Paula's Soapbox

Soap fans received some shocking news this week when it was announced that SOAPnet, the only 24-hour soap channel, would be going off the air in 2012 to make room for a new Disney channel. And although fans are being reassured that this will not affect the soap genre because of the ability to watch episodes online, this seems like one more step toward making soaps obsolete. I must say I think SOAPnet could have and should have tried much harder to promote the genre that brought them into existence, but I don't see how soaps can avoid a fallout once this channel goes off the air. Sure viewers survived years without the convenience of SOAPnet to allow them to catch up on missed episodes, but a lot has changed in the ten years since its launch. Soap ratings are lower than ever, and even with the Internet, DVR, and SOAPnet, it is a constant struggle to maintain viewer interest. In fact, I'm sure SOAPnet is the only way certain viewers can watch their missed episodes. It may seem ...

Before Twilight or True Blood, there was Port Charles, a spin-off of General Hospital which featured vampire themes throughout much of its existence. Perhaps being ahead of its time Port Charles never garnered a strong following and remained on the air for only six years. Having never been a fan of this particular subject matter I became a fan of Port Charles near the end of its run on ABC. I found it to be more than what it seemed to be on the surface. Instead of Port Charles being a dark, far-fetched, mythical soap, I felt that the writing attempted to go deeper than that to portray the classic battle of good versus evil and the internal struggle that everyone faces to choose right from wrong. However, by the time that Port Charles peaked my interest the show had already switched time slots from daytime to only airing during the wee hours of the morning, at least in my viewing area. And I suspect that when that switch occurred fewer people watched than before. It is a shame that this...