AMC: Megan Mctavish's E-mail Doesn't Work/Is She Gone?/Sweeps (Merged Threads)

[LookingGlass]

Megan's not going to go. At the end of the summer I was thinking at best it would happen at the end of April of next year. However even that possiblilty has now gone up in smoke. It's truely unbelievable considering the mess the show was in, and still is, and the comments even the most loyal of actors were making. But she's in for the long haul, however long it may be until AMC takes its last breath.

[Theresa33]

OK .. I went back and got Errol post for me. Just for me..

See the only reason they would really keep Megan is that AMC is not going to be on the air for very much longer.

That is the only thing that would half way make sense, I still say that Frons want s that time slot for Days if or when NBC does away with thier soaps.

Happy Thanksgiving Looking Glass..

[Canfan]

Thanks for the info Looking Glass . I am done with the show. Soaps are for enjoyment not aggravation which is all this one is giving me. After over twenty years of watching ABCD I am done and Frons can kiss my in his demo professional income behind. I rue the day Disney over took over. They really are cowards and cheap knock off artists. Yes I am bitter. As for this transgender storyline it has suck written all over it. Not even Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks could make the crap of ABC fly. It's too bad because I love soaps. Afraid I can't say the same for the network. I just wish the soaps could go out on a high note but am afraid they are going to die painfully right in front of us. Thank god I still have Jane Austen.

The one's I really feel sorry for are the actors who have to perform this crap to make a living. Its seems the 30's and the 40's really were the golden age of acting and writing.

[SlezaksOLTL]

If MMT is still staying on at AMC< then what about Higley? They can't seriously keep her on with the bad sweeps and now a whole slew of even more newbie characters being brought on? She can't even write well for her faves that are tanking the show, ES made it clear Higley's agenda consists of Higley's faves, which are all slowly being dumped but now new Higley faves will be on, what is the change in direction in that?

[Jess]

McTavish and Higley are parts of the problem, but only a part. The question about firing them is who would do it. Frons certainly can't since he is culpable in the sad state of ABC soaps. Much of the blame for the poor shape of ABC soaps can placed directly at his feet. Even as big a moron as he is, it would be difficult for him to fire writers who made a mess of shows because he demanded they make a mess of shows.

I believe at some point, Frons just decided to blow up all these shows and re-create them the way he wants them. I believe he truly thinks he knows more than he does.

I guess he thinks he can dump all these characters right and left and take the short-term hit from losing fans. When he brings on all his new characters a new fanbase will develop. If it doesn't, he unloads the soaps and creates some low-cost reality show or game show.

I think it's a bad strategy, but I do believe that is what is happening. He's dumping core characters and fan favorites in droves from AMC and OLTL and replacing them with no-talent attractive newbies. Dropping bombs on shows like this is certainly not a precursor for firing writers. It has all the trappings of a poorly conceived re-structuring of the shows.

The core of OLTL will be the boring couples of Antonio and Jessica and John and Natalie. Marrying the daughters to his favorite characters is a ham-handed way of making the Vegas and McBains the new Buchanans. The same thing is happening on AMC with Babe and her ever-annoying Momma. Anyway, I don't see either writer going. I think it would be hard to find other writers willing to implement Frons' crap.

[dragonflies]

I don't know why people think ABC would snatch up Days? It would cost the network too much money to air it, given that ABC owns all it's soaps, they'd have to pay a fee to Sony and other people wouldn't they to even air it on ABC.

Plus wasn't Days just renewed for a few more years this year? Given what Errol said, I think since AMC's sweeps are in the toilet ratings wise, I think changes will have to be made, Frons won't be given a choice in the matter.

[Reddi]

While I agree McT has serious problems in her writing, I do think the major problem on all the ABC soaps is Frons and the direction he's taking daytime (which might be under orders from above). The ABC soaps are written by "committee" now, and it's hurting ALL of them. Some HWs work better under those conditions than McT does, but she might be getting blamed for things that are not all her fault. Don't get me wrong... her emphasis on abusive males and sperm and odd reproduction really get to me (and not in a good way), plus the repeats of storylines over and over and over is a problem. But all of ABCd has to change focus, or there really will be no fix.

[daysfan]

Yes Days was renewed with NBC until 2009, thank goodness. I wouldn't live if Frons tried to destroy my favorite soap.

And, I also think that under Frons a good writer will never come to AMC, they need to fire him too or nothing will ever happen that the outcome will be good.

[jenna14]

Well I sent an e-mail to Brian Frons today that I cc'ed to McTavish and JHC and it never bounced back. It has done that before but not this time, just in case we needed more proof that she's not going anywhere.

I still say if Frons went AMC would be in better shape even with McT at the helm. What ABCD needs is complete regime change and at this point I include Frons' bosses as well. Anne Sweeney has failed at her job just as much as Frons has.

[Steve]

ABC tried to get the rights to air DAYS a few years ago when NBC was waffling about the contract with Sony (I think it was when Frons first became head of ABC daytime). It was all over the internet back then. The rumor was that Frons wanted to cut back OLTL to 1/2 hour and cancel Port Charles for DAYS.

It wouldn't surprise me if Frons is planning to kill AMC so he can try again to get DAYS on ABC when the contract with NBC expires.

[whyamcwhy]

I just tried to email McTavish and I am still getting an failure notice. I suppose it is possible she may have a different email address but i still think it doesn't make any sense for her not to have one or change the one she had.

[Theresa33]

Thanks Steve, and I agree

[jenna14]

I'm a bit confused as to why DAYS (when written correctly) is so much better to have in the ABC line up than AMC (when written correctly)? Is it because DAYS traditionally has a younger demographic that watches it?

[daysfan]

Well, I don't know the actual reason, but it almost seems like Frons is getting tired of destroying AMC so he wants a new soap to mess with.

[kzinlove06]

Somewhere in this thread (sorry, I'm too lazy to go in search of it), a poster mentioned that several staff writers had already been fired including Courtney Bugler and Chip Hayes, although his work would continue to appear longer.

For yesterday's episode, Chip Hayes was the breakdown writer and Courtney Bugler the script writer. I know the show is taped three to four weeks in advance, so my question is, how far, on average, are the scripts written prior to being aired? Is it possible their scripts would still be airing at this point, or are the rumored staff writer firings now just wishful thinking as well?