Advertising Age: Daytime TV's New Entries Push Soaps Toward Drain

[Y&RWorldTurner]

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=145291

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I mostly enjoyed this article for the cold hard facts about ad rates and production costs. Not so much the content.

[Ann_SS]

He referred to GH as "the medical soap." Excuse me while I laugh my ass off. LOL!

The advertising numbers are not good and I'm not surprised. Production cuts are going to be the only way to keep the remaining soaps on the airtime for any substantial length of time.

[Mr. Vixen]

The article was interesting, but didn't really tell us anything that we didin't already know about soaps.

I think soaps are still a viable thing. I think if writers focused on making the show intriguing, character driven, and different, the ratings would reflect that. People wouldn't want to watch a rerun of Law and Order instead of General Hospital, if General Hospital was producing and writing the same sort of material that made them the famous, iconic, number one soap all those years ago.

In my opinion, cable and reality shows sure did negatively impact daytime, and so did the OJ trial. But I also think that a lot of producers/writers use it as an excuse to pass off lackluster work.

For instance, Bob Guza, you cannot say it was cable's fault that you lost a million viewers for killing off Allan and Emily Quartermaine. That's poor writing that alianates the viewer who has been viewing for 10, 20, 30 years. Soaps are so obviously trying to push this young audience. They're focusing shows on the newer young characters, because for some reason, they think it's going to make younger people watch the show.

What it is actually doing is alienating the LOYAL viewer. And, the facts are there, to prove that you are far more likely to gain NEW viewers through LONGTIME viewers. I know that I started watching General Hospital, One Life to Live, All My Children, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, because my mom did. And my sisters are the same way. So by completely turning off and scaring away longtime viewers, they're only screwing themselves over. Because the facts are, new people who never watched a soap are generally not going to start now, unless it's through a mother/grandmother, etc.

Of course you do have people who are willing to tune into a show they've never watched, but it's not the majority.

What they need to do is focus on good writing. They need to look at what the fans want, and go with that. They need to send out a message saying "It's OK longtime viewers...We're done alienating now. We're going back to the classic types of stories with our legacy characters". And, I know, most soaps are not ever going to do it....No matter how much it would help them.

There is immense proof that good storytelling brings in ratings. Look at DAYS in 2009...They were at one point, beating out B&B for the number 2 soap in Total Viewers. And when they go back to focusing on characters people are less fond of, and dragging stories out...They are getting last place. So, obviously, using history isn't the ONLY way to gain viewers, but In my opinion, it would be the best way to gain and KEEP them.

All of the soaps need to sit down with there respective writing/production teams and form a plan, in which they will write storylines that will appeal to newer characters and older characters. They need to realize that you can still use Bobbie Spencer in a front burner storyline, instead of having Carly running around repeating the same thing over and over. They need to invest their time more wisely, and cut the repetitive nonsense that clogs up 60% of airtime. Once they do that, they need to realize that NO ONE is going to care about newbies that have no connection to the show. You can introduce all the new characters you want, but they aren't going to be succesful.

And promotion is another thing they all need to step up their game on. Sure, it's expensive too air commercials in primetime. But I'm sure somewhere in the budget they could find it to do one or two a month for the soap lineup. And even if that can't be worked out, there are other things they could do. Launch more professional and promotional Facebook pages. Launch an official Twitter for each show, or the shows collectively, and provide exclusive updates.

Instead of having the networks main website be all about primetime show, have just ONE corner dedicated to the soaps. Have interviews with soap stars on the main page of a website, not just under the soaps page. Instead of just airing promo clips for "The Good Wife" on the CBS homepage, air one of "The Young and the Restless". Instead of having "What's on Tonight" listings, have "What's on CBS Today" Listings.

Maybe that was a useless rant, but these articles just frustrate me because there are so many changes that could be made, SO EASILY, that wouldn't be very, or some at all, expensive, that could definitely help soaps ratings.

[Mr. Vixen]

Ugh double post. Delete.

[soapfan770]

So this is basically the same article I've been reading for the past ten years now, except now soaps are really being canceled rather than threatened with cancellation.

Of course, what isn't dead is serialized writing.

[applcin]

I love how they always talk about needing to have diversity in daytime. Having had to stay home some time in the winter because of an illness, I had opportunity to see just how mind-numbing and redundant all those talk shows and court shows really are. I wish they would stop dishing out this nonsense like they're re-inventing daytime or something when all they do is copy one another and blather on about the same thing for hours or days. It's the same caca, different channel. No wonder I ended up getting hooked on the Investigation Discovery channel!

[DRW50]

Which soaps is this person watching??

[JackPeyton]

Prob Days

[marceline]

None of them.

[alphanguy74]

I agree, Alvin... the hard numbers on production costs were most interesting to me, too. 20% difference from NY to LA. that's a hell of a chunk of change. Of course, those hand held cameras are something that is TOTAL crap, and should be abandoned. NOW. it mentioned transport of sets and such. Don't all these soaps utilize standing sets? One part in there talked about people wanting to "Dip in and out" of watching shows. That just speaks to the erosion of the attention span of the young generation. All this impatient, instant gratification crap. And God help me... but some viewers are actually getting their fix of drama by arguing about soaps on message boards instead of actually watching them.

[DeeeDee]

+1.

Women who work still watch soaps.

They just watch GOOD ones.

[bellcurve]

Love how Frons is assembling a "moms" package in preparation for what they(and CBS) feel is an epic battle. What's next?! NBC's Drunk Duo making promos, talking about putting whiskey in their kids' bottles to get them to sleep?

Also loved Barbara Bloom's ominous clues about putting together the strongest lineup to do battle. I can't wait to see crazy Y&R fans(not to mention the cast and crew) flip their sh!t when the timeslot announcement is made. Serve me up a crow sandwich if The Talk is in at 2PM.

[alphanguy74]

This is ridiculous. Frons doesn't have any more confidence in the view than that? And Bloom, as usual, has to take off her blouse to count to two. I hope they don't move Y&R, but sometimes, I DO.... what I REALLY wish at this point is that it would come to an end and repeat from the beginning on the Hallmark channel.

[OldSchoolSoapFan]

I second that!! Wouldn't it be a treat to end the show where nobody gives a crap and then start at the beginning with the truck moseying down a long and lonely highway with an amnesiac named Dr. Brad Eliot inside of it??