mikelyons

All shows (from a tiny independent film to a soap opera) should have a contingency budget which is how they should be funding the COVID compliance costs. I imagine Television City would front some of the costs with the shows which shoot at the studio since they have an interest in keeping it a healthy space when PRICE IS RIGHT, Y&R, B&B, REAL TIME..., etc. all record there and use the same crew quite a bit. Heck, PRICE IS RIGHT and REAL TIME... share a stage! 

I'll have to do more digging because I do have more Y&R and DAYS budget figures. The only thing we don't have real insight into is how the license fee is split. Yes, CBS paid Sony $100m for Y&R's license fee, but how did Sony divvy up that check? How much went to production? How much went to Sony, the Bells, and Corday? If we assume a 25% profit from the license fee on Y&R, that leaves $75m for production and $25m for the production partners. DAYS is financed differently because Sony negotiates the fee with NBC and then takes a distribution fee, but the ultimate fee is turned over to Corday. Even if Sony takes a 35% distribution fee, Corday is getting $39m to produce DAYS which is $750,000 a week...and that pretty much tracks with how much DAYS was getting a few years ago.

We always hear soaps don't make any money, but below are the actual revenue numbers for Sony Pictures Entertainment's television division's earning before interest and tax. Y&R was Sony Pictures Television's most profitable show in its division. It was also the third most profitable show in ALL of Sony Pictures Television behind Breaking Bad ($5,751,000) and Drop Dead Diva ($5,207,000). 

Sony Pictures Television Consolidated Revenue Reconciliation 

BUDGET VS. ACTUAL FOR THE MONTH ENDED July 31, 2013

US Production & Ad Sales (TV)

Network, Unscripted, & Daytime (Revenue in millions, before EBIT)

1. The Young and the Restless: $2,417,000

2. MOB Doctor: $2,306,000

3. Dr. Oz: $2,259,000*

4. Days of Our Lives: $1,794,000

5. Other: $509,000

6. Wheel of Fortune: -$436,000*

7. Jeopardy!: -$1,554,000*

8. Michael J. Fox: -$3,600,000

9. Blacklist: -$5,400,000

10. Unforgettable: -$7,262,000

*Syndication (for comparison as a lot of Sony's syndicated material airs during daytime)

Budget Assumptions

THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS

• $100M annual license fee extension through 08/09 assumed
• SOAPnet assumed at $21.5K per episode (currently $18.5K; $4,800,000 per year)

DAYS OF OUR LIVES

• Contractual 07/08 license fee of $60M
• SOAPnet contract at $22K per episode ($5,720,000 per year) 

This quite wonderful article about PEYTON PLACE is wonderful because it mentions how the show's duration and stable writing team were the show's "hidden asset": 

Duration was Peyton Place’s hidden asset. Its creators had the luxury to build characters over the course of years rather than within the confines of a fifty-minute hour. Because the writing staff was relatively stable after the first year, Peyton Place developed a terrific institutional memory. Complex characters remained emotionally consistent throughout years of labyrinthine plot twists. 

Betty Anderson, one of only three regulars who lasted for the whole five-year run, may have benefited most from the writers’ skill for deepening and reinventing their characters. They paired Betty romantically with lawyer Steven Cord (James Douglas), a fellow social striver whose illegitimacy gave him a world-class inferiority complex. (...) The writers also threw out frequent callbacks to Betty’s past with Rodney, reuniting them occasionally for what-might-have-been scenes in which they came awkwardly to terms with their failed marriage and lost child. With years of backstory to draw upon, O’Neal and Parkins could play varied notes of jealousy, ruefulness, sweetness, and mordant humor, building an emotional array that could only exist in a series with the longevity and continuity of Peyton Place.

https://www.avclub.com/why-institutional-memory-was-peyton-place-s-hidden-asse-1798241844

It got me thinking about daytime soaps and their institutional memories. I always felt Y&R lost theirs when Kay Alden was dumped in 2006 which is part of the reason the show is listless today. From what I recall of Jill Farren Phelps' Locher Room interview, she took Mary O'Leary (please correct me if this is the wrong person) from GUIDING LIGHT when she moved to ANOTHER WORLD and O'Leary was considered the walking encyclopedia of GL. Could losing their "expert" have been part of the reason GL never recovered?

