Soap fans protest ABC's Upfront presentation: 'No one wants to watch The Chew. That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard.'
Across the street from the ABC Upfront presentation today at Lincoln Center, a group of about 30 protestors had a clear message for the network’s prospective advertisers: No soaps? No thanks.
Armed with signs (“Screw The Chew” and “Save our soaps,” among them), a bullhorn, and an arsenal of quippy chants, the hardcore soap fans stood outside for the length of the two-hour presentation, hoping to bring attention to their cause.
“We’re trying to make a point to the advertisers that we’re not going to be watching the new shows, and we want our soaps to stay on the air,” protestor Susan Hoffman of New York tells EW. “No one wants to watch The Chew. That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard. What we’re trying to say is that us, as soap viewers, are not going to watch a cooking show or a weight loss show in the afternoon. That’s not something we’re going to DVR and watch in the evening.”
Hoffman, who says she has watched soaps for almost 40 years, continued: “I have a lot of friends who work on One Life to Live and for me it’s more than just about the show, it’s about the fact that my friends all lost their jobs, too.”
One man drove four hours from New Hampshire to attend the gathering. Others came from as far as California for the demonstration.
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