The Nights of Their Lives : Daytime’s soaps go for more respect and ratings in prime time

The interview topic, a reporter informs “Days of Our Lives” star Deidre Hall, concerns the fact that the two major awards shows honoring daytime serials--the “Soap Opera Digest Awards” Friday on NBC and the Daytime Emmy Awards May 26 on ABC--are not only airing in prime time this year, but during ratings sweeps months to boot.

To which Hall replies, with gentle but unmistakable glee: “Hee hee hee.”

The actress, who is co-hosting the “Soap Opera Digest Awards” show (with NBC’s “Mad About You” co-star Paul Reiser) for the second consecutive year, has a right to gloat. Long considered showbiz Siberia by much of the entertainment world, the daytime soaps are finally making non-daytimers take notice.

When the Daytime Emmy Awards were broadcast in prime-time for the first time in June, 1991, they finished second in the week’s Nielsen ratings. Last year, they took the top spot. In January, 1992, the “Soap Opera Digest Awards” received their first prime-time airing, finishing 33rd in the ratings and giving NBC its highest Friday-night share of the season among the coveted advertising market of women 18 to 49.

Then, it was just a quick trip to sweeps.

“Once you have something that has that kind of proven performance, it makes sense to put it on during sweeps,” says John Miller, NBC executive vice president of advertising and promotion. Friday’s program marks the first of a three-year NBC commitment to air the show in prime time. “It becomes a bona-fide event, a sweeps weapon,” adds Miller, who is also vice president of daytime and children’s programs.

“We have an incredibly large and devoted audience of fans who will follow soaps wherever they go,” points out Mickey Dwyer-Dobbin, ABC senior vice president of daytime programs. “So we really can attract a lot of people to the Daytime Emmy show, including a lot of working women who watch soaps, whether on a VCR, at the office or on their lunch hour.”

Hall believes that the soap fans’ fervor works its way into the awards shows. “They love to see the passion, the glamour, the excitement and the camaraderie,” she says. “Daytime people show that they care when someone wins. Fifteen people stand and scream their brains out. And what a great excuse it is to wear our beads and bugles. The fans want to see that.”

Changes in the soaps are usually reflected in the “Soap Opera Digest Awards.” For the first time in the program’s nine years, there are no awards for prime-time soaps; CBS’ now-canceled “Knots Landing” is the only one still on the air.

The 16 categories include outstanding social-issue storyline, favorite song and the reinstituted best young actor and actress. There will be a tribute to NBC’s now-defunct “Santa Barbara” and an editors award honoring one soap.

An hour prime-time edition of “Days of Our Lives” will precede the awards, as it did last year.

“A prime-time show has to be somewhat self-contained,” acknowledges co-executive producer Tom Langan. “But this is the end of sweeps. It’s not the time to end stories but to begin them, to hook people. In this hour there will be turning points in three storylines. We’re trying to get (non-’Days’ viewers) to care about the characters and, hopefully, to tune in Monday.”

The episode features a lavish party thrown by Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) to celebrate the opening of his Titan Publishing offices. The occasion weaves together a number of story lines and characters: Marlena-Roman-John (Deidre Hall, Wayne Northrop, Drake Hogestyn), Jack and Jennifer (Matthew Ashford and Melissa Reeves) and Billie-Austin-Carrie (Lisa Rinna, Patrick Muldoon, Christie Clark); a Bo-Carly-Lawrence (Robert Kelker-Kelly, Crystal Chappell, Michael Sabatino) plot transpires elsewhere.

Though last year’s show rated highly with female viewers, it finished 64th for the week, a ranking those involved hope to improve. “Last year, they sort of took the show out of time,” says Langan said. “I didn’t want to do that this year; I wanted the regular viewers to watch and be compelled to watch on Monday.”

NBC’s Miller says that “Days” will probably have another prime-time airing next year. And with the “Soap Opera Digest Awards” assured of two more prime-time events, Soap Opera Digest editor-in-chief and awards show co-executive producer Lynn Leahey is optimistic that the soaps will get the respect she thinks they deserve.

“Those who don’t watch think of soaps as people talking in the kitchen over coffee,” she says. “Now we have location shoots, production values, fine writing and acting. They can be lighthearted and entertaining. A lot of men will sit and watch football games all day and then say, ‘You watch soaps ?’ I think soap operas are a whole lot more socially redeeming than football.”

“Days of Our Lives” prime-time episode airs Friday at 8-9 p.m. on NBC. The ninth annual “Soap Opera Digest Awards” follows at 9-11 p.m. on NBC.