TVG's 2007 15 Most Influential People on Soaps

[EricMontreal22]

I love OLTL - or at least strongly like -- under Ron C's writing but besides TVGuide Canada *is* the industry standing up and taking notice?? i've not really seen all that many signs of this so far

[EricMontreal22]

Her main claim to fame was showrunner for Knots Landing for several years right? I never really got why 15 years+ later all of a sudden that's exciting to the people at Y&R (and I love Knots, dont' get me wrong)

[Jonathan]

Why is Michael Logan on this list? That's a conflict of interest. You can't put one of your fellow staff writers on the list.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

This is from Canadian TV Guide, not U.S. I should've made that clearer in the topic.

[d_wsb]

Interesting read, thanks

[RuAsRuAnAu]

What has optimism done to the daytime TV industry over the years?

"Veteran" means nothing. Passananate is a so-called "veteran", along with Leah Laiman, Bradley Bell, Esensten & Brown, Guza

That is why I prefer a republic to a democracy.

Like it or not, the TV industry only concerns itself with primetime series (broadcast/cable; mainly 6pm-2am). Higher ratings = More $$$.

During her tenure at KL, the ratings were much higher than Y&R's before in 2004/2005 & plus they must have liked her Y&R bible. Don't forget she had prior daytime experience with Port Charles. All that (along with Y&R's massive ratings decline in 2004) and voila: She's the new HW of Y&R.

[DaytimeFan]

Are you suggesting that KL's high ratings under Latham, in primetime, in the 1980s, are comparable to Y&R's ratings decline in 2004/2005? That is simply absurd. Two decades, cable, prime time vs daytime slots and more differentiate Y&R and KL's ratings.

True, Latham does have writing experience from PC...a horrid experience with a serial which never became a hit, despite having a GH supercouple, a primetime launch and numerous crossovers.

The reason Latham got the job is simple: Bloom knows Latham, Bloom knows Jill Farren Phelps, Jill Farren Phelps knows Steve Kent. Steve Kent is the head of SONY's daytime division, Bloom and Kent installed her at Y&R so that they could have more control.

[YRBB]

Oh, puhleeze! Are you comparing a primetime with a daytime show, and especially a primetime show that hasn't aired since 1993?

Plus, your precious Latham hacked KNOTS LANDING the way she hacked Y&R. Her seasons 10 and 11 were very good (especially 10, just like her beginning months in Y&R were--or, good, OK) but Season 12 was an abomination. There is a repetitive pattern with her, it seems: She starts off really good and then COMPLETELY looses it. Plus, her hack-killing and firing tendencies were evident back then even: The first thing she did is fure Harris and McCashin. HARRIS AND MCCASHIN for God's sake!!! Does that remind you any John Abbott/Ashley Abbott/Dru Winters offings? And don't tell me she had to do it because of budget cuts--next season they obviously had enough money to bring in what? 5 new characters? Most of them written out soon after

[RuAsRuAnAu]

LML had ratings success while working on Knots Landing. If she didn't, do you think she would have been hired to HW Y&R? I do not think so. Do not ever forget about Y&R's massive ratings decline of 2004. That led to CBS/SONY/Lee Phillip & Bill Bell Jr. scouting new writers/producers in 2004 & 2005. Hello, LML.

So, basically what you are saying is that everything wrong that happens to a show she is involved in is LML's fault? If your boss tells you to do something, you have two choices: do it or don't do it (quit or be fired). If you disobey your boss, and don't quit, your livelihood may be at risk. What are you going to do? Listen to your boss? Block your ears?

As for Drucilla, that was SONY's choice.

Do you give credit where credit is due?

[DaytimeFan]

To suggest that Lee Phillip and Bill Bell Jr scouted new producers in 2004/2005 is totally ridiculous. Lee Phillip Bell LOVES Kay Alden and Jack Smith (and Bill Jr would never defy his mother). Bill Bell hadn't even died yet and there is no way on earth that he would have OK'd someone usurping Kay Alden's power. No, CBS and SONY are the ones who scouted new talent and that was in 2005 after Bill Bell Sr had passed away.

