Revisiting the 'Rockland County' Radio Soap Opera

In early 2005, I was working at a busy tech day job and producing radio soap opera Scripts & Scruples in my spare time. Always looking for new challenges, I decided to created a spin-off series, Rockland County. The show revolved around the Ramos, Morgan and Givens families living in Rockland County, just outside the S&S New York City setting.

In the premiere episode ("Challenges") on March 23, 2005, Arden Morgan's (Abby Wathen) car broke down on the interstate in Rockland County and she was rescued by handsome strangers Dante Ramos (Stephen Seidel) and Damien Givens (Guiding Light's Gavin Houston). When Arden couldn't reach her brother for help, she ended up staying overnight at the Ramos family guest house. Dante's fath3er, Paul Ramos (Nick Sullivan), met with Gretchen Styles and Charlie Dean (S&S crossover guest stars Caroline Hay and Gregori J. Martin) about the sale of late his cousin's home. Later, Barbara Whitman (As the World Turns' Anne Sayre) caught Paul rummaging through files in his study. Dr. Angela Givens (former TV Guide soap reporter Delaina Dixon) chatted online with her new pal, BurnDoctor212, and wondered if they would meet in person soon. Manny Ramos (Rick Ojeda) returned to town and his first stop was the Rockland Psych Center looking for Angela.

Listen below:

Today in Soap Opera History (July 6)

1978: Ryan's Hope's Siobhan arrived in New York. 1987: Another World's Vicky found trouble in Vegas. 1987: Bold and Beautiful's Stephanie wanted another chance. 2004: Guiding Light's Dinah phoned home.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, Pat (Susan Trustman) was worried she was the cause of Lee's (Gaye Huston) illness.

1965: On Peyton Place, Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) and Allison (Mia Farrow) played hide-and-seek- with Kim/

Today in Soap Opera History (June 29)

1966: Dark Shadows' Victoria noticed her letter had moved.
1987: As the World Turns' Margo and Hal shared a kiss.
1994: Days of our Lives' Salem said goodbye to Dr. Tom Horton.
2012: The Young and the Restless' Paul shot his son, Ricky.

"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1915: Future soap opera legend Ruth Warrick was born. Her daytime roles included Phoebe on All My Children, ex-Hannah in Peyton Place, Janet on The Guiding Light and Edie in As the World Turns).

1943: Radio soap opera Lonely Women, created by Irna Phillips, debuted on NBC Radio.

1952: CBS aired the final episode of Procter & Gamble soap opera The First Hundred Years, a tale of married life against the backdrop of New York City. James Lydon and Anne Sargent starred as newlyweds Chris and Connie Thayer. Read more here in the Complete, Concise Yearly History of TV Soap Operas.

1956: The Guiding Light aired for the final time on CBS Radio. The show first premiered on the radio (on NBC) in 1937. In 1952, Guiding Light began airing on television, in addition to the radio broadcasts. The series remained on CBS-TV until September 2009.

1956: On the final episode of long-running radio soap opera Young Widder Brown, Dr. Anthony Loring (Ned Weaver) stopped Ellen Brown (Wendy Drew) just before she left Simpsonville for Chicago. He proposed marriage and she accepted.

Today in Soap Opera History (June 28)

1974: The Doctors' Toni learned she had a son.
1991: General Hospital's Anna and Robert were shocked by Faison.
1996: Stephen Nichols made his GH debut as Stefan.
2010: Salem said goodbye to Alice Horton on Days.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1963: On Ben Jerrod, as the trial was reaching the conclusion, Ben's (Michael Ryan) strategy was on the verge of collapse.

1966: On the second episode of Dark Shadows, Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) watched as Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) collapsed, then went back back upstairs unseen.

'Soapy' Video Podcast Premieres July 8, Hosted by Rebecca Budig & Greg Rikaart

CBS has announced the expansion of its storytelling slate with Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart, a new audio and video podcast that dives deep into the legacy, fandom and enduring appeal of soap operas. Premiering Tuesday, July 8, the series will release new episodes weekly through Sept. 30, with full video episodes available on the CBS Brand YouTube Channel.

Hosted by daytime veterans Rebecca Budig (The Bold and the Beautiful, All My Children) and Greg Rikaart (Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless), Soapy features lively, nostalgic conversations with beloved past and present stars and creatives from across the entire soap opera community and all networks and platforms, including daytime and primetime. From unforgettable storylines to behind-the-scenes insights, the series celebrates the genre’s rich history, passionate fanbase and the talent that continues to bring these iconic stories to life.

The first four episodes of the series feature interviews with:
July 8 | Eric Braeden (Victor, The Young and the Restess)
July 15 | Deidre Hall (“Days of our Lives”)
July 22 | Sheila Ducksworth (executive producer, Beyond the Gates)
July 29 | Lauralee Bell (Christine, The Young and the Restess)

Watch the trailer below: