Now, I have a few questions for those of you who are soap fans because I want to understand more about this dying television genre. Brian Frons, president of Daytime for Disney-ABC Television Group, has been vilified for years by the fans and based on the numerous "I Hate Brian Frons" forums, I bet yesterday's announcement that "Their time has come to an end" didn't win him any new friends. The shocking thing is that under his tutelage over the last 9 years, the soaps have seen their lowest ratings ever. So, how is it possible that Brian Frons is still employed? Can anyone answer that question? As for the fans, you have been dropping dramatically in numbers and ratings over the last decade. Did you abandon the genre all together? What would it take to bring you back? Based on my recent interview (and the follow-up article with AfterElton.com) with Chandler Massey of Days of Our Lives, I know you are still strong in numbers. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Of course with today's big news, the rumor mill has started. One of the biggest pieces of gossip was floated exclusively by Blind Gossip that perhaps Susan Lucci is joining the cast of Desperate Housewives as a series regular. If true, this would bring a big boost in ratings to the flailing DH series. The other great story floated about is that both soaps might wind up on the web versus traditional broadcast television. I think the first rumor is a strong possibility while the second story would be far-fetched at this point, let's see if it rings true. Okay, soap fans, fire away! I want your opinions on this whole breaking story.
I feel that Brian Frons has never been able to relate to the fans of Soaps and has never had respect for the Genre. In my opinion his efforts warrant being fired. He was unable to do his job, and help keep soaps alive and well. The only reason soap fans seem to be dwindling is that Mr. Frons did too much manipulating of the writing of the soaps and really didn't know what we wanted to see. He felt he could mold the viewer, make them like what he was doing. So in retaliation, soap fans began to walk away. You don't give me what i want then I will move on to a show that will. He had a very loyal and large fan bases to utlilize and he ignored our suggestions. Any prime time show would kill for they type of fans that Soaps has cultivated..I have watched soaps all my life, and im as loyal as they come. Brian Frons has angered a sleeping giant and with the large resorces at our fingertips like the internet, he has a huge battle in store for him now. We may not get Oltl or Amc back but if I have anything to say about it Brian Frons will loose his job and it will not be pretty. I will to continue to support General Hospital with all that i have and will not let ABC take that too.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the odds of saving OLTL and AMC are slim, but soap fans are known for being stubborn and we will fight until either our soaps are saved or Brian Frons is unemployed. He has treated his audience with contempt over the years, even once comparing them to dogs that need to be trained into liking what he thinks we should like.
ReplyDeleteAnd soaps fans do NOT like low quality reality TV. We like, nay, LOVE Erica Kane, Dorian Cramer Lord, and the other divas in our lives.
I am a man. james4spixie on twitter. I have watched soaps since the Luke and Laura days on General Hospital. Brian Frons ruined the soap Santa Barbara on NBC. Now he is doing the same with the soaps on ABC. I dvr the soaps that I watch because I work. Don't know if my viewing gets counted or not. I have stayed loyal despite not being happy with the trend in soaps to go for the big moment for a quick spike in ratings rather than developing characters and popular couples as they go through their trials and experiences in their lives. Mr. Frons and others do not listen to the viewers. He does think we can be molded to like what is being offered on the shows. He has been quoted as saying "the audience has to be trained like dogs." That shows he not only is out of touch, he has no respect for the fans of these shows. He does need to be Fired. I will not support any ABC show ( except the soaps) or the products of the sponsors of any ABC program as long as he is ABCDaytime president. I will not buy or watch anything associated with Disney either. Mr. Frons and ABC/Disney messed with the wrong people.
ReplyDeleteBrian Frons needs to loose his job! We the dedicated Soap Fans..want this man fired let him stand in the unemployment line like so many people today! He has no clue what fans want...NOT another cooking show ..talk show "blah blah blah" This is totally a sad day when a network listens to a man with no brain as to what people enjoy..and I agree many will boycott ABC/Disney...and they will wonder what happened and why they are at the bottom of the networks...Sorry To say but come January bye bye ABC!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, ABC-Disney and short-sighted fools like Frons, long-ago decided SOAPS should be replaced by crappy shows that were much cheaper to produce.It seems that they DID listen to the daily advice from fans on how to improve the shows, and then did exactly the opposite-in order to speed up the demise of our beloved multi-generational shows! So, that's the answer to why this jerk Frons still has his job. Because his job was to destroy the genre, and he did it well.
ReplyDeleteI never watched AMC or OTL but I have been a long time General Hospital fan. In fact, see a recent Tubefilter article for a line inspired by your's truly. There are a lot of things attributed to why soaps are 'dying' more TV choices, younger people who didn't grow up watching and think they can't catch on, more people working, and I think all of those have merit. Soaps are constantly caught between servicing long time viewers and the characters they know and love and bringing in new audience with younger characters. I don't know about the other shows but the big gripe with GH is the writing and an over focus on a certain segment of the cast. For some reason Danta has to been involved in every single story line.
