All: One soaps budget cut by 50% according to DC

[TC]

Thank you.

[SFK]

I've considered that, that the "plus" would be these folks being put on blast, but that's just a dirty little thrill for the fans (you know, getting to see someone like Rauch publicly shamed, "That's for Lillian Hayman mah'fugga!"). But yeah, as you were saying, it most likely wouldn't result in change as these people are quick to tell us how much we DON'T know the real deal and how it's so easy for us losers to judge from behind our TV and computer screens. True to an *extent*, but we are not fools, we know from quality and there are some very bright and inquisitive fans who do their research. Plus, I'm not so sure that the ultimate PTB are so interested in saving soaps as much as they are in discontinuing treatment and keeping them comfortable until nature takes its course.

Another thing about blind items, they should be both juicy and fun and news like this is not fun, it does not help soap fan morale. Arm the viewer, arm the people who make your site relevant and who can **PERHAPS** do something about it by rallying the troops. Even if it'll most likely be in vain. But dropping depressing bits of information about something we can do nothing to change, like, why do we even bother?

[Eric83]

This is exactly how I feel.

I don't know why some people are so damn defensive with the mention of AMC/OLTL like someone is out looking to argue about it like its going to matter when ABC pulls the plug. That's all I have to say on the issue before I get some back handed insult from someone who probably doesn't even watch soaps.

[marceline]

Preach!

This whole "I know something you don't know" blind item bullshit is just about a bunch of sad losers trying to be the skinniest kid at fat camp. Every week fewer and fewer people give a damn about what happens to soaps so who are you trying to impress?

Frankly, if they canceled them all tomorrow I wouldn't shed a tear because ABC has proven itself unwilling and/or unable to engage in the kind of innovative thinking that might save these shows. They're still trying to train the audience. I'd have no problem padlocking the studio doors myself.

[Sylph]

You both know oh-so-well that they can easily turn this against you and say: You're jealous.

Which is... just...

[lovely_m]

Actually they just say "Ausiello does it too!"

A recent podcast, the one Cat mentioned in the January GH thread, that GH is going through budget cuts ( he didn't say how much) and Becky wasn't the only casualty.

[Sylph]

The utter, devouring irrelevance of this genre is just so visible it's painful once you realize who actually plays 'soap journalist' these days. It's a complete mockery.

[R Sinclair]

You would think... and then someone says "Gee! Has any soap ever done an abortion storyline? Ever?" in the All My Children thread, and you realize... not so much.

People have already given up, sadly, before the networks have. So rallying the troops would probably turn out to be nothing more than that sad, pathetic "Let's Save Guiding Light" rally outside of CBS -- with only 32 people -- after the fact.

[All My Shadows]

Dude, get out of my head! Rauch and Lillian Hayman were definitely who I was thinking of while trying to string those thoughts together. Imagine if the internet was around in '86 and someone reported on that? I doubt it would have had any effect in rallying anybody together to right the wrong, but just the thought of *everybody* being able to see just how shitty some of these people can be is too great. But no, with people like Jamey and Nelson and all of them, they'd put out some ridiculous crap about "ONE recently fired actress on an EAST COAST soap was fired in the parking lot!!" And, like fools, all of us would speculate and speculate and "start the beating of the drums" to save the wrong person.

I think the daytime PTB (producers, writers, etc) care about soaps. Soaps are paying their bills, and obviously they can stay around for as long as they want doing as crappy a job as possible because nobody is going to fire them, so why in the world would they want daytime to die? They want daytime to be successful and prosperous, but they haven't the foggiest idea about having patience and taking their time, they let their own ridiculous feelings and beliefs serve as humongous clouds of smog over everything they do (name me one good reason why any of us automatically, without thinking, should be able to tell someone who out of a young black lead and a young white lead will get the bigger story and more screen time), and a lot of them are just not good at what they do.

The ultimate PTB (Moonves, Sweeney, Burke, whoever else out there) want to make as much money/glory as possible as quickly as possible, so instead of taking the time to fix soaps (if any of THEM would even know how to) and turn them into something successful again and instead of holding the people responsible accountable, they'll ditch them, close the book on them, shut the door on them, and replace them with something else without batting an eye lash. Which is why a CEO can play the sh!ts and g!ggles game when discussing the cancellation of a show that was the crown jewel of the entire daypart for 20 years. If we can blame Frons and Bloom and whoever else for keeping the McTavishes and the Higleys and the Madea Arrrrena Bells employed, then when are we going to start blaming the people who are responsible for keeping Frons'n'em employed? They either have no rats to give or are just as harmful as Frons, so...?

I think I'm there too...I'm coming to the bitter end. It's not even a "worse before it gets better" situation. If it was EVER going to get better, it would have started getting better already, but here we are. These shows, quite frankly, will get worse and worse until they die. If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost! The Minnow would be lost! the people in the industry who do care and who do try their best to make sure their part of it is quality, I would just say kill them all now with one swing of the ax before things get so bad that we can't even watch Karen on the witness stand without the persistent image of a Ford brother painfully farting his way through an "intense" scene constantly in our mind's eye.

They wished they had 32 people.

[Sylph]

We're at a point where someone will tell you: So what?! It was and then it wasn't. Deal with it. Everything has a best before date.

[~bl~]

Ausiello's items though are different in the sense that he covers a whole lot of shows. With soaps, we have six choices of programs.

The GL rally of 32 people, well at least people came to that. There was one rally in another city and only one person went.

[All My Shadows]

Yet if one of the redundant, pointless, useless, obsolete evening newscasts was taken out back and shot, we'd be inundated with how it's "the end of an era." At least GL got 60 Minutes. ATWT got [!@#$%^&*]. If the Daytime Emmys, of all programs, can't properly honor the canceled shows and deceased people who helped make the Daytime Emmys possible in the first place, well then you know nobody else is going to give a damn.

And I don't care if I'm steadily steering this ship off topic. We shouldn't reward this kind of foolishness with its own topic.

[Saving ATWT]

I've said it before and will say it again: With the advent of Tivo, DVR, On Demand, and Web, the notion of a TV schedule as we know it is dead. I'd love to see a show like Y&R shift to primetime and be able to play by the more liberal standards. A network show like Criminal Minds, for example, makes daytime look str8 up puritanical in terms of the use of sexuality and language. Cable often takes things a step further. I think a lot of younger people look at soaps as too conservative, out of step and touch with current cultural norms.

The genre must make gains in key demos or it's all over within a few years. I don't think people hate the serial format or soap genre but, instead, are bored by the same recycled stories told Bible Belt PG style.

People are building their own TV schedules and the networks would be wise to produce soaps fit for prime time watchable anytime. CBS would be wise to use CW as an outlet for the Bell soaps--not like the ratings could get any worse.

[marceline]

I almost never agree with you but this is all kinds of true.

When AMC goes, I don't want to have a Save AMC rally, I want to have a grand old goodbye party for it. A combination between an Irish wake and a New Orleans jazz funeral. I want to bring people together for food, music and memories and say farewell in a way that will make Aggie proud.

[DRW50]

I think as long as the big telecoms have enough power - and if anything they seem to be increasing power - the TV schedules might not ever stray too far from where they are now. The more options you have, the more questions you ask, and that is something many in power don't like.