Should ABC, NBC and CBS gone the Spanish route??

[Soapsuds]

So I was thinking why didnt the networks go the Univision route concerning soaps?? I dont mean the Port Charles arcs. I mean ending all the soaps currently on and then introducing new soaps in each timeslot that lasted anywhere between 3 to 6 months with an ending. I think it could have worked in daytime TV. Imagine seeing Liz Hubbard and Susan Lucci in the same soap but playing different characters......

[Saving ATWT]

It has been my feeling for a while that daytime needs a shake up to create buzz. I just wonder if the networks would want to take the risk or spend the cash to create the shows/build new sets. The Telenovelas air in primetime and are not usually limited to one country as the are sold/distributed through out the Spanish speaking world. The original Betty aired everywhere from Colombia to Spain thus bringing in lots of revenue. I don't think a six month show called 'Crackdale' or 'The Old and the Ugly' could accomplish this from the money side.

[Melroser]

If shows only last for three months or so, what will happen when more people are home during recent snow storms or holidays (MLK Jr day for instance)? If people find themselves home for a day, would they really tune in to these three/six month soaps that they've never heard of? I know a lot of people that make comments about being home sick and at least they get to watch 'insert whatever show'. MyNetwork television tried those in primetime and they bombed. I don't know if it would work with daytime. I think they would have significantly less ratings, even if they are cheaper to produce.

[SFK]

I live in an area with a large Latin population, and whenever I walk down the predominantly Latin-owned commercial strip at lunchtime, every store has a TV on where people are watching novellas. The thing is, American soaps just ain't got what novellas got. It's a different taste, a different sensibility. They are muoy dramatico and they aren't self-conscious about that either. They are OTT, colorful, vivid... I think it's no coincidence that B&B is the first (only?) U.S. soap to simulcast in SAP. Maybe if MyNetwork tried their idea again in daytime and really "went there" with some splashy, out-there stuff they could build some sort of cult following, especially if they were youth-oriented and launched during the summer, AND if they had the brilliant idea to also simulcast in SAP. With the conversion to digital, there have been at least five Spanish-speaking networks added to our analog feed. Granted, I live in New York, but there's obviously a large audience out there of Spanish speakers who are new to this country and not quite adept at English. I'm sure many of them would try out All My Children, Y&R, and Days, et cetera if they could watch in Spanish.

[Sylph]

This would probably bomb mightily.

Why? Well, it would most certainly be a rushed, sudden move without proper planning. It would just reveal the gaping hole that is daytime and the panic of the networks' executives.