http://blogs.wsj.com...after-72-years/

August 14, 2009, 1:41 PM ET

A Veteran TV Soap Opera Executive on Why “Guiding Light” Burned Out After 72 Years

By WSJ Staff

This week “Guiding Light,” the longest-running drama in television history (it debuted as an NBC radio show in 1937, then on CBS television in 1952) wrapped its final shoot, which will air September 18. We spoke with Brian Frons, the president of daytime for Disney-ABC television group, where he oversees “All My Children,” “”General Hospital,”” “One Live to Life” and the cable channel SOAPnet (he was also key in the creation of the Soap Opera Digest Awards). He has even been on-camera, starring as God in 1989 (who didn’t deem themselves God back then?) on “Santa Barbara,” where his wife is a director. Although he works for one network now, and also worked for another, his roots go back to “Guiding Light.”

WSJ: Is there much industry nostalgia for the legacy of “Guiding Light”?

It was actually my first creative executive job, from 1979 to 1983. That was a great time for soaps. This was when the Rider case was in the news, one of the first times a woman sued her husband for rape, and we introduced a story to touch upon that. Television is a today business. From an ad sales perspective, “Guiding Light” hasn’t won the 18-49 women since 1991.

What happened in 1991?

That’s just as far back as our records go. But if I told you we had a primetime show that hadn’t won its slot in 18 years, you’d ask why it’s still on the air.

So it’s not a big deal that “Guiding Light” is ending?

We’ve gotten used to soaps lasting so many years, the death of one takes on all this drama. But “Guiding Light” has been a poor performer for many many years.

What about personally for you? It’s kind of like your old high school being demolished, no?

No. It’s taking a patient off life support, not a sudden tragic death in the family or anything. I was sadder when I heard about production changes, lots of technical behind-the-scenes stuff that starts to affect talent and quality.

Primetime soaps are huge, telenovelas are huge, so what’s going on with daytime soaps that they’re hurting badly enough that they start dying off?

There’s a mentality in network culture that fears change in programming. When we expanded everything into hourlong time slots — except “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which is half-hour — we had this great system that flowed really well from one to another. It wasn’t broken up by game shows or talk shows. And, really, it worked so well for so long that people just didn’t want to change it. I mean, why would you?

So what do you do now?

Change is good. You have to remember that “General Hospital” didn’t do well for 10 years until they started adding new characters. And those, of course, were Luke and Laura.

Thanks to LoveTeeVee at TWOP's GL thread for the tip.

Edited August 14, 200916 yr by rsmith2k2

http://blogs.wsj.com...after-72-years/

Thanks to LoveTeeVee at TWOP's GL thread for the tip.

The man has NO nostalgia. It is all about ad revenue, and THAT IS IT. It is all about 18-49.

But this is not a surprise. And maybe it is a good thing. As marceline has often reminded us, maybe nostalgia is the ultimate reason why the daytime genre is dying. The normal cycle of cancellation and new shows stopped happening....

Maybe the optimal life span for a soap is 5 years or less.

The man has NO nostalgia. It is all about ad revenue, and THAT IS IT. It is all about 18-49.

But this is not a surprise. And maybe it is a good thing. As marceline has often reminded us, maybe nostalgia is the ultimate reason why the daytime genre is dying. The normal cycle of cancellation and new shows stopped happening....

Maybe the optimal life span for a soap is 5 years or less.

The thought that I have anything in common with Brian Frons makes me want to throw myself off a tall building and slash my wrists on the way down.

You know, but at least for Frons it has been about that. He's not trying to cover it up. And I give him props for stopping things that didn't work production wise, like the bouncing cameras a couple of years back on AMC.

I give him credit for speaking out about GL--I thought the life support comment was actually quite fitting. GL has been there for a while, and all their new production changes haven't helped.

The guy is full of himself. So GL has been a poor performer for many years?? Agreed...but so has his hack shows on ABC. OLTL and AMC have been at the bottom of the ratings for some time now. GH is no better either. I won't shed a tear when one of his soaps is canned!

I don't give him props for anything, he still has a job, he is a main reason why ABC soaps are dying.