ReplyDeleteAs for Frons the one thing that can certainly be laid at his feet is the recent budget cuts and not firing Guza, who seems to think everything should involve bloodshed.
Brian Frons has been a thorn in the side of soap fans for many years now. His only goal is to create cheap, flash-in-the-pan one-shot wonders that bring in big money initially. I think he's met his match though with daytime viewers. We aren't conned by one-shot-wonders and we're pretty loyal and emotional when it comes to our "stories", which is exactly why I watch soaps. I want stories not information. I'm looking for fantasy and escape so to substitute talk/reality/cooking shows for the dramatic genre I enjoy is an epic FAIL IMO. For the most part, we're adults watching and aren't easily "trained" as Mr. Frons thinks. Adding more shows of this nature to an already saturated market is beyond lunacy, it's the recipe for disaster and it couldn't happen to a more deserving group of people.
ReplyDeleteThe is what I wrote to TMZ "I'm starting a movement to save the soaps. We're very loud, we are boycotting ABC our twitter hashtag is #BoycottABC . You can follow the revolt on twitter @FireFrons. Our boycott is everything on ABC except the soaps. Daytime (minus AMC, OLTL, and GH) news, prime time. Not to mention we are boycotting not only the new shows they are threatening to put on in place of our soaps but the ppl in them Mario Batali (who TMZ caught saying inappropriate things about out soaps and their fans), Tim Gunn, and Clinton Kelly. Not to mention Rachael Ray who spoke out about how happy she was about the new era of daytime. This is not a bunch of stereo-typical dumb frumpy housewives we are dealing with we are educated people, professionals in many fields and yes some of us are homemakers (but do not deserve to be discriminated against), but we are taking time out of our busy lives to be heard. We are calling and putting pressure on all of the affiliates in difference states and Canada. We are also boycotting all the major sponsors- telling them they had our business because of the soaps, now they will lose that. It might not make a difference, we hope it does, but we have treated horrible by ABC and it's President of Daytime Brian Frons, at the very least we want him fired and this wrong to be corrected. As the views start to pressure the affiliates and sponsors I'm sure they will hear us then. " Boycott ABC Because They Axed Our Soaps!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_124611484279561
I can't believe the erroneous mistake that has been made, Brian Frons needs to be terminated along with Anne Sweeney. www.tinyurl.com/soapsonOWN Please save our soaps
ReplyDeleteFirst I was just angry that ABC Daytime would cancel two soaps on the same day. Tonite it hit me as I rode home from dinner with my husband. I started to cry. He asked me why and I told him that the cancellation of OLTL and AMC had hurt me deeply. You see, I am 49 years old and my mother passed away when I was 19. Those soaps were my last real connection to my mother and grandmother.
ReplyDeleteIt is more than just a cancellation of a daytime show to me. I watched these shows with my two main female role models in my life, and although I watched Another World, Guiding Light, and Search for Tomorrow cancelled, I didn't realize that the entire genre was dying.
When I am watching AMC or OLTL and I see Viki or Erica it is almost like having my mom or grandmother right there with me. You see, they were our stories...and these were the strong females that I identified with growing up. Soap operas, while many times being over the top, were a reflection of the times. They connected families, generations together.
Discussing abortion, AIDS, infidelity, PTSD, homosexuality, interracial marriage, premarital sex, and other socially relevant topics of the day were just as important as love in the afternoon. I remember when Erica Kane had an abortion. It was scandalous back in those days.
Unfortunately, I fear that young women these days may end up with totally unscripted trashy reality shows to share with their mothers. Can you imagine the conversations at the dinner table these days? What is Snookie going to do next? Which D List Celebrity is going to get voted off Dancing With the Stars this week?
Which Bachelorette is the craziest?
So yes I will miss Erica and Viki just as much as I missed Joanne Tate, Rachel Cory, and Reva Shayne.
No cooking show or daytime TV that focuses on overweight women will ever replace them in my life or in my heart. My friends in Llanview and Pine Valley are going away. My heart is broken. My reaction goes beyond the loss of jobs, the blatant disregard of Brian Frons and ABC, and the fact that I truly believe that this cancellation has been in the works for years to replace scripted Television with cheap Reality crap, this is personal
First I was just angry that ABC Daytime would cancel two soaps on the same day. Tonite it hit me as I rode home from dinner with my husband. I started to cry. He asked me why and I told him that the cancellation of OLTL and AMC had hurt me deeply. You see, I am 49 years old and my mother passed away when I was 19. Those soaps were my last real connection to my mother and grandmother.
ReplyDeleteIt is more than just a cancellation of a daytime show to me. I watched these shows with my two main female role models in my life, and although I watched Another World, Guiding Light, and Search for Tomorrow cancelled, I didn't realize that the entire genre was dying.
When I am watching AMC or OLTL and I see Viki or Erica it is almost like having my mom or grandmother right there with me. You see, they were our stories...and these were the strong females that I identified with growing up. Soap operas, while many times being over the top, were a reflection of the times. They connected families, generations together.
Discussing abortion, AIDS, infidelity, PTSD, homosexuality, interracial marriage, premarital sex, and other socially relevant topics of the day were just as important as love in the afternoon. I remember when Erica Kane had an abortion. It was scandalous back in those days.
Unfortunately, I fear that young women these days may end up with totally unscripted trashy reality shows to share with their mothers. Can you imagine the conversations at the dinner table these days? What is Snookie going to do next? Which D List Celebrity is going to get voted off Dancing With the Stars this week?
Which Bachelorette is the craziest?
So yes I will miss Erica and Viki just as much as I missed Joanne Tate, Rachel Cory, and Reva Shayne.
No cooking show or daytime TV that focuses on overweight women will ever replace them in my life or in my heart. My friends in
First I was just angry that ABC Daytime would cancel two soaps on the same day. Tonite it hit me as I rode home from dinner with my husband. I started to cry. He asked me why and I told him that the cancellation of OLTL and AMC had hurt me deeply. You see, I am 49 years old and my mother passed away when I was 19. Those soaps were my last real connection to my mother and grandmother.
ReplyDeleteIt is more than just a cancellation of a daytime show to me. I watched these shows with my two main female role models in my life, and although I watched Another World, Guiding Light, and Search for Tomorrow cancelled, I didn't realize that the entire genre was dying.
When I am watching AMC or OLTL and I see Viki or Erica it is almost like having my mom or grandmother right there with me. You see, they were our stories...and these were the strong females that I identified with growing up. Soap operas, while many times being over the top, were a reflection of the times. They connected families, generations together.
Discussing abortion, AIDS, infidelity, PTSD, homosexuality, interracial marriage, premarital sex, and other socially relevant topics of the day were just as important as love in the afternoon. I remember when Erica Kane had an abortion. It was scandalous back in those days.
Unfortunately, I fear that young women these days may end up with totally unscripted trashy reality shows to share with their mothers. Can you imagine the conversations at the dinner table these days? What is Snookie going to do next? Which D List Celebrity is going to get voted off Dancing With the Stars this week?
Which Bachelorette is the craziest?
So yes I will miss Erica and Viki just as much as I missed Joanne Tate, Rachel Cory, and Reva Shayne.
No cooking show or daytime TV that focuses on overweight women will ever replace them in my life or in my heart. My friends in
Yes, you now have documented proof that I do in fact listen to you.
ReplyDeleteI love All My Children and it is a part of my life. There has to be another solution other than canceling the show. Has ABC and Disney considered a channel like Soap Net? The fans would gladly add a channel to their packages in order to be able to continue to watch their soaps. You could charge $5 - $10 per month and still sell advertisements / commercials during the shows. All I know is that the fans have been loyal to ABC for years and you should work to find a solution that returns some of that loyalty. All My Children isn't like many of these night time sit coms, many of us have loyally invested years of our lives following these shows and the character - they have meaning to us - they are a part of us, and it isn't good for us, and it will not be good for ABC to cancle them.
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating to see that ABC Daytime turned on their audience so suddenly, without warning. They had to know there was going to be some sort of repercussions for their decisions
ReplyDeleteI do think there are enough reality/talk shows out there. What will they do if those shows are a huge failure? They have nothing to fall back on.
ReplyDeleteSo true, no one is more loyal than daytime soap fans. The primetime audience is leaving in droves too. The networks need to retain their audience, not alienate them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, Cheryl. You offered a really great quote for the Starpulse article.
ReplyDeleteI still find it weird that the shows have declined tremendously under Frons and he still has his job. This has been a 9-year decline under his reign. It doesn't make sense. Any other studio exec would have been fired by now.
ReplyDeleteReally interested to see how big the decline is once both soaps are gone. GH will still exist, but everything else will be reality based programming.
ReplyDeleteI think if they did it as a video on demand type of situation, that might work. ABC plans to turn SoapNet into Disney Jr, so there is no hope for a channel option at this point, that is why VOD is the only plausible scenario at this point.
ReplyDeleteHave you guys heard anything from OWN yet?
ReplyDeleteI am happy to see that Hoover responded favorably. I truly hope that another advertiser follows. Let me know how you are doing in this arena.
ReplyDeleteThat is the big question.....will ABC survive in a saturated environment or are they going to keep creating shows until they stick? It's a cluttered field and I have enough on my plate to watch.
ReplyDeleteI think you are spot on. They failed to attract a younger viewership over the last 15 years. That was the beginning of their demise.
ReplyDelete