I don't quite know about you mean about Drucilla. True, SONY made LML 'kill' her off so that she couldn't migrate to B&B (not that it really would have stopped Brad Bell) but Victoria Rowell quit on her own accord.

And of course LML isn't possibly responsible for everything that has happened to the show, however, she is the punching bag of the fans because she is SONY and CBS' b---h and she does as they say (as well as doing some of her own ridiculous things....reliquary anyone?), unlike Alden who ignored the network the entire time she was at Y&R, just as Bill Bell did when he was alive.

[DevotedToAMC]

This list is so BS I have no idea where to begin. When they say the Bell name is the most respected, aren't they forgetting about The Queen of Soap Operas Agnes Nixon? She created AMC, OLTL, Loving/The City, I believe helped create Search for Tomorrow, was also credited as helping create ATWT. Certainly she is the most respected name and has been an icon in the industry and revolutionized it and changed it for the better. But Bell should be high up there, of course, but not the MOST respected.

Talking about Frons thinking outside the box? LMAO that is freaking hilarious! The guy does not have a brain to think in the first place and when people complain about him, the other delusional idiot at ABC/Disney, Anne Sweeney, promotes him higher! You got to love the business industry these days....people complain about one executive so what to do? Promote him! All the positive comments on Frons need to be turned around to the negative because this guy has been bad news from the get go. He was a hack at NBC and has certainly been worse at ABC and is a cheap low life moron. He certainly is no soap fan or else he would LISTEN to what fans have to say when they demand to see better writers, better storytelling, an end to the mob being central on GH, and VETERANS on the soaps. He has not one iota of an idea on how soaps work and it shows.

Michael Logan on the list is an absolute joke. The guy does not even watch soaps and barely, if ever, takes them to task on anything. Years ago he wrote about Bianca's rape that it was a "message of attacking someone based on sexuality" or something along those lines. If he had been a fan of AMC for five minutes, he would realize she was not raped or attacked based on being gay but because the people Michael Cambias wanted to hurt were all central towards Bianca. Again he barely, if ever, watches soaps and is hardly an expert.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

That would be Irna Philips...really

There would be no Agnes or Bill, had there been no Irna.

Also, I think the list was going for something more current. Since Agnes is retired and Bill is dead, they can't be on the list.

[DevotedToAMC]

Sure Irna Phillips started it all with GL but Agnes expanded on what Irna taught her and revolutionized the genre. I am hearing that Agnes is still on as a consultant at AMC but if she is retired, I understand her being off the list.

But as long as Nixon is around, I say she is the most respected name in soaps right now, not Bell.

[YRBB]

What success? The ratings were down with each season and she was kicked out soon after! And, ONCE AGAIN, ratings do NOT ALWAYS equal QUALITY! When will you get that in your head?

And please refrain from using until at least after I answer the way you quite possibly expect me to. I never said any of the sort. BUT: The Head-Writer is LARGELY responsible for what is going on the show, and, GUESS WHAT?!!! She's also the EP. Oh my God, she has the top two positions of power on a soap!!!!!!! Would you look at that? Even if she has network interference (which is never good), she could at least put a positive spin on what she is forced to write in! Drucilla may have "died" because Sony pushed her to do it, but what about John Abbott? What about Firing Eilleen Davidson? What about her OWN decision to kill BOTH Joshua Morrow and Sharon Case A MONTH after Dru died just because it wasn't sure if they would renew their contracts? Do you have any doubt they would have died if the contracts hadn't gone through? What about Will? What about Plum? What about Ji Min? Seriously, drop it. And it's not just about killings.

Do I give credit were credit was due? Yeah, sure. I enjoyed September-February of her tenure. I liked the way she introduced Cane into the story. But, after that? FORGETABOUTIT!

[MichaelGL]

I find Frons attempt to bring back Malone to OLTL and McTavish to AMC one mostly misguided. To the naked eye soaps flourished in the early 90s, esp for OLTL and AMC. Frons was simply trying to recapture that. However he should have known McTavish was burnt out from her tenure in 1998(and her time on the other ABC soaps), but nobody saw Malone failure during his second stunt. Not even me.

Other than that I hate the guy. His sins against ABC Daytime are more than a mile long.