2. Broadcast radio

3. Advertise soap powder to American housewives

4. Soap is a feminine genre is primarily aimed at women

5. This affects scheduling- because traditional female roles are based in the home soaps are aired after mealtimes when there is a lull in the day

6. Target audience also affects storylines, narrative perspective, characterisation, settings, and costume.

7. Soap operas run continuously, in the same time slots, on the same days, broadcast by the same institution, for years. Because they are repeated so often, they become part of the cultural psyche. They become part of who “we” are.

8. The characters become “people”

9. Storylines are relatable- audiences can watch and understand what is happening, and empathise with characters. Or hate them.

10. Some storylines can be outrageous- e.g. baby-swapping in Eastenders.

11. Most soaps have between 10-15 main characters, with overlapping, interweaving storylines

12. Storylines overlap to keep audiences interested. Different strands can run alongside each other but develop at different times.

13. Catharsis: emotional cleansing. The purging of negative emotions by watching another person goes through something similar/ worse.

14. Soap becomes therapy when it is cathartic- people deal with their problems vicariously

15. Soap operas become a form of escapism for certain audiences