline, take a break from it for a day or two, or watch a different soap for a different form of entertainment, then give your show another try. If you must leave your soap, do not depart from daytime altogether; give another soap a try for a week. You might find characters, stories or actors that are more your cup of decaf. Six soaps are still on the air, and there's a lot to like, and love, about them. Please mention those facts to your friends and other loved ones.

It's been almost two years since it left the airwaves, but I still miss GUIDING LIGHT (I certainly mention it in this blog frequently enough to make that clear), and was upset by AS THE WORLD TURNS' cancellation. People sometimes — and by sometimes, I mean often — ask me what shows I watch. It's weird to say "I'm a CBS guy" now that there are only two soaps, YOUNG AND RESTLESS and BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL...but I still am. What has changed is that I just can't say something like, "I watch all the CBS soaps," because someone might ask, "All two?"

Watching segments of the recently rerun "Soaprah" episode (what an appropriate time for ABC to re-air that), I realized what one of my favorite moments was: Oprah Winfrey actually mentioned GL and ATWT. It would be wonderful if she could tell people to watch ALL MY CHILDREN (which she basically did in this special installment, especially since she made it clear that she has watched the show) and ONE LIFE TO LIVE (which is consistently amazing but was not featured)...soaps on her network. She definitely knows and cares about the daytime world; after all, she's part of it. So maybe a mention of the two shows' current plight would help them, whether or not the shows somehow jump into her show or network.

I know that's probably asking too much. For now, amid all the action and heavy drama, daytime needs more romance. We need more love in the afternoon (and whenever our DVRs allow us to watch it). That includes love between family members, such as B&B's Ridge and his son Thomas, Y&R's Ashley and her definitely young and restless daughter Abby, ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Viki and her brother Todd, and AMC brothers Jake and Tad. DAYS' Salem features several loving, happy families, as does Port Charles on GENERAL HOSPITAL. We need more love scenes and laugh scenes, and less lying and fighting.

And we need to watch ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE, while they are still on the air...and this is very important: Tell people we know to watch them, too, because they are still on the air. I'm proud to be a soap fan. Let's show our pride by watching our "stories." Tune in today.