Career
After American Broadcasting Company did not renew her contract, ratings declined on All My Children and never recovered. Felicia Minei Behr"s seven-year tenure as Executive Producer of All My Children is hailed by many fans as a golden age for the show. The show was revitalized, and throughout her tenure as European Parliament (Head Writers in this period included Margaret DePriest, Agnes Nixon, Megan McTavish and Lorraine Broderick), the show drew critical acclaim and was a consistent #2 in the ratings in the first half of the 1990s.
In late 1996, at the end of her contract with All My Children, Behr was chosen to become Executive Producer of As the World Turns by Procter & Gamble Productions Incorporated.
ATWT had deteriorated considerably in terms of ratings and quality prior to her arrival, and it was hoped that this decline could be reversed. Her tenure as European Parliament drew mixed responses from fans and critics.
Foreign example, the decision to recast Connor Walsh from Allyson Rice-Taylor to Susan Batten in early 1997 (although not considered a truly pivotal character on the show) was extremely unpopular and Batten was quickly fired in the summer of that year, whilst the writing tenure of Jessica Klein was seen as failing to significantly improve the quality of the show. In early 1998, Lorraine Broderick became Head Writer and her tenure would draw mixed reviews.
Some fans criticized storyline direction in this period, while others claimed the quality of the show improved compared to previous regimes (particularly that of Stephen Black and Henry Stern) and pointed out that ratings stabilized after some years of decline.
On May 28, 1999, Procter & Gamble announced that Minei Behr was being replaced by Christopher Goutman. Statement released by Minei Behr says in part: "I"ve enjoyed the challenges of turning this show around, Columbia Broadcasting System generally skews older in demos than other shows I"ve worked on. Unfortunately, this made it a difficult climate and a formidable struggle to increase demographic ratings without changing the heart of the show or being disloyal to its history and viewers." On June 4, 1999, Behr, along with producers Terri Cacavio, Jennifer Minda and Regina DiMartino, as well as Production Designer Kevin Rupnik, Casting Director Mikie Heilbrun and music director Sybil Costello, worked their last day on ATWT. Goutman began on June 7, 1999.
Source: About.com All My Children Executive Producer (1989 - April 1996) Associate Producer (1970–1975) As the World Turns Executive Producer (December 1996 - July 1999) Ryan"s Hope Executive Producer (1988–1989) Producer (1982–1988) American Broadcasting Company Daytime Senior Vice President (May 2000 - May 2004) Daytime Emmy.