When he gets rid of Pratt, Guza and Carlavati then I will give him props

Given the state of ABC soaps? All I'll say is he has SOME nerve! Yikes! I will agree that the production changes were a huge tragedy. It's hard to believe that no one at CBS realized that after the first week. (Or maybe didn't care?)

Given the state of ABC soaps? All I'll say is he has SOME nerve!

Agreed

So basically Frons is saying that GL has sucked since about 1991. Wonder what JFP thinks about that!

So basically Frons is saying that GL has sucked since about 1991. Wonder what JFP thinks about that!

No, I think he's saying that the ratings and demos have been awful for decades. That doesn't speak to quality.

Edited August 14, 200916 yr by MarkH

I have got no problem with anything Frons said. I will never understand the outrage that soap fans express when network executives point out correctly that the soaps are part of the television business.

Also, ABCD is NOT dying because of Frons. Our society has changed. There are no longer women at home to watch the soaps and for those women who are at hoe, there aree tons other stations to watch. If anything, the soaps have held their own for many years. It is now at the end.

I give Frons credit for trying to save AMC by making the move to L.A. I only wish he would do more and overhaul the TPTB at each of ABC's soaps. I think that the quality of the ABC soaps can be improved even if the ratings do not reflect it.

Edited August 14, 200916 yr by Ann_SS

I have got no problem with anything Frons said. I will never understand the outrage that soap fans express when network executives point out correctly that the soaps are part of the television business.

Also, ABCD is NOT dying because of Frons. Our society has changed. There are no longer women at home to watch the soaps and for those women who are at hoe, there aree tons other stations to watch. If anything, the soaps have held their own for many years. It is now at the end.

I give Frons credit for trying to save AMC by making the move to L.A. I only wish he would do more and overhaul the TPTB at each of ABC's soaps. I think that the quality of the ABC soaps can be improved even if the ratings do not reflect it.

True. However, he has systematically derailed and undermined his own soaps. He destroyed his own product.

Soaps would have died anyway. Only he made them plummet at light speed.

The man has NO nostalgia. It is all about ad revenue, and THAT IS IT. It is all about 18-49.

But this is not a surprise. And maybe it is a good thing. As marceline has often reminded us, maybe nostalgia is the ultimate reason why the daytime genre is dying. The normal cycle of cancellation and new shows stopped happening....

Maybe the optimal life span for a soap is 5 years or less.

:lol:

Wake-up call, Mark!

I have got no problem with anything Frons said. I will never understand the outrage that soap fans express when network executives point out correctly that the soaps are part of the television business.

Also, ABCD is NOT dying because of Frons. Our society has changed. There are no longer women at home to watch the soaps and for those women who are at hoe, there aree tons other stations to watch. If anything, the soaps have held their own for many years. It is now at the end.

I give Frons credit for trying to save AMC by making the move to L.A. I only wish he would do more and overhaul the TPTB at each of ABC's soaps. I

word to all of this! Frons may have done some shady stuff at times, but the anger of these comments makes me wonder--especially since he's write about a lot of it.

I'm not angry. I'm just wondering why go to him? Because he worked for CBS 30 years ago? They couldn't find anybody within CBS to get a statement from before going to the president of daytime for a rival network, who would, of course, have less than flattering things to say?

And who keeps jacking up the threads by making every post bold?

I have got no problem with anything Frons said. I will never understand the outrage that soap fans express when network executives point out correctly that the soaps are part of the television business.

Also, ABCD is NOT dying because of Frons. Our society has changed. There are no longer women at home to watch the soaps and for those women who are at hoe, there aree tons other stations to watch. If anything, the soaps have held their own for many years. It is now at the end.

I give Frons credit for trying to save AMC by making the move to L.A. I only wish he would do more and overhaul the TPTB at each of ABC's soaps. I think that the quality of the ABC soaps can be improved even if the ratings do not reflect it.

YES! I know me personally, I don't even watch my soaps on a *television*, so I definitely think changes in viewing habits today and the availability of the internet can only hurt daytime television ratings. Primetime soaps may be more successful because by the time they come on, everybody's tired and lazy from work/school. They lay on the couch, grab the remote, and kick back (except for me, I lay on the couch kick back and surf the net, but to each his own.) It's also on like once a week, so the anticipation is heightened.