ATWT: Chris Goutman Interview in SOD - Boy he doesn't care about the fans.

[ljacks13]

Thank you!

I read the whole article in this week's magazine and believe it even worse reading the entire article. He also states that when the actors state that the morale is low with the departure of Martha Bryne, he dismisses it as one person's opinion and not the overall feeling around the show. I came away from the article with the opinion that this guy is a complete ass----! No wonder ATWT fans hate him.

[Sylph]

And there is a vaaaast difference between members of various boards – people who use CBS's are not the same type of people who are members of SON.

[Ann_SS]

I have to disagree with you, Ryan. I think that Goutman is right about online fans not representing the views of the audience as a whole. There are not millions of fans posting on the soap boards. Hundreds who actually post maybe, but certainly not millions and based on my observations for the most part the greatest activity is the same people posting on multiple boards.

Also, just because there is are large vocal fan base online for couples, it does not mean that ATWT or any show should listen and adopt their opinions. I have friends who don't post online and rarely ever do anything other than read the soap mags standing in line in the grocery and their opinions about characters contradict about everything that many in the online community claim should happen. Two friends think that Jack and Carly should be permanently over, yet the CarJack fan base insists that they should be together. The CarJack fanbase maybe very vocal online, but their opinions may indeed be in the minority for all we know.

All this being said, Goutman could be less arrogant and more appreciative of the fans who do take the time to write in and post on the boards. Also, a lot of the decisions that he makes from watching the show are crap anyway.

[P.J.]

I've got no problems with Goutman/Pissy not writing FOR particular fan bases. But obviously, he doesn't dismiss the "on line community" totally. Otherwise, we wouldn't have INTurn, "LA Diaries" or flash-driven official websites.

Goutman is talking out of his ass. His budget problems don't excuse bad writing and bad personnel decisions. (In fact, the budget is the reason why he should stop stunt casting all together.) Short term, not listening to a particular "hot" subject is a good thing. Long term....it's a disaster. How many TONS of free publicity did he get with Nuke? And how much has he capitalize on it? Love/indifferent/hate the duo...all that publicity (that every other show would have killed for...) warranted more than one day/week for the story. What does he do instead? Pack all his teens and ship them to Branson, home of the Andy Williams theater.

[rhythmchyc]

Sometimes, it's good to ignore everything that's going on around you, what other people think and want, and just focus on your own vision of your work. Too many people's opinions tend to destroy art.

But that's if you're good.

And, clearly, Goutman isn't.

[Ryan]

I don't disagree about online fans representing the audience as a whole, but the online fan base (as crazy as some may be) are a part of the fan base. They aren't a very small percentage.

Most of the people who attend fan events are those actively involved in the online community. The charities the fans support because of the actors and show are predominantly supported by the online fans who track these kind of events and activities. The online fanbase vote in their polls on CBS.com, send in viewer feedback and etc.

All online fans aren't the "rabid" kind, there are many casual online fans who come on every now and again to discuss the soap with others who think like them. The casual onliners may not be the hardcore ones, but the casual onliners are just as important as the hardcore onlines and the regular onliners.

You can't pick and choose when your "fan base" matters or how important they are. The fan base is the fan base, that's my problem with him.

I co-sign this post PJ.

[winterguy125]

Best Post Ever.

And the rest of his interview is even worse.

Get this one Craig was the issue with the quad of hell, which is why Scott was fired.

[Ann_SS]

The fact remains that vocal online fan base is pretty small if you look at that number of viewers as a whole. Also, those fans who attend charity and soap events are "rabid" fans who are in the minority. It is my opinion, online fan base does overstate its importance and opinions, especially when groups of similar thinking fans come together online. I don't see why Goutman should listen to CarJack fans, Nuke fans, Maul fans, Willen fans, etc ... the list goes on and on, just because they bang the pots the loudest.

I don't believe Goutman when he says that he doesn't listen to the online fans anyway. Seems to me that it is his pandering to all these fan bases in turn over the years under his tenure has damaged ATWT.

ETA: I bet Goutman will use the ratings to support his positions. If they have increased, then whatever he is doing has worked, even though it seems that Y&R and B&B have picked up a younger audience which suggests to me that ATWT is merely benefiting from its lead in shows.

