Who Killed Your Favorite Soap Opera, and Why?

As any soap opera fan can tell you, following your favorite daytime drama becomes an integral part of your life. Many soaps have been on the air for decades with the same set of charismatic characters. Over time, it can begin to feel like they're part of your own family, so how could anyone want to see the magic end?

According to ratings, the mighty soap opera has risen to power once again, but not so long ago, we saw favorites like "All My Children," "As the World Turns" and "Guiding Light" get shot down in cold blood. The brutal murder of serial daytime drama made little sense to fans. From the days when laundry soap ads punctuated marital chaos to the introduction of the first gay characters, the soap opera genre has always held its own, but suddenly, beloved soaps were dropping like flies. Was something sinister at work from within?

Fashioned in film noir style, "Who Shot the Daytime Soap" explores the initial rise, tumultuous fall and resurgence of daytime dramas and asks why industry insiders and others would want to sabotage such a lucrative and popular television genre.

Fall of the Mighty Soap Genre

Over the past five years, soap operas have experienced an unprecedented collapse. In the 1980s, 14 powerful network soap operas were going strong. Now there are only four. "The Young and the Restless," "General Hospital," "Days of Our Lives" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" are the only survivors that retained enough of their fan base and network support to stay around. Even "Guiding Light," which ran for 60 years and is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running television drama in history, got the ax in 2009. Fans weren't the only ones shocked by the demise of beloved soaps. Even some of the shows' top actors and actresses felt blind sighted. Factors like actors' salaries and sponsor reluctance were only known to insiders. Few people suspected that some network executives may have wanted to see the shows fail. To the hordes of outraged fans, there was no justification for massacring an American tradition.

Uncovering the Truth About the Demise of Soap Operas

Executive producer Jim Romanovich, president of worldwide media at Associated Television International (ATI), and writer, director and producer Robert Corsini tackle the mystery in the TVGN documentary "Who Shot the Daytime Soap." The show premiered December 16, 2013 with a sneak peek earlier in the day. It featured interviews with 40 longtime soap veterans such as Susan Lucci and Alicia Minshew from "All My Children" and Linda Dano from "Another World." Even Kathryn Leigh Scott from the long gone 1970s gothic drama "Dark Shadows" had a word or two to say. Maria Arena Bell and Julie Carruthers, soap opera executives who some have blamed for the downfall of soaps, added their own perspectives to the mix. According to Romanovich, the daytime drama industry is far from black and white. Only insiders know what executives are truly up against, and even those who made decisions that ultimately led to failure of a show had passion for the industry and attempted to do their best.

How Can Soaps Stay Alive?

Romanovich claims the documentary is a cautionary tale for networks, production companies, writers, producers, actors and even fans. To keep a show running, it is necessary to maintain traction, loyalty and commitment. Like anything else in the ever-changing television business, soaps were never really safe or permanent. With the advent of Internet entertainment and waning relevancy of daytime serial dramas, networks have to foster enthusiasm and protect the genre. The timing of the documentary coincides with renewed interest in popular shows like ABC's "General Hospital" and NBC's "Days of Our Lives" as well as new web serials, so despite the sad undercurrent of the story, viewers will enjoy a happy ending.

A Five-Year Project

Romanovich claims that he spent five years trying to finish the documentary. ATI provided capital, and co-executive producer Robert Corsini wrote the show. With its retro feel and gangster-style graphics, "Who Shot the Daytime Soap" is a fun but serious look into the heartbreaking murder of seemingly unstoppable daytime television dramas. Its ending gives hope to soap fans and leaves room for a sequel. Romanovich says there is plenty of material left over.

Effective Employee Monitoring

I often read tech blogs and surf the web for innovative ideas and fresh concepts to blog about. I found that this practice is indeed very helpful, as I have discovered many new solutions to daily problems through bloghopping. Just recently, I stumbled upon a very innovative website that offers a cost-effective way to manage employee performance through utmost transparency. 


My Team Monitor allows managers and leaders to effectively and efficiently monitor their staff. This is done by tracking how and when employees work. Employee monitor software is installed in employee workstations to aid employee management. 


One way the software does this is by taking regular screenshots of employee activities on their computers. Aside from screenshots, the employee monitoring software also tracks mouse clicks, keystrokes and an employee’s total worked hours. These are sent to their supporting leaders and managers who can view these screenshots and other reports to review employee performance, on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This allows trends of inactivity, non-utilization and idle time to be observed. 


Thus, those who are worthy could be more appropriately rewarded, while those who are challenged could be coached and mentored to perform more efficiently and effectively. 


