Late last week I heard the news that the ABC network will soon be cancelling two of its daytime dramas: "One Life to Live" and "All My Children" (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110414/ap_en_ot/us_tv_daytime_dramas).
These types of shows, which air in early afternoon and are affectionately called soap operas, were originally created for radio and targeted/appealed to housewives to sell detergents and other products made by the huge consumer products companies like P&G (Procter & Gamble).
The shows being cancelled were created in 1968 and 1970 respectively -- that is, they have been on the air for over 40 years. During this time, the demographics of the daytime TV audience have changed and these shows were apparently experiencing steadily declining audiences -- approximately 2.5 million viewers were regularly watching each show at last count. The ABC network explained the programming change as an adaptation to the changing face/demographics of daytime TV viewers.
I am definitely not a fan of soap operas, nor am I one to critique evolution in the face of change, however I wonder if this will be a change for the better.
It is being reported that both soap operas will be replaced by "reality TV"-type shows.
"One Life To Live" will be replaced by a health and lifestyle show which will document the weight loss transformation of a different woman each week, while "All My Children" will be replaced by a show about food and nutrition.
More reality TV shows simply amount to another reason why I am happy to be at work when these shows will be airing ...
These types of shows, which air in early afternoon and are affectionately called soap operas, were originally created for radio and targeted/appealed to housewives to sell detergents and other products made by the huge consumer products companies like P&G (Procter & Gamble).
The shows being cancelled were created in 1968 and 1970 respectively -- that is, they have been on the air for over 40 years. During this time, the demographics of the daytime TV audience have changed and these shows were apparently experiencing steadily declining audiences -- approximately 2.5 million viewers were regularly watching each show at last count. The ABC network explained the programming change as an adaptation to the changing face/demographics of daytime TV viewers.
I am definitely not a fan of soap operas, nor am I one to critique evolution in the face of change, however I wonder if this will be a change for the better.
It is being reported that both soap operas will be replaced by "reality TV"-type shows.
"One Life To Live" will be replaced by a health and lifestyle show which will document the weight loss transformation of a different woman each week, while "All My Children" will be replaced by a show about food and nutrition.
More reality TV shows simply amount to another reason why I am happy to be at work when these shows will be airing ...
No comments:
Post a Comment