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Brian Frons

May 05, 2023

Brian Scott Frons /ˈfrɒnz/ (born June 15, 1956) is an American television executive and the former president of ABC Daytime.

Education

Frons earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1978.[1][2]

CBS and NBC

Brian Frons first worked at CBS Daytime from 1978 to 1983.[3][4]

He left CBS in 1983 to join NBC Daytime, where he stayed during the rest of the 1980s as vice president.[5][6][7] In 1986, he canceled Search for Tomorrow which was at the time the longest running soap opera in television, but also the lowest-rated program among the 14 daytime soap operas on the air that year.[6][8] Frons gained media attention in 1989 when he made a guest appearance in an episode of Santa Barbara, playing the role of God in a dream of character Mason Capwell (Lane Davies).[9]

During his time at NBC, Frons also introduced Generations, the first soap opera to feature an African-American family from its inception. He cited:

"I just didn't see the point of another soap about the same types of people. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that a lot of shows on in prime time several years ago did not deal with older people. So Brandon (Tartikoff) gave us Golden Girls. Well, the same thing goes for daytime now. You don't see many black characters. And blacks certainly watch daytime TV. So this decision wasn't exactly a brainer. It was just about time."[10]

ABC

Frons joined ABC Daytime in August 2002. In May 2006, Anne Sweeney, the head of Disney-ABC Television Group, named Frons the president of the newly created Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group.

In his capacity as president of ABC Daytime, Frons was responsible for the development, marketing, production and promotion of all ABC Daytime properties, which have included The View, Port Charles, All My Children, One Life to Live, General Hospital, The Chew, and The Revolution. In his new position, Frons took on the additional duties of overseeing SOAPnet and ABC Productions. During his tenure, soap operas General Hospital and All My Children switched to high-definition taping.[11][12] Frons was also instrumental in the launch of the Soap Opera Digest Awards.

Cancellation of Port Charles

In June 2003, Frons announced the cancellation of the ABC soap opera Port Charles (which was a spinoff of General Hospital) after six years because of low ratings.[13] He quoted that the decision to cancel the show "was an extremely difficult decision" and that the network was "pleased with the creative execution of the show, but the 30 minute format in this time period posed significant financial challenges".[14] since the staff of the program only worked for six months out of the year, the remaining episodes were aired with the cast not taping resolutions to existing storylines. The show's 12:30 p.m. EDT timeslot was returned to ABC's affiliates on October 6, 2003. Shortly after the cancellation was announced, several ABC affiliates, including New York network flagship WABC-TV, reached a deal with Buena Vista Television to carry Millionaire, which had moved from primetime to broadcast syndication one year earlier.[15] As Millionaire's second syndicated season premiered before Port Charles aired its last episode, a few stations did not air the last few weeks of the soap in its normal timeslot.

Cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live

On April 14, 2011, Frons announced the cancellation of ABC soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live. While he made the announcement in person to the All My Children cast and crew in Los Angeles, the New York-based One Life to Live was tuned in through a video link.[16] All My Children ended its run on the network on September 23, 2011, while One Life to Live concluded on January 13, 2012. As a result of the cancellations, Frons was the subject of widespread criticism. He was labeled as the most hated man among soap opera fans, with online petitions being made for his firing from ABC Daytime.[17]

In response to the decision to cancel All My Children and One Life to Live, Frons said:

"You can't cut costs enough to make up for those losses. There comes a point when you can no longer justify the expense. Soap operas are an expensive way to program a network and unless you have General Hospital or The Young and the Restless sized ratings, it's really not a business."[18]

One Life to Live eventually surpassed on a consistent basis the ratings of General Hospital starting the week of April 25, 2011 in total number of viewers,[19] and the week of October 24, 2011 in the 18-49 women key demographic.[19] In both cases, One Life to Live remained, from then on, ABC's highest-rated soap opera for the rest of its run.[20]

In place of All My Children and One Life to Live, Frons green-lighted two new talk shows, The Chew and The Revolution, respectively. In expressing his rationale for the cancellations, he stated:

"I wanted to do shows that were unusual for daytime. What's happening now is people are looking for information to make their lives better, they're obsessed about what they eat and they’re obsessed with weight."[17][21]

Actress Susan Lucci stated in her book All My Life that she was misled to believe that the rumors of the cancellation were untrue. According to Lucci, Frons told the cast and crew in December 2009 that in order to save All My Children, it was vital that the show relocate to Los Angeles from New York, with all players taking pay cuts. Many left friends and family and sold or rented their East Coast homes in a downward market, resulting in great economic loss.[22] Lucci also mentioned that just before the announcement of the cancellations, Dominick Nuzzi, senior vice president of production for ABC Daytime, congratulated the cast, crew, and production staff of All My Children for doing so well financially, stating that the show's production costs were down 25 percent from the previous year and "things [were] going great."[23] In addition to the statement from Nuzzi, the show was given a budget to support upcoming storylines, and Lorraine Broderick was given a new multi-year contract as head writer of All My Children.[24]

