Susan Lucci on Brian Frons: "He Has That Fatal Combination of Ignorance and Arrogance"
Looks like the paperback version of Susan Lucci's autobiography All My Life: A Memoir is set to bring a bittersweet smile to millions of heartbroken ABC soap fans. According to the New York Post, the All My Children leading lady puts ABC Daytime president Brian Frons on full blast for his decision to cancel AMC in the book's new epilogue, citing his hiring of "subpar" pal Chuck Pratt to write for the show, moving AMC to LA and other disastrous moves on Frons' part, like forcing out creator Agnes Nixon.
Lucci says Frons told her in April that “All My Children” would be replaced by a food show cheaper to make. She writes, “An iconic show was losing out to greed ... If Brian Frons could show his bosses that he could save the network 40 percent ... he could keep his job even if the rest of us lost ours.” She continues, “I watched Brian Frons’ decisions destroy the production of our show and the lives of people on both sides of the country.”
Lucci said Frons appeared “self-congratulatory” delivering the bad news to the cast, and he “has what, for me, is that fatal combination of ignorance and arrogance,” adding, “I cannot fathom any network executive choosing to alienate millions of loyal viewers in these economic times.”
Frons appearing self-congratulatory certainly lines up with what TV Guide's Michael Logan reported last April about Frons' demeanor when he was planning to gut AMC and OLTL at the same time.
Word is, ABC Daytime chief Brian Frons has a talk show and reality show lined up for fall — both of them much cheaper to produce than soaps — and he needs to clear the schedule. More disturbing, insiders say Frons has been extremely cavalier about all this, showing no signs of sorrow or regret about a drastic decision that will leave General Hospital as the network's only daytime soap.
Extremely cavalier, self-congratulatory, sounds like the man who said, "Our lesbians are cuter" to me. Which has me wondering, why did Frons even bother giving those tired interviews to the soap magazines a few weeks ago? You know, the ones where he talked about how he and everyone else at ABC who worked on AMC and OLTL loved the soaps just like the fans did? (Uh, bull ish. Top PR and marketing execs who worked under Frons at ABC and SOAPnet reportedly told anyone who would listen they weren't even fans of the soap opera genre.)
Maybe Frons is finally starting to feel the heat? I heard awhile back he had allegedly sought the assistance of a head hunter to sniff out potential new gigs. I'm sure the beloved queens of daytime finally speaking out about his shoddy leadership isn't helping his case; especially considering the yahoos he's entrusted to handle his division's public image.
If Jeff Zucker lost his job for dismantling NBC's primetime lineup, shouldn't there be similar recompense for Frons having done the exact same thing to ABC's daypart? At any rate, I cannot wait to get my hands on that epilogue!
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Comments
1 July 2009
14 hours 33 min
Let it out, Susan, let him have it!!
Love this!!!
17 March 2010
15 hours 47 min
I'm a little surprised she's going to let loose like that in the paperback edition of her book.
Audiences' tastes change and genres come and go, but Frons and ABC killed their soaps. Daytime soaps may have been dying before Frons, but he and ABCD hastened their demise by plunging the knife in way before soaps were ready to take their dying breath.
2 February 2009
8 hours 1 min
Frons is disgusting. Everyone at GH should be looking for new jobs. How the hell did Frons even get this job? It would be like me getting a job promoting and pushing the emo lifestyle; emos annoy me and I really know nothing about them at all. It was probably Frons' plan to dismantle soaps from the very beginning. I hope he burns for eternity.
16 June 2010
1 day 12 hours
I believe they followed the example of P&G/CBS when they couldn't agree on anything and together destroyed the two shows especially gl. (Ashley/Grady/deaged Daisy) Remember???? I do believe SL knows what she is talking about. Reduce viewers by killing a show. There is always a million who will watch out of complete loyalty. Others drop the shows.
I hope this online version is successful. I just found out I can adapt my tv to my little laptop and I think I will be good to go.
I think Frons is in for a big surprise. The continuous dramas bring the people back to your channel daily. The other shows, even popular ones, are watched here and there. They are not shows that most people will mind missing. Wait and see, now with boomers retiring.....I see the overall daily viewing of the networks taking a giant dive...
23 April 2008
2 days 23 hours
Susan is very smart- perhaps one of the smartest in daytime how she does her bidding. Very respectable and classy. What does Frons think? No one was going to call him out? people are not stupid and especially those who work in ABC Daytime- they've been watchin for a looong time.
12 February 2010
2 hours 26 min
Tell it, girl!!!
13 December 2009
4 hours 48 min
I think Frons is a bumble head but are his decisions any worse than what Sony and the Bells are doing and have been doing over at Y&R or what Ken Corday has been doing at Days? I may not care for B&B but I for one at least believes Bradley Bell loves his show and believes the moves he makes are good for the show. Ken Corday is an idiot and I partially blame Sony along with the Bell family for both Days and Y&R also.