Can we think of other examples where losing the person who "knew" the show either hurt it or, in the inverse, made a soap opera stronger?

Cynthia Popp produces and directs THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. She also directed a few episodes of FRASIER. 

Deveney Kelly has directed for B&B, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, and DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

12 hours ago, YRfan23 said:

Even now when Sally McDonald directs episodes of Y&R I notice the particular episode looks better. She’s been with the show since 1990 and has been directing since 1995 or 1996 so I also would have had her as EP. 

Sally is a great director. Actually, she directed the first post-Lynn Marie Latham, first Maria Bell episode of Y&R. She took the show back to basics by turning down the lights, opening tight on a shot of real flowers, and finding Nikki in the Newman living room. I don't know if that episode is online, but it's worth a look, especially if you compare it to LML's reign of destruction. 

1 hour ago, slick jones said:

All flash, no substance

ruining legacies

killing characters off that had potential

 

29 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

She missed the biggest lesson Gloria Monty  was there to teach her- Gloria wanted to do something different, after decades of playing within the bounds of the genre.  But she still understood the genre in a way JFP has always seemed to think she was better than.

 

 GM didn’t do right by many of the GH vets- however, we still saw them all the time in the first half of her tenure.  Dr. Hardy and Jesse may not have been driving their own stories, but we certainly saw them constantly and they were part of the fabric of the show.  And just because an actor was older doesn’t mean they got tossed aside- Ruby, Edward, Lee, Gail, Lila, Dan, and Jesse were onscreen and interacting with Lesley, Alan, Bobbie, etc.  The audience still had that comfort while the show morphed into an action/adventure show.  GM had the taste in her first tenure of great talent picking and good story instincts.  JFP does not have that same skill set, so when she dictates story and tone we get darkness, misery, bland heroines and men as the focus of the show.  I wish she left competent writers alone and produced the hell out of what they wrote.  Instead of always having her fingers in the story (influencing story in every way possible- from focus groups to changing the scenes as they were shooting them).

Agreed!!

1 hour ago, slick jones said:

 

 

 

 

JFP said in an interview when she was hired at Y&R that Genie was safe and they had a good working relationship. In less than a month, Genie was fired. Guess she's not an FOJ, a term Jill used during her interview. I'll never have time or patience for JFP FOJ's.

She said she doesn't enjoy firing people. I nearly gagged. She doesn't have a problem firing Genie Francis. 

12 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I don't understand why they totally glossed over her time at GH

She basically confirmed a lot of the rumors I'd heard internally about her time on Y&R, what she was tasked to do, how much the network pushed back, and what they changed after they fired her. Good riddance. 

Renée Elise Goldsberry talks ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Tika Sumpter, Frank Valentini, HAMILTON, and much more on today's episode of NPR's FRESH AIR. 

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1008866029/renee-elise-goldsberry-girls5eva-hamilton

6 hours ago, Brent said:

I'll get on it. Please be patient. My techno guru brother will have to help. I'll also include a Search for Tomorrow dialogue clip and Connie Eaton's vocal of the title theme from the "Best of Everything," done as a nightclub scene on the 9/7/70 episode.

Can't wait!! Thank you!!

4 hours ago, Brent said:

I'll check into doing this, if there is sufficient interest out there. It's the theme I best remember for the show, low key, clarinet I believe...I also have a snatch of dialogue from "Search for Tomorrow" from that same summer between a character named "Ida," and a younger woman on Ida's front porch.

 

BC

I'd totally be interested. There's so little surviving of WHERE THE HEART IS, that any piece of the show is welcome.

