The term " Soap Opera" has never been value-neutral. Stories of wealth and glamour appealed to the housebound wife, and the use of serialization held the interest of the audience from day to day. What is missing is the Operatic tradition within the name. Indeed the target audience was the housewife, so marketing household and cleaning products towards her seems a natural fit. Many critics begin by defining the soap opera by its sponsors. By now she was ready with Woman in White, the first daytime serial to be centered on a hospital (many have speculated about Irna Phillips' hypochondria in association with her fascination with hospitals.) When Phillips' mother, the inspiration for the lead character, passed away, Irna insisted the show be discontinued. While she was suing for the ownership of the show (CBS was eventually the rights to the program) she created Today's Children ( available in the Rare Soap Operas Collection) for rival station WMAQ, which was an NBC affiliate.
Painted Dreams enjoyed a good deal of success, but Phillips couldn't talk WGN management into taking it national. Although originally unsponsored, Phillips would add an engagement and wedding to the plot in order to maximize product tie-ins. Irna Phillips, an actress and staff writer for talk shows on WGN, Chicago, was given the assignment of creating a 15 minute daily show "about a family."The result was Painted Dreams, a story of Mother Moynihan and her unmarried daughter. The Housewife was busy taking care of the home, and would have the radio on as company.
Originally broadcast in the evening, the show was moved to daytime on Feb 15, 1932. Interest soon grew and Colgate-Palmolive soon took sponsorship. WGN-AM, Chicago, is credited with the very first soap opera, Clara, Lu, and Em, premiering Jun 16, 1930.The act began as sorority sketch by three friends Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu), and Helen King (Em),at Northwestern University it was popular enough that friends suggested they take it to radio.The trio approached WGN and did the first shows without pay.
That left the Housewife, by herself a powerful market force. It was reasoned that Men would be away from home working, and Children either at school or playing. By 1930 the Networks and the Advertisers recognized the great potential of the Daytime market.
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