I think Frons is dumb/arrogant enough to believe the moves he made were for the good of the shows. Yes I do believe the man is that stupid and he fits right along with executive mgmt in todays climate who dont know squat but think they do. Hell Barbara Bloom anyone?
this I take seriously from Lucci because this woman is the epitome of class and I give her credit for towing the company line all these years and putting on a happy face and no I don't think her speaking out would have mattered at all. While IA Pratt was a terrible choice for AMC I really wonder what kind of glass house these people at AMC were living in to think the show was doing great before him. It was boring and then there was the "unabortion, banana pancakes" Megan McTavish.
14 June 2011
3 min 28 sec
I find it amusing(as well as infuriating), that, when I'm tuned in for the hours of 12:30-4:00 PM here in the East, the networks are hawking primetime "scripted drama".
Which begs the question: Mr. Frons, why are you so sure that people are moving away from such programs during the day? If they're looking for it at night, surely there must be a market for it during the day. And if people cannot be home to watch it live, why then do they bother to record/DVR it?
As La Lucci says, "...the fatal combination of ignorance and arrogance."
The same qualities shared by Gordon Elliott at...(I can't bring myself to type that replacement shows title.)...
16 March 2008
5 min 49 sec
OMG! Just visualize a video somebody took and posted on YouTube showing Susan Lucci running into Fat Boy Frons, hauling off, and giving him one of the patented Erica Kane full arm extending hard slap across the face, followed by the hand to shoulder hair flip.
Hey, a guy can dream but just visualize it. It would be GLORIOUS!
17 February 2009
4 hours 42 min
Like.
27 January 2010
28 weeks 22 hours
Too little, too late Susan. As a fan, it's frustrating. Where were these comments months/years ago? Susan was a company girl til the bitter end... In public she appeared to completely support Frons' vision for AMC, no matter how ridiculous it got. I wish she had made these statements BEFORE the show was cancelled. But regardless... She is a class act and I wish her the best.
27 June 2011
18 weeks 14 hours
Like I commented earlier, I love Susan Lucci but all this talking is too little, too late. So what, if Frons is horrible person who hates soaps? The most important thing is the fact that those of us who "claim" to love the soap industry allowed Frons to do this to us when we could have organized and tried to stop him years ago. But we turned a blind eye for various reasons. Now, the soap industry is on its death bed and everyone wants to use Frons as a scapegoat. If you allow a dangerous person to destroy something you care about, don't commit yourself to stopping them and you are willing to put up with their abuse or turn a blind eye until they have accomplished their mission, you only have yourself to blame. Frons is a soap hater, why would anyone expect him to actually try to save the industry and furthermore, get mad that he didn't? What's next, getting upset that Playboy Magazine doesn't value women for their intellect?
13 December 2009
4 hours 48 min
@ TnT 2.0 Forever
Bravo. And all the ranting and raving about Frons now where was all this ranting and raving when McTrash was over at AMC gutting that show before Pratt. OLTL well while the Todd story is bringing in viewers lets notpretend that that show doesn't hate women and treat them as vapid appendages and for YEARs people kissed the ass of Bob Guza over at GH and didn't bat an eye with his murderous vision as long as Jason and Liz were together ignoring what so many have and are still pissed about. Yet somehow someway these were all ok moves by Frons when people liked what these folks were doing. And under these writers the show were still dropping viewers as they still are(barring the uptic OLTL got from the Todd story). Brian Frons AND HIS APPOINTed WRITERS have killed these shows for years lets not forget that people.
17 February 2009
4 hours 42 min
Confusion.
13 December 2009
4 hours 48 min
Whats the confusing part. How many people have ignored what Brian Frons and his minions like Mctavish, Guza, and yes Carvalati to an extent have done provided they get what they want. Many. Raving about Jason and Liz, Zach and Kendall and whatever while watching AMC kill off Dixie, write off Brooke, gut the show and watching Bob GUza decimate the Quartermaines Cassadines and be ok with it because Liason are magical or because Liz is now in a frontburner story while he butchered that show was a -ok. Now people seem to want to blame Frons for what he has been doing for years because the shows are cancelled or getting there. In many ways we have all been enabling what Brian Frons has been doing haven't we?
29 December 2008
3 weeks 5 days
People have been hating Frons for as long as i have been coming to the message boards i didnt know someone could be hated so much before i started coming online especially at the ABC board which has been over 6 years now hating Frons is not something that has just happened recently.
29 April 2010
37 weeks 3 days
It's good to know these soap stars are speaking the truth and not something cooked up by ABC or Frons... good for you Susan!
17 February 2009
4 hours 42 min
The confusing part is that you would reference Jason and Elizabeth. They aren't together. They weren't allowed to share scenes or acknowledge that they even knew each other from 2002 to 2006 and again after 2008 until recently. Elizabeth gets treated like a red-headed stepchild, the actress was FIRED earlier this year. I would hardly think you would use Rebecca Herbst as a poster child for the ills inflicted on GH/ABC by Brian Frons other than the fact that she and her character have been his favorite VICTIM for the past 9 years. He is clearly NOT on her side and hates Elizabeth & Jason so while I'm not confused about THAT I am confused about your point.