On 5/25/2021 at 12:08 PM, Brent said:

I have discovered that I have a tape recording of the original theme music, (opening and close and announcer) to "Where the Heart Is," taped in the summer of 1970. To my knowledge, (correct me if I'm wrong) this is not extant on the Web, however, I'd be afraid to post lest I violate ASCAP or other copyright laws. Have no idea who wrote it, but the visual was a butterfly in flight, photographed in slow motion.

 

Brent.

If you want to share it, you can post it to your Google Drive or MediaFire. Just change the name from "Where the Heart Is" to avoid the Internet police. That's how I privately share things from time to time.

6 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

This has been debated and denied so many times over the years...

It could be a soap by soap thing or simply depends on how good your agent is.

Apparently, former OLTL co-head writer Allison "Sam" Hall, he "created and developed the storyline and numerous characters in the series. Paragraph 3 of the Agreement memorialized obligations of ABC for payment of certain compensation to Wildercliff, Ltd. and a weekly royalty to Hall, personally, 'as long as ONE LIFE TO LIVE is broadcast'..." Hall received a weekly royalty of $1,000 a week until January 13, 2012. 

Complaint: https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/one-life-to-live-writer-abc-hulu-lawsuit-1__140109200021.pdf

The "theme"/"baseline" from MA PERKINS:

“The ‘baseline’ of MA PERKINS is the Golden Rule. Another way of stating this is that every sequence demonstrates Ma as an active, although not interfering, practicing Christian. Truth, honesty, loyalty — doing unto other rather than doing others…these principles Ma believes are never to be compromised.”

7 minutes ago, Lust4Life76 said:

That the world within the world Irna Phillips is creating is a nuanced representation of the world she lived in. And that the Hughes family is her "seed", and that despite the problems of the day "ATWT" was created, she is providing an escape, a celebration of the home, to take the viewers mind off of the problems of the day. What do you all draw from it? 

 

I think she understood that the life of the housewife wasn't ideal, but she wanted to create a world where the ideal was attainable, although not without its own issues. Ruth Warrick said in her Academy interview that all of the couples were with the wrong people and that's part of the reason people identified and enjoyed the show.

------------------------------------

Episode #9 of SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (Second Revision) written by Agnes Nixon. She wove the theme of SFT into dialogue between Joanne and Keith.

Page 14

JOANNE: Keith, be reasonable.

KEITH: Me?…You’re not looking any father than your nose, Jo….There’s a lot more to it than just the day-to-day bills. A man had to think of the future - plan for tomorrow.

JOANNE: That’s what I’m thinking of too…We all search for tomorrow - because it holds the promise of happiness.

KEITH: Don’t you want it to hold the promise of security too?

JOANNE: Of course! But security is something inside yourself. You can’t buy it or sell it or put it in a bank.

KEITH: That sounds real fine when you say it… But I’m not so sure anymore, Jo….I’m just not so sure.

FADE OUT.

(MUSIC: BRIDGE)

(SECOND COMMERCIAL)

As close as we'll get to the original theme from AS THE EARTH TURNS. This is from the original pilot, which was used to sell the show & never aired on television.

"…This, then, is the broad base of our storyline. We would like to stress the point of “AS THE EARTH TURNS” is not a melodrama. It is the story of people. It might well be said that the life of each of us is a serial story. Heredity and environment shape our destinies. As it is true for us, so it is true for the Hughes family. The experiences of these people are predictable as the changing seasons, and as unpredictable as nature itself. What happens to them to so many of us who are subject to the many influences, pressures, of everyday living in this particular era - an era that is breeding insecurity, feat, almost futility. But as long as this is a springtime and a harvest, as long as the earth turns, nothing is futile."

-------------------------------

This is from the original bible of THE EDGE OF NIGHT (originally known as WORLD WITHIN) by Irving Vendig. I copied all of the original misspellings, etc. to maintain the integrity of the documents.

