NEWS ROUNDUP: Valentini on JaSam versus Liaison; Violent TV Disrupts Kids' Sleep; Plus, Josh Griffith, TV's Highest Paid Stars, Jody Latham

Frank Valentini and Steve Burton on Jason with Elizabeth versus Sam (and Sam with Jason versus John)
"Yes, we're obviously exploring that... Becky and Steve are just magnetic," Valentini told AccessHollywood.com. "And it's a different kind of love, it's a friendship love, it's an eternal love. It has so many prongs to it that's interesting for the writers to write. And also, on the flip side, Jason and Sam have the same kind of thing -- their love is a little bit more on fire."

NEWS: Who Killed Soaps, Nielsen Homes, GLEE, BBC America

Who Killed the Soaps? 7 Culprits, Including THE REAL HOUSEWIVES, Farmville, and James Franco
It's true that soaps don't make as much money as they used to, but why? Are there culprits to blame beyond network executives needing to cut costs? TVGuide.com points a finger at several other guilty parties in the death of the serial.

Nielsen: 21,000 Nielsen National People Meter homes in the U.S.
"There are 21,000 Nielsen National People Meter (NPM) homes in the United States. The NPM tracks what people around the country are watching at any given time. We make sure that the NPM is weighted so that it can accurately reflect the entire U.S television-viewing population. For example, we make sure the NPM represents an accurate number of men vs. women, or people at various ages and of different ethnicities."

NEWS: Betty White, THE Talk More Profitable Than ATWT, Goddard

Betty White to Host OFF THEIR ROCKERS for NBC
NBC has put in an order for 12 half-hour episodes of OFF THEIR ROCKERS, picking up the format from German sales group SevenOne International. The show, a golden ager version of TRIGGER HAPPY TV, features senior citizens playing pranks on unsuspecting youngsters.

“People have been telling me that I’m ‘Off My Rocker’ for years – now I can prove it,” quipped White.

THE TALK Executive Producer Brad Bessey To Exit
Because THE TALK is owned by CBS, it is already more profitable for the network than the soap it replaced, AS THE WORLD TURNS. It has also started to sell internationally.

NEWS: New CORRIE Opening, INBETWEENERS, GH

Analysis: Disney Junior a Promising New Kid on the Block
SOAPnet averaged 319,000 primetime viewers for first quarter 2010. The network had modest success with original series Being Erica, a Canadian production that was recently picked up for a third season by Canadian broadcaster CBC and SOAPnet. But its overall programming strategy has been to rely on re-runs of daytime soaps. Disney Junior is targeted to launch in 2012 in SOAPnet's 75 million homes. But the company will have to get multichannel operators to re-sign those license agreements.