Studios USA Domestic Television is pulling the plug on The Sally Jessy
Raphael Show after nearly 20 years in
syndication.
The talk show, which originally debuted in 1983, will conclude its run at
the end of the current season, Studios USA executives said.
Low ratings, a tough ad market and clearance issues all added up to the show
being canceled.
The show has averaged a 1.7 household rating nationally in syndication this
season, according to Nielsen Media Research, and it ranked ninth among all
syndicated talk shows during the recently completed February sweeps.
Jessy Raphael has been a fixture on television for the past 46 years, having
started out as a TV personality in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
'I've been proud of many of the shows we've produced over the past two
decades,' she said in a prepared statement.
'It was my personal statement about the issues facing society and the moral
choices people make,' she added.
Studios USA Domestic TV president Steve Rosenberg said,
'On both a personal and professional level, this is very difficult for me and
everyone at Studios USA. I will miss working with Sally, whom I consider to be a
consummate pro.'