My original paragraph on World Within 

Read:

PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS: “Everyone has a World Within --- a world he alone knows. We live ON a world that spins around the sun ---We live IN a personal world created out of ourselves --- the stuff we are.” Perhaps all I did was restate Hamlet. “This above all: To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” Or ---- The late Perry Mason radio show: “...defender of human rights, champion of all those who seek justice.”

"In our presentation, we said “The World Within is the exciting love story of Mike Karr and Sara Lane...etc...”

"The excitement comes in part from Mike’s character, a great deal from Mike’s job. Because of what Mike is (his world within) and because of his occupation, he too is a “defender of human rights, a champion of all those who seek justice.”

Excitement and emotion will also come from Sara and her conflicts...her “world within”. Bother before and after their marriage will be a world touching but apart from Mike’s work - world. And so...while Sara will share Mike’s zeal to help the worthy underdog, her world is apart from his....these are facets of his work she can’t understand just as there will be home problems he can’t understand...and hence...as case after case develops...we will have a background of Sara and Mike’s lives, and their personal problems and adjustments which must be met and solved or delayed while Mike and Sara go about their everyday affairs...even as you and I.

"So, we return to the original concept for World Within (we never really wanted very far) which God know is a (( inclusive enough to embrace every human problem. Mike is a detective whose instinct is for the underdog. Because Mike is honest from the bones out, it’s a deserving underdog. We know he’s deserving because he seeks justice, is not afraid of justice, and because Mike is for Him. Because of Mike’s nature, and within the framework of his job, Mike will see the underdog gets justice, even if it means trouble and danger. Sara loves Mike for what he is. If he weren’t true to himself he couldn’t be true to her. But...she’s human, and there’ll be times when she wishes Mike could reserve a little more of his day for her.

"Paradoxically, there may come a time when Sara defends a person Mike doesn’t think deserves that much sympathy. As a specific example, there’s her brother Jack. Mike will do all he can for Jack...but when it appears Jack steps into trouble wilfully, Mike doesn’t feel Jack has the right to Sara’s infinite patience. In this specific interest, Sara is right --- for she’s had the chance to see things in Jack that Mike hasn’t seen. In the resolution of this particular sequence, both Sara and Mike will have learned a lesson, as a result, the world created by their love will be that much better...and so it will go all their lives.

Broadly, and story-wise, it seems to me that our story attack was right from the beginning, too. In an exciting, close-to-home story, we give Mike and Sara deep histories before they are married. After their marriage, we show their homelife and adjustment struggles against the background of a succession of cases that derive directly from Mike’s work.

"The case will be the basis of the sequence as it was on the Parry (sic) Mason radio show --- the important difference being that now we have protagonists who are people, and who have human problems that ca be followed as the case builds, develops, and is solved. The story won’t be told from Mike or Sara’s viewpoint exclusively...but from whichever viewpoint (at the time) gives the best dramatic or emotional view.

"To sum up, as in the Mason radio show we will meet a succession of interesting people with dramatically interesting problems...plus Mike and Sara...Mike and Sara who hold our story together and who are people in their own right, people who will continue to grow, adjust, make mistakes....learn from those mistakes --- in short --- people who are alive!"

No one except Bill Bell knew how to write for Jill Foster Abbott. Kay Alden got a lot right, but by the mid-2000s, Jill was a shell of her former self. The same can be said for Ashley Abbott and Victor Newman. I give the actors who played all three roles with knowing their characters so well that they rose above dubious writing.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I never felt a lot of the writers from the mid-90s onward really understood Erica Kane. Agnes Nixon, Wisner Washam, and Lorraine Broderick were the only three who seemed to be clued into what made Erica tick, cry, and rage. Again, Lucci knew her character so well, she was ALWAYS Erica no matter where the writers took the character. 