Lucci blamed both Frons and former head writer Chuck Pratt for the demise of All My Children, stating:

"Brian Frons has what, for me, is that fatal combination of ignorance and arrogance."[25]

Departure

On December 2, 2011, ABC Disney announced that Frons would be leaving the company effective January 2012.[26] This announcement came the day after Frons terminated General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps and demoted head writer Garin Wolf.[3]

Frons was replaced by Vicki Dummer, who has been with ABC since 1996.[27] The corporate structure that Frons was running has been dismantled with ABC Daytime going to newly created Times Square Studios headed by Dummer, while SOAPnet was transferred to ABC Family.[28][29]

Broadcasting career

Personal life

Frons is married to Jeanine Guarneri-Frons, a former director on NBC soap opera Santa Barbara, and they reside in Encino, California.

References

  1. ^ Papo, Katie (24 October 2007). "Disney executive says L.A. no vacation". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. ^ "President, daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group speaks at Syracuse University Oct. 24". SU News. October 10, 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Company Town". Los Angeles Times. December 2, 2011.
  4. ^ "A Veteran TV Soap Opera Executive on Why "Guiding Light" Burned Out After 72 Years". The Wall Street Journal. 2009-08-14.
  5. ^ The Washington Post. August 21, 2012 https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A61337-2004Aug12?language=printer. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ a b https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/05/arts/nbc-drops-35-year-old-soap-opera.html Paid New York Times article
  7. ^ Torchin, Mimi (1989-03-26). "TELEVISION; Black Family Shares Spotlight in a New Soap Opera". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Waggett (1997). "Soap Opera Nielsen Ratings". Soap Opera Encyclopedia. pp. 626-628.
  9. ^ "Heaven Can't Wait". Los Angeles Times. 1989-02-12.
  10. ^ http://articles.philly.com/1988-11-02/news/26246489_1_soap-brian-frons-diverse-families, citing
  11. ^ "General Hospital Goes High Definition". 6 April 2009.
  12. ^ Keveney, Bill (January 4, 2010). "Daytime TV takes stock, retrenches in a changing world". USA Today.
  13. ^ The Vindicator – Google News Archive Search
  14. ^ Daily News – Google News Archive Search
  15. ^ . The Hollywood Reporter. September 2, 2003. Archived from the original on September 7, 2003.
  16. ^ Maerz, Melissa; Rice, Lynette. "ABC cancels 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live,' replaces soaps with lifestyle shows". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
  17. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (14 April 2011). "FRONS SPEAKS: ABC Daytime Chief Explains Why 'AMC' & 'OLTL' Were Axed; Says 'GH' Is "Safe For Time Being"". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
  18. ^ James, Meg (April 15, 2011). "ABC ending soaps 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live'". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ^ a b Toups, Xavier (April 28, 2011). "Ratings". Soap Opera Network.
  20. ^ Toups, Xavier. "Ratings". Soap Opera Network.
  21. ^ Maerz, Melissa; Rice, Lynette (April 14, 2011). "ABC daytime chief on canceling soaps: 'I never thought I'd be the guy to take two of the shows off'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Lucci, Susan; with Morton, Laura. All My Life, A Memoir, New York: IT Books, HarperCollins Publishers, page 325, 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-206185-0
  23. ^ Lucci, Susan; with Morton, Laura. All My Life, A Memoir, New York: IT Books, HarperCollins Publishers, page 314, 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-206185-0
  24. ^ Lucci, Susan; with Morton, Laura. All My Life, A Memoir, New York: IT Books, HarperCollins Publishers, pps 316-318, 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-206185-0
  25. ^ Lucci, Susan; with Morton, Laura. All My Life, A Memoir, New York: IT Books, HarperCollins Publishers, page 324, 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-206185-0
  26. ^ ABC Daytime President Brian Frons Exits, Network Consolidates Daytime & Syndie Development In New Division, Deadline Magazine, December 2, 2011.
  27. ^ "Biography of Vicki Dummer". ABC Medianet.
  28. ^ "ABC Forms New Daytime Programming and Development Unit, Times Square Studios". ABC News. 2011-12-02.
  29. ^ "ABC Family Is Taking Over SOAPnet... For Now!". Soaps In Depth. 2012-03-01.

