In 1995, as the former football hero's murder trial wound down, soap execs debated whether their audience, which had dwindled by 10 percent amid nonstop courtroom coverage, would return.

And now we know the answer: It didn't.

So, yeah, O.J. did it.

[Dramatic pause.]

But did he act alone?

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b236680_james_franco_kourtney_kardashian_oprah.html#ixzz1Jibc3zZJ


http://cdn1.newsone.com/files/2010/06/oj-simpson-smiling-murder-trial.jpg

I think it's a combination of things (the Internet, more women in the workforce, decline in quality of writing, reduced production costs) - but the OJ trial sure didn't help any.

I just tend to think , yes woman working now, they are not home as they used to be ironing, sewing,cooking , crossword puzzling like they were in the 1950's and 1960's. So many more stations on the air. The whole new situation of young writers, poor scripts, and let's face it real life is sometimes more scandalous than the soaps. Many reasons why soap operas have slipped in viewers.

A lot of older people who watched the soaps for years (like my mother for instance) are now watching other programs, and a lot of younger viewers who would normally start watching the soaps are also watching something else. That has never happened before and that is also a good chunk of their audience that is now gone.

Reality tv is killing the soaps as well.

So many more stations on the air.

You're right; I'd forgotten about all the zillion channels out there now that didn't exist back in those days.