AMC and OLTL Canceled! Part 2!

[CCCapwell]

below is an interesting article from FOX News published in July, that called it perfectly, without major changes to the salaries of the cast and crew this can not happen.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/07/12/abc-soap-stars-holding-out-for-more-money-in-new-online-deal/

"ABC Soap Stars Negotiating for More Money in New Online Deal

By Jo Piazza

Published July 12, 2011| FoxNews.com

Now that "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" have been taken off their respirators by moving from television to the Internet, the shows’ stars are divided over whether to move online, or to move on.

Last week it was announced that online distribution company Prospect Park had licensed the rights to the ABC two soaps, and will keep them up and running on the Web following years of uncertainty over whether the long-running daytime dramas could sustain themselves against cheaper-to-produce daytime talk show competition.

But insiders tell FOX411.com that moving the shows online will entail serious cost cutting, including the salaries of the programs’ high-priced talent, should they choose to sign on.

Several current cast members revealed they have been told their salaries will be cut, and they aren’t sure they want to go the online route for less money. Others are torn. Without the shows, they don’t have a job, and half a salary is better than none.

Most of the actors and actresses interviewed asked that their names not be used since they are currently in negotiations, while a rep for Prospect Park told FOX411.com that the rumors about salary cuts are not true, and that negotiations have not officially begun.

But media analysts agree there is no way that Prospect Park can produce an online show with the current cast and level of quality without making some cost cuts. Among the high-priced talent is Susan Lucci, who makes $1 million plus annually on "All My Children."

“I don’t think Susan Lucci should do it. She’s a television star, not an Internet star ,and the money isn’t there,” said Brad Adgate, director of research at Horizon Media Inc. “Of course she could always shoot for the Webby instead of the Emmy.”

Lucci’s camp was vague about her plans.

“I know Susan thinks it’s great news for the fans that it seems a deal is in the works so that 'AMC' can continue. I don’t have any information at this point on Susan’s upcoming plans,” her rep told FOX411.com.

“All My Children” star Michael E. Knight, who has portrayed Tad Martin on and off since 1982, seems to be leaning toward leaving. His contract with the show ends in August.

“Michael is looking forward to new roles and new projects,” Knight's rep said.

It isn’t only the actors who are facing online's slimmer salaries. Writers say they expect to see significant decreases in their salaries as well, if they are even invited back when the shows begin life online.

“I didn’t think the Internet needed writers,” one disgruntled scribe said. “I thought they had a bot for that."

Even though the two soaps were not huge money makers on television, they both charged just under $10,000 per 30 second commercial slot last year. That made each soap around $250,000 per episode. Those advertising revenues simply don’t exist online.

“Everything is going to be scaled down, from the production costs to paying the writers and everyone involved in the show,” Adgate said. “It is going to have to be completely scaled back.”

And the business model will need to be figured out. Prospect Park has so far kept mum about how they plan to finance the series online, but their options could include asking loyal viewers to pay a subscription fee, and/or upping the ante on product placements within the shows.

If they do figure out how to keep the soaps running and profitable, the upside could be a brave new world for cancelled TV series.

“It all depends on how good the quality of the online show is and how loyal the fan base remains in the new medium," Adgate said. "If this is successful, you may see a movement of cancelled shows online.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/07/12/abc-soap-stars-holding-out-for-more-money-in-new-online-deal/#ixzz1er09NGiH

my thoughts:

And for all the back and forth on here about salaries and the unions, I don't believe anyone is blaming the unions, although the bottom line is unions decide that salaries in the tv biz and production companies are bound by the terms, so if a lower-cost production model could not be reached, then the unions are responsbile, so for some to want to believe the spin from the unions that they somehow had nothing to do with this not happening, you are making a mistake, its not like they are going to come out and say "yeah we could have lowered our rates, but decided not to" lol thats never going to happen. did PP stop the talks with the unions according to the union press releases, probably, but we don't know what was said in the earlier meetings, if the unions told PP their bottom line of the lowest salary they will agree to and PP knows they can't get it any lower, than why bother talking any more, and thats probably what happened, PP went and ran the numbers, saw with what the union would agree to it wasnt financially possible, the pulled the plug. and if that happened, its all bs spin from the unions to imply there was anything else to discuss. with that said, the unions protected their workers, they were right in doing so after all its in their best interest not to agree to much lower salaries for an online production, and by agreeing to lower rates for these soaps sets up a bad precedent for them for other online projects. so the unions did the right thing, although don't believe their spin that shifts the blame to PP for not getting a deal, as the unions control so much of a tv productions budget it really has a lot of power and power many of us forget when talking about the behind the scenes dealings of soaps and the tv biz, as it is always appears posters are going after the "evil" network or production company lol its not like PP could have decided on their own how much to pay the cast and crew of AMC and OLTL but the way some posters write on here, it seems like thats exactly what some of you think happens in the tv biz. the unions are not villians, nor is PP, its the fact soaps cant get a significant audience thats the issue, they are not financially viable products any longer, the unions cant let cast and crew be paid peanuts, but at the same time, if the union mandated salaries gets in the way of a soap being financially viable or not, then lets face reality and accept that fact, and stop the lunacy of saying PP was running a scam or the other nonsense PP conspirarcy theories going on this message board. the soaps have too few people watching, they cost too much to produce for their low audience and its the unions, not PP, ABC NBC or CBS that decide the salaries of the entire cast and crew, so thats why soaps are dead. PP tried to look at a different production model, internet vs tv, but it appears union salaries was a factor, maybe not the only one, but its a HUGE one, so the sad news in all this, the soaps don't appear viable on the internet either.

