Kay Alden

Kay Alden is an award-winning television writer, and former head writer for the most-watched American soap opera "The Young and the Restless". During the WGA stike, she went under [http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/la/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003797508 financial core status] .

Alden started writing for "The Young and the Restless" as a Script Writer in 1974, was promoted to an Associate Head Writer, then as Co-Head Writer in 1997, and took over as Head Writer the following year when series co-creator William J. Bell stepped down from the position. With Alden as Head Writer, the show lost about 2 million viewers (most of the loss occurred in 2004 when Alden co-wrote the show with longtime Y&R scribe and producer John F. Smith), but it should be noted that all soap operas during this period experienced a similar scale of massive audience erosion.

She quit "The Young and the Restless" in late 2006, and was then hired by Brian Frons, President of ABC Daytime, to consult on its serials "All My Children", General Hospital, and "One Life to Live". She left ABC Daytime after declining to be "All My Children" 's Head Writer in spring 2007, and was hired by Bradley Bell in May 2007 to be an Associate Head Writer for another CBS Daytime drama, "The Bold and the Beautiful". On July 18, 2008 it was announced that Alden would be appointed Head Writer of "The Bold and the Beautiful" in the coming weeks. [http://www.soapcentral.com/bb/news/2008/0721-alden.php]

There is a scholarship in Alden's name from Emporia State University, in Emporia, Kansas.

Positions held

"The Young And The Restless"
*Script Writer: 1974 - 1980
*Breakdown Writer: 1980 - 1987
*Script Editor: 1983 - 1985, 1986 - 1987
*Associate Head Writer: 1987 - 1997
*Co-Head Writer: 1997 - 1998, February 16 2006 - December 22 2006
*Head Writer: 1998 - February 15 2006

"All My Children"
*Story Consultant December 2006 - April 2007

"One Life to Live"
*Story Consultant: December 2006 - April 2007

"General Hospital"
*Story Consultant December 2006 - April 2007

"The Bold and the Beautiful"
*Associate Head Writer: August 2007 - January 21 2008, April 16 2008 - July 18 2008
*Head Writer: February 5 2008 - April 15 2008
*Co-Head Writer: July 19 2008 - present

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Award [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1003798/awards]
*Nominations, 2008 "The Bold and the Beautiful"
*Nominations, 1976, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1990-1995, 1997-2001, 2003-2007, Best Writing, "The Young and the Restless"
*Wins, 1997, 2000, 2006, Best Writing, "The Young and the Restless"

Writers Guild of America Award
*Wins, 2002 & 2005, Best Writing, "The Young and the Restless"
*Nominations, 1999, 2001, 2006, Best Writing, "The Young and the Restless"

External links

*
* [http://cms.mit.edu/news/2007/05/love_may_not_be_in_the_afterno.php MIT Comparative Media Studies]
* [http://www.suntimes.com/chicago/know/544387,CST-NWS-this06.article SunTimes]