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The Melodrama Continues from the Printed
Pages to the Airwaves
In the twentieth century, radionovelas and photonovelas were predecessors
to the televised narrative (Cambridge 1992; Rogers & Antola,
1985). While Europe was the first to diffuse the printed serialized
drama, the United States was the first to explore radio for the
narration of daily stories.
By the late 1920's, broadcast radio in the United States had become
a commercial venture. Advertising interests dominated the airwaves
and most programs were created in order to draw sponsorship (Hagedorn,
1995). The fundamental goal of the industry was to attract large
audiences since they depended on the financial support of advertising
sponsors. On the other hand, the advertisers themselves began getting
involved in the production and the scheduling of programs (Hilmes,
1990).
Radio programming, which consisted mostly of music and talk shows,
got help from famous stars such as Fred Allen and Will Rogers who
were brought in to host variety shows (MacDonald, 1979). However,
"Amos'n'Andy" was the most popular show by the end of
its first year, in 1929. NBC's Blue Network broadcasted the comic
show, sponsored by Pepsodent, which attracted 40 million listeners,
six nights per week. . This fifteen-minute show was the first incursion
of serialized programming in radio broadcasting and proved that
this format had the power to attract large audiences (MacDonald,
1979). Radio also became a form of affordable entertainment. CBS
estimated that in 1934, ninety percent of urban families owned a
radio.
According to Allen, (1985), the radio soap opera officially started
on October 20, 1930, with the launch of "Painted Dreams",
by Irna Phillips. The stories aired for fifteen minutes and were
centered on domestic problems and emotional conflicts. This radio
soap lasted less than a year, but it began the practice of targeting
women consumers using dramatic serial narrative linked to a corporate
sponsor (Hagedorn, 1995). The formula proved to be successful. The
ten major radio programs one decade later were soap operas. The
sponsorship for this kind of program encompassed ninety-two percent
of the advertising at the time (Allen, 1985). This was a fertile
ground for companies such as Procter and Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive,
and Lever Brothers to advertise their products. They started to
produce daytime drama serials targeted to housewives in order to
sell cleaning products, personal health and hygiene products, and
beauty products (Ortiz, 1991).
Allen (1985) points out the inevitable link between the creative
production of the soap operas and their commercial objectives. The
soap companies had total control over the production of the serials,
contracting the writers, actors, and producers. Keeping audience
ratings high at a cheaper cost was one of their objectives. However,
the main goal was to influence housewives, the primary consumers,
to buy their products. In 1932, audience research found that the
female audience preferred entertainment shows instead of educational
programs while doing their chores. More importantly, it showed that
the woman of the house was the one who made the purchasing decisions
for the household (Cassata, 1983). The female-targeted audience
influenced the subjects and themes of the story lines, which were
filled with family and marriage conflicts. During the depression
era, protagonist characters such as Ma Perkins, Mrs. Moran (Today's
Children) or Mrs. Moynihan (Painted Dreams), represented women's
courage and determination overcoming the hardships of the time.
Therefore, we can understand the female role as a double fold. First
as a central character in the household, the one that determines
what to buy, and the ultimate consumer, second as the role of central
protagonist of a feminine universe that landed in a territory explored
by the fictitious narrative (Ortiz, 1991). For Robert Allen (1985),
the soap opera's characteristic as a specific female narrative genre
is at the center of the paradox of its status in the United States.
While highly valued by advertisers and broadcasters, critics continuously
underestimate soap operas as a woman's format. Undoubtedly, North
American Radio soap operas were also an important part of radio
programming in the Latin American countries.
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