Keynote Address
Speakers: Patricia Fili-Krushel (click here for biography)
Soap Summit 4

Transcript of Proceedings
October 8, 1999

SONNY FOX: The lady I'm about to introduce, our keynote speaker of the evening, is somebody I've known for awhile. I watched her with admiration, as she first was head of daytime at ABC. She was one of our supporters in the Soap Summit, and was very forthcoming in signing the letters and encouraging us to go on. I've watched her as she has been very active in the teenage pregnancy field by being part of a committee in Washington, and getting an award for that work. She's a woman who has been very active in the executive suite of the network, and yet had time to deal with causes, both outside the network and also in the network. She was always a supporter of the kind of things that the soaps can do so well.

When General Hospital did its major story on AIDS, which went over a series of about almost six months, we watched this young actor get infected with AIDS and gradually die. Later the writer wanted to make the girlfriend, the fiance, HIV positive. Pat was a little uneasy about that because she figured we had gone a long way and some people, by that time, were turning off the show because they felt it was so heavy. Finally she said, "You're right. It would be irresponsible to allow that to have happened and not have some consequence. Let's go with that story."

So that's the kind of support that Pat was giving her creative people on the shows that were there. Now, to everybody's delight and sheer astonishment, ABC actually did something wonderful. They appointed Pat as president of ABC Television Network, the only woman ever appointed president of a major television network. She started in ABC Sports. She was very instrumental in shaping Lifetime on cable, and making it really an important cable for women.

If you ever worked with Pat, you know her style. She's collaborative and supportive and focused, and anywhere she's been, she has delivered the goods. This is a woman who expresses so much of what we stand for, what we believe in, and is such a wonderful model for women who have been in this business, or any woman for that matter. How in the world with everything she has done has she had time to have two children, raise them, and care about them as deeply as she does...and put them first. I don't know. But then she is remarkable in so many other ways. So I am especially delighted, on behalf of all of us here in this room, to welcome and introduce to you, Ms. Patricia Fili-Krushel.

PATRICIA FILI-KRUSHEL: Before we get started, I wanted to recognize PCI and the CDC. Their work not only informs, but also educates millions of people around the world. I also want to mention Sonny Fox. Years ago Sonny was the first one to develop responsible, educational television for children with a show called Wonderama, which I told Sonny I watched as a child. The response was so overwhelming that everyone with a TV set wanted to be on the show. The result was the set was always overcrowded with kids. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to any of us that these days Sonny is involved with population issues.

It's been 14 months since I left ABC Daytime and took over as president of the network. And I have to say it's given me a whole new appreciation for daytime. As I was working in my office this past summer, I looked up at the television and saw General Hospital and the Nurses' Ball was on, one of my favorite events. It's an event dedicated to raising the awareness of AIDS. I remember thinking to myself, this is what I love most about working in television. That our shows can address real life issues. That we can merge entertainment with information to enlighten and empower our audience. When you work in daytime, and we are all familiar with the demanding schedule, it's sometimes hard to step back and appreciate what a unique and important role soap operas play.

My position at ABC now allows me to work with not only all the programming divisions of ABC but also of the Walt Disney Company. While I'm much too polite or politic to say anything that might cause offense, I will say this. When it comes to connecting with viewers, people in the entertainment business could learn a few things from Daytime.

Now we all know there's no fan like a soap fan. They become deeply involved when one of their characters faces a life crisis, and because of this, soaps have unique opportunity to influence people's lives. As I look back over the five years that I spent in Daytime, there are a few storylines that noticeably stand out for me, and of which I was very proud to be part. I clearly remember the birth of one of these stories. I was at a two-day ABC Daytime retreat, much to the chagrin of our creative teams on the shows who never have a moment to spare. I felt, however, that getting some distance from the day to day, once a year was a good thing.

