I really like Susan. But, I just cannot believe her for some reason. I think that maybe only a handful of the stars would spill something about it. MEK, Kristen Alderson, Robin Strasser, or Erica Slezak would probably be honest about it. I'm thinking about just messaging Kristen on FB and asking her. I've talked to her before. She's a lovely girl.

Oh I do honestly get, and agree with you there. However the reason cable is starting to get ratings that the networks actually envy is because they're feeding into niche and layalty in a way networks do even less than they did when they were the only thing to watch. This is a short term survival strategy but will soon turn them into a place for local news and reruns and not much else--I'm dead serious. LOL (OK by soon maybe 25+ years unless things change).

Totally, but at the risk of sounding ridiculous, in the long run (which they don't care about) this will kick them in the ass and cable will be bigger than ever. It's a short term bandaid.

Also, don't forget. Broadcast Networks and Cable are not really that different....

ABC- Owned by Disney which also owns: Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN News, ESPN U, ESPN 2, ESPN Classic, Soap Net, Disney XD, ABC Family. Disney also owns a 37% stake in A&E Television Networks including A&E, BIO, CI, History, History International, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, and Military History.

NBC- Owned by Comcast/GE: Comcast Sports Networks, E!, G4, CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Bravo, Oxygen, SyFy, Style, Telemundo, The Weather Channel, NBC-Universal also owns a 25% stake in A&E Television Networks including A&E, BIO, CI, History, History International, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, and Military History.

CBS- Owned by Viacom: MTV, MTV 2, VH1, CMT, BET, LOGO, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Teen Nick, Nick Jr, Spike

So while the networks may be losing viewers to cable, their parent companies are deeply intertwined in cable so they arent really losing the viewers as much as the are spreading them out amongst their multiple outlets

In 25 years tv will no longer be watched through the traditional methods we've grown accustomed to. Internet streaming will be the future of delivering programming to the viewer. Schedules will be a thing of the past. Every thing on demand. I have a masters thesis on this if you'd care for a read and several books I can recommend on the topic of televisions future.

LOL I believe that too! (Seriously) but I think HBO because of viewer loyalty will have much more success switching over to whatever medium than ABC, for example, will.

Also, don't forget. Broadcast Networks and Cable are not really that different....

ABC- Owned by Disney which also owns: Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN News, ESPN U, ESPN 2, ESPN Classic, Soap Net, Disney XD, ABC Family. Disney also owns a 37% stake in A&E Television Networks including A&E, BIO, CI, History, History International, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, and Military History.

NBC- Owned by Comcast/GE: Comcast Sports Networks, E!, G4, CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Bravo, Oxygen, SyFy, Style, Telemundo, The Weather Channel, NBC-Universal also owns a 25% stake in A&E Television Networks including A&E, BIO, CI, History, History International, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, and Military History.

CBS- Owned by Viacom: MTV, MTV 2, VH1, CMT, BET, LOGO, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Teen Nick, Nick Jr, Spike

So while the networks may be losing viewers to cable, their parent companies are deeply intertwined in cable so they arent really losing the viewers as much as the are spreading them out amongst their multiple outlets

Yes great point, but it means nothing to the bottom line to, say, ABC. ABC IS mad that they might have some of their Sunday night lineup more and more stolen by HBO--that's undeniable.

I've always felt (at least in the last five years) that daytime needed a shakeup and that with ratings being not so great on certain days (namely Friday), that executives should think about cutting down on the five days a week of soapy drama. While I'm not saying to cancel a soap by any means, as this thread is about, but cut the soaps to four days. Program a new set of shows (preferably scripted) on Fridays. If successful, not only would we have more programs on the air during the day (and on network TV no less), they'd all compliment the soaps. If the day were to where we'd lose a soap, by not airing a program five days a week, the networks could transition their daytime blocks in the form of primetime. We'd be able to have numerous original (again preferably scripted) programming each day and many of our current daytime stars would more than likely find work in some of these shows. For anyone that says there isn't an audience, speak with Univision and Telemundo, they do just fine with daily scripted programming.

WHat's interesting is Nickelodeon (and MuchMusic here in Canada) had such huge success switching Degrassi, their teen soap, to a 4 days a week, 50 episode "telenovela" run that they've agreed to do it that way this, and next year as well. As everyone has said, obviously there is still interest in daily scripted drama.

