| Subject: When Bad Mistakes Happen to Good Executives With REALLY GOOD ideas! RE: Frons and Port Charles |
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Trey-Trey
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Date Posted: 06:25:23 09/13/02 Fri
Author Host/IP: NoHost/130.184.95.139
Double Dose of Suds with 1-Hour 'Charles'
Thu Sep 12, 5:00 AM ET
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ABC is stealing a page out of the primetime playbook in a bid to boost the fortunes of "Port Charles," the network's youngest soap.
In a one-time-only move set for Monday, Dec. 30, the half-hour "Port Charles" will expand to an hour and air in the 2 p.m. ET timeslot normally occupied by "One Life to Live." the hourlong episode will actually mark the start of a new 12-week arc of episodes of "Port Charles," which two years ago switched to a close-ended storytelling style patterned on Latin American telenovelas.
In addition to doubling the show's length, the producers also plan to beef up the Dec. 30 "Port Charles" with added special effects and other production elements.
Another episode of "Port Charles" will air earlier that day in the show's usual 12:30 p.m. slot. That episode will be the finale of another arc -- dubbed "Naked Eyes" -- which begins later this month.
Newly tapped ABC Daytime president Brian Frons, who quit European TV conglomerate SBS last month, said it's common for Latin American and European broadcasters to use stunts whenever launching a new telenovela. He figured such a strategy could also work for "Port Charles."
Indeed, with "All My Children" airing right before the special "Port Charles," the latter soap will be exposed to a whole new audience.
"This gives them (a lead-in rating about) 250% higher than normal," Frons said.
While the switch to a telenovela format and a new production schedule have made "Port Charles" more cost effective for ABC, the soap still lags the network's other daytime dramas.
"This show has great writing, a gorgeous cast and the best (audience) research it's ever had," Frons said. "The trick is getting ABC viewers to find 'Port Charles' and start their soap-opera viewing a half-hour earlier."
UM HEL-LO! What is wrong with this guy? GREAT WRITING? LOL. Are we sure this is the same guy that helped launch Santa Barbara?
I mean, I am not totally knocking Frons. I think this is an EXCELLENT idea, but WHY is he spending all this money on this gasbag of a show? He could use this money and this format of 'premiering' into a new soap(i.e. premiering a new show in One Life to Live's timeslot)! It wouldn't be that difficult.
Maybe this is Frons giving Port Charles one last chance to prove itself. Maybe with him at the helm, this supernatural stuff may start to make SOME sense. These days, Kevin thinks he's Ryan Chamberlain, Livvie is a preggers nutso and Alison is "getting over Rafe"(gag me with a spoon).
But nonetheless, this is not good. He's spending all this dough on this nonsense of supernaturalism and there's no telling how much he's spending just for this special episode.
And haven't certain ABC Affiliates DROPPED Port Charles or shifted it to late-night? So even IF fans of the ABC Block tuned in to the hourlong premiere of the new book, chances are they wouldn't bother to tune in again, simply because they air in a later timeslot or the show isn't being shown at all.
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