AMC and OLTL Will Move Online!

[Khan]

It'd be awesome if PP were to house OLTL (and AMC) permanently at Rockefeller Center. I'm just saying.

[JackPeyton]

He is bat [!@#$%^&*] insane on twitter. EVERYONE who was not proclaims PP as a god was "paid off by Disney". He praised PP to high heavens, was behind that couponing thing, the hoover and tabloid praise, proclaiming oprah hates soap fans and daytime, etc.. And now apparently he is saying that PP was a conspiracy to please soap fans who were boycotting ABC.

Except he is right, he was skeptical and said that this is not a done deal and he got attacked beyond belief for it.

LOL!

They are us with fancy titles, but nobody is bias-free on twitter. It defeats the purpose of being on twitter and reaching fans.

[John]

*BREAKING NEWS: NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES AT OLTL**

Written by: Shawn Brady

Additional Reporting: Tammy Kreiss

First, I want to thank all of you for being patient about waiting for me to comment on the latest re: Prospect Park’s funding issues with One Life To Live. While I had an inkling something was off due to tweets and Facebook posts yesterday, I refrained from posting until we got all the facts in. Too often, when we are told to expect bad news and an official announcement (that was never forthcoming) we unnecessarily panic and end up reacting instead of properly processing and strategically executing our next move.

Now that the majority of the facts are in (we will never get the 100 percent truth that is happening behind the scenes), here is my assessment of the events:

Prospect Park is a small entertainment company when you consider all the big networks and studios in Hollywood. They don’t have the manpower to keep up with all of us who are so passionate about the movement and fighting to keep AMC/OLTL on the air. Could they have done a better job in communicating with us? Yes. Could they have utilized us to help mobilize support and get sponsors and investors on board? Yes. Could they have hired a PR person to communicate with us and clear up any miscommunications? Heck Yes! Should they outsource professional PR help? Yes. Because by keeping silent, they are damaging their own brand and reputation in Hollywood with their very public setbacks. And perception means everything!! Do I believe this to be a smokescreen by ABC or a conpsiracy theory to throw us off track by Prospect Park? NO!!

After it was leaked several weeks ago that Prospect Park had just started to go to Silicon Valley to secure funding for AMC/OLTL, I already knew they were in trouble and PP was way off their timeline.

That being said, this deal was never meant to go public or leak early. Prospect Park does not have ALL its ducks in a row. At the same time I don’t think they thought they would be conducting their business under the intense glare of the spotlight we and the media have put on them. This is NOT how deals are done in Hollywood and the LAST thing they expected was inheriting a strong outspoken, passionate, fan base of soap viewers like us.

My take: The studio and funding issues are a MINOR setback for OLTL 2.0 and Prospect Park. While we should remain vigilant, we should also give the company breathing room to conduct business to SECURE the funding necessary to bring our shows back to life. Should they in the meantime throw us a bone here and there and keep us posted? Yes! They should hire a crisis management & crack PR team stat to rectify this situation which is causing them to get a public black eye. I won’t even get into the AFTRA situation which is another major hurdle that must be overcome before the shows can even begin FILMING.

Here’s what WE do know about the PP/OLTL studio and funding debacle:

SFU’s own Tammy Kreiss went to the OLTL studios Thursday and was able to get some answers from Bob Woods, OLTL EP Frank Valentini, OLTL HW Ron Carlivati and yes, OLTL creator Agnes Nixon!

It is true that ABC ordered OLTL to vacate the studios this week ASAP as soon as filming is complete. While Prospect Park has lost some funding, Carlivati & Valentini assured fans that they do have the money to secure a studio and that they are looking at options such as JC Studios (AW/ATWT/Cosby Show’s former home in Brooklyn) along with Silver Cup Studios in Queens where Sex and the City was filmed. There has been no official announcement as to WHY ABC wouldn’t cooperate with PP/OLTL and let them stay at their studios until Katie moves in as expected.

Regarding the funding issue, Carlivati & Valentini admitted that there has been issue with investors pulling out of Prospect Park and losing funding to keep the show in production. Both RC & FV say things are getting pushed back a little. They insist OLTL will be continuing – just not at this studio.

They say the studio itself is a “minor detail” and we (soap fans) don’t know if the funding has anything to do with ABC giving OLTL the boot at 320 W. 66 Street.

Why will OLTL go on despite what seems a major setback to the rest of us? Because according to a very emotional Bob Woods, both Ron Carlivati and Frank Valentini are continuing the show for practically nothing. “You should see the huge pay cuts they had to take!” exclaimed Woods. According to Tammy Kreiss, Bob Woods convinced both Carlivati and Valentini to take a drastic pay cut to continue the legacy of the show. Carlivati is not giving up. He has continued to write for the show after it ends on ABC and has had to wrap up major storylines while continuing others for version 2.0. Woods said he has “every confidence OLTL will be back on soon,” and tearfully added that “Frank is going to make it happen.” Most importantly, Bob Woods added he has NOT been signed to PP due to funding issues and that while he has bought a new home upstate for his family, he WANTS to work for PP/OLTL and can commute to the new studio from his home.

Kreiss also had the opportunity to clear up the status of the Alderson clan on PP/OLTL: Momma Alderson told fans that the whole family is moving to LA for five months to “see what’s out there.” If there are no opportunities for them, Mrs. Alderson wants both her kids to return to PP/OLTL as “a family.” The Aldersons’ have given up their home in PA for the LA Move.

One mystery we were also able to clear up: according to Carlivati, the reason Jimmy DePaiva did not make the cut to return to the show as Max Holden is because of storyline constraints and budget issues with ABC. Carlivati made clear he loves Jimmy and that his absence was “nothing personal.” RC had to take into account all the other returns and where Max would fit in the canvas, especially with Blair juggling, Todd/Victor/Thomas.

