State of the Soaps
With the cancellation of ATWT, CBS President Les Moonves gave the following quotes:
“The days of the soap operas have changed very much. GUIDING LIGHT left last year. AS THE WORLD TURNS will leave this year. They had long and distinguished runs. And they're day is over.”
“Is it the end of an era? Sort of. Only the special soaps are going to survive. It’s certainly the end of the client-owned soap. All good things come to an end, whether it’s after 72 years or 54 years or 10 years. It’s a different time and a different business.”
For some time, we’ve all seen the writing on the wall – that daytime soap opera is dying, each show being picked off one by one. But are daytime soaps really dying…or are the networks using the recession as an excuse to kill them all off? The attitude of Mr. Moonvey makes me think the latter. My question to the networks is: what will they do once they’ve succeeded in killing off all their soaps and are producing trash TV on the cheap? Once the recession is over, are they really going to expect people to religiously tune in to LET’S MAKE A DEAL every day? Will the likes of THE TYRA BANKS SHOW survive for thirty years plus? I suspect that when times get better, these network execs are going to regret sacrificing these television shows to live on the cheap.
Also, my response to Mr. Moonvey is that the day of the soaps are not gone. I believe new soaps will continue to crop up, possibly on the internet or on other cable networks. What is over are the days of the Nielsen Ratings. The ratings system is a joke. How many people actually watch the soaps when they’re actually airing rather than via the Internet, iTunes or what have you? How many people actually even have a Nielsen box or are part of a Nielsen family? The networks have not changed with the technology of today; and I will not be convinced that these ratings reflect any kind of accuracy of how many people are really watching which shows.
Not that these soaps are not responsible for their own doom. How many times have we seen our favorite soaps spiral out of control over stupid backstage politics that effects the quality of the storylines that we’re seeing onscreen? How many times do we hear about the soap producers hiring their BFFs to work on the show rather than quality people that actually care about what’s going on? How many times have we seen the soap characters that we’ve lived with for years be miswritten to the point where they are no longer recognizable? The heart and soul of soap opera, the kind that existed in the 80s and 90s, seems to have all but disappeared. I believe that is because all of the soaps have been too “corporate”-ized. Accountants and pencil pushers are dictating the direction of the soaps more than those who created them in the first place.
While I’m still on the fence about paying for VENICE, I applaud the pioneers like Crystal Chappell, Martha Byrne and Tristan Rogers who are actually trying to keep the genre alive. Yes, right now the episodes are little five-minute segments once a week. But how long were soap operas on the radio when they first aired? There’s always the possibility that these shows will become longer if given the support. The networks obviously don’t give a damn about soap operas anymore, whether it will ultimately be to their advantage or not. Perhaps the audience should start to support the people really do care about the genre. That’s how those pioneers like Bill Bell, Agnes Nixon and Ted and Betty Corday got their start.
Editorial by FancyFace
I will not be convinced that these ratings reflect any kind of accuracy of how many people are really watching which shows.
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Word. That's my issue with these cancellations and all the talk of soaps dying. The ratings system is outdated and doesn't reflect the changing ways people watch tv ... all tv not just daytime.
I don't believe people have stopped watching soaps - heck half the shows on night time are in fact somewhat soapy! People watch around their own schedule rather than the network schedule.
And I agree with you about Venice, Gotham and others. At least Crystal Chappell and Martha Bryne (and others) really care about soaps and are looking for ways to keep the genre going. I will pay for Venice because I want to support the project but also because sooner or later these projects are going to have to show they can be financially viable.
If the soaps on the web can begin to show financial gains, then the episodes can expand. As soap viewers, we need to support these web projects as much as possible.
You are wrong. The Nielsen is right, because nobody cares how many people watch soaps from internet, downloaded to their home PC, iTunes, NBC home site or any other venue. Ratings aren´t about how many people watch the show but how many people watch the ads payed by sponsors aired during the show. There are few short ads on the NBC video site, but 15+ minutes of ads on the television. So even if DAYS is one of most watched programs on the NBC video, the network could care less because it´s not making them any money. Sadly, so far nobody was able to find a viable business model for these so called new media.
ReplyDeleteRatings may be the only way to measure the viewers but that doesnt make them correct, it only makes them unquestioned. I have heard Nielson is trying to implement a way to count the number of online viewers. How can Nielson be right if the networks themselves have called them out on being incorrect lately? The fact of the matter is, its the only rating system we have right now but there are other people coming up with new ratings systems right now that Nielson is actually worried about. On the prospect of online and if its viable. Well I think thats why Venice is charging a subscription they want to see if money can be made.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that the whole basis of rating through ads is outdated as well. When we have DVRs, the Internet, et cet., it all becomes inaccurate. This is a problem across the board with all of television really; not just soaps. What we really need is a SoapNet cable channel that will really show soaps and not sell out for crap like the SoapNet we have is doing.
ReplyDeleteTo Annoymous above, pointing out that it doesn't matter, that only the people watching ads count:
ReplyDeletethat sounds like the same argument I hear out of the automotive makers and gasoline companies as to why electric cars aren't viable either. The networks aren't intersted in any other model because this one is making them money and leaving eveyrone else out in the cold. It gives them all the control. Of course they're not going to suggest to advertisers that there are other options. The fact it, this isn't 1970 and the viewers have more choices and if advertisers think that network tv is the future, they're living in another decade.