Guiding Light
originally aired on CBS
Guiding Light aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio between January 25, 1937, and June 29, 1956. With 72 years of radio and television runs, the longest-running American soap opera, ahead of General Hospital. The show was created by Irna Phillips and Emmons Carlson, who based it on personal experiences.