We were at lunch discussing the most recent headlines in The New York Times, and we were astonished that at the news that, although the spread of AIDS was decreasing amongst some of the higher risk groups, it was increasing exponentially amongst teens. They thought they were invincible, and we all remember that feeling. I looked over at Claire Labine, the head writer of General Hospital, and she was furiously scribbling on a napkin. After lunch, Claire and Wendy Riche, executive producer, pitched a new storyline, which we approved on the spot. And the following story was born. The idea was for Stone to succumb quickly to the disease so as not to prolong the agony for the viewers. Then we would illustrate the consequences of unsafe sex and life, living with HIV positive through Robin, the character you saw, a beloved character, who not only had been on the show for over ten years but had always been played by the same actress. So we hoped to be able to touch some of our teen audience and possibly impact their behavior.

We actually underestimated the power of the storyline. We received stacks and stacks of mail. Letters so moving that I wanted to share one with you tonight. The letter was written by a father and was published in a local paper in Boca Raton, Florida. And he wrote, "Recently when I returned home from work, I noticed my 18-year-old daughter was extremely upset. I asked her what was the matter. She told me some guy named Stone died from AIDS and that Stone's girlfriend tested HIV positive. My heart sank. Until I found out that they were characters in the soap opera, General Hospital. I was relieved. It wasn't a real person, but it lead to an excellent conversation with both of my daughters. My older daughter said, Dad, Stone was a heterosexual. Did you know AIDS could strike anyone? Even though it's only a TV show, I really understand that it does happen in real life. It was music to my ears that she and her sister have finally gotten through their heads the potential of contracting AIDS. My kids have a lot of exposure to the dangers of this deadly disease in school, through AIDS Awareness Week and lectures from both my wife and me. However, they really thought this could never happen to them. I'm grateful to the writers of General Hospital. They accomplished what the schools and other sources could not." So while ratings may keep us in the business, positive viewer feedback is what should keep us coming back to work everyday.

And then three years ago, my friend Anne Moore, the president of People magazine invited me to attend a teen pregnancy awareness briefing. I was shocked when I heard some of the statistics, in particular, the staggering number of teens who get pregnant, drop out of school and end up living at or below the poverty line. It is a two-fold tragedy because it creates a vicious cycle, not only for the teen moms, but for their kids as well. Anne asked all of us to go back and spread the word. So at ABC Daytime, we held an informational briefing with these teens for our writers and producers. And Jill Farren Phelps came back with this story.

[video clip]

So Angela Shapiro and the ABC Daytime team have expanded their efforts to raise awareness by coordinating with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy to provide a ten minute educational version of this tape to high schools across the country.

Issue awareness has always been an important tradition in Daytime, and it was Daytime programming back in the late '60s that pushed the envelope by introducing interracial dating. In the '70s, Daytime featured television's first legal abortion, and showed gripping footage of teen drug addicts attending real-life group therapy sessions. In the past two decades, Daytime has highlighted a host of issues of vital concern to the public. Just last year, One Life To Live brought worldwide attention to ALS. Michael Zaslow worked with the show's writers and producers to create a storyline that not only raised awareness of ALS, but also showcased what a talented actor and an extraordinarily brave person Michael was. And we all miss him dearly.

Here is a scene which addresses gun control. Now what's particularly interesting about this example is it's a 30-minute sitcom, and it's extremely difficult to touch on a serious issue and be funny. This shows that it can be done.

[video clip]

Here's a dramatic example as played out between two characters on NYPD Blue, two characters that we've all come to love. The show continues to spotlight the issue of racial intolerance, so take a look at this clip.

[video clip]

These examples are further proof that the movement started by soaps to educate while entertaining the viewer is catching on. And that's something that all of us here tonight can be proud of. But speaking as a president of a network, I can point to other areas where Prime Time can learn from Daytime's example. Take for instance, the issue of diversity. Prime Time is certainly behind the curve when it comes to having minorities fairly represented on its programs and behind the scenes. I applaud the NAACP and other groups for speaking out on this and keeping this issue front and center. And I've made it a personal mission of mine to do what I can to help make progress. Back in July at the summer press tour, I reaffirmed ABC's commitment to find lasting solutions to make our network more diverse. And I have also personally met with Kwesi Mfume the president of the NAACP and exchanged ideas with him on this issue. When I speak out on this subject, I tell people it is an issue that I take very seriously and very personally. It's an issue that's been on the front burner for me for a long time where I come from in Daytime. I tell them about the progress Daytime has made, resulting in not only lead minority characters in core storylines, but also the range of minority characters of authority. Doctors, lawyers and judges, fully developed characters who are important members of their community with successful careers and caring families and loving partners.

