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ALL: Jeff Zucker, "PSNS Cancellation is the Beginning of the End" of Network Soap Operas


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Given where Reilly had taken DOOL, and Passions, I can see where he might make that statement, much as I disagree with it. He has a news show that is cheaper to produce and pulling in better ratings. I am curious as to if he sees a fifth hour of the Today show replacing DOOL in 2009, and what differentiates it from MSNBC?

Soap as a genre is not dead, it is flourishing on Primetime: Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Desperate Housewives, 24,-- what are they if not in some form soaps? People like watching stories just as much as 'reality' television - and all reality television is is editing (and generating) true life 'stories', many complete with cliffhangers and suspense. It is just a bit more costly to produce drama than news or how-to lessons. What IS in question is if the entertainment industry is willing to produce a show with 250 new episodes a year, a costly and intense undertaking, and if quality can be maintained in such an environment. Any type of show or entertainment needs fresh content, and I doubt there is enough to produce 20 hours of the Today show a week.

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This really makes me mad!! I have watched NBC daytime for a very very very long time, but I think I have seen the writing on the wall for NBC daytime for a while. I think this all started in 1982 when they cancelled The Doctors, right before the shows 20th anniversary. Then they cancelled both Search for Tomorrow and Another World right after they celebrated their 35th anniversary, and then there is poor Santa Barbara, this show won tons of Emmys and other awards and NBC still cancelled it. I think NBC has never or will ever care about soaps no matter who is in charge, and that is very sad, because I have given lots of my time to these soaps, and I have lots of great memories watching NBC daytime.

I think soaps can reinvent themselves, they did it in the 80s then again in the 90s so they can surely do it again. And just because some Ass like Zucker says soaps are over does not mean they are. Don't listen to this man, he can not do anything, he can't even pull his network out of 4th place. So how would he know what people want to watch, when he can't even get people to watch NBC!!

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Jeez, nothing like the power of positive thinking, eh Mr. Zucker? First you tell us that Passions has been cancelled, then you leave the future of Days of Our Lives hanging in the balance. Now you've not only put the final nail in Days' coffin, you're too quick to dismiss all of soaps.

Whose turn was it to bring the duct tape? This guy needs to cool it with all his doomsaying.

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GL has been in worse shape than it is now and they have maintained their level rating of 2.1 to 2.2 through it all. They have a loyal fan base that it is going to take a whole lot to get completely rid of. Plus CBS is not going to cancel a soap like GL that can pull that rating on a miniscule budget for a show like Days that even with cuts has a way bigger budget. I just don't see it happening.

Considering GL's budget is lower than any soap on the air, and they are able to maintain a consistent rating and even beat Days, AMC, and OLTL in the dailys from time to time - it is really in better shape than most soaps are right now. And I believe they will even beat ATWT some days soon if not a whole week.

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P&G are simply trying to save their shows (though I can't figure why they were so quick to pull the plug on AW.) I'm not sure they'll succeed in saving these shows.

ABC & CBS are trying to "spin" the situation. SOAPNET may keep ABC shows going a little longer. But really, they can switch to a "classic soap" format or overhaul the existing channel into some completely different format now they have a certain amount of carriage. CBS may be able to carry soaps longer because they seem to be getting some slightly higher numbers. But they're falling too, to the point it's becoming difficult to keep carrying the costs. This IS a business so profits have to be made. The networks are all bottom line. So they want what will make the most profit. Soaps right now aren't doing that, which is sad, but it's a reality.

From what I can see the end is near for soaps, daytime network soaps.

I don't see cable picking them up. They're too expensive.

The ratings are falling.

So I've got to believe the networks are all planning and thinking about what to do when they cancel the soaps.

I don't see a future for English telenovelas either from what Mynetworktv has been doing. They may pick another type of show soon enough.

The open-ended serial shows the major networks overloaded with this season mostly failed in a major way. Kidnapped and those sorts of shows. Some of them were excellent shows but they just didn't catch on. 24 & Prison Break seem to still be strong but all the copycats didn't seem to work. But stuff like Desperate Housewives keeps working for the networks. I can't see why. I thought Desperate was incredibly silly & boring this season and gave up on it long ago.

But the genre probably will carry on in prime-time.

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Jeff Zuker is a biotch for bringing ABC/CBS into it, just because he's in a rush to end NBCD doesn't mean he has to spell the end for all of daytime. Jerk-wad! I think daytime can have a good 5 to 10 more years, and even longer if they finally start using that time well.

Speaking of increasing revenue. A good idea for soaps to get in more revenue is to make DVD's of old storylines, you know edited, w/interviews. I don't know why they don't even bother trying it. I'm talking about much broader than greatest weddings and that old stuff they use to do. That could bring in a lot of extra revenue with a loyal fanbase still in place despite shrinkage.

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Jeff/NBC are literally enjoying spelling out the beginning of the end of daytime television and that's what makes them as f'ed up as the are. F**k generations of audience who have watched the shows. As much as Frons and company are jerks, there's hope for higher-up peeps (like him) being fired and a return to respecting the generations of fans (in ways they're lacking now) who have watched the show because in part he's not calling it quits on ABCD and Daytime at least to our faces, ditto CBS.

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While it is a known fact that daytime ratings have dwindled in recent years, ratings across the board have declined. The primetime shows are not pulling in the numbers they once did either. Jeff Zucker's comment was very pompous and arrogant, but for his network that may be the reality. I'm sorry, I can't imagine the newtorks getting rid of the soaps that bring in MILLIONS of daily viewers. I'm sure that alternatives are being explored and hopefully a solution will help keep the daytime soap format alive. I recently stopped watching Passions after its cancellation was announced, but I will fight damn hard for the genre. I love the soaps!

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B)-->

QUOTE(Chris B @ Jan 28 2007, 11:02 AM)
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.

NBC didn't do anything about DOOL.

If you recall Corday and Wyman had to fire James Reilly and fought the network to do it. Didn't they

pay millions to void Reilly's contract and more millions to NBC just to get rid of that guy? Then more

big money to bring in Sheffer.

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That article seems to be forgetting two things:

One, for the ten millionth time, women are not the soaps only audience.

And two, the reason the soaps disappeared from radio is because of television - which allowed us to see as well as hear the stories. I don't think anyone is going to come up with another revolutionary invention that eventually forces soaps off of television.

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