I think not knowing how to write for legacy characters is endemic of a lot of soap operas. In general, the writing team can change with the head writer, so all of the institutional knowledge about how to write said characters goes out the window. Recently, it seems that head writers come and go, but the dialogue and breakdown writers can be stable. We can't forget that head writers get paid a royalty every time they create a new character. Lastly, I think the reason some characters stay around long past their prime is because they're popular with executives, producers, and the audience. If you have that golden triangle, you're set. Unless you're Genie Francis and JFP has been hired to produce the show you're on...

56 minutes ago, Lust4Life76 said:

Thank you  Copyright is understandable, I understand that much. And that would detour a lot of people to try to copy, or emulate the style of writing that the respective creator is known for and then try to pass it off as their own.  I think when I looked at "As The World Turns" bible I found it was a nice example in the sense the late Irna Phillips wrote it from the heart, and made it a romantic, very personal creation. But then I wondered are all bibles created equal? What takes did her pupils Agnes Nixon and Bill Bell employ to sell their "worlds" without end. I think if there were access to these materials budding writers could examine their own characters and stories effectively. The way Agnes alleged to have done, per Peter Bergman, who received a character bible for Dr. Cliff Warner upon being hired so he knew where things involved him and other characters story-wise). The bible, a marvelous set of instructions, a gift of oxygen so your brain child may have the ability to flourish and grow. I have to wonder what Charles Pratt's bible for "Models Inc" looked like. Don't get me wrong, I loved that show - but I'd have to wonder. And did Charles Pratt create "Sunset Beach" too for Aaron Spelling?

Chuck Pratt didn't even write breakdowns on ALL MY CHILDREN, so I doubt he wrote a good bible for SUNSET BEACH.

Bell, Nixon, and Hess (LOVE OF LIFE) wrote very specific bibles. They set their shows during a time and a place which was real to them. Nothing felt phony because it was rooted in their truth. I can't say if soap opera writers today do that. 

Irna was a master as using themes and character history to build up to the moment you're introduced to the characters. It's not hard to get right, but if you don't know how to structure a bible, it can be very daunting. Since Irna created out first soap opera (and she did a bible of sorts for it), I'd say she's the master of the soap opera bible followed by Agnes Nixon? Why Agnes? She wrote the bible for the first successful TV soap opera, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, the first half-hour soap opera, AS THE WORLD TURNS, and Bill Bell had a copy of her ALL MY CHILDREN (circa-1965) bible in his archive. I think that speaks volumes! 

The original bible for AS THE EARTH (WORLD) TURNS: https://www.mediafire.com/file/wzg82vlm3mjpx6b/As+the+Earth+Turns_Bible.pdf/file

3 minutes ago, Lust4Life76 said:

What are they trying to do in preventing the story bibles from being shared? I would think they would want to make them accessible in order to educate those who want to create serials or any other type of work? And I mean the towns of Pine Valley, Llanview, Corinth, etc., have already come and gone in their creation, so there isn't any way to plagiarize the work - people just want a rough idea on how to create their own worlds without end based on these bibles the creators all speak of. Forgive the simplicity of that question, but I think had I had access to an example I would have been like EUREKA!

It's a valid point! I'd say that the one reason why they aren't shared is that they're still under copyright. It's up to the owners (Sony, the Bells, the Nixons, etc.) to decide to release them into the public domain, even as educational tools. They haven't decided to do it. That's the simple truth. If Warner Bros. and Sony can release the script for every Oscar nominated film, the soap opera owners can do the same thing. Hell, even the BBC has scripts and breakdowns of THE ARCHERS, EASTENDERS, and THE DOCTORS on their Writer's site. 

One of the things with bibles that haven't been made public is that the archives know who's been in and can easily track who shared them. If I can find one online, I will share it. I believe I have a copy of the ATWT bible. Since it's already been posted, I'd be willing to share the link.

13 minutes ago, BoldRestless said:

@mikelyons thank you for a fascinating post. 

You're welcome!

16 hours ago, Lust4Life76 said:

Thank you for this information Mike. I also really enjoyed your posts on the "Race and Racism" in the Soaps" Thread. 

