Will Oprah Save the Soaps? Could 'All My Children' Have 'One Life to Live'?

With ABC pulling the plug on “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” who will keep the sky from falling on the world of soaps? If one Facebook group has their way, the answer starts with “O.”

A group of soaps fans recently started a petition on FB called “PLEASE OPRAH PICK UP ALL MY CHILDREN AND ONE LIFE TO LIVE.” Not sure why the need for all caps, but it’s actually not a horrible idea.

Oprah’s new network has been struggling mightily to find its stride, performing well below Oxygen, The Hallmark Channel and Lifetime – channels all geared to a similar 18-49 female demographic.

Taking on existing properties like “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” with built-in audiences could be a sure fire way to immediately invigorate a struggling network, plus the quick-shot injection of warm and fuzzy publicity could go a long way towards building a loyal following for additional programming on OWN.

Think of it in the same way Best Buy used to approach selling cut-rate CD’s – they served as a “loss-leader” designed to get people in the door to buy refrigerators. That strategy worked, and Circuit City left the scene a long time ago. In this case, Oprah would be picking up a property that might cost more to produce than it made, but ultimately would provide the long-term audience she needs to build a thriving network

Of course, that would require dealing with some harsh realities, and possibly taking an unacceptable level of loss to take a leadership position in the cable ratings. The Soap Opera Network reported on what exactly the ratings picture looked like when ABC decided to bolt:

“Season to Date (2009-2010 vs. 2010-2011), 'All My Children' is down a whopping 41% in Women 18-34 and another 22% in Women 18-49. 'One Life to Live' is down 32% in Women 18-34 and a mere 13% in Women 18-49. Meanwhile, 'All My Children' is down another 41% in Women 18-49 versus how it performed during the 2006-2007 television season or over a five-year trend. 'One Life to Live' was down 35% during the same five year period.”

It’s not a pretty picture, but in some markets it's not all that bad. In the Chicago area, for example, according to the Tribune, both soaps are the number one rated shows in their respective time slots, meaning the network is pulling the plug on their affiliate's most successful shows just as Oprah prepares to close up shop with ABC for good.

There are other encouraging signs. Hoover recently pulled its ads from the ABC in protest over the cancellations, and is launching its own effort to save the show.

"My wife and mother are both passionate viewers of All My Children and One Life To Live, as are many of my colleagues here at Hoover. We were and are as disappointed with this news as you are,” Brian Kirkendall, the company’s VP of Marketing said on its Facebook page.

"In fact, we will discontinue our advertising with ABC this Friday. We're making every attempt to pull our spots from these programs sooner."

So there ya go, “O” – built-in fan base, likely sponsors, an easy pickup on some massive goodwill and publicity.

Of course, if that doesn’t work, we’ve got five other great ideas for how to save the soaps.