[rhythmchyc]

I hate when people just sit around complaining and putting the blame on whoever's causing problems because IT DOESN'T SOLVE ANYTHING!!!!

If they want something to change at ATWT, just DO IT!!

[Ryan]

I agree with you 100%.

[Ann_SS]

I finally read the whole article and know what, I see where Goutman is coming from though I think that he was not telling the truth on everything. I agree with him that characters and yes, ROMANCES, run their course. Sometimes there is nothing left to do for the couple and/or character because the writers have given them it all. Both Holden and Lily should have left town with their children for awhile. They are beyond played out and a new Lily won't solve that problem. Jack and Carly need a permanent break where they don't even share a scene for the next 5 years.

About the restrictions of finances, I believe him that money has forced his hand with how the characters interact, but it doesn't excuse poor writing and the casting of some really bad young actors over the couple years. Daytime is a dying genre. All he can do is delay the inevitable. Too bad he couldn't do a better job.

[JamesF]

^^Couldn't agree more.

The thing is, I'd get the arrogance if ATWT was doing sterling or even mediocre work in the ratings. As is, it's no different from the rest of the middle-of-the-road dross in daytime.

There's a difference between pandering to rabid fanbases (hello DOOL) and taking stock when fans pan the show as a whole. Even if those fans are online or the ones who are passionate enough to write in, it should cause you to take at least 10 minutes out of your day to assess the claims. Especially seeing as passionate fans only care so much because they obviously once loved the show.

[P.J.]

First, I don't think Goutman has ever "pandered" to a fan base. EVER. He's done what he wanted, PERIOD. Nuke/Henry&V/Skatie fans...they've all protested huge chunks of time on the backburner. Lusty fans didn't get an immediate recast. Hunt Block's fans didn't sway him enough to keep his job. Carjack fans have been mostly miserable. Lilden was backburnered for years as Rose invaded ATWT like wild mustard weeds. He's stubbornly stood by Roger Howarth (firing the popular Scott Holroyd) and managing to piss off his fans, who's one desire is that Paul have some balls. GL fans were pandered to, when they kept dictating Danny and Michelle story line. Nothing close to that has ever happened on ATWT under Goutman. The ONE successful fan-friendly decision I can recall is Trent Dawson getting a contract, and even that took YEARS, and still he's mostly sitting on the backburner as Katie's lapdog.

Ratings under Goutman have decreased, period. His great accomplishment is they've declined less than everyone else, and the Emmy wins we've gotten. And everyone knows Emmys really don't mean squat.

His crap about killing off Dusty because he had "no" family connections? HELLO....Goutman, you had FIVE friggin' years to build Dusty "family connections" on that show. The closest he got was the Jen/Johnny connection, and the last I knew, the Ryans were still on the show. What the HELL is nuMike doing back on? He doesn't have ANY family connections on this show. It's a mistake that this show keeps making over and over. Recasting established roles with newbies isn't always honoring the show's history. It doesn't guarantee fan acceptance of the character. And it makes the incestuous nature of the show worse. I'm using nuMike as an example...I actually like him. But now the show is rewriting his history (Mike and "businessman" don't really belong in the same sentence...) just like they did Brad's, to make it fit into their hackneyed, suck ass plot. Why....because Katie needs another ex-husband in town???????

[Y&RWorldTurner]

My suspicions are true, he's truly become the male JFP of daytime....

However, a lot of it is P&G's fault. I'm sure they're imposing mandates on him and the show that he has to follow through with. Of course he seems to very much appreciative of that.

His personality may have changed, but I think he's too burnt out at ATWT. Maybe if he goes to another soap and doesn't hire Jean Passanante and fire important actors, he can improve.

[DevotedToAMC]

Yep I remember him being very grateful for when he won the Emmys in 2001 and 2003, owing a large part of their win to the fanbase. Now, he is just pissing on them. Shame on him

I am a guy and not a babe...I got the part about SL leaving and then a Loving actress playing her role but perhaps there was something else there about a rivalry between the two.

Thanks anyways