The church-based effort, which included protesters from many denominations, also resulted in an avalanche of mail on the desks of network and station officials.Īttention was focused on “Soap” because, critics said, each weekly episode is based on a sexual theme portraying the immoral conduct of one of the characters. The commission for which Hollis works claimed after three months of anti-“Soap” campaigning that the program lost all of its original commercial sponsors, that ABC lost at least $1 million from unused and reduced commercial time, and that the network resorted at one point to giving free commercial time to a potential sponsor.
Hollis, Jr., director of family and special moral concerns for the Southern Baptist Christian Life Commission and one of the program’s sharpest critics.Įven though the series continued to draw a large segment of the prime time evening television audience, it has been a costly venture for the network. “ABC will long remember the sting of ‘Soap’ in its eyes,” remarks Harry N. Confrontations with the network (ABC), sponsors, and stations presenting the series named “Soap” indicated that some Christians and others interested in better programming are having an effect.
Claims of victory shouted by some foes of television pollution may be premature, but at year’s end there is some evidence that they are at least learning where the battles are.