Soap Opera Digest Awards
Encyclopedia
The Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest
. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera
genre and are decided by the fans who read the magazine. The statue itself is currently made of crystal, and is in the shape of a heart.
The first Soap Opera Digest Award show aired in 1984, and was featured on national syndicated television and hosted by then husband and wife Catherine Hickland
and David Hasselhoff
. One of the reasons for the move up was the new-found audience of both Daytime and Prime time
soap operas. That year for the first time awards were given to prime time soap operas as well as daytime soaps. This practice was phased out in the 1990s as primetime soap operas began losing the large appeal they once had.
For the first two years fans themselves voted on the nominees list as well as the winners. This had the side effect that in 1985, Days of our Lives
swept almost every category. The third awards were changed so that the editors of the magazine chose the nominees and every reader was allowed one ballot to vote for their favorites. This allowed other shows like Santa Barbara
and Another World
to take home trophies. A change in award season from the end of the year to the beginning meant that there was no show in 1987.
In 1992 the awards were broadcast live for the first time; in addition, the award statue (previously a flat crystal heart) was redesigned to be taller. NBC
had been broadcasting the Soap Opera Digest Awards since the show made its way to network TV, but the show would no longer be seen on the network after the airing of the 2000 awards. The year 2001 marked the first time that there was no awards ceremony and voting was done entirely online. In 2003 the cable channel SOAPnet
broadcast the awards which were hosted by Daytime Emmy nominated hosts Lisa Rinna
and Ty Treadway
.
No awards were given out in 2002 or 2004. The 2005 awards were done entirely through the magazine. Fans could find a ballot in a November issue of Soap Opera Digest and then mail it to the editors. Only one ballot per person was counted. The awards were announced in the magazine in February 2005.
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
genre and are decided by the fans who read the magazine. The statue itself is currently made of crystal, and is in the shape of a heart.
The first Soap Opera Digest Award show aired in 1984, and was featured on national syndicated television and hosted by then husband and wife Catherine Hickland
Catherine Hickland
Catherine Hickland is a singer and an actress best known for roles in soap operas broadcast in the United States, most notably as the character of Lindsay Rappaport on ABC's One Life to Live, a character which she has portrayed since 1998.- Early life :Hickland was born and raised in Fort...
and David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
. One of the reasons for the move up was the new-found audience of both Daytime and Prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
soap operas. That year for the first time awards were given to prime time soap operas as well as daytime soaps. This practice was phased out in the 1990s as primetime soap operas began losing the large appeal they once had.
For the first two years fans themselves voted on the nominees list as well as the winners. This had the side effect that in 1985, Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
swept almost every category. The third awards were changed so that the editors of the magazine chose the nominees and every reader was allowed one ballot to vote for their favorites. This allowed other shows like Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara (TV series)
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
and Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
to take home trophies. A change in award season from the end of the year to the beginning meant that there was no show in 1987.
In 1992 the awards were broadcast live for the first time; in addition, the award statue (previously a flat crystal heart) was redesigned to be taller. NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
had been broadcasting the Soap Opera Digest Awards since the show made its way to network TV, but the show would no longer be seen on the network after the airing of the 2000 awards. The year 2001 marked the first time that there was no awards ceremony and voting was done entirely online. In 2003 the cable channel SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
broadcast the awards which were hosted by Daytime Emmy nominated hosts Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna
Lisa Deanna Rinna is an American television host and actress. She is known for her roles as Billie Reed on Days of our Lives, Taylor McBride on Melrose Place, and most recently as the host of SoapNet's Soap Talk.-Acting:...
and Ty Treadway
Ty Treadway
Tyrus Richard "Ty" Treadway is a game show host, actor and talk show host. Treadway had co-hosted Soap Talk with Lisa Rinna.-Biography:Ty was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey to Richard and Mary Lou Treadway...
.
No awards were given out in 2002 or 2004. The 2005 awards were done entirely through the magazine. Fans could find a ballot in a November issue of Soap Opera Digest and then mail it to the editors. Only one ballot per person was counted. The awards were announced in the magazine in February 2005.
List of Soap Opera Digest Awards
List of Soap Opera Digest Awards1st Soap Opera Digest Awards
The first annual Soap Opera Digest Awards were held in 1984, with the second being screened on NBC and Days of our Lives winning every award in the daytime categories. For the subsequent 6 years votes were for awards in either daytime soaps, or primetime...