Contrary to popular belief, "The Edge of Night" was not cancelled by CBS. Following the expansion of "Another World" and "Days of Our Lives" to a one-hour format in 1975, a ratings war suddenly erupted between the daytime serials. Pleased with the enormous success of "Another World's" lengthened format, Procter and Gamble decided to follow suit with "As the World Turns", its most popular serial. CBS eagerly agreed but soon faced an unexpected dilemma. In order to expand ATWT and still keep EDGE, the network needed an extra half-hour of airtime. Initially, CBS suggested that affiliates relinquish their half-hour of local airtime (from 1:00 to 1:30 pm), offering an additional 30 minutes earlier in the day instead. Unfortunately, most of CBS's affiliates protested vehemently. Next, the network proposed moving EDGE back to its previous 3:00 pm time-slot, but P&G couldn't comply since "Another World" aired at that time, and company policy prohibited P&G serials from airing opposite one another. Then, P&G executives had a brainstorm. They had been anxious to expand their advertising base to ABC, the only network which didn't have a P&G-produced soap, and ABC was desperately trying to establish itself as a leading contender in the daytime ratings race. P&G approached ABC about the possibilty of moving EDGE to their newtork. ABC showed great interest, eventually agreeing to the move. However, there was one final hurdle to overcome. CBS wanted to debut the newly expanded ATWT on September 27, 1975, but ABC was contractually bound to its schedule until December, which meant that EDGE would have to be off the air for two full months. P&G felt that such an extended absence would be detrimental to both the storyline and audience loyalty. Finally CBS relented, delaying the expansion of ATWT until December. So, on December 1, 1975, EDGE became the first serial in television history to switch networks.
* Adam Drake was shot in the back.
Although widely reported in many daytime serial reference books, the character of Adam Drake was not shot in the back. In the storyline, Adam attempted to uncover the identity of Beau Richardson's killer. Mike Karr, Adam's close friend, had been implicated in the crime and was about to stand trial for a murder that he didn't commit. Adam left Monticello and when he returned on Friday, June 17, 1977, he knew
the truth. As Adam sat at his desk, typing the name of the killer, a shadow appeared on the wall outside his office. Adam looked up, finding the barrel of a gun in the doorway. Three shots were fired into Adam Drake's chest, killing him instantly. Six months later, crimelord Ray Harper was revealed to be the murderer of both Adam and Beau Richardson.
* EDGE left the air because ABC cancelled the series.
Actually, EDGE left the air because series producer Procter and Gamble decided to drop sponsorship and production of the program. In the last quarter of 1984, financial reports revealed that EDGE had been losing money. Between 1982 and 1984, EDGE had lost 38 of ABC's 212 local affiliates. Airing on just 102 stations, EDGE simply didn't generate enough revenue to make it economically feasible. When P&G dropped the serial, ABC was left with no choice but to cancel, too. Many in the industry claim that ABC would have continued to air EDGE, as long as Procter and Gamble paid the production costs.
