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The Press & EastEnders - Love at first sight?


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Old 28-01-2005, 18:31
Huch'net
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Isn't it ironic that it was the press that helped EastEnders to be such a dominant and successful soap are now the one's killing it?

EastEnders is the only soap in the UK that has to put up, shut up & carry on whilst it is the centre of attention and all this speculation that we have seen so many times. Even now when it is not the publics favourite soap must it suffer this.

Never have there been so many press stories of any other UK soap than EastEnders!

What would the press do if EastEnders didn't exist? Can you imagine it?! Well, they'd maybe keep going on about EastEnders for a few years but after that failed, they'd have to latch onto some other soap.

But is the press attention really that bad? Its the press that keeps the public interested in EastEnders no matter how bad it gets, it has the perfect younger audience that makes them money. Generally teens/ students who have quite a bit of disposable income and to people in their late 20's.

This is why the press will always target EastEnders like it does celebrities, its the fashionable, trendy soap that everyone is talking about - no matter what it may be.
How would the other soaps cope with this pressure I wonder? Is it a pressure or is it a gift?

EastEnders needs the press while the press need EastEnders, this is why I doubt we'll ever see EastEnders axed in our lifetime, if it was facing the axe, you can sure expect the Sun to get the nation campaigning, drumming up some support. So I guess it's not such a bad thing is it?
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:35
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I agree with most of that, except the last bit - the press are fickle and whilst they help (often inadvertently) Eastenders, they'd quite happily stab them in the back too.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:39
Kapooshax
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The sun would fight to save the show or kill it, they blow hot and cold.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:39
Huch'net
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Yeah I actually kinda think they would! Its not like the Sun are really desperate & I bet they dislike the BBC with them being part of Sky etc.

If the press found something else that sells, then they could quite easily just drop EastEnders but I guess they are also London biased.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:40
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I agree hucht I said something like this before no other soap has the press behind them and against than EE. The press would never let EE be axed they love it too much.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:40
Etheric Beam
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Originally Posted by Huch'net
Isn't it ironic that it was the press that helped EastEnders to be such a dominant and successful soap are now the one's killing it?
More like assisting a suicide!
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:41
Kapooshax
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EastEnders is one of the best shows on television, why should they axe it?
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:42
Huch'net
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Originally Posted by Etheric Beam
More like assisting a suicide!
Well I wouldn't go that far! Its not dead yet!
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:43
Kapooshax
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Originally Posted by Huch'net
Well I wouldn't go that far! Its not dead yet!
There's some people who wish it was, I feel sorry for them lol
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:43
brooksider
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Originally Posted by Kapooshax
EastEnders is one of the best shows on television, why should they axe it?
Hardly the best. There's soaps equal to it and a few better than it.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:44
Polly_Perkins
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Well I think you are giving eastenders too much credit as far as the newspapers go, I recall at one stage they really had the knives out for Corrie and were praiseing Eastenders. It shifts and changes all the time, its noway a new thing.

Crossroads put up with it for 24 years.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:45
Kapooshax
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Originally Posted by brooksider
Hardly the best. There's soaps equal to it and a few better than it.
It's one of the best, it's one of the ratings grabbers for terrestial tv.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:46
Pop Princess
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The press doesn't need EastEnders. If it stopped tomorrow, the newspapers would still go on. I am sure if it was threatened with the axe then the newspapers might start a campaign but if it was axed today with no notice, the papers would carry on fine without it.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:47
Etheric Beam
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Originally Posted by Huch'net
Well I wouldn't go that far! Its not dead yet!


The bias of the London Press backing the London Soap has been discussed before. Why have the press similarly not built up and then shot down The Bill or Family Affairs?

As a matter of interest, anyone know Garry Bullshit's opinion of the show these days?
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:48
Huch'net
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I think it was a new thing in terms of "soap scandals" - like the Leslie Grantham scandal, wasn't that the first of its kind?
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:49
Polly_Perkins
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BTW I dont understand why its the papers have it in for Eastenders, I believe that 90% of the time the critics give credit where credit is due. Eastenders has been crap and only someone incredibly stupid would say otherwise, the rating dips have spoken for themselves and the critics only write what the majority think in terms of Eastenders.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:51
Polly_Perkins
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Originally Posted by Huch'net
I think it was a new thing in terms of "soap scandals" - like the Leslie Grantham scandal, wasn't that the first of its kind?
Well the first finger sucking scandal, but there were scandals long before Eastenders appeared. The guy who played Len Fairclough being accused of child abuse is one example. Julie Goodyear in bi-sexual 3 way romp I see the recall from the early 80's as front page news. Scandal doesnt start nor stop with eastenders.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:51
Huch'net
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Originally Posted by Pop Princess
The press doesn't need EastEnders. If it stopped tomorrow, the newspapers would still go on. I am sure if it was threatened with the axe then the newspapersight start a campaign but if it was axed today with no notice, the papers would carry on fine without it.
But it all boils down to the fact EastEnders brings more pennies home than any other soap, just like page 3 Of course they'd go on but if one paper stopped then they could lose market share, its all about what their target audience wants = they must want EastEnders.

What other explanation is there for it?
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:54
Huch'net
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Originally Posted by Etheric Beam


The bias of the London Press backing the London Soap has been discussed before. Why have the press similarly not built up and then shot down The Bill or Family Affairs?
Well I don't know then!
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:58
Polly_Perkins
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To contradict myself, the papers are bias aganist the BBC. the Daily Mail is the main culprit and will attack the BBC at any given opportunity. Many of the more conservative papers are also anti BBC which also means anti Eastenders.
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Old 28-01-2005, 18:58
Etheric Beam
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Originally Posted by Polly_Perkins
Scandal doesnt start nor stop with eastenders.
Very true, but for a story to become a scandal, those involved first of all have to be built up and turned into stars. Then they can be destroyed!

No-one cares if John Smith down the road has had an affair or has a fight with another bloke.

No-one cares if Jane Jones down the road has been caught shoplifting or pictured drunk outside a club.

I don't think the relationship between the press and EE is symbiotic though. Witness the current column inches concerning EE problems in front of and behind the camera. They make alot of stories for hungry journos. But if EE wasn't there, the journo would move elsewhere for his next big scoop.
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Old 28-01-2005, 19:01
Kapooshax
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I think the press used to love EastEnders but not anymore.
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Old 28-01-2005, 19:01
Polly_Perkins
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Sure, thats what happened when Pricness Di was killed, she was a major tabloid focus, she died and then began to focus more on other celebs to compensate.
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Old 28-01-2005, 19:02
Kapooshax
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They can of course grow to love EE again.
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Old 28-01-2005, 19:03
brooksider
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So you are saying if a soap wanted to be a hit, the tv channel it was on could pay the press to hype it up and make friends with the press by offering exclusives and so on.
The press goes throught trends with soaps, there was a time when they where intrested in brookie and neighours but lost there intrest in both of them.
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