On 1/31/2026 at 7:12 PM, Khan said:

I still think John Whitesell's intended move toward using fewer storylines and scenes per episode was smart. Like he said, SFT couldn't compete with the hour-long soaps, so why not just keep their heads down and be the best HALF-hour soap on the air instead?

I've always admired that SFT seemed to remain true to itself even towards the end. Even through ratings stunts like floodings, it always seemed to have a quiet dignity about it.

TV Guide August 6 1994

All soap fanatics have one thing in common: People look at us like we have three heads. And ABC is planning to do something about it. "There is a pervasive second-class citizenship attached to daytime drama and those who watch it and work in it—a barrier raised by non-viewers," says Cody Dalton, senior v-p of ABC's newly created daytime marketing division. "This is still a Puritan-ethic society. There are people who feel a daily soap habit somehow isn't appropriate, and fans are made to feel very guilty. There are husbands who say to wives, ‘Who says you have permission `to watch TV during the day?’ Obviously we want to promote ABC product, but our mission is also to elevate and accelerate the genre as a whole. We have to sell coffee before we can sell Maxwell House."

Thus, the network is about to mount an aggressive countercampaign to make soap-watching cool. This September, subscribers to America Online will be offered ABC's “SoapLine" (a daily scoop sheet with news and gossip) as well as numerous fan-conferencing opportunities. "It's important for viewers to establish a sense of community—even if it's in cyberspace," says Dalton, who will also launch "Soap Up,” a college promo blitz with $1000 giveaways and star appearances that coincide with homecoming weekends. All My Children (which will soon hit the quarter-century mark) will get a prime-time special and a massive coffee-table book, while its superdiva, Susan Lucci, hits the racks with the home video “All About Erica.”

Keeping talent happy is also a concern, and ABC will start mounting plays—possibly off-Broadway—so stars can stretch their wings creatively. And are we ready for All My Children ‘round the clock? In San Diego and four other markets, the network has quietly—and very successfully—tested AMC on pay cable, with each episode airing 24 times a day. It could be the wave of the future—and a godsend for those who still can’t program a VCR.

* I have mixed feelings about this kind of thing. It kind of made soaps seem lesser in a way as they started to look more like a tool for promotion than a legitimate genre. I'm sure part of story planning was looking at the promotion aspect rather than what was consistent to the characters and tone of the show. Everything had to be 'hot' and 'sizzling' and if characters were compromised and plots were imposed, so be it.