History and Conventions of Soap Operas

History of Soaps

-The name 'soap opera' came from the US in the 1930s where is was used to describe a radio series that was sponsered by soap manufacturers

- Radio stations increased profits by convincing sellers of consumer goods to sponsor their shows.

-This type of sponsorship was used because the main audience of soaps were housewives and therefore it was beneficial to the sponsors to have a product that appealed to this specific audience

-The ‘opera’ section of the name reflects the dilemmas and melodramatic situations the characters find themselves in

-In the 1950s, soaps transferred to TV

-Daytime soaps began in 1970s

-Soaps became increasingly popular in the 1980s

-Coronation Street is the longest running TV soap in the world, but radio soap The Archers is the official longest running soap.

Conventions
-Serial drama that runs all year round
-Broadcast at the same time at regular intervals (i.e weekly or daily)
-Domestic themes
-Open-ended plots
-Set in a small community such as a street or square
-Continuity is maintained by setting
-Special episodes which reflect real world events such as Christmas
-Ordinary, working class characters
-Strong realism
-Begins with a hook, ends with a cliffhanger
-Multiple storylines each episode
-Creates an illusion that the setting and characters exist