It might just be a sign of the times that the Daytime Emmy Awards can’t seem to find a network willing to air the ceremony. The Las Vegas travesty that was last year’s awards seems to have sent the message loud and clear – there’s no one willing to spend the money without turning the entire affair into an infomercial. So will the Daytime Emmys air again?
With the nominations set to be announced on May 4th, TV Guide says no one is willing to step up to air the ceremony. Negotiations with CBS broke down with the network determining that it was too expensive to be worth it. Now there’s a rumor that the event might simply be a webcast rather than telecast; which might be an improvement over what happened last year.
Last year, the ceremony took place in Las Vegas accompanied by a nonstop barrage of advertisements for Vegas shows, products and hotels. The Young and the Restless star Peter Bergman referred to it as “a vulgur Vegas nightmare” and is among the many who would rather see a return to a private event. The bigger question here is perhaps that of the future of daytime television.
Two long-running soaps have come to an end – both One Life to Live and All My Children, and I can’t help but wonder how long the daytime soap has left. Even Oprah has left the afternoon lineup. Daytime television has a changing face much like that of primetime; the old school soaps and talk shows are disappearing – and what is left doesn’t seem to have the popularity to make the Daytime Emmys are viable choice for a telecast. And stars like Kelly Ripa and even Oprah herself have snubbed the awards in the past. What is the future of daytime television? It’s hard to say – but the decline of the Daytime Emmys seems to be a sign.