External links

  • Broadcasting & Cable 2007 Interview
  • Pepperdine University Interview

May 05, 2023
brian, frons, brian, scott, frons, born, june, 1956, american, television, executive, former, president, daytime, contents, education, cancellation, port, charles, cancellation, children, life, live, departure, broadcasting, career, personal, life, references,. Brian Scott Frons ˈ f r ɒ n z born June 15 1956 is an American television executive and the former president of ABC Daytime Contents 1 Education 2 CBS and NBC 3 ABC 3 1 Cancellation of Port Charles 3 2 Cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live 3 3 Departure 4 Broadcasting career 5 Personal life 6 References 7 External linksEducation EditFrons earned a master s degree from Syracuse University s S I Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1978 1 2 CBS and NBC EditBrian Frons first worked at CBS Daytime from 1978 to 1983 3 4 He left CBS in 1983 to join NBC Daytime where he stayed during the rest of the 1980s as vice president 5 6 7 In 1986 he canceled Search for Tomorrow which was at the time the longest running soap opera in television but also the lowest rated program among the 14 daytime soap operas on the air that year 6 8 Frons gained media attention in 1989 when he made a guest appearance in an episode of Santa Barbara playing the role of God in a dream of character Mason Capwell Lane Davies 9 During his time at NBC Frons also introduced Generations the first soap opera to feature an African American family from its inception He cited I just didn t see the point of another soap about the same types of people It didn t take a rocket scientist to see that a lot of shows on in prime time several years ago did not deal with older people So Brandon Tartikoff gave us Golden Girls Well the same thing goes for daytime now You don t see many black characters And blacks certainly watch daytime TV So this decision wasn t exactly a brainer It was just about time 10 dd ABC EditFrons joined ABC Daytime in August 2002 In May 2006 Anne Sweeney the head of Disney ABC Television Group named Frons the president of the newly created Daytime Disney ABC Television Group In his capacity as president of ABC Daytime Frons was responsible for the development marketing production and promotion of all ABC Daytime properties which have included The View Port Charles All My Children One Life to Live General Hospital The Chew and The Revolution In his new position Frons took on the additional duties of overseeing SOAPnet and ABC Productions During his tenure soap operas General Hospital and All My Children switched to high definition taping 11 12 Frons was also instrumental in the launch of the Soap Opera Digest Awards Cancellation of Port Charles Edit In June 2003 Frons announced the cancellation of the ABC soap opera Port Charles which was a spinoff of General Hospital after six years because of low ratings 13 He quoted that the decision to cancel the show was an extremely difficult decision and that the network was pleased with the creative execution of the show but the 30 minute format in this time period posed significant financial challenges 14 since the staff of the program only worked for six months out of the year the remaining episodes were aired with the cast not taping resolutions to existing storylines The show s 12 30 p m EDT timeslot was returned to ABC s affiliates on October 6 2003 Shortly after the cancellation was announced several ABC affiliates including New York network flagship WABC TV reached a deal with Buena Vista Television to carry Millionaire which had moved from primetime to broadcast syndication one year earlier 15 As Millionaire s second syndicated season premiered before Port Charles aired its last episode a few stations did not air the last few weeks of the soap in its normal timeslot Cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live Edit On April 14 2011 Frons announced the cancellation of ABC soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live While he made the announcement in person to the All My Children cast and crew in Los Angeles the New York based One Life to Live was tuned in through a video link 16 All My Children ended its run on the network on September 23 2011 while One Life to Live concluded on January 13 2012 As a result of the cancellations Frons was the subject of widespread criticism He was labeled as the most hated man among soap opera fans with online petitions being made for his firing from ABC Daytime 17 In response to the decision to cancel All My Children and One Life to Live Frons said You can t cut costs enough to make up for those losses There comes a point when you can no longer justify the expense Soap operas are an expensive way to program a network and unless you have General Hospital or The Young and the Restless sized ratings it s really not a business 18 dd One Life to Live eventually surpassed on a consistent basis the ratings of General Hospital starting the week of April 25 2011 in total number of viewers 19 and the week of October 24 2011 in the 18 49 women key demographic 19 In both cases One Life to Live remained from then on ABC s highest rated soap opera for the rest of its run 20 In place of All My Children and One Life to Live Frons green lighted two new talk shows The Chew and The Revolution respectively In expressing his rationale for the cancellations he stated I wanted to do shows that were unusual for daytime What s happening now is people are looking for information to make their lives better they re obsessed about what they eat and they re obsessed with weight 17 21 dd Actress Susan Lucci stated in her book