Networks & Network Execs

[Vee]

 

Nobody has used this thread but you. And nothing you're posting is new or helpful or not available in relevant threads. Also, how would you know what's better for this forum when you've been here weeks and are constantly being begged not to spam threads?

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, disappointing.

 

I never said I knew what was better for anyone. I just had intentions of putting this all in one thread, which I did say.

 

[Vee]

 

Then take the hint.

 

You are new here. You don't know what is better for this place than people who have been here years, or the mods. Further, virtually every post you make, including this thread, is a random grab bag of copypastes, poorly formatted quotes, wholesale magazine lifts, messy links without proper coding, and/or old news we have all dissected before. There is no rhyme or reason or organization to any of it. If you want to see people talk about Angelica McDaniel, go read our weeks-long discussion about her exit several months ago. Please respect the way the board works and learn how to post.

[Contessa Donatella]

For years I heard people say that P&G wanted to get out of the soap business. It sure seemed like they were doing a bad job of that if that was so, like they wanted to sell it but couldn't figure out how to.

 

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Vicky Wyndham said in an interview that what the problem was, was that NBC wanted to own all of the profits. Later, it was clear that ownership or partial ownership was a factor for NBC - with Sunset Beach, and then with Passions.

Edited October 15, 2019 by Donna B
Draw a line.

[Darn]

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[danfling]

Search for Tomorrow had probably run its course, although some may think that is debatable.

However, Mr. Frons is not the person who "cancelled" it.   The decision had been made to  cancel the show at a later date.     But Procter and Gamble made the decision to end it because they, supposedly, did not want to begin 1987 in the red.   Therefore, the show was cancelled on the last Friday of the 1986 year.

The network asked Procter and Gamble to extend Search for Tomorrow for, at least, thirteen weeks because the network had no substitute show ready to begin in January.    However, the sponsor/owner (Procter and Gamble) refused to extend the show, and made the decision that it would leave the airwaves.

The Proctor and Gamble company had also ended The Edge of Night on ABC two years earlier.

The company also refused to sell Another World to ABC or even the character of Felicia Gallant to ABC years later.

 

I think that the only shows that Procter and Gamble ever sold to the networks were The Brighter Day to CBS (which moved the production from New York to California) and From These Roots to NBC.

[danfling]

I also wanted to say that the Procter and Gamble company used at least two advertising agencies to package their soap operas.

 

Both Young and Rubican and Benton and Bowles were the two companies used.   I think that the Compton Advertising Agency may have also been used.

[danfling]

Michael Brockman, who worked on Dark Shadows during its first year, later became the president of ABC Daytime.

 

Another person who worked on the show, Gloria Banta, became a producer in Hollywood.  I think that she worked on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.    The character on Taxi, Tony Banta, is said to have been named for her.

[Paul Raven]

Michael Brockman was replaced in March 77 by Jackie Smith, who had been working at CBS as director of special programs since 1974. Previous to that she had worked at CBS daytime for 8 years.

Fred Silverman (ABC chief programmer)knew of her from his years at CBS.

Under Smith ABC daytime went to #1 .

[Paul Raven]

Michael Brockman became NBC's daytime head in Nov 77, replacing Madeline David.

[Paul Raven]

Madeline David was head of NBC daytime January 76 till November 77.

In October 79,Orin Tovrov who wrote for The Doctors in its first few years landed a gig as daytime consultant at NBC. Wonder what input (if any) he had? I've read that sometimes these consultants get paid but there advice is ignored.

[Contessa Donatella]

I believe Pete Lemay thought he was frequently ignored. I don't think he cared. It was just a trip to the bank! Being a storyline consultant probably differed compared to other kinds. Someone asked him if it wasn't a problem that he was such a character-driven guy but was hired by a very plot-driven type. He thought not, that they were just using him to cover their bases.

I met a fellow at a Popular Culture con who had worked for NBC. He was frustrated that they knew nothing about statistics, that they were just flying by the seat of their pants. He tried to impress upon them that in anything they did where they had to have a set of questions, polling, surveying, panels, or focus groups was that the hardest thing to do, which was to come up with good valid questions that do not lead the answerer, is also the most important thing to do.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Tonksadora
Correcting trouble from keyboard; thought of something I left out.

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm sorry but do you mean at an earlier date?

Besides refusing to sell Another World the whole show or the character of Felicia Gallant when then head at ABC Daytime, Angela Shapiro, made offers in 1999, they could not come to any deal for it, or for a partnership in Another World with FOX TV who wanted their own lineup of daytime soaps; with Columbia Tri-Star which owned part of Days of our Lives, most of The Young & the Restless (and SoapCity when later that came into being, Columbia Tri-Star had previously been Screen Gems & later would become Sony.); a company that would later become part of Viacom; and a company that would later become part of Paramount. Another World had ample suitors.

I'm flabbergasted & shocked & amazed. I thought they had balked at every single offer that was made to them. I could never understand  how they valued their products so highly when in the company of other possible venues but did not invest in their shows themselves.

I was equally scandalized when I learned that Mary-Ellis Bunim tried to get rid of Jo aka Mary Stuart at SFT! Jo was SEARCH.

[danfling]

No, I intended to say "later date." 

NBC was going to cancel the show, but the network did not want the show to end at the end of 1986.   They wanted it to continue for a few more cycles.

[Paul Raven]

Marshall Karp vp of ABC daytime was replaced by Micheal Eisner in Feb 71.

Under Karp ABC initiated the 90 min serial block of The Best of Everything/A World Apart/All My Children.

With BOE cancelled due to abysmal ratings, AWA struggling resulting in the dismissal of Irna and Katherine Phillips and AMC low rated Karp had to take the blame. Also Dark Shadows dwindled away in the PM.