NBC chief, after canceling 'Passions,' sees 'beginning of end' for network soaps

Saturday, January 27, 2007

bloomberg news

NBC network chief Jeff Zucker, who canceled the soap opera "Passions" last week, predicts the daytime dramas are facing "the beginning of the end."

"They went away from radio; they'll go away from television," Zucker, chief executive officer of NBC Universal Television Group, said last week at an event to showcase the network's program line up in Pasadena, California.

Women entering the workforce, an increase in cable channels and the success of syndicated daytime programs such as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" are reducing the audience for network soap operas. The number of daytime dramas on network TV has slumped from 18 in the early 1970s to nine today, including "Passions."

"They're not going to go away tomorrow," said Brad Adgate, director of research for the advertising firm, Horizon Media, in New York. "But it will happen."

The total audience for daytime soap operas on the networks fell to 30.5 million last year from 51.8 million in 1999, a 41 percent drop, according to Nielsen Media Research, while the overall daytime audience fell 36 percent.

"The way people view story-telling in their homes is changing," she said. "The challenge for us is to deliver the stories the best way we can in a successful business model."

She said the networks have recognized that sustaining interest in daytime programming relies, in part, on developing new ways to deliver the shows, like over the Internet, on cell phones and other digital devices.

"There are different issues at hand for each network," she said. "The universal issue is finding a viable business model that works."

`Great Mechanism'

P&G is betting that daytime television is still the best way to reach consumers. Brian Cahill, vice president for operations and strategic initiatives for TeleVest Daytime Programs, which produces the daytime shows for P&G, said the company doesn't plan to abandon its programs on CBS.

"It's a great mechanism through which we can reach our consumers," he said, adding that any demise of soap operas on the networks, "may be true of NBC, but it's certainly not true of where we are."

`Holistic Approach'

ABC, a unit of the Burbank, California-based Walt Disney Co., is also committed to its soap operas, said Brian Frons, president of daytime television at ABC.

He said Disney takes "a more holistic approach" to assessing the popularity of the shows, largely because of Disney's successful cable channel, Soapnet, which first appeared seven years ago and now reaches 57 million homes.

Soapnet has a weekday primetime schedule that now includes episodes of the five leading soap operas that appeared earlier in the day on ABC, NBC and CBS.

In 2006, Soapnet had its largest audiences ever during primetime, an average of 311,000 nightly viewers.

"Soap opera fans have a great passion," said Deborah Blackwell, Soapnet's executive vice president and general manager. "They constantly come up to me and say Soapnet changed their life. We feel we're taking the right steps to ensure the future health of soap operas."

-- Editor: Moody

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Give me a break.

I'll give these doomsday predictions credence when the other soaps start their descent into the abyss of mediocrity Passions toiled in.

Tell me, how many years did it take NBC to do something about the quality of DAYS? They have NEVER cared about soaps and their history shows that.

P&G is betting that daytime television is still the best way to reach consumers. Brian Cahill, vice president for operations and strategic initiatives for TeleVest Daytime Programs, which produces the daytime shows for P&G, said the company doesn't plan to abandon its programs on CBS.

"It's a great mechanism through which we can reach our consumers," he said, adding that any demise of soap operas on the networks, "may be true of NBC, but it's certainly not true of where we are."

*breathes sigh of relief*

Okay so ATWT & GL are safe on CBS as are the ABC soaps. We only need to worry about DOOL. Damn NBC. They don't deserve soaps on their network.

You know what, Zucker?

GO. TO. HELL.

Well, on one hand, he didn't say anything we all don't say every Thursday in the ratings threads. But on the other hand, this is just silly. Passions isn't even a real soap opera. And Zucker obviously isn't at the top of his game like he used to be, considering NBC is the #4 Network once the annual ratings come in, and two years ago, it was #1!

I love how NBC and Zucker are the only ones admitting defeat and saying it's the end without even trying like ABC and CBS qare. Those two networks seem committed to trying to find ways to keep soaps around. ABC may have it's issues but I can given them that. He finally has Days going in the right direction and he is already writing them off.

Zucker and NBC can go to hell. Seriously, his statement regarding Days was bad enough now he has to go and say all this [!@#$%^&*]? What an ass!! .

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Now that is good news for P&G soaps. Now if only they had great writers to make it watchable.

I am FUMING right now!!!!! I can't believe this!!!!! And the others who said NBC is not commited to their soaps like CBS and ABC are are right. Theyv'e cancelled four in the past two decades, and they are going to cancel Days in 2009.

Like Phoenix said, ABC may have it's problems but they are commited to their soaps. You can see this by Frons' bosses bringing in Kay Alden and Jack Smith (who do have their problems as well, but are WAY better than the people ABC has got now).

CBS is obviously commited to their soaps, even though ATWT is in bad shape and partially GL you can see it. NBC never has been, and sadly this does not suprise me.

Pure BS. At least ABC and CBS aren't falling for the crap. At least when DAYS (or if.., but that is doubtful) is off in 2009, you know you can catch up on Y&R, AMC and OLTL.

Zucker has no CLUE what he's talking about. PASSIONS could have been fixed, if the network had just stepped in and forced some changes. DOOL is in the process of rebounding after years of problems with the writing staff, and it should never have been allowed to get as bad as it did. NBC could have a very successful daytime IF they wanted to, but for some reason they want to get out of the genre altogether. They are alienating a lot of loyal viewers, especially with Zucker opening his mouth and showing how much of an idiot he is, and with the position NBC is in right now they should be thinking about preserving viewers instead of making them angry. Despite what Zucker seems to think, four hours of Today, Heroes, and Deal or No Deal is not going to save his network.

I hope Sony/Corday has some kind of a plan to save DOOL. It's getting harder and harder to keep my positive thinking!

Well duh. If NBC has gone from 1 to no.4 hell FOX is even beating then you should fire the man that let it happen. Jeff Suck Ass. How dare he say passions is te beigning of the end for soaps, who he think he is?. Corday, Look for networks now. My BET is that by the time 2009 get here, GL will be hovering around a 2.0 or 1.9 or so, and CBS will cacel it to add DAYS to their network. I am glad to see P&G and ABCD behind there soaps.

Well, on one hand, he didn't say anything we all don't say every Thursday in the ratings threads. But on the other hand, this is just silly. Passions isn't even a real soap opera. And Zucker obviously isn't at the top of his game like he used to be, considering NBC is the #4 Network once the annual ratings come in, and two years ago, it was #1!

Well duh. If NBC has gone from 1 to no.4 hell FOX is even beating then you should fire the man that let it happen. Jeff Suck Ass. How dare he say passions is te beigning of the end for soaps, who he think he is?. Corday, Look for networks now. My BET is that by the time 2009 get here, GL will be hovering around a 2.0 or 1.9 or so, and CBS will cacel it to add DAYS to their network. I am glad to see P&G and ABCD behind there soaps.

Hopefully wishing on your part I am afraid to say.

He's a complete asswipe and I hope he's fired in a really humiliating way.