All My Life that she was misled to believe that the rumors of the cancellation were untrue According to Lucci Frons told the cast and crew in December 2009 that in order to save All My Children it was vital that the show relocate to Los Angeles from New York with all players taking pay cuts Many left friends and family and sold or rented their East Coast homes in a downward market resulting in great economic loss 22 Lucci also mentioned that just before the announcement of the cancellations Dominick Nuzzi senior vice president of production for ABC Daytime congratulated the cast crew and production staff of All My Children for doing so well financially stating that the show s production costs were down 25 percent from the previous year and things were going great 23 In addition to the statement from Nuzzi the show was given a budget to support upcoming storylines and Lorraine Broderick was given a new multi year contract as head writer of All My Children 24 Lucci blamed both Frons and former head writer Chuck Pratt for the demise of All My Children stating Brian Frons has what for me is that fatal combination of ignorance and arrogance 25 dd Departure Edit On December 2 2011 ABC Disney announced that Frons would be leaving the company effective January 2012 26 This announcement came the day after Frons terminated General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps and demoted head writer Garin Wolf 3 Frons was replaced by Vicki Dummer who has been with ABC since 1996 27 The corporate structure that Frons was running has been dismantled with ABC Daytime going to newly created Times Square Studios headed by Dummer while SOAPnet was transferred to ABC Family 28 29 Broadcasting career EditSenior vice president London based SBS Broadcasting S A President Creative Affairs New World Entertainment Vice president Creative Affairs NBC Productions Vice president of NBC Entertainment Director Daytime Programming CBS Entertainment Creative Consultant of All My Children and One Life to Live Head Writer with Frank Valentini of One Life to Live November 29 2004 to December 10 2004 Story Consultant of General Hospital Head Writer with Julie Hanan Carruthers of All My Children mid January 2008 to January 30 2008 Personal life EditFrons is married to Jeanine Guarneri Frons a former director on NBC soap opera Santa Barbara and they reside in Encino California References Edit Papo Katie 24 October 2007 Disney executive says L A no vacation The Daily Orange Retrieved 14 September 2021 President daytime Disney ABC Television Group speaks at Syracuse University Oct 24 SU News October 10 2007 Retrieved 14 September 2021 a b Company Town Los Angeles Times December 2 2011 A Veteran TV Soap Opera Executive on Why Guiding Light Burned Out After 72 Years The Wall Street Journal 2009 08 14 The Washington Post August 21 2012 https www washingtonpost com ac2 wp dyn A61337 2004Aug12 language printer a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a Missing or empty title help permanent dead link a b https www nytimes com 1986 11 05 arts nbc drops 35 year old soap opera html Paid New York Times article Torchin Mimi 1989 03 26 TELEVISION Black Family Shares Spotlight in a New Soap Opera The New York Times Waggett 1997 Soap Opera Nielsen Ratings Soap Opera Encyclopedia pp 626 628 Heaven Can t Wait Los Angeles Times 1989 02 12 http articles philly com 1988 11 02 news 26246489 1 soap brian frons diverse families citing General Hospital Goes High Definition 6 April 2009 Keveney Bill January 4 2010 Daytime TV takes stock retrenches in a changing world USA Today The Vindicator Google News Archive Search Daily News Google News Archive Search Millionaire nabs key slots in syndication The Hollywood Reporter September 2 2003 Archived from the original on September 7 2003 Maerz Melissa Rice Lynette ABC cancels All My Children and One Life to Live replaces soaps with lifestyle shows Entertainment Weekly Retrieved 2011 10 12 a b Andreeva Nellie 14 April 2011 FRONS SPEAKS ABC Daytime Chief Explains Why AMC amp OLTL Were Axed Says GH Is Safe For Time Being Deadline com Retrieved 2011 10 12 James Meg April 15 2011 ABC ending soaps All My Children and One Life to Live Los Angeles Times a b Toups Xavier April 28 2011 Ratings Soap Opera Network Toups Xavier Ratings Soap Opera Network Maerz Melissa Rice Lynette April 14 2011 ABC daytime chief on canceling soaps I never thought I d be the guy to take two of the shows off Entertainment Weekly Retrieved October 15 2021 Lucci Susan with Morton Laura All My Life A Memoir New York IT Books HarperCollins Publishers page 325 2011 ISBN 978 0 06 206185 0 Lucci Susan with Morton Laura All My Life A Memoir New York IT Books HarperCollins Publishers page 314 2011 ISBN 978 0 06 206185 0 Lucci Susan with Morton Laura All My Life A Memoir New York IT Books HarperCollins Publishers pps 316 318 2011 ISBN 978 0 06 206185 0 Lucci Susan with Morton Laura All My Life A Memoir New York IT Books HarperCollins Publishers page 324 2011 ISBN 978 0 06 206185 0 ABC Daytime President Brian Frons Exits Network Consolidates Daytime amp Syndie Development In New Division Deadline Magazine December 2 2011 Biography of Vicki Dummer ABC Medianet ABC Forms New Daytime Programming and Development Unit Times Square Studios ABC News 2011 12 02 ABC Family Is Taking Over SOAPnet For Now Soaps In Depth 2012 03 01 External links EditABC Daytime Broadcasting amp Cable 2007 Interview Pepperdine University Interview Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brian Frons amp oldid 1115821780, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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