Q: Why aren't the Daytime Emmys going to be aired on television this year? — Alberta of Grosse Point, Mich.

The road to the Daytime Emmys was not easy. For years, daytime programming was what supported prime time. Yet the Emmy presenters ridiculed the genre. John Beradino (Steve, "General Hospital") kept pushing for an award for daytime only. He was incensed by one particular incident, when there were several daytime submissions for the Emmys but the Academy decided that none of the nominees were worthy. (It's too bad that, with political candidates, even when they're all unworthy somebody still wins.)

In 1972, Paul Rauch produced a daytime-only award ceremony at a river basin in Central Park. It was not televised. Rauch, always a fashionisto, wore a velvet suit with a purple sash. I was there; I, too, made a fashion statement. I was wearing a green Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. The only problem? So was Susan Lucci. From that day on, Lucci and I always checked with each other to see if we have made the same fashion choice (ha-ha).

Held in New York for years, it became a major event. In the afternoon there was a fashion parade down Sixth Avenue. At night paparazzi lined the streets. Fans yelled for the stars to throw a kiss or give them a wave.

When Erika Slezak (Victoria, "One Life to Live") won her first best actress award she was not only thrilled about the award but she was also excited to be getting it at the fabled Rockefeller Center. "My dad will be thrilled," she said. Her dad was the storied actor Walter Slezak.

For a long time, the Daytime Emmys were a prized event. It was a hard ticket to get. The vetting to get a press pass was deep.

For years the running gag was: When will Susan Lucci (Erica, "All My Children") win her Emmy? One year, I was sitting at a table with Robert Gentry (Ross, "All My Children") He went out to get a smoke. He came back fuming. The awards were still going on, but he had seen a New York Daily News headline: "Lucci Loses" (which she did). In fact, for years headlines did not mention the winner — only Lucci's losing. By the way, she kept losing because she kept submitting bad reels. When she finally submitted a great one, she won. It was the scene where Erica tries to deal with a miscarriage and then abducts a baby. Watching it when it first ran, I could see it clearly had "winner" written all over it. Once Lucci finally won, interest in the award category seemed to ebb.

As for its not being televised this year — well, we are not comparing a Daytime Emmy to a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize, but it's worth noting that those awards ceremonies aren't televised, and they still thrive.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV