S.O.S., The Save Our Soaps Campaign, Part 2: Trying New Tactics

Tossed Buoys
After Memorial Day Weekend, it was time for a change, no new sponsors have pulled out for the fall. ABC-Disney was still being boycotted by us.

For the past couple of weeks, our leader "Kymba" changed course and scripts. Since we couldn't get them to reconsider, it's up to us to get Mr. Robert Iger, Disney President, to sell to another network. Time's running out for "AMC"--its final air date is September 23rd, 2011. They've brought back some fan favorites to make cameos in an August episode--Josh Duhamel "Leo", Eva La Rue "Maria", Thorsten Kaye "Zack", and Cady McClain "Dixie." Although Duhamel's character was "supposedly" killed off in a cliff in 2003, Kaye's and McClain's characters might reappear as ghostly angels, or in flashbacks. Just recently, Carol Burnett said, she will reprise her Verla Briggs role for a few episodes to air in September.

"OLTL" is doing the same thing for their November taped episodes, after they've trimmed the cast--no word on who they're bringing back yet. But the clock's ticking for that soap too; its final air date is January 20th, 2012. They did bring back the "original" Todd Manning, played by Roger Howarth, after eight years, when Trevor St. John have been playing an "imposter" Todd.

From what I've heard, ABC-Disney have been listening to us, loud and clear. As long as they're getting the big picture, they might act fast.

"Kymba" believes, we can get ABC-Disney to sell our soaps. "Yes. There are entities interested; but Disney has got to want to sell, and for a reasonable price. The more we keep on this, the more they want to get rid of us."

Plus, we're now also thanking the sponsors we once boycotted a month or two ago, for advertising on ABC during our soaps. We also hope, they would keep an eye out for where our soaps might end up, once they leave ABC. We would love to see them advertise there. We've sent them e-cards from Smilebox, tweets, and Facebook wall messages.

Stepping Stones
We also have been contacting our individual cable network providers and satellite companies. Remember Directv? It saved "Passions," only to air the final season, a year later. It couldn't hurt.

If you're ever wondering about Soapnet, the only solo soap channel that airs same day encores of "Days of Our Lives", "AMC", "OLTL", and "GH" at night, we're trying to save Soapnet too. Soapnet also had its own regular scripted programming and reality shows, a talk show called Soap Talk ( that ended a few years ago), and a two-year spinoff of "GH" called "Night Shift." As of earlier this year, ABC announced, that Soapnet would be plugged in spring 2012--originally cancelled in January 2012--and then replacing it with Disney Jr.--a kids only network with cartoons and Disney kid-friendly shows.

We're hoping, that either our cable company/satellite provider to keep Soapnet on the air, or create a "safe haven" for our soaps. In June, one soapster created a coupon campaign at Sudz.TV and thesouprevolution.com, and soon, it will be featured in TV Guide, Soaps in Depth magazines on July 11th and July 17th, and the Globe. We need everyone to print them out--there's three to a sheet--send them in, and pass them along to others. The more you print out and send, the better we are, when and then tallied by the cable companies.

Other alternatives would be webisodes or having Primetime airings. It was something the networks used to do in the 1990s, to bring back viewers to their soaps; and it worked!

On June 20th, 2011, one day after the Daytime Emmys aired on TV, thousands of soap fans protested across the country...Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles were to name a few. This summer, we need more soap fans to join local rallies in their areas, and get our local ABC affiliates or media to cover them.

Meanwhile, many of us re-called ABC's local affiliates, asking ABC to sell our soaps. The others contacted the media agencies again with a new message--"that we're growing bigger, stronger and more focused, we're now being supported by Globe magazine, and were on the 6/18 edition of the Wall Street Journal, front page." We're also asking them to urge their ABC/Disney contacts to sell our soaps," Kymba said, "and if they're not saved and go off the air, we would target their advertisers, this fall/winter."

"Media agencies have been anti-daytime for a while," "Kymba" responded on recontacting the same media agencies to help us out. "This is making them sit up and listen. Now that we're being backed by the press, I feel like more of them will take it seriously. We have them scared, which is good. They're definitely sharing with Disney, which is good--Disney will know we're hitting from all angles."

Why haven't they sold the soaps before? Well, word has it, that ABC-Disney has 100% rejected offers on our soaps. Why? They're afraid, that it'll be a success, when they failed. ABC, you have had "AMC" for forty-one years, and "OLTL" for forty-three! That's a success. Didn't you forget about trial and error? We want them!

Lifeguards
Last month, Globe magazine has begun supporting our cause, and formed their own Facebook group; on June 24th, everyone went out to buy a copy of the tabloid, and/or subscribed to it. For the July 4th edition, they'll be doing a two-page spread for our coupon campaign.

On June 19th, the Wall Street Journal featured our fight on the front page for both editions. We're clearly telling ABC-Disney, "Watch out World!" Right now, CNN might be interested on reporting our story, since they've done many I-Reports about our fight. It's a due cause, since we've been contacting magazines last month to cover our story for an upcoming article. The L.A. Times and the New York Observer have featured us too, especially the June 20th rally protest.

Lifelines
Why do soaps matter to me? Well, I've been watching soaps for over two decades, including NBC and ABC combined. When I was diagnosed with Scoliosis at age 12, watching soaps on TV-- "Days of Our Lives"--helped me ease the pain after surgery and during recuperation. Since then, I've been hooked and a soap fan. That's why I'm in a long haul to save the soaps.

For others, it might be another reason. Many people have generations of family members who watched the same soap; it's almost a family tradition. For many lonely senior citizens who live in nursing homes, find soaps removes the loneliness. They become like family. Surpringly, many athletes watch soaps, as they travel to help pass time.

More importantly, the loss of soaps affects everyone who works on the shows--behind the scenes (writers, directors, producers, set design, etc.), and in front of the camera (the cast!) The loss of work will also affect the people in the community who supply the production company with goods and services. They have already lost business, this will just make it worse. The economy is hard enough as it is now to find work. It would be even harder with the final taping of "AMC" in August 2011 and "OLTL" in November 2011.

Did you know, that many well-known stars today, started out in soaps? Not commercials, Broadway, or Primetime shows. If it was for Daytime TV and soap operas, they wouldn't be famous. Ryan Phillipe, Tommy Lee Jones, and Judith Light got their start on "OLTL", while Ricky Martin, Demi Moore, Rick Springfield and John Stamos, were big stars on "GH." Sarah Michelle Gellar, Melissa Leo, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jordana Brewster, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, and Elizabeth Taylor (she also did "GH" too), became stars in "AMC." Ryan Reynolds got his break from a Canadian soap opera, "Fifteen", on Nickelodeon, and Marg Helgenbrunner was an unknown from "Ryan's Hope." Needless to say, this is just a few of the thousands of actors who have starred in the soaps. Many stars now are returning--Eric Roberts, Julianne Moore, David Hasselhoff and Kevin Dobson, are to name a few. This was a great start for young novice actors to become household names, since now they might have to turn to the alternatives.

We need to keep them employed, by keeping our soaps alive. It affects everybody!

Finally, one other aspect of why soaps matter, is the subject or topic of storyline. Since the 1990s, soaps didn't entertain us, but educate us. They were like a public service announcement, when one or more actors at the end of the episode talked about a subject matter, with a phone number and the name of the organization for more information. This spring, for example, "OLTL" did a story on online bullying, while "GH" focused on alcoholism. Other subject matters the soaps have focused on over the past two decades were rape, abortion, AIDS/HIV, despondency to prescription drugs, cancer, heart disease, domestic violence, drug addiction, and being gay/lesbians, along with prejudice dealing with race/hate crimes. With the grim outlook of the future of "GH" and soap operas, these important storylines wouldn't be there to help their audience--their viewers--on important matters.

"ABC is done with soaps," "Kymba" remarked on the future of soaps and "GH." " 'GH' will be cancelled; it's just a matter of when. I'm hearing February; and I think that's about right. Now is the time to save the genre and update it, to meet current needs. That means having product placement in the shows, utilizing technology, etc. It needs to be modernized."

Sinking Ship!
Who should we blame for this outrage? ABC Daytime President, Brian Frons, of course, and maybe Co-Chairman Disney Media Networks, Anne Sweeney. How about ABC-Disney in general? From the start, we hoped was let go. From what I've read on a Soapzone.com online article, "an anonymous higher-up at the Mouse House said, they're figuring out a way to remove Frons from the network." According to the same Soapzone.com article, "this anonymous source said, that our rallies haven't gone unnoticed, and Sweeney and company would look good in front of everyone." I'll say, don't toss him a life preserver, and do it sooner, ABC!

Why am I so adamant against Frons? Well, for starters, since this war against ABC-Disney, he's been mouthing off against his former past female employees who've worked on his soaps on the network, and to us all female viewers. That's disparaging, disheartened, and chauvinist. It's puzzling, on why he'd also made some pre-cancellation changes in the past: for "OLTL", he brought in new characters in the fold, advancing ages of some child actors for storylines; and for "AMC", it was hiring a new scribe. Plus, he was one of them to suggest the idea to move "AMC" to the Pacific Coast at the end of 2010, when half of the cast moved and stayed with the soap, and the rest didn't, when they lost their jobs. When "AMC" left, "OLTL" gotten their old studio, where they never had the chance to go HD, like "GH" did, last year.

Why do it, when their employment would be short-term anyway? Frons was responsible for canceling other soaps in the past like "Loving"---he doesn't belong on any network to be a Daytime President. Sweeney might be next too.

"Maybe Frons, but right now, they need a puppet; and he's filling that role," "Kymba" responded, when asked about, if ABC-Disney would fire Frons and/or Sweeney. "He's getting the brunt of the anger; and he's willing to do it. If the new shops flop, or the backlash gets brutal and affects the bottom line, they'll make him the scapegoat and get rid of him. But they won't fire him over the decision of canceling the soaps--that was a higher up joint decision."

Helping Hands
As I write this article, we're been contacting the ABC-Disney Board of Directors with a new script to vote to sell the soaps; we've also reached out to the two shareholders to help us support our cause. We've been contacting many new and old Disney employees, including executives, and local affiliates, and the same sponsors, about our new status, and being backed by the Globe, and making news. We'll keep going non-stop, until ABC sells the soaps, this summer, before times runs out on our beloved soaps.

"People in meetings are talking about this, which gets taken to their meetings and so on," "Kymba" answered on our new approach to get new Disney contacts to spread the word to Disney President, Robert Iger. "We're all the buzz from bathroom to board room. I would say yes. He's hearing the buzz. We just need to keep it steady; so he knows, it's not going to die down. We're hitting there on a daily basis now, and won't stop, until they sell the soaps and allow them to live on."

If you're a soap fan, you can still help us in many ways. If you know someone who's a soap fan, spread the word, and join the fight. Time's running out to save AMC! If you're on Twitter, join us now at "#saveoursoaps", and start trending with "#AMC", "#OLTL", and "#GH". Follow "Kymba" on Twitter @soapsaversunite. If you're on Facebook, you can sign the petitions at Soap Opera Petition Central, and join our Facebook groups at "Save AMC and OLTL", "Fire Frons", and many others. Don't just "like" the page. Do the daily tasks. Buy Hoover and Globe! Call, email, fax and send letters to Mr. Bob Iger and ABC-Disney, everyday--tell them to "sell our soaps". If there's a local, state or regional rally, join others in our fight. Fill out the coupons in our coupon campaign. Watch our ABC soaps only live--if you have a computer, watch them online and leave it on. While you're watching the soaps, keep track of local and national advertisers--thank them for advertising via email, phone, Twitter, Facebook. Write to the actors at the soaps and give them your support. Write to Sony/NBC too!

"Now is the time for everyone to dig deep and hit all the contacts on a daily basis", "Kymba" commented on our "SOS" battle. "Disney has made the bet, that we tire and give up. This is where we need our second wind. It's the time, when we need to get their family members and friends involved. At least, send in a coupon on their behalf. Find others to help in the battle, tell everyone you see, go to laundry mats, retirement villages, fire houses, etc. Have them fill out coupons, and request if they're on Facebook, to join our group and be proactive in this cause."

The more people help us, the louder our voices will be. We hope to save our soaps, one way or another. Are we closer to our goal?

"Yes," "Kymba" answered that question with a smile. "We're getting more organized every day. The coupons to the cable companies are a huge step, as that will make a bigger impact, as they'll be delivering those en masse, instead of one here and one there. Tabloids are now investing in this story, (see Globe), as well as the mainstream media, as we saw with the Wall Street Journal. This is growing, which is good--opposite of what Disney expected."

Stay tuned!