Last but not least, when Agnes Nixon made her way out of the street after filming her scenes as the Head Writer of Fraternity Row, she was overwhelmed by all the fans showing her support and said “do not give up yet – we are only losing the studio.” Nixon said it has been a privilege to have been part of OLTL’s ending on ABC. Nixon, Valentini and Carlivati told Kreiss we are going to love this upcoming storyline dedicated to us (i.e. Roxy’s coupon campaign) starring Ilene Kristen. If it wasn’t for us, they all said, we wouldn’t have come this far.

Like · · Follow Post · about an hour ago

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[marceline]

[nell17]

Who is Shawn Brady? No one asked Frank about AMC?

[alexisfan07]

^Is there a link to that post/article?

[John]

its posted on a few fb soap groups by shawn himself/ Its on Soap Fans United on FB

[tune_in_tomorrow]

I've tried to avoid adding my two cents to this thread since very little is really official but if PP is trying to obtain funding to build a network, I would be surprised that they would be hitching their wagon to two 40+ year old soaps with years of declining viewership and an audience that largely won't or can't view it online, and claim that the two shows will still for the most part have the same cast and the same basic 60-minute, 5 day, 52 week a year format. I don't know how in the world that would make an investor jump up and say "YES!! THAT'S where I want to pour in my money!!" Somewhere in this thread it was mentioned that PP would only have to retain 10% of the audience to make a profit...that doesn't really compute in my opinion. According to the tweet above, "huge cuts" were made. I'd be very interested to know how they can make the same product go with "huge cuts." Without ABC/Disney backing them, who else is going to give PP that kind of money for 250,000 sets of eyeballs (about 10% of the existing audience)? We'll see what happens...I find the business side of this more fascinating than anything on the screen.

[JaneAusten]

Well I dont happen to believe the fact that Frank Valentini who has been in this business for over 25 years and Ron Carlavati who is an attorney by trade would take huge salary cuts for the good of the show, I dont care how much they claim to love it. I know some seem to think these people owe it to fans to work for minimum wage but they all have to make a living. most likely they both agreed to lower salaries in return for signing bonuses or some ownership in PP or in TOLN and that is smart because it gives them a - vested interest in wanting to see this venture succeed.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

One mystery we were also able to clear up: according to Carlivati, the reason Jimmy DePaiva did not make the cut to return to the show as Max Holden is because of storyline constraints and budget issues with ABC. Carlivati made clear he loves Jimmy and that his absence was “nothing personal.” RC had to take into account all the other returns and where Max would fit in the canvas, especially with Blair juggling, Todd/Victor/Thomas.

The old budget cuts excuse again. If the Fords and Moraco's suddenely disappeared, then Max could have found his way back into Llanview!!

[Khan]

My sentiments exactly.

[Marco Dane]

[rhinohide]

LOL. "Budget cuts" excuse? OLTL's fiscal year ended I believe October 1. I'm pretty sure they didn't get additional budget to close the show so they had to stretch what they had. Money is a real constraint. And I kind of get where JDP didn't fit with the stories. I don't like any of the stories right now either, but that doesn't change that inserting JDP into any of them wouldn't improve 'em.

As for the soundness of investing in PP and TOLN, given that Disney is divesting the soaps, I think it comes down to a difference in business strategies. Multinational companies like Disney have a priority to maximize their shareholder wealth. They manage to their stock price. Their business strategy is always going to involve bringing on new ventures that deliver more to their bottom line, and divesting older holdings that aren't as profitable. PP is a very small production company. Looking at the corporate profile they have 23 employees. Smaller companies can't go toe-to-toe with huge corporations so they tend to employ different tactics and strategies like finding a niche. PP doesn't have 24 hours, 7 days a week of programming that has to be filled. They don't have affiliates to keep happy. While I agree, that 10% number made me scratch my head, especially given the $160,000/episode cost of production they also gave in that article. But I do remember that Starz was dancing in the streets when Spartacus hit 500,000 viewers and proclaimed it their most successful series ever at that time. I presume the production costs for Spartacus were higher than for OLTL.

I don't have enough information to provide a intelligent analysis of their business proposition. But depending on how their revenue stream is structured, if I were a media buyer for a company like AT&T or Verizon, or Apple, or any number of technology firms, or somebody who is in the business of creating apps, I would be all over this. The value of advertising on television has been in steady decline for years, while the costs have increased. Advertisers are always looking for better ways to reach their target and get the most bang for their buck. I can see this being the wave of the future. Possibly. And the big broadcasters also have a vested interest in its success, because they are always looking for the next area for expansion, and it's great from their standpoint to let some smaller company take the risk and develop the niche, because they can always quickly attack that niche once it's proven.

[TeamEric]

While I can believe FV and RC accepted some pay cut, I also don't believe they are working for free, either. I agree it makes a lot of sense for PP to have offered them some sort of equity in TOLN. And this is a standard practice at some startups. I know I worked for two and they demand long hours with low pay. It's risky but can have enormous payoff if the company is successful and you own stock.

Anyhoo, I've said all along PP seemed more interested in gaining OLTL's audience than producing a better quality show. Perhaps that is where they went wrong in their pitch to investors? Maybe they needed to obtain some fresh creative blood or propose revamping the format into seasonal programming? I just wonder if investors didn't see any fresh ideas and thought oh no it's the same dying dinosaurs only online???

[MontyB]

Enough of this crap. I've resigned to the fact the OLTL will be gone come this January. If the show lives on with PP....great, I'll be there. If it's done, so be it. I've enjoyed my 37 years of watching this show. My only hope is that it ends on a high note and not get the crappy ending AMC got. No offense to AMC fans.