TV Soap
{{Infobox magazine
| title = TV Soap
| image_file = TVSoapFinalCover.jpg
| image_caption = The cover of the final issue
| editor = Vesna Petropoulos
| category = Television, soap opera
| frequency = Fortnightly (from 2000)
| format =
| circulation = 149,000 (Dec 2019 – Dec 2020)
| publisher = nextmedia
| founder = Ben Mitchell
| founded =
| firstdate = {{start date|1984|09||df=y}}
| finaldate = {{end date|2020|12||df=y}}
| finalnumber =
| company =
| country = Australia
| based = New South Wales
| language = English
| website = {{URL|https://www.tvsoap.com.au/}}
| issn =
| eissn =
| oclc = 899365890
}}
TV Soap was a fortnightly magazine covering American, Australian and UK daytime and primetime soap operas, published in Australia. TV Soap was founded by Ben Mitchell and launched in September 1984, as a rival to TV Week. It was one of four magazines launched that year by Magazine Promotions. TV Soap followed a similar formula to Soap Opera Digest, which was published in the United States. After closing, TV Soap was relaunched in June 1989 and acquired by Horwitz Publications. With its circulation increasing, TV Soap proclaimed that it was "Australasia's No. 1 soap opera magazine" and several spin-offs were published, including Daytime TV. In 2000, Vesna Petropoulos was appointed editor and TV Soap went from being published monthly to fortnightly. For six years, the TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards were held in California. nextmedia ceased publication of the magazine in 2020 and the last issue of TV Soap was published in December.
History
TV Soap was first published in September 1984, priced at $1.50.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-we-interrupt-t/162579992/|title=We interrupt this newspaper to bring you a new magazine. TV Soap!|date=30 September 1984|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=8 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} It was one of 28 new magazines launched in 1984, and one of four published by Magazine Promotions, owned by John Fairfax and Sons.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-new-magazines/65628171/|title=New magazines find it pays to specialise|last=O'Meara|first=Maeve|date=12 January 1985|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=8 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} Its founding editor was journalist and writer Ben Mitchell.{{cite news|url=https://www.mediaweek.com.au/nextmedia-pulls-the-plug-on-tv-soap-magazine-final-edition-on-sale/|title=Nextmedia pulls the plug on TV Soap magazine, final edition on sale|date=27 November 2020|work=Mediaweek|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-date=17 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217010149/https://www.mediaweek.com.au/nextmedia-pulls-the-plug-on-tv-soap-magazine-final-edition-on-sale/|url-status=live}} TV Soap joined the television magazine market and was an immediate rival to TV Week, which had a circulation of 845,000. They were also joined by TV Star which launched in December 1984. All three magazines covered commercial television and soap opera stars, with TV Soap following a similar formula to US magazine Soap Opera Digest.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-media-halo-sit/162597775/|title=Media halo sit snugly on Murdoch|last=McCarthy|first=Phillip|date=19 June 1989|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} During the six months to September 1985, TV Soap had a circulation of 66,658 copies.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-strong-lift-in/162588614/|title=Strong lift in sales of business magazines|last=Whitehead|first=Robert|date=9 December 1985|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=8 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}}
By 1989, the magazine had closed, however, in June of that year, TV Soap was relaunched, having been purchased by Michael Mohi's publishing group.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-shake-up-for-t/162598183/|title=Shake-up for teenager titles|last=Wright|first=Lea|date=20 July 1989|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} It was later acquired by Horwitz Publications.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-mag-puts-viewe/65572520/|title=Mag puts viewers in picture|last=Burbury|first=Rochelle|date=17 February 1994|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} By 1992, TV Soap had a circulation of 85,082.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-age-circulation-rises-for-thir/162605020/|title='Age' circulation rises for third time|date=29 May 1992|work=The Age|access-date=8 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} TV Soap and TV Hits had a combined circulation of 190,000, while their rival TV Week posted a loss of 145,803.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-womens-magazi/162604376/|title=Women's magazines advance, the rest retreat|date=30 January 1992|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=8 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} By 1993, TV Soap claimed to be "Australasia's No. 1 soap opera magazine".{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-television/162606234/|title=Television|last=Pryor|first=Dennis|date=3 April 1993|work=The Age|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} It now featured both Australian and US soap opera news, lift-out posters, and news pieces about actors from Hollywood. Dennis Pryor of The Age thought the layout was similar to the "hectic rapidity of image-shift you get in television commercials." TV Soap's circulation was 82,386 in the audit released in 1994. After feedback from readers, Horwitz launched a spin-off titled Daytime TV, which covered daytime soaps, gossip and celebrities. It was also edited by Mitchell.