Right, and I am fan-wanking just to lay that out there. I concede that while it's probably not an ABC/NBC/CBS thing, I think back on Tribes and Swans Crossing and can imagine a teen-centric series with adult storylines like Degrassi airing on FOX/CW/MyNetwork... launched in May (beginning of summer vacation) or September (beginning of school year) airing on Tues. and Thurs., fun gameshow on M/W/F. Re-runs at the end of "season" or no re-runs at all but a break with the game show airing M-F. With the switch from analog to digital, basic TV has stepped up its game with THIS, Antenna, RTV, Qubo, etc. in an effort to provide (cheap!) interesting program for the non-cable viewer. I could see them trying to gain some more of that TeenNick audience with something like that. Do any of you have a digital converter box on any of your TVs? I have one at the house, and it's weird how we suddenly don't have just a channel 50 but a channel 50-1, 50-2, 50-3. I dunno, cheap cheap CHEAP original scripted programming may find its way to some of these newer frequencies.

I think you'll see cheap programming being produced as web series before you see it on any network or digital sub-channel. We are already seeing that now with several web series popping up left and right, some of them have proven to be successful thus far.

I've always felt (at least in the last five years) that daytime needed a shakeup and that with ratings being not so great on certain days (namely Friday), that executives should think about cutting down on the five days a week of soapy drama. While I'm not saying to cancel a soap by any means, as this thread is about, but cut the soaps to four days. Program a new set of shows (preferably scripted) on Fridays. If successful, not only would we have more programs on the air during the day (and on network TV no less), they'd all compliment the soaps. If the day were to where we'd lose a soap, by not airing a program five days a week, the networks could transition their daytime blocks in the form of primetime. We'd be able to have numerous original (again preferably scripted) programming each day and many of our current daytime stars would more than likely find work in some of these shows. For anyone that says there isn't an audience, speak with Univision and Telemundo, they do just fine with daily scripted programming.

I think this makes too much sense (and isn't a quick enough solution to figure out) for networks to do. My mom said the same thing--why didn't they cut soaps back to four days a week before cutting them entirely.

So basically no one will be watching anything consistently unless it is sports and perhaps news, that's lovely. How will anything become successful and popular if there is no mass audience of anything? That and how will they get revenue, for me the Netflix new programming will be the big test. A book list would be interesting.

Nono, more and more scripted comedy and drama will be viable only on cable, is what I meant. It's already happening, IMHO, despite a few recent network successes.

Right, and I am fan-wanking just to lay that out there. I concede that while it's probably not an ABC/NBC/CBS thing, I think back on Tribes and Swans Crossing and can imagine a teen-centric series with adult storylines like Degrassi airing on FOX/CW/MyNetwork... launched in May (beginning of summer vacation) or September (beginning of school year) airing on Tues. and Thurs., fun gameshow on M/W/F. Re-runs at the end of "season" or no re-runs at all but a break with the game show airing M-F. With the switch from analog to digital, basic TV has stepped up its game with THIS, Antenna, RTV, Qubo, etc. in an effort to provide (cheap!) interesting program for the non-cable viewer. I could see them trying to gain some more of that TeenNick audience with something like that. Do any of you have a digital converter box on any of your TVs? I have one at the house, and it's weird how we suddenly don't have just a channel 50 but a channel 50-1, 50-2, 50-3. I dunno, cheap cheap CHEAP original scripted programming may find its way to some of these newer frequencies.

I really need to read all your posts before posting any of mine I just read an article in the local paper (from a Canadian national source) quoting about what a huge financial success the Degrassi new format was for the show--they focused mainly on Canada but it was undeniable it was in the US as well).

Also, don't forget. Broadcast Networks and Cable are not really that different....

ABC- Owned by Disney which also owns: Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN News, ESPN U, ESPN 2, ESPN Classic, Soap Net, Disney XD, ABC Family. Disney also owns a 37% stake in A&E Television Networks including A&E, BIO, CI, History, History International, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, and Military History.

NBC- Owned by Comcast/GE: Comcast Sports Networks, E!, G4, CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Bravo, Oxygen, SyFy, Style, Telemundo, The Weather Channel, NBC-Universal also owns a 25% stake in A&E Television Networks including A&E, BIO, CI, History, History International, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, and Military History.