Just as important, I tell them about the steps that Daytime has made behind the camera, although I must say looking at this room, I think we have a lot of work to do. I tell them how, when I was at ABC Daytime, we added minorities to our writing staff through a writer's workshop. How we forced unions to work with us to start minority training for union technicians. How we diversified our stagehands. And I also talk about the efforts Daytime has made, not only to attract minority executives, but to retain them.

A central first step is creating a workplace environment of tolerance and mutual respect. We held diversity workshops at ABC Daytime for every actor, writer and executive. Some 800 people in all. And finally, I tell people that if they're looking for signs of progress, if they were looking for some of the best examples of what's best about television, just look at Daytime. Which brings me to my final point this evening. How do we, as a community, continue to build on Daytime's tradition of leading the way of not only entertaining, but of enlightening.

Now as you all know, there's no such thing as a free lunch, or in this case, a free dinner. So you shouldn't be surprised that I have a request of all of you. A request that we work together, that we strengthen our commitment to support issues that impact our society. Tonight, I'd like to ask you for a commitment. Talk to yours kids, your neighbors, a taxi cab driver. Find out what matters to them. Then talk to the experts. Learn from organizations like PCI and the CDC. Ask them what issues need to be brought to the public's attention. Ask them about upcoming trends. Ask them how you can set an example. Daytime has a unique and powerful role in the entertainment industry, because of its bond with the viewers. And there's no relationship like it. As members of the soap community, we have a special opportunity and an obligation to raise awareness. To not only entertain, but to enlighten. We've done a great job so far. So let's work together to keep this moving forward.

In her book, The Measure of Our Success, author and activist Marilyn Wright Edelman gives her 25 lessons for life. One of them is, use your political and economic power for the community and others less fortunate. So I say tonight, we add to that list, use the power of entertainment. Thank you very much.

SONNY FOX: Pat, we have a few minutes, does anyone have a question ?

AUDIENCE: Do you do any research to measure the impact of your storylines?

PATRICIA FILI-KRUSHEL: Not really. But what we do is we work with a lot of organizations who get feedback through 800 numbers or through requests for information. So in that way, we know the impact of our storylines. We usually alert those organizations when we run 800 numbers at the end of a show to say you can get more information about AIDS or whatever the issue is.

AUDIENCE: What is the demographic profile of soaps today?

PATRICIA FILI-KRUSHEL: Well, the main appeal is to women 18 to 49. That's where we get funded from our advertising. But there's a whole host of viewers and there's a lot of women 50 plus. The audience is about 70 percent female. As we see erosion in the soap audience, I think it important to get that programming in front of more viewers. The theory behind our soap opera cable network is to show those episodes in Prime Time the same day. There are more opportunities for viewing in Prime Time so that those viewers can watch at night.

SONNY FOX: There will be older soaps showing too, won't there?

PATRICIA FILI-KRUSHEL: Yes. I think Ryan's Hope will probably be on our channel.

SONNY FOX: Good storytelling goes on forever. Yes?

AUDIENCE: You were mentioning viewer erosion in Daytime. Do you see that just as much a problem in Prime Time?

PATRICIA FILI-KRUSHEL: Well, it was interesting. Before the O.J. trial, which I'm sure all of us are familiar with, the erosion of soap operas was much less than in the other day parts. Once there was a trial and Daytime got pre-empted, the erosion actually has caught up. The more choices you have, the less any one choice you're going to go to. So it's not as if there's one predator out there. It's just the proliferation of choice.