My first thought when Tom O'Neil broke the news that the Daytime Emmy Awards would likely air on The CW in late August was that it was a great idea. After having a few days to reflect, I still feel the same way.Here are my reasons (in no particular order):
1. Cool Factor: Despite their low ratings in total viewers, The CW shows like GOSSIP GIRL and 90210 get tons of buzz and are all over the cover of print magazines and blogs. They seem to be considered "cool" by a number of folks in the media who all seem to think daytime soaps are a dying breed. Airing the Daytime Emmys on The CW could up the cool factor a great deal and former soap actors turned CW stars could help. If the same PR people who promote these shows promote the Emmy telecast, it will "seem" like a much hipper event.
2. Younger Viewers: What The CW lacks in total viewers, it makes up with demographically appealing younger viewers and upscale viewers. If some of these people sample the Daytime Emmys featuring their favorite CW stars, perhaps they will at least consider checking out a daytime soap when they might not otherwise.
3. Synergy: GOSSIP GIRL and 90210 are soaps. Let's use this opportunity to make that clear and whether a show airs from 8-11pm ET or in the daytime five times a week, soaps are fun and entertaining and worth your time.
4. Reinvention: Airing on The CW, the Daytime Emmy Awards will be given an opportuntity to reinvent themselves. It's time to shake this show up and really honor the daytime shows but in a more unconventional way. It would be nice if the show aired on a Sunday or Monday night instead of the dead Friday night like in previous years.
5. Daytime deserves to be honored in primetime: As daytime fans, we read doom and gloom articles about our beloved genre every day. But there are even more articles about the end of broadcast television and the major networks. I don't care if the Daytime Emmys are shown on The CW or Lifetime or TBS as long as they are broadcast. The CW has a lot more viewers than SOAPnet which is where many people thought the telecast should go.
The possible date for the telecast was late August. Labor Day isn't until September 7 this year so potential viewers will probably be home the week before saving up their travel dollars. This may be a moot discussion if the deal doesn't pan out, but I wanted to throw my thoughts into the mix. Instead of seeing it as a negative, I prefer to view this potential change as an intriguing opportunity.
I agree that airing the Daytime Emmys on the CW is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteNot only for the reasons you mentioned - but also so none of the Big 3 Networks can stack the presenters in their favor. Hopefully, we get a balanced representation from all the shows.
It's a shame that none of the Big 3 or FOX wanted the awards show, but hopefully it finds a great audience on the CW.
Mo, that is an excellent point. The CW is somehow affiliated with CBS, but assuming there is no bias there, it's a chance to objectively look at things.
ReplyDeleteAnd how about putting the BEST of daytime on the show, the real STARS, versus what we see sometimes with the hot young couple of the month. If this is truly the best of the best, no matter who the nominees are, the presenters should represent the best of soaps.