In 1996, the magazine's circulation had risen to 85,751.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-mythologies/162610729/|title=Mythologies|date=5 September 1996|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} That year saw Australian actress Melissa Bell, who appeared in Neighbours and E Street, write a column for the publication in which she discussed her personal life and fellow actors.{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A104095559/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=a3037993|title=Mel tells of hell belles|last=Corbett|first=Bryce|last2=Symons|first2=Emma-Kate|date=28 October 1996|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Gale|url-access=subscription}} The magazine also hosted the TV Soap Celebrity Cruise, which sailed from Sydney Harbour with actors including Bell, Emma Harrison and Rebekah Elmaloglou on board.{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A104083952/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=21d64373|title=Soap stars swap froth for foam|last=Corbett|first=Bryce|last2=Symons|first2=Emma-Kate|date=9 November 1996|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Gale|url-access=subscription}} In 1998, TV Soap rose in circulation to 96,786 sales a month. During the year, nextmedia launched a competing magazine titled Soap World.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-soap-bubbles-i/162611514/|title=Soap bubbles in the magazine world|date=24 February 1998|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} Pop television magazines suffered a decline in circulation by 2000 and TV Soap fell ten per cent to 93,000.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-lives-of-the-o/162612780/|title=Lives of the ordinary and greedy are back in vogue|last=Dale|first=David|date=8 August 2000|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=9 January 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} TV Soap now mostly featured articles on US soaps The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, and The Young and the Restless, but it also covered Australian and UK soaps.{{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/11/tv-soap-magazine-ends-after-30-years.html|title=TV Soap magazine ends after 36 years|last=Knox|first=David|date=27 November 2020|publisher=TV Tonight|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-date=12 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912090441/https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/11/tv-soap-magazine-ends-after-30-years.html|url-status=live}} David Knox of TV Tonight observed that The Bold & the Beautiful featured on every cover.
Vesna Petropoulos was appointed editor of TV Soap in 2000, while Horwitz was acquired by nextmedia.{{cite magazine|last=Petropoulos|first=Vesna|date=7 December 2020|title=Goodbye and farewell...|magazine=TV Soap|page=5}} The magazine also went from being published monthly to fortnightly. Petropoulos co-created the TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards, which were held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel until 2006. The awards celebrated the best of daytime soap operas and were voted for by readers. Other spin-off magazines were created, including Soap News, New Zealand TV Update, and 25 Years of The Bold and The Beautiful. By the end of 2016, TV Soap reached 186,000 readers, an increase of 34.8%.{{cite web|title=Magazine readership finishes 2016 on a high|url=http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7136-australian-magazine-print-readership-and-cross-platform-audiences-december-2016-201702091429|date=9 February 2017|publisher=Roy Morgan Research|access-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209063206/http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7136-australian-magazine-print-readership-and-cross-platform-audiences-december-2016-201702091429|archive-date=9 February 2017}}
On 27 November 2020, reporters for Mediaweek and TV Tonight confirmed that the 7 December 2020 Collectors Edition issue of TV Soap was its last. Nextmedia stated: "After what has been an amazing journey, the difficult decision has been made to cease publishing TV Soap in December 2020. The team would like to thank its loyal fans and readers who have made producing this magazine a reality over the last 30 years." From December 2019 to December 2020, the last year of its publication, TV Soap posted a 7.2% increase in readership for a final total of 149,000.{{cite web|url=http://www.roymorgan.com/industries/media/readership/magazine-readership|title=Magazine Print Readership Summary – December 2020|publisher=Roy Morgan Research|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228155219/http://www.roymorgan.com/industries/media/readership/magazine-readership|archive-date=28 February 2021}}