The Origin of the Genre

As I researched the origin of the genre I came to the conclusion that many people seem to disagree.  I will discuss some of these ideas near the end of this post, but first, I figured it would be prudent to display some of the facts that seem to be relatively universally accepted:

• Soap Operas (and I'm almost certain Telenovelas as well) originated in the 1930s as 15-minute segment radio shows sponsored by different companies (the title Soap Opera comes from the fact that many of these shows were sponsored by Proctor & Gamble a company that produced cleaning products, hence the "Soap" portion.))
• It seems wildly accepted that Soaps and Telenovelas share a common ancestor in the serial newspaper stories of France.
• With the standardization of television Soap Operas and Telenovelas breached outwards in the 1950s to include television showtimes originally in 30-minute segments and later in hour long segments.  
• The 1950s period showed Soaps and Telenovelas geared towards housewives, and existed in the daytime block which saw little other action.
• By the 1970s however, the genres saw a shift in content and show time.  The shows were pushed into prime time slots and began addressing more controversial topics like "deception, incest, murder, and adultery." 

These are all seemingly agreeable facts, but some sources provide a more interesting picture. These sources say that the genres originated from enterprises desire to reach consumers, but they state that Soaps and Telenovelas differ because of the way it was handled in the different societies. In America sponsor companies got a large amount of control over how the show would run, but in Latin America the power lay with the producers. This meant that the pieces could be much more culturally aware since the producer could choose what writing to use for each piece. These sources also state that Telenovelas placement in prime time slots is what ended up giving them their format differences from Soap Operas, thus making them a more cultural product, full of melodrama.

Let me make a brief statement on the topic of melodrama. Martin-Barbero's research into Latin American television showed that melodrama is a central reason for the appeal of telenovelas. Melodrama "makes it possible for the urban masses to appropriate modernity without abandoning their oral culture." This does not however, make it a homogeneous form. Different countries have distinct differences in the style of their melodrama. Mexican telenovelas for example are often the most dramatic, while Brazilian telenovelas use it to portray the "realism of the society instead of the individual." [Barrera & Bielby 5] The success and popularity of telenovelas in Latin America are due to the narrative format that articulates the cultural image of the people.