My Team Monitor is really a simple, yet innovative way to work remotely with confidence and transparency. I know that business leaders, executives and managers will realize that this software will be a valuable tool for business.

Choosing Your Car Wisely

Getting a car is usually something that’s really not that easy to do. To begin with, there are a lot to consider when getting a car. There are a lot options available to you from different manufacturers. Are you getting a Japanese sports car? A German luxury car perhaps? Or an American family vehicle?

Aside from the brands, there’s also the matter of size. Nowadays, bigger vehicles are better options because they are able to do a lot more than the sedan. However, a smaller car is sometimes more advisable for those who have limited space and budget. And with the rising concern for climate change, global warming and other environmental issues, notwithstanding the ever-increasing fuel costs, fuel efficiency or mileage is likewise becoming a major factor for those who get cars. Of course minor factors such as color can also be a factor when choosing a personal vehicle.

But choosing one should not be a major concern. In this digital age, responsible and reliable used car stores are now easier to find more than ever. Garage Del Parco is one such store whose reliability has never been in question.

Garage Del Parco has been in the car business for more than three decades. Since 1978, the company has always been attentive to the needs and customer satisfaction. Efficiency, competence and thoroughness drive the Italian used car company to continue to offer service and assistance, safe, guaranteed and worthy of trust. Alla ricerca di compro auto usate? Alla ricerca di vendita auto usate? Garage Del Parco has the brands and styles you’re looking for when getting a vehicle. Alla ricerca di auto usate milano? Garage Del Parco is so easy to find; in fact it is available online for potential buyers to use as a resource in choosing their dream car. Their many satisfied customers also serve to further establish their integrity, plus, the many years of being in the business helps further establish the credibility and reliability that car buyers are looking for in used car companies.

ShopWiki: Revolutionary!

Other shopping sites can only provide you so much. Their options, brand names and stocks are based on what dealer ties up with them. Thus the products offered are limited. For online shoppers, that means they have to bear with the price dictated by the store and the available models and brands on their sites.

That's why ShopWiki is revolutionary. Unlike other online shopping websites, ShopWiki actively searches other stores on the Internet. This is similar to how Google crawls through the millions of webpages posted online. While other shopping sites just provide you the stores that have paid for placement, ShopWiki offers several alternatives to the online shopper.

For instance, ShopWiki's accessories page is a portal to bags, gloves, hair accessories, hats, shoes and even scarves! Their page on bags alone provides several models, brands and other options to choose from--backpacks, laptop bags, luggage, camping backpacks, designer bags and baby bags come in different makes, shapes, brands from the most affordable to the incredibly fashionable and trendy.

Visit ShopWiki today and you'll be surprised to see how it can help you search for the best deals for the products you need to pruchase online.

Prank Calls? Missed Calls? Worry No More!

Imagine spending some quiet, relaxing and rewarding time for yourself after a long, busy week. Your phone rings. You look up the caller ID and you realize the number looks unfamiliar. But then you remember that your best friend recently signed up with a cellular phone provider and promised to call you about his recent vacation. So you decide to pick up the phone and voila--it was a prank! You'd wish to know how to get back but you couldn't do it. Now you feel utterly helpless.

Not once have people been bugged by prank callers and telemarketers. If you are among the thousands of people in the United States and Canada who want to know where that recent prank call was made, then LookupByPhone.com is for you. LookupByPhone.com offers a reliable reverse phone lookup service. Unfamiliar with one of the numbers that appeared in your cellular phone bill? You can use the reverse phone lookup service to trace where the call originated. Worried about tracing a missed call from an unknown number? LookupByPhone.com has a 100% confidential service. No one will be informed if you lookup their phone number. Furthermore, all reverse lookup information on their site comes from databases and directories. Therefore, you can be assured that methods such as GPS tracking to trace a mobile phone's current location won’t be employed in the trace.

Visit LookupByPhone.com today and have a worry-free attitude despite your prank callers.

Finally, a Web Host Rating Solution

Reluctant to get a web host for your blog? There are obvious reasons why not all web hosting solutions can be trusted: reliability, security and dependability. Not once have many of my blogger friends complained of having issues with their site because of their cheap but seemingly unreliable hosting service. The result: downtime. So how do you balance quality service and economical considerations?

Fortunately, a new web host rating provider is available for site masters and bloggers to consider. Webhostingrating.com provides a means to clear doubts about signing up for a web hosting service. The web host rating that the site provides to visitors, offers a comparison of the benefits that web hosting companies offer their customers. There are even featured articles such as how to find a secure web host, how to host using Cold Fusion, and defining managed hosting. Visit their site today and you'll surely be amazed at the wealth of information they can provide about various hosting companies!

At last, web hosting services can be worry-free.