I debated for a long time whether to tell that story, but it felt like the right moment and the right space.

One last thing: Every single script for AMC and OLTL have been archived and digitized at the University of Pennsylvania. If you call them and ask about they, they'll tell you that they don't have them. However, a ton of researchers quote cite them as did the 25th anniversary AMC coffee table book. If I ever get in, I'll be sure to document Erica's first moments on screen.

Not bibles, but complete scripts (that I know of) exist in archives for:

AMC* (see above)

OLTL* (see above)

B&B

Y&R

DAYS

GH

ATWT (Irna's archive has most of them thru 73 when the P&G Collection takes up the slack through the 90s)

SFT (The majority of the first decade or so is in Irving Vendig's archive at Boston University, including Agnes' first thirteen weeks of outlines and scripts.)

LOVING (I'd guess this exists, but the Nixon family has them as they many of them aren't in Agnes' archive.)

Here are the soap opera bibles I've either read, researched, seen, or know where they are:

AMC: It reads like it was the original presentation bible meant for P&G. As I mentioned before, Erica isn't mentioned once, but the Martins and Tylers are very much established. It gives a wonderful insight into the world Agnes was creating in the mid-to-late 60s. This bible can be found in Agnes Nixon's Northwestern Archive and Bill Bell's UCLA archive. 

ATWT: This bible is well worth a read as it was for the first half-hour soap opera and you can see how Ted Corday, Irna Phillips, and Agnes Nixon really worked hard to elevate ATWT into something special. There's a ton of backstory on the original characters and the intention for the show is clear. This bible can be found in Agnes Nixon's Northwestern Archive and Irna Phillips' vast archive at the Wisconsin Historical Society.

AW: To be honest, I found this bible slight and unimpressive. To me, it feels a bit thrown together for the network. This bible can be found at  Irna Phillips' vast archive at the Wisconsin Historical Society and Bill Bell's UCLA archive. 

B&B: The language is beautiful and you're instantly drawn in, but if you know the early history of Y&R, it does read like a rehash of Y&R for the 1980s. This bible can found found in the Bell UCLA archive.

CORONATION STREET: ITV keeps an archive of everything pertaining to the show and the bible hasn't surfaced. Interestingly enough, an early iteration of the show called SEVEN, BESSIE STREET which established the world of the show when Tony Warren originally pitched it to the BBC exists, but the contents of it haven't been made public. After SEVEN, BESSIE STREET was rejected it was re-worked into OUR STREET (which was rejected by the BBC) and FLORIZAL STREET, which was bought by ITV and renamed CORONATION STREET.

DAYS: From what I recall, theme and intention were big aspects of the DAYS bible. It's worth a read to see how a simple family soap opera has morphed over the year. This bible can be found at  Irna Phillips' vast archive at the Wisconsin Historical Society and Bill Bell's UCLA archive. 

EDGE OF NIGHT: This bible is thrilling to read as it was created contemporaneously with ATWT, our first half hour soaps. It can be found in the Irving Vending collection at Boston University.

EMMERDALE: A small number of early scripts from EMMERDALE are in Kevin Laffan's archive at the University of Leicester. It is unclear if the original bible is part of that collection. 

GH: I haven't read it, but I believe it is in the Hursley/Dobson papers at the Wisconsin Historical Society.

LOVE OF LIFE: This bible is in John Hess' archive at Dartmouth. It's a simple document which provides the bones of the show, which they kept to until Hess left the series. 

LOVING: This bible is quite clear on the show it is meant to be and the show it became. All of the major moving parts are here. I don't believe the Rescotts were included in the bible. It's a good read and not very long. This bible can be found in Agnes Nixon's Northwestern Archive.

OLTL: This bible is missing in action. I do not know where it is as it hasn't shown up in Agnes' archives or anywhere else. 

RYAN'S HOPE: This bible is missing in action. As far as I know, Paul Avila Miller and Claire Labine's papers have not yet been entered into an archive.

