Question about NBC Daytime?

[passionsfan]

We all know CBS Daytime's Bloom and ABC Daytime's Frons have big input on the soaps, but you rarely hear of anyone over Corday with NBC's last soap... even when Passions was still around.

My question is, do you think that helps DAYS in getting away with more creatively the way they want, or do you think that it would be improved if it were on one of the other networks where there is a strong influence outside of the set? Also, do you think this has contributed to DAYS being the only soap left on NBC?

[CCCapwell]

I believe DAYS is surviving because of a lack of any network involvement. NBC disbanded the NBC Daytime department when "Passions" went off the air on NBC. Corday/SONY deals with an executive at NBC who is in charge of overseeing DAYS although it appears its a mostly financial oversight, with little if any creative involvement from NBC. Prior to this, NBC did have a few daytime execs when "Passions" was still on but they had a less publicly obvious involvement than Bloom or Frons appears to have. Back in the 80's/90's NBC was run by Susan Lee, who ran NBC much like Bloom and Frons, and her boss his name is slipping my memory now, demanded Charles Keating be fired from AW because he wouldn't appeal to the teen girl demos they wanted, this man previously ran NBC Sports, so a sports guy was making decision about NBC Daytime back in the day, he and Lee were the execs behind "Sunset Beach", the show they claimed would redefine daytime, we all know how that turned out. they were the hacks who destroyed AW and NBC Daytime. So NBC has a history of excessive network involvement in soaps for the worse, thankfully they are no longer there and DAYS is doing great because of that! Maybe CBS and ABC should learn a lesson here, less creative involvement from network execs is a good things for the genre!

As for why DAYS is the only soap left on NBC... even with a network daytime division NBC would only have one soap, the industry has not and doesn't appear to be able to launch a new soap, so NBC realized this and made the decision to disband a daytime division, which is great for DAYS as there isn't a bunch of daytime execs plotting a new talkshow or gameshow for NBC, which is something the other network soaps have to be concerned as there is that division in place at CBS and ABC where new proposals are always being shopped around. DAYS could end up being the last soap on the air because of the fact no one is actively considering a replacement for it at NBC. If DAYS keeps on making money for NBC, it will certainly be celebrating 50 years in 2015

[juniorz1]

Well said! And LOVE the screen name!

[passionsfan]

That definitly answered my question and even questions I was wondering but couldn't put in a question! I never knew about Susan Lee, as I wasn't watching NBC soaps during that time. I didn't start watching until the late 90's of Days/Sunset Beach/Passions. If NBC had a strong prescence like Bloom and Frons, DAYS could easily be down a different road, and I don't think they would have allowed PASSIONS to get away with half the stuff they did. Thanks CCCapwell!