[Khan]

So, at best, PP was unrealistic; and at worst, a bunch of Harold Hills.

Either way, I would not want these folks responsible for the re-launch of any series, let alone two as valued as these.

[JONNYSBRO]

The big question is how did PP think that any INVESTOR would want to an invest in a dying genre thats very expensive and with fans that holds a demo that is not very technology savvy. If I were the INVESTOR I am looking for not just a return on investment but also a profit. IMO there is NO WAY a profit would have been made so WHY INVEST AND FLUSH MONEY DOWN THE TIOLET. Its hard to seperate you being a soap fan and just PLAIN FREAKING BUSINESS 101. OLTL was my childhood show I will miss it so much but I am ready to say goodbye. I know the show is going out strong and with a BANG. Anyways I want you posters to take on the view of being an INVESTOR would you invest in these soaps plainly based on BUSINESS not using your SOAP FAN BIAS.

[Khan]

I'd rather invest in new soaps -- soaps designed specifically for the Internet -- than soaps that have been cancelled once already by network TV.

[JONNYSBRO]

Khan what I want to invest is something I know WILL MAKE MONEY. Plain BUSINESS 101. Soaps in their current form aren't making it. I think soaps will return someday but like telenovela or something lower cost. It will NEVER return in this form. It doesn't make financial sense. I can also look at the DAYS reboot and she all the time and money spent was money WASTED as its fallen flat. PP IMO should have never announced this deal until they secured funding. This was all BAD business and I feel sad for the actors involved. I do think internet shows will be wave of future but this is an infancy stage. Its big RISK right now. Too much RISK involved.

[Khan]

Agree.

[John]

I think with AMC & OLTL over u will see a lot of new internet soaps. Hopefully when AFTRA & SAG do their new contracts miniums will be st in place so these shows can start seeing revenue

[~bl~]

I think one of the issues with the minimums is that if a show is done for the web and then put on television, the actors are being screwed. That is something that needs to be figured out with the unions, as it would completely unfair if actors are being paid for work in one medium and then the producers get tons of additional money with the actors getting nothing.

[John]

Like the unions needed a sliding scale for both Web & Cable Minimums

[Dana]

Right. If they're going to end up putting the show on a cable channel, then why not start it on cable to begin with? The budget would still have to be low enough for a cable channel to afford it, but you can't claim it's for the Internet and therefore one should only get an Internet salary, but then turn right around and have it shown on one or more TV channels without paying the actors the rate for TV.

[dragonflies]

THIS is beyond ridiculous, people sending complaints to the FCC about the cancellations? WTF?

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=243269752401616

[Eric83]

I'm over it.

At the end of the day, no matter how much we get attached and grow to love the characters they are still just tv shows. They were going to go someday. I will miss OLTL, but complaining and starting [!@#$%^&*] is hurting more than helping.

[marceline]

Pathetic. I wonder how many of these people understand what the FCC or FTC does. I wonder how many of them even vote. I can't wait to hear all the ways they get disrespected by some low level government employee. Companies like Hoover and Hershey have to be nice to people because they are potential customers, the government...not so much. Think about the level of service you get at the DMV.

Nothing could be further from the truth. "You" need to be in a psych ward on a 72-hour hold.

[Dana]

Plus their grammar is terrible.

[EastMA2]

It's all so sad and frustrating that AMC and OLTL will not be continuing, but take it from those of us who have lived through the cancellations of GL and ATWT (and other soaps). Life does go on. The world won't end without these shows.