27 June 2011
18 weeks 14 hours
@cokeyloveshersoaps
Oh, people have always complained about Frons and yet continue to support the shows and rave about the writers and agenda-driven story lines, no matter how much women, fans, actors, gay and minority characters are disrespected. This applies to all three ABC soaps. But people aren't usually objective, they are more than willing to overlook the shortcomings on their favorite soap or of their favorite writer/producer and point the finger at another. Unless we are willing to honestly take a look at what can be done to improve the genre and the quality of the soaps produced, the industry will continue on its current path. Besides, its much easier to scapegoat Frons than to consider how my fave(soap, writer, producer, etc.) may have actively and/or passively played a role in the destruction of the soap industry.
@jphelps
You are absolutely right! Many viewers will put up with certain things as long as they get what they want. This kind of behavior only encourages Frons to continue doing whatever he wants.
3 June 2010
3 hours 32 min
The confusing part is that you would reference Jason and Elizabeth. They aren't together. They weren't allowed to share scenes or acknowledge that they even knew each other from 2002 to 2006 and again after 2008 until recently. Elizabeth gets treated like a red-headed stepchild, the actress was FIRED earlier this year. I would hardly think you would use Rebecca Herbst as a poster child for the ills inflicted on GH/ABC by Brian Frons other than the fact that she and her character have been his favorite VICTIM for the past 9 years. He is clearly NOT on her side and hates Elizabeth & Jason so while I'm not confused about THAT I am confused about your point.
You are absolutely right doodley, I think jphelps was trying to make the point, as long as a fanbase is happy..in that they are getting what they want...they don't care about what is happening on the rest of the show...Unfortunately I guess jphelps doesn't really watch the show, or they would know what you just posted. Jason and Elizabeth fans have probably been the LEAST happy, these past 4 years.....Now if you want to bring up SAM AND JASON fans... who got pretty much everything they asked for their couple...then their point would have been correct.
7 April 2011
11 hours 19 min
Doodleynoodle - One would only draw a connection between GH's decline and Liason if they hated the pair. Clearly, no one pairing or s/l destroyed GH or any soap, it's the fact that ABC/Disney wanted out of the soap game just like Proctor and Gamble before. Frons is carrying the company's desire.
6 January 2010
35 weeks 1 day
I'm glad Susan Is finally speaking out. However, while permoting her
book she did many interviews latching out at a certain blogger with an agenda.
Now we know this blogger's job is to report the happenings and goings on of soap
opera entertainment . The good the bad the ugly. Tell it like it is.
I think Susan ought to be willing to give an interview . So maybe a little I'm sorry i dished you when your were only doing your job . Thanks for telling the truth while others were smiling to the camera and keeping a blinds eye to what was really going down. Always keep it real Daytime Confindential!
3 June 2010
3 hours 32 min
I applaud Susan Lucci for stepping up and speaking out. So many of the other actors, I am sure would love to do the same thing. Probably the fear of being black balled in the industry, prevents them from doing this. I am sure Frons has that power,... to open and close doors for these actors...Lucci probably doesn't care any more though...She has the PP deal if she wants ...or probably has enough money to now retire...Good for her.
4 February 2009
5 days 22 hours
Finally Susan you speak up THANK you
27 June 2011
18 weeks 14 hours
@soapbaby
I agree that ABC/Disney wanted out of soaps and used Frons to do their bidding. However, I don't understand the anger at Frons. He didn't just start this, it took years to get to this point. Why weren't all these people who are speaking out now, saying something back then? Especially to ABC/Disney? They might or might not have changed the course of things in the soap industry but at least they could honestly say that they stood up and fought for the industry. Instead they kept quiet and now want to blame Frons or ABC/Disney? Those people don't care about soaps. Their priority is to make money for their shareholders. So I honestly don't see what all these comments blaming Frons after the fact accomplish. The responsibility is on us to make them pay attention to us before, not after, they have succeeded in doing what they set out to do.
27 June 2011
18 weeks 14 hours
@GHFan777
If people are too afraid speak up, then Frons wins. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing". (Edmund Burke) In other words, ABC Daytime's fate was sealed the minute Frons started his job because no one had the courage to call him out.
4 May 2009
1 hour 24 min
Hell yeah Susan! Love you!
Frons is a useless fuck and we all know it.
8 December 2009
18 weeks 4 days
To quote the folks at the Pine Valley Podcast, "SUCK IT, FRONS!"
Long after AMC is gone, Frons will be forgotten, but Susan Lucci will always be remembered as the classier and more truthful...
29 August 2010
6 days 17 hours
How the hell did Frons even get this job?
**********
10 bucks says he has a few unflattering pictures of someone bent over a desk in an uncompromising position…
That said, good on Susan for speaking out!
25 February 2009
31 weeks 16 hours
While I'm glad she finally said something, imagine the power her words would have had if she had only spoken up WHILE the disastrous moves were taking place.