ABC Daytime to Make Major Lineup Decisions in Coming Weeks

[DRW50]

I think most fans would probably know it by this point. I would say Branco might sh!t a brick but I don't know if he still loves OLTL or not...

[Scotty]

I think that the "brand" is largely a thing of the past these days regarding soaps. Erica Kane is nowhere near the status symbol she was 20 or 30 years ago.

The bottom line is, at the end of the day it comes down to money and what shows are making it and which aren't. And cancelling a soap wouldn't be up to Frons...it would require a decision from higher up the food chain.

And for some reason, I'm thinking this might have more to do with Oprah's timeslot...since don't most ABC stations carry her program?

Anyway, I'm not ready to read too much into this -- yet anyway....

[DRW50]

Well she wore the sets of The City for years as a pelt. No one can say she didn't warn us...

[Kylie]

Do you leave you line up OLTL and GH and trust one to carry the other? Or do you leave your line up AMC and GH and trust one to carry the other? For me it's a toss up. I don't think OLTL is any better suited to hold down the brand than AMC is right now, but AMC does have the name, and as much as I dislike it, OLTL has always been sort of the 'step-child'.

[LoyaltoAMC]

Placing a talk show in either AMC's or OLTL's stead is a real risk. Although their numbers obviously aren't what they once were, they're still dependable workhorses. Having an untried entity in the 1 or 2 pm slot as a lead-in for the two remaining soaps could prove disastrous for those shows.

Even cushoning the talk show in the 2pm slot between say, OLTL in a new slot at 1pm and GH at 3pm could be disastrous too for both shows. I just don't see them taking this chance right now. And it's not wishful thinking either. As a business model, it just doesn't make sense to me.

[Vee]

This whole pose has always been a poor fit for you, dear; you can't carry it off. You have all the edge of a 1994 Afterschool Special.

[Jonathan]

Like I said in another thread, it's time for OWN to pick up a soap! But Oprah said on twitter, that she's not planning any scripted shows in the near future because they're expensive.

[dragonflies]

THey could always move GH up earlier and have OLTL to follow it. If Days can hold it's own on NBC, so can OLTL and GH on ABC, and as we know people were declaring Days dead in the water and that it would be cancelled before any soaps just a few years ago

[jcar03]

CBS carries Oprah in my area, the Chicago ABC affilate I got when I was at school carried Oprah but at 9am (and sometimes 11pm). The article does talk about affilates needing a replacement for Oprah. ABC could be just producing a talk show to be carried in syndication.

[marceline]

I wonder how much of this - the timing specifically - has to do with ABC's decision to quit airing reruns. When they made that announcement a lot of us asked how they would make up that money. I'm still wondering what the real reason behind that decision was. It sure as hell wasn't fan reaction. Fan reaction vs. $$$$ is no contest especially for The Great Trainer.

[DRW50]

I agree, especially considering the shows they supposedly have lined up - not exactly thrilling stuff. But I wonder if this might be a way to just give up on their daytime lineup and funnel that money into primetime, which is tanking badly for ABC.

[dragonflies]

Not to mention with the move to CA, AMC got the instability while OLTL got stability and are in a studio ABC owns. Another plus in their favor. AMC can't seem to find anyone who can write for the show

[Jonathan]

WLS is developing a local show to fill Oprah's slot at 9am. It's tentatively titled "Morning Rush."

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2011/02/wls-channel-7-to-bounce-oprah-from-9-am-after-final-original-show-to-make-room-for-chiaverini-warner.html

[dragonflies]

Don't know how true is it, but from what was said, it was costing ABC to air the repeats on Soapnet, cause they have to pay actors who appeared in those episodes

[Vee]

Corporate mentality can always justify any illogical and wrongheaded decision. If a collection of egos want AMC to survive in order to validate their choice re: the L.A. move and their investment in this, that, or the other, then they will make it happen and come up with any bullshit reason they choose. And that will be it. There will be no tribunal evaluating their actions. Look at how some backwards primetime line-ups function, keeping shitty shows on or continuing to reward failing creative personnel with show after show. Same thing.

I don't think the line-up would hold with something new at 2 PM in between AMC and GH. I also think both OLTL and GH would be weakened by the loss of the 1 PM lead-in. I do think they're moving too soon in general on these new shows which are unlikely to succeed, but again, that's corporate mentality. Someone is invested in expanding a talk block.

As per AMC, the word has been for some time that they couldn't beg anyone to come take over the HW gig. No one wanted it, the show had the stench of death.