The options for the soap opera community in the United States seem to be becoming more and more elusive. This community of fans and activists for their genre have had to absorb one piece of bad news after another. In 2010, the last surviving daytime drama from radio, Guiding Light, went off the air. This was coupled with the news that the cable world, which seems to have a niche channel for just about every type of programming, did not have a place for soap operas, as Soapnet, the cable soap opera outlet was changing over to a children’s channel.
The number of daytime dramas may soon be down to less than a handful as ABC has announced that it would cancel One Life to Live and All My Children. The soap opera activists have been busy trying to save their genre, but so far, the efforts have been for naught.
The Efforts of the Activists.
For the soap opera activists, 2010 was a busy year. They staged rallies at the corporate offices of Procter and Gamble, a longtime producer of soap operas. They even appealed to Oprah Winfrey to find a place for daytime serials on her new cable network.
Such efforts have yet to produce anything tangible. The undisputed queen of daytime serials, 83-year old Agnes Nixon reacted to the news with sadness and a promise to fans of her creations. Nixon said in a news release, “Although ABC has concluded there is no longer a place for our shows on their network, I will do everything possible to keep them alive.”
Nixon has a direct lineage to the creation of the genre, as she was a protégé of the woman credited with creating the genre for radio, Irna Phillips.
Nixon appears to be offering what hope she can to the people who have tried to save soap operas. But, one of their chief hopes for the saving the genre seems a slim hope at best.
Can Soaps Survive on Cable?
Soap opera activists have been hoping against hope for a cable outlet for their serials. But, TV blogger, Lynette Rice says that it’s unlikely because of the cost of producing the shows, a lot of which goes into salaries for the stars. This was the hope, says Rice that Oprah’s new channel would be the soap’s salvation. But she adds,
“...it's doubtful any other female-friendly web could pony up the cash to keep Susan Lucci on the payroll. After all, Guiding Light and As the World Turns weren’t able to find new homes despite the fervent hopes of Telenext, which produced both soaps. “
The broadcast networks appear to be turning their daytime efforts to the much cheaper chat and game shows.
Meanwhile, the soap activists keep hoping for something to happen as they watch their genre dwindle away.
Sources:
- Rice, L. (April 15. 2011). Agnes Nixon on canceled ABC soaps: "I will do everything possible to keep theme alive." EW.com
- Rice, L. (April 15, 2011). Will a cable net rescue the canceled ABC soaps? (Sounds: crickets). EW.com.
Jon Pike - Pike is a Ph.D. in communication and writes about activism and popular culture topics for Suite101.
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