Soap Opera Digest
From LoveToKnow Soap-Operas
Soap Opera Digest is a magazine that focuses on the storylines, actors, writers and producers of American soap operas. The magazine began publishing in 1975. It was not the first soap opera magazine to be published, but it has become a staple of the soap opera publishing community over the years.
Soap Opera Digest History
Many soap opera magazines are tabloid like in their approach to covering the lives, loves and deaths of soap opera favorites. According to SoapCentral.com, network executives were not thrilled with the magazines. They felt that an audience who could read previews, spoilers and recaps would be less likely to tune into their favorite soaps because they would no longer ‘have to’ in order to find out what was going on.
The networks threatened to cut off access if they felt the magazines crossed the line, but soon a simple fact began to emerge. Couples featured on the cover of Soap Opera Digest lured new viewers into watching. The magazine’s usefulness as a promotional outlet would help create a symbiotic relationship with the networks that would give the fans access to feature stories on their favorite storylines, behind the scenes looks at the actors and even learn some of their actors and actresses favorite recipes and more.
The Debut
SOD began appearing on newsstands in 1975. It was a monthly publication that went bi-weekly in 1979. Some of the first actors to appear in the cover of that magazine from the now defunct Love of Life soap opera, including John Aniston of Days of Our Lives. By the early 90s, SOD had over 1.4 million subscribers. Subscription numbers dipped with the arrival of the Internet as fans were able to connect with fan sites, message boards to get their updates, spoilers and more.
Not to be deterred, SOD launched its own website. Subscriptions may have dropped to only half a million, but the magazine still sells over 1 million copies at newsstands and checkout counters nationwide.
Popular Features
SOD offers a wide variety of regular features that magazine readers enjoy.
Columnists
Marlena De Lacroix was a popular columnist of Soap Opera Weekly, a sister publication of SOD for many years. The writer created a sensation in the soap opera industry for her insightful, critical and sometimes biting coverage of storylines. She left Soap Opera Weekly after a long tenure, but her website continues the trend of insightful coverage that readers enjoyed in the magazine.
Carolyn Hinsey is the current columnist and offers her reviews of soap-related events and current series. She doesn’t always agree with the fans and they don’t always agree with her, but the columns offer a solid viewpoint on storylines that fans love to love or love to hate.
Recaps
Every issue features a recap of the storylines that played out over the previous two weeks. Fans can keep abreast of their favorite characters as well as get a few teasers of what is coming up next.
Comings and Goings
The comings and goings section is a fantastic way to track actors and actresses who are joining or leaving their favorite soaps. Actor vacations and short tenure visits are also documented.
Letters to the Editor
The letters to the editor are always entertaining to read as soap fans voice their own opinions on everything from storylines to the magazine’s coverage of events.
Feature Articles
Every issue features a special article that focuses on an actor, a storyline or a character. Interviews add color and texture to the coverage so fans can gain a greater understanding of a character’s motivation, a storyline’s direction or an actor’s real life.
Soap Awards
The magazine sponsors awards that promotes excellence in the genre. Originally called Soapies, the Soap Opera Digest Awards are offered to best storylines, best couples as well as best actors and actresses.
Learn More
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© 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.
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