Riche helped bring the long-rumored spin-off (which was tentatively titled "GH2") to fruition in 1997, which became the half-hour soap "Port Charles". Guza, a former GH script writer, and head writer in 1996, came and went several times during December 1997 through December 2000. Guza was credited with shifting the focus of the series heavily towards storylines on organized crime, as well as mob kingpin character Sonny Corinthos. Meanwhile, ratings for all soap operas continued to drop. In 1998, viewership was down twenty percent from 1992, and between 1996 and 1998 each New York show had replaced its head writer and executive producer, some more than once. "It is almost as if the soap business is becoming a soap opera itself," said Edward Lewine of "The New York Times", in an article where he quoted Michael Logan of "TV Guide", who added, "The audience is gradually eroding. Everybody is panicked, and the result is a constantly revolving door of writers and executives."