History Of Soap Operas

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I. Introduction We chose “soap operas” as our topic for our research paper because we are interested with it. Most of us would watch Filipino or foreign-made soap operas with our own families. It is the habit of typical Filipino families that after eating supper, we would sit in front of our television sets and wait for our favorite soap operas. Sometimes, we even forget to do our assignments because our minds are concentrating on the television. We chose this topic because it has been a part of our own lives and also the lives of our loved ones. We also want to learn more abot it, how it affects our lives or even our family’s lives. We want to know why Filipinos love to watch soap operas. II. Soap operas and how it started According to the Grolier’s encyclopedia, the term soap opera refers to serialized domestic dramas that were so named because, during the 1930’s, when soap operas were first broadcasted on radio, their principal sponsors were soap companies. The plots,which often take years to unravel, usually focus on the romantic difficulties of stereotyped middle-class characters. During the 1960’s, soap operas virtually disappeared from the radio, but the format proved so successful on television that much of daytime programming is now given over to them. The genre has also been up-classed to primetime in such once-a-week serials as “Gossip Girl”,”Hellcats” and “Pretty Little Liars”. The soap opera public, often restricted to housewives, has broadened to include every segment of the national audience although real-life soaps, such as those displayed profusely on daytime talk shows and on tv coverage of sensational trials, have cut into soap ratings. We watch soap operas because we, Filipinos, love drama. We also love to cry and watch romantic stories. We love to hate antagonists or the “kontrabidas” and get irritated but we still
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