Because of the recession, TV’s daytime dramas are facing tighter budgets, shrunken ad revenues and competition from new media for viewer attention, ABC News’ “Nightline” reports. “My big challenge is, how do you tighten a budget and not see it on the air,” Julie Hanan Carruthers, executive producer of “All My Children” tells the show.
—Jon Lafayette
Recession Hits Soap Operas
May 1, 2009 • Post A Comment
Here’s an idea… Do what ITV in the UK does… show classic talk shows, such as Rikki Lake, Sally Jessie, etc. We know of a particular soap going down, recently, so why not get the rest of the trash Tv audience, and counter-program Maury and Jerry Springer? Classic Porka Windbag could also work. I wanna see her talk about how to do weaves and eye makeup again. At one point, WLS-7 had her channeling Phil Donehue.
Point being, If soaps are not making the cash, check in with the shows that are. If it had a history of making cash, go with the idea that it may still be relevent to make cash today.
I’m shocked that RTN and ION had not thought of this first. Maybe Dot2 may do it.
Remember, US TV is changing… time to think outside of that glass tube.
So, your suggested approach to finding a solution to increasing revenues for the networks or making the soaps maintain quality within a tighter budget is to toss out the baby with the bath water?
That sounds more like throwing your hands up when times get tough than thinking outside the “glass tube.”