In his quest to create a perfect new world and becoming the absolute ruler of the earth, Greek billionaire Mikkos Cassadine of the House of Cassadine decided to use his weather machine to cause climate change. From his control room in the basement floor of a compound located on an island 40-60 miles north of Caracas (in Venezuela) in the Grenadines, Mikkos Cassadine would create his empire by freezing the world via carbonic snow until all world powers in the civilized world installed him as the supreme commander of all nations.
Describing himself as a man of vision who wanted only good for the world, Mikkos Cassadine held a glass of Dom Perignom and proclaimed, "Here's drinking to the future, our future. Gentlemen, I give you the world, our glorious new world."
The Ice Princess (the world's largest uncut diamond) Island Adventure attracted some 15 million viewers to 'General Hospital' every day in 1981, including construction workers, business and professional men, college students, stenographers and kids.
Anthony Thomopoulos of ABC told 'United Press International', "Our shows reflect contemporary American society in stories that a high percentage of younger viewers, men as well as women, know and understand because they share the problems or see evidence of the issues around them. The popularity of daytime shows fluctuates but each show has a core loyalty. A new situation or a new character can propel a sinking show to new heights of popularity. When Gloria Monty joined 'General Hospital' as producer five years ago (in 1978), she made those changes. The show got hot and stayed hot."
By 1988, social issues were tearing at the very fabric of daytime soap operas. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were over 50 million women in the labor force in 1988. About 80% of all soap opera audiences were women (traditionally housewives). By 1988, A.C. Nielsen counted the average daytime soap opera audiences to be 5.1 million. At stake, the $1.3 billion spending in the daytime market, according to the Television Bureau of Advertising.
By 1988, social issues were tearing at the very fabric of daytime soap operas. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were over 50 million women in the labor force in 1988. About 80% of all soap opera audiences were women (traditionally housewives). By 1988, A.C. Nielsen counted the average daytime soap opera audiences to be 5.1 million. At stake, the $1.3 billion spending in the daytime market, according to the Television Bureau of Advertising.
At its peak, around 35 million total viewers watched the soap operas every day.
Ruth Warrick enthused, "It does my heart good to see how successful soap operas have become. People used to make fun of them, and now (in 1983) they've vindicated themselves. Now a 3rd of our ('All My Children') audience is men." However
Madeline David of NBC cautioned, "A serial takes a year and a half before it begins to make any headway before it can develop a loyal following."
Jerry Buck reminded, "Soap operas are television’s equivalent of blue chip stocks. They’re tough to establish, but once they find a following, they can go on for many years and are highly profitable." One junior at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington told Deirdre McGruder in 1996, "My granddad used to ask my mom and grandmom why they waste their time watching people who go around sleeping with each other. But then he started watching, and now he gives all of us updates on what’s going on."
Advertising agency MindShare told Associated Press in 2001 the median age of female viewers who watched 'All My Children' and 'One Life To Live' was 36 in 1991-92. By 2001, the median age was 45. Lucy Johnson of CBS lamented, "How do you get that next generation? That’s all we’ve talked about for 20 years (1981-2001)." It was reported in 1978, the 3-way network daytime drama pie was destined to be cut 4 ways in the future with syndication, independent and network affiliated stations.
Peter Bergman told Seli Groves in 1988, "Sometimes, stories don’t work out. When that happens, you’ll see a sudden shift. The direction the characters were going in changes. Usually, the shift can be made smoothly. But sometimes a story is left unresolved. The audience feels it, and so do the actors. This is a soap which means that you go along day by day playing your character as if you don’t know what will happen to him because he doesn’t know either.
"Sometimes, though, it would be more effective if the actor did know what was coming. For example, several years ago (around 1984, 1985), we ('All My Children') were doing a murder story. None of us knew whom they were going to name as the killer, so all of us played our roles as if we weren’t guilty. About 2 weeks before the story ended, they told one of the actresses that she was the killer. I feel she should have known it earlier because up to that point, she played her role the way we all played ours, but the killer knows who he – in this case she – is. If the actress had been told about it, she could have altered her performance to reflect the murderer’s guilty secret."
