Daytime Emmys return to old network home and new city with June ceremony in Las Vegas

It’s CBS, viva Las Vegas for Daytime Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES — The Daytime Emmy Awards are returning to an old network home but in a new city.

CBS announced Friday that it will broadcast the ceremony from Las Vegas this summer. The show had been held in New York for more than three decades and then moved to Los Angeles in 2006.

With viewership up for other awards shows, including the Grammys and the Academy Awards, CBS may be betting that the Las Vegas Hilton setting will energize the broadcast.

The Daytime Emmys — which had traditionally rotated among CBS, ABC and NBC — saw ratings dive last year on the CW network. The show’s audience had eroded from nearly 22 million in 1993 to 5.4 million in 2008 but last year drew just 2.7 million viewers.

In comparison, the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards attracted nearly 13.5 million viewers, an increase over 2008’s audience of 12.4 million and reversal of a three-year downward trend.

CBS took note of the “loyal and passionate following” for daytime series in its announcement.

Networks, however, have seen interest dwindle for a one-time mainstay of daytime TV, soap operas, and CBS canceled the longtime series “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light” last year.

The Daytime Emmys, which honor a variety of programs ranging from soaps to talk shows to game shows, is scheduled to air June 27.

The 37th annual ceremony is presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in cooperation with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Nominations will be announced May 12.

CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp.

On the Net:

CBS: www.cbs.com

Emmy Awards: www.emmyonline.org