Does Brian Frons Love Daytime

[Cat]

Seriously, though. Back to our regularly scheduled program. Frons = evil destroyer of soaps! OK, I feel less guilty about the hair-ragging now.

[DaytimeFan]

I think Frons does love daytime...HIS version of daytime that is. It seems that he hasn't been ousted from ABC because the 'target' demo is doing OK.

What's interesting, of course, is that the 'target' demo isn't going to be the target demo in about 10 years, the population is aging in the Western world, the Baby Boomers didn't replace themselves with identical numbers. Believe you me when 2018 rolls around Depends, Polident and Botox are going to be advertising like there's no tomorrow and that's when all the lapsed viewers of daytime will have their revenge as each show will die a painful death because the target demo won't exist.

Frons hates older characters, especially older women. They're dead to him and take a look at the shows. I don't need to list the vets who have been fired or downgraded to recurring, it's far too extensive, it's a joke!

I can't watch ABC anymore and I'm not even 'old'...I'm in the target age range, as is my wife who ditched ABC a loooong time ago in favor of Y&R and B&B and at times DAYS, the only soaps that we've found to be somewhat consistent. That is what Frons has failed to understand...those in the target demo don't view older characters the same way he does. Yes it's nostalgia but damn if that isn't what soaps are all about!

[Jess]

If he does everything that he is accused of doing on soap boards, then I do not agree with his approach to daytime.

I do believe he loves daytime and I also believe that he works harder at promoting daytime than does any other daytime head.

[Cat]

I agree with you and that's why I try to keep an open mind with regards to Frons. So much of my dissatisfaction with him stems from GH. I still don't understand why he's letting that show get written into the ground. However, I am no soap insider. When I hear comments like "Frons loved Jason & Courtney/RyLee/JoLie and he forced those pairings on GH/AMC/OLTL" or "Frons hates women over 50, that's why Jaclyn Zeman got put on recurring," I don't know what to believe.

Because, on the one hand, he may hate women of a certain age in "his" shows, and that may explain the shabby treatment of Genie Francis. But couldn't Jill Farren Phelps' purported dislike of GF also explain this? And how to explain the fact that Robin Strasser, Erika Slezak, Hilary B. Smith and Andrea Evans are all front-and-center on OLTL right now? Or than Ron Carlivati seems to be left alone in writing for that show -- and reaping critical acclaim for it?

Moreover, Frons greenlit a show which showcased a GH fan favorite (Robin) and which focused on "the Hospital" -- something many long-time fans had been griping about. Yes, GH:NS is by no means perfection. But he did throw his weight behind a vehicle which had a female as a main character and was not mob-flecked.

Bottom line: Frons cares about attracting the female 18-49 demo because that's the demo that ALL network heads want to attract. That mindset is not particular to him.

I will say that if there's ONE thing this thread has flagged up -- one thing that Frons and ABCD need to improve -- is communication between fans and TPTB. Because fans clearly feel that their preferences are not being heard (even being willfully ignored).

[Jess]

I do think ABC's fans are being willfully ignored. In the case of me and the reason I will never watch OLTL again, I blame Frank and Ron. I do think Frons makes some pretty poor comments that have shown a lot about his beliefs. The one about Genie Frances and her age standing out the most. At the same time, the only reason Hillary B. Smith was not dumped years ago is because Frons intervened. Frank and Dena were cutting her loose. I find it interesting when many fans, not all, were enjoying OLTL, it was Saint Ron the Savior. Now that many fans, not all, think OLTL is a stinker, it's Frons is making Saint Ron the Overrated do things he doesn't want to do. My opinion is that ABC, and OLTL in particular, would be well-served to stop allowing new writers to come in, throw out every character created by the former writer, and bring in their own new crop of newbies. All characters, more senior and younger, should be respected because there are viewers who invest in those characters. OLTL and Ron is as newbie obsessed as Dena and Dena was as newbie obsessed as Malone -- right on down the list.

GH has lost me again. Really, AMC is the only ABC show that is doing well for me now and that is because of Jesse/Angie. Interestingly, people have credited Frons for that. LOL.

[Ryan]

I think it's wrong for people to blame Frons for the state of OLTL. Frons isn't writing the show, it's Ron. And people need to stop wearing rosecolored glasses. It's no secret Frons is hands on with GH (and I have a feeling he'll take a heightened interest in AMC once Pratt's material starts airing), but to blame him for EVERYTHING wrong at ABC is unfair.

It's similar to the DAYS issue a few months ago. When Hogan was writing DAYS, for many (including myself) it was "poor Hogan. Corday is interfering. He's evullll!!". But when Dena posted in her blog a few months ago, complaining that "city hall was interfering," there wasn't the same kind of sympathy (some did, some not so much). For me, I could sympathize with her, but I also said she knew what she was getting into when she came back to the show.

[emilyq]

I'm trying to understand what Frons has done that's so great and innovative to reinvigotate soaps and attract a new audience. Why would an 18-34 year old female who probably works during the day want to tune into a soap when Cable TV or the Internet has a ton of other maybe more intriging options that don't require a lifetime commitment. I say this because I keep hearing how much different this generation of viewers are than traditional longtime soap viewers. So giving the shows a primetime look and feel, sweeps stunts, and gimics attract viewers(the Metro Court stuff on GH in 2007) but they don't stay because the show(s) return to the mundane storytelling , most of which are completely unrelated to the sweeps stunt, and people are bored. I'm 32 in that coveted demo and I find all of the ABC soaps the least interesting and engaging of all soaps on the air, included the overhyped OLTL. Maybe I'm not the typical viewer, but I'd much rather tune into a L&O or ER episode or marathon on TNT than watch anything on ABC, reruns or not.

[Jess]

I can't say that he has done anything. I give him credit for trying. I do not know that any other network executive is even doing that. I'm not a defender of Brian Frons. I do not think he is as evil and heavy-handed as people say. I do know that he has made some comments that reflect a bias about older actresses. I do have to say in response to your post, that he does seem to be trying to do something to salvage the genre, and none of the other honchos at any other network are even trying. In my opinion, the guy is really gifted at marketing. Beyond that, I have not seen much as far as results.

[emilyq]

I didn't mean to come across as being pissy. I don't think Brian Frons is the evil incanate but I am also missing the great things he has done. Marketing is a talent and yes I guess ABC does a much better job of marketing their soaps than the other networks and they are trying. I think the idea of NS on Soapnet is good but to me this has more to do with developing original PT programming for Soapnet than it does for extending the life of his beloved network soaps.