CBS- Owned by Viacom: MTV, MTV 2, VH1, CMT, BET, LOGO, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Teen Nick, Nick Jr, Spike

So while the networks may be losing viewers to cable, their parent companies are deeply intertwined in cable so they arent really losing the viewers as much as the are spreading them out amongst their multiple outlets

I'm enjoying reading your knowledge in this thread, but the only nitpick I have is that CBS isn't owned by Viacom anymore. CBS ventured off into its own company a few years back. They took Showtime with them, leaving MTV to oversee those other cable networks. Also, NBCUniversal only owns 16% of A&E.

I wasn't to imply Susan is lying in that post. I just think it's fishy when Robin S. said 'she's not gonna have much to do' on her hotline and when OLTL and AMC both are resolving most of the life long rivalries between characters.

Smart Canadian.

In 25 years tv will no longer be watched through the traditional methods we've grown accustomed to. Internet streaming will be the future of delivering programming to the viewer. Schedules will be a thing of the past. Every thing on demand. I have a masters thesis on this if you'd care for a read and several books I can recommend on the topic of televisions future.

Absolutely, and this is pretty much the way I watch television now. With my Netflix/Roku, my A&E and Gordon Ramsey shows streamed online, my dvr chock full o' Cops, Man vs. Food, and Diners, Dives, and Drive-ins ... OLTL is probably my only sit down and watch live "appointment" television, everything else I watch live is either incidental (news, classic sitcoms on AntennaTV) or a happy accident if it's a show I'd already planned to dvr or stream anyway.

I've always felt (at least in the last five years) that daytime needed a shakeup and that with ratings being not so great on certain days (namely Friday), that executives should think about cutting down on the five days a week of soapy drama. While I'm not saying to cancel a soap by any means, as this thread is about, but cut the soaps to four days. Program a new set of shows (preferably scripted) on Fridays. If successful, not only would we have more programs on the air during the day (and on network TV no less), they'd all compliment the soaps. If the day were to where we'd lose a soap, by not airing a program five days a week, the networks could transition their daytime blocks in the form of primetime. We'd be able to have numerous original (again preferably scripted) programming each day and many of our current daytime stars would more than likely find work in some of these shows. For anyone that says there isn't an audience, speak with Univision and Telemundo, they do just fine with daily scripted programming.

I am not a proponent of unscripted/reality tv. As a television professional these types of series pose a threat to my livelihood by taking up schedule space that a scripted series could have taken. My argument is that ABC Daytime needed a shakeup and this is it. Daytime soaps in their current form have run their course and are based off an old ideology. While Univision & Telemundo have great success with their telenovelas, they are more of a primetime thing. I'm sure there were other ways that ABC could have gone about this but all it would have done is just prolonged an inevitable end.

I wasn't to imply Susan is lying in that post. I just think it's fishy when Robin S. said 'she's not gonna have much to do' on her hotline and when OLTL and AMC both are resolving most of the life long rivalries between characters.

She went so far as to gently suggest that if we have ideas we should send them in. Yeah, I don't like the sound of that either.

I want PBS to put together a cheap soap with little known or totally unknown theatre actors.

She went so far as to gently suggest that if we have ideas we should send them in. Yeah, I don't like the sound of that either.

I should send in my idea about Tad getting a brain tumor and seeing ghost Dixie. Also revealing to Jesse that he killed Madden and Jesse tells him about Ellie/Lucy. Then, after Tad is cured. He tells Angie and they begin an affair to remember. Jesse then arrests Tad for Madden's murder. Which causes Tad's tumor to come back, eventually killing him. Two cases solved. One huge umbrella storyline for the whole Martin/Hubbard clan. CMC comes back as Dixie for a bit...and I get my White Lightning/Chocolate Thunder love! (Yes, I want Tad and Angie to boink...Is that so bad of me? Just a little grief sex pleaaaaase before cancelation. Then after Tad dies (yes, kill him off please when the show is canceled. So that GH won't try to take the character rights and Guza screw Tad up) Angie and Jesse...Get back together. Ride off into the sunset..and then we see Tad and Dix...Together forever. In Heaven.

Edited April 2, 201114 yr by weareclouds