Kay Alden

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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 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, she went under financial core status.

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 two serials, All My Children and One Life To Live. She left ABC Daytime after declining to be All My Children's Head Writer in April 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.

Alden started writing for The Young And The Restless as a Breakdown 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.

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

Ratings: Week of February 25-29, 2008 (Compared To Last Week/Compared To Last Year)

1. Y&R 5,788,000 (-67,000/same)
2. B&B 4,161,000 (+55,000/+160,000)
3. ATWT 3,334,000 (-8,000/+191,000)
4. GH 3,015,000 (-46,000/-712,000)
5. DAYS 2,899,000 (-316,000/-30,000)
6. GL 2,742,000 (-66,000/-152,000)
7. OLTL 2,594,000 (-234,000/-617,000)
8. AMC 2,588,000 (-308,000/-779,000)

[edit] Positions Held

The Young and the Restless

Script Writer (1974-1980)
Breakdown Writer (1980-1987)
Script Editor (1984-1986)
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 (2006-2007)

One Life To Live

Story Consultant (2006-2007)

The Bold And The Beautiful

Associate Head Writer (August 2007 - January 21, 2008; April 16, 2008 - present)
Head Writer (February 5, 2008 - April 15, 2008)

B&B Main Crew

Writers	Producers	Directors
Bradley Bell; Kay Alden, Jerry Birn, Janice Ferri Esser, Patrick Mulcahey, Tracey Ann Kelly, Elizabeth Snyder, Rex M. Best, Michael Minnis	B. Bell (Executive Producer), Ron Weaver, Rhonda Friedman, Cynthia J. Popp, Adam Dusevoir	Deveney Kelly, C. J. Popp, David Shaughnessy, Jennifer Howard, Michael Stich, Christy Dooley, Steven A. Wacker, Clyde Kaplan, Laura Yale, Douglas Jon Hayden

Preceded by William J. Bell	Head Writer of The Young And The Restless (with John F. Smith: 2002-2006) (with Trent Jones: Co-HW~2002-2004) (with Lynn Marie Latham & Scott Hamner: 2006) 1998- December 25, 2006	Succeeded by Lynn Marie Latham Scott Hamner (Co-HW)
Preceded by Bradley Bell	Head Writer of The Bold and the Beautiful February 5, 2008 - April 15, 2008	Succeeded by Bradley Bell

[edit] Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Award

Nomination, 1976, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1990-1995, 1997-2001, 2003-2007, Best Writing, The Young and the Restless
Win, 1997, 2000, 2006, Best Writing, The Young and the Restless

Writers Guild of America Award