SFT: It took me years to track down the SFT bible written by Agnes Nixon because it is missing from her archive and you can't find it by searching online. I found it to be a wonderful document which P&G and Roy Winsor leaned on heavily after they fired Agnes. The SFT bible and ALL of Agnes' original outlines for the first 13 weeks are in the Irving Vendig Collection at Boston University. You cannot make copies or take photos of these documents...you are watched like a hawk. Trust me, they are there. I have read and touched them! How they got there is another story for another day.

SUNSET BEACH: The first 29 scripts are in Aaron Spelling's archive at Boston University. I don't know if the bible is there. It could be and wasn't logged by the archivists. 

Y&R: Apparently, no one has seen the original bible for Y&R since it was pitched to Screen Gems and CBS circa 1972. Where it is, is anyone's guess? Kay Alden may have a copy or the Bell family. Maybe one of the executives at CBS took it home, put it in a drawer, and forgot about it. I'm hoping it surfaces one day at a rummage sale in Los Angeles. 

I hope this helps!

On 3/31/2021 at 5:46 PM, Lust4Life76 said:

 

I was watching Alan Locher's "Locher Room" today, and they did a tribute to Agnes Nixon.

I was told by a fellow viewer that if I wanted to see Agnes' work I could find it at the Northwestern College archives. I was curious, does anyone know how to access the online archives for Northwestern to look at Agnes' work? I am on the site, but all I am finding is the ability to request files that I would have to view in person when visiting the library. Is there anything just scanned in?

Thanks for any help,

Erik

Generally, nothing is scanned in by the archive. When you make a request for copies of documents (if the archive does it), they will charge you a nominal rate to scan each page and email it to you. In effect, researchers pay for the digitization of their archives. It's a bit archaic, but it makes plenty of financial sense. Why pay for it out of pocket when a researcher will pay us to do it? 

Additionally, the ALL MY CHILDREN bible is at Northwestern University and the Bell Collection at UCLA. In that iteration of the AMC bible, Erica Kane is never mentioned. Not once. Not even a character called "Susan". There may be additional drafts of the AMC bible with Erica in it, but it hasn't surfaced yet. The earliest mention of Erica from Agnes' Northwestern archive is by Tara in Episode 1. According to an outline by Agnes' Northwestern archive from Episode 10, we finally meet Erica. She has just received her car from her father and drives Tara and Phil home. This could very well be the infamous "Hollywood & Vine" episode, which we may have only seen edited for A DAYTIME TO REMEMBER, not in its unedited state.

7 minutes ago, Dylan said:

How does GH do on hulu?

I don’t know if Hulu or ABC has ever released GH’s streaming numbers. I do know that when Hulu announced they were going to remove Coronation Street years ago, people had a fit and they reversed their decision. I’d bet GH does just fine on Hulu. 

I think the cancelation of AMC and OLTL in 2011-12 along with the OPRAH going off the air decimated ABC's daytime line-up. ABC hasn't recovered. I do believe that NBC and CBS halted whatever plans they may have had to get rid of their remaining soaps after seeing three legacy shows lost in the span of a few months. At this point, it's "cheaper to keep her". 

From the Sony leak, it seems that Y&R and DAYS' numbers go up by 50% or more when they factored in online streaming, SoapNet viewings, iTunes downloads, and the like. The shows are probably healthier and more profitable than anyone would care to admit. I don't see these four shows going solely to streaming - the networks will not want to give that time back to their affiliates and lose out completely - but they will be anchors in their streaming future.

Considering how hard it is for networks to successfully replace a soap, they'll leave them where they are. It was once said that once a soap falls below a 1.0 rating, it's out the door. Well, they continue to outperform most of their daytime compatriots, so as long as they make more money in ad revenue than their licensing fee, the four remaining soaps will stay on the air. It's too risky to replace Y&R or DAYS with a "celebrity" talk show or lame game show. They have a reliable audience in an age of deep fractures. Do whatever you can to keep it.