Think About It

Today, "Guiding Light" is airing its final episode after more than 70 years on radio and television.

The cancellation of the longest running drama on TV is the latest casualty in a soap opera world that is hurting for money. The growth of TiVo and webcasts have cut into their ad revenue, leaving daytime dramas desperate to cut expenses.

Some shows have  trimmed their payrolls by killing off characters at an unprecedented rate. Others have been taken off the air. Those that remain are on life support, needing a miracle to stay on the airwaves.

While it's far from shocking, still there is something remarkable about the demise of a genre that once was the killer app of advertising. In their prime, soap operas were the undisputed vehicle of choice for reaching homemakers. Indeed, the term "soap opera" came from the fact that the shows were sponsored by soap manufacturers trying to woo that audience.

The decline of soap operas may feel like a great loss to the world of mass marketing, but in truth, it's just part of the natural cycle of life and death. Soaps were born in the 1930s and 1940s from someone's inspired idea of how to profit from the new media of radio and television. They are dying because people today use radio and television differently.

Our challenge is to look at the new media of today and, like the broadcasting network executives of last century, ask ourselves, "Now that we have this amazing new way to reach people, what are we going to do with it?"

Come on. Dream with us.