During the February 1988 sweeps period, 'All My Children' showcased the Cliff, Nina and Matt love triangle. Peter Bergman expressed, "I like triangles, especially if I think I’m the one who has the better chance of being chosen. Seriously, if a triangle story is written well, it can be very effective. There’s a lot of emotional area to cover. In this one with Nina, Matt and Cliff, the choices aren’t as easy as you might expect. Nina loves Cliff, but she also loves Matt. I’m playing Cliff as if Cliff believes he should be her choice."
Taylor Miller played Nina stated, "Let’s face it, she (Nina) came into the world with all the privileges. She was raised to have everything done for her. She was a spoiled rich kid. The fact that she wanted to change is to her credit, and it’s something I very much admire in her. For the first time, she’s telling the men in her life that she wants to be in control of her life. She’ll make the important choices.
"Up to now, she pretty well moved in the direction her father, Palmer, or Cliff, and to some extent Matt, wanted her to go in. But no more. She’s grown up. She’s mature. Most of all, she won’t let anyone – let alone any of the men who say they love her – make her a victim anymore. She’s strong enough now that she can be Cliff’s wife without losing her identity, without being overwhelmed by him."
Jerry Buck reminded, "Soap operas are television’s equivalent of blue chip stocks. They’re tough to establish, but once they find a following, they can go on for many years and are highly profitable." One junior at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington told Deirdre McGruder in 1996, "My granddad used to ask my mom and grandmom why they waste their time watching people who go around sleeping with each other. But then he started watching, and now he gives all of us updates on what’s going on."
Advertising agency MindShare told Associated Press in 2001 the median age of female viewers who watched 'All My Children' and 'One Life To Live' was 36 in 1991-92. By 2001, the median age was 45. Lucy Johnson of CBS lamented, "How do you get that next generation? That’s all we’ve talked about for 20 years (1981-2001)." It was reported in 1978, the 3-way network daytime drama pie was destined to be cut 4 ways in the future with syndication, independent and network affiliated stations.
Peter Bergman told Seli Groves in 1988, "Sometimes, stories don’t work out. When that happens, you’ll see a sudden shift. The direction the characters were going in changes. Usually, the shift can be made smoothly. But sometimes a story is left unresolved. The audience feels it, and so do the actors. This is a soap which means that you go along day by day playing your character as if you don’t know what will happen to him because he doesn’t know either.
"Sometimes, though, it would be more effective if the actor did know what was coming. For example, several years ago (around 1984, 1985), we ('All My Children') were doing a murder story. None of us knew whom they were going to name as the killer, so all of us played our roles as if we weren’t guilty. About 2 weeks before the story ended, they told one of the actresses that she was the killer. I feel she should have known it earlier because up to that point, she played her role the way we all played ours, but the killer knows who he – in this case she – is. If the actress had been told about it, she could have altered her performance to reflect the murderer’s guilty secret."
During the February 1988 sweeps period, 'All My Children' showcased the Cliff, Nina and Matt love triangle. Peter Bergman expressed, "I like triangles, especially if I think I’m the one who has the better chance of being chosen. Seriously, if a triangle story is written well, it can be very effective. There’s a lot of emotional area to cover. In this one with Nina, Matt and Cliff, the choices aren’t as easy as you might expect. Nina loves Cliff, but she also loves Matt. I’m playing Cliff as if Cliff believes he should be her choice."
Taylor Miller played Nina stated, "Let’s face it, she (Nina) came into the world with all the privileges. She was raised to have everything done for her. She was a spoiled rich kid. The fact that she wanted to change is to her credit, and it’s something I very much admire in her. For the first time, she’s telling the men in her life that she wants to be in control of her life. She’ll make the important choices.
"Up to now, she pretty well moved in the direction her father, Palmer, or Cliff, and to some extent Matt, wanted her to go in. But no more. She’s grown up. She’s mature. Most of all, she won’t let anyone – let alone any of the men who say they love her – make her a victim anymore. She’s strong enough now that she can be Cliff’s wife without losing her identity, without being overwhelmed by him."
