SoapCity.com Launches Procter & Gamble Soaps on the Web

SoapCity, the Web's leading destination for fans of daytime drama found at http://www.soapcity.com/, has launched two new official sites dedicated to daytime's longest-running dramas, "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns." With a combined total of over 100 years of continuous storytelling between them, "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns," and their parent company Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP), have created an online haven through SoapCity.com for devoted fans of these two revered shows. The launch will be feted at a cocktail reception with the cast members at the Sony Club in New York on the evening of February 7.

"The relationship between P&G and SoapCity marries the old and the new world of daytime drama," comments Mary Coller, Vice President and General Manager of SoapCity. "The convergence of these two classic shows onto the Web offers fans unlimited possibilities for the future."

The official Web sites for "As the World Turns" and "Guiding Light" will offer comprehensive and authorized information about each show including behind the scenes exclusives, show updates, cast biographies, family histories and previews. "Our sites are not your typical soap Web Sites," states Phil Dixson, Senior Vice President, Managing Director of TeleVest Daytime Programs, the organization that works on behalf of PGP. "We have created an online environment that goes beyond the usual information provided by other like-minded sites to create an interactive and fun environment, one in which the shows' talent is involved in a very tangible way."

SoapCity.com, a division of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment (SPDE), already houses the Web's most extensive content dedicated to soap operas featuring editorial updates for all 10 daytime dramas as well as news, previews, style, and an e-commerce area featuring exclusive soap opera merchandise. Since its launch in 1997, http://www.soapcity.com/ has become the pre-eminent source for drama on the Web by connecting soap lovers in cyberspace with one of the strongest member communities dedicated to television.

"Guiding Light" premiered on radio in January 1937 and is the longest-running program in broadcast history. "As the World Turns" celebrates its 45th anniversary on April 2. With the 2001 online launch at http://www.soapcity.com/, fans can finally have access to a rich history of beloved shows and a home to call their own.

About SoapCity:

SoapCity, The Soap Opera Capital of the World™ located at http://www.soapcity.com/, is Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment's premiere soap opera destination. Providing extensive daily coverage for all the daytime dramas, SoapCity hosts the official sites for "Guiding Light," "As the World Turns," "The Young and the Restless" and "Days of our Lives." SoapCity is driven by a fan-based community eager to connect with their favorite shows. With live Web casts, celebrity chats, fashion reviews, up-to-the-minute news and its e-commerce destination, The SoapCity Store, SoapCity has emerged as the number one soap opera entertainment hub.

About Procter & Gamble Productions:

Procter & Gamble pioneered daytime drama in 1933 with its radio broadcast of the first daily dramatic serial, "Oxydol's Own Ma Perkins." The successful teaming of soap products as sponsors for the 15-minute continuing live dramas created what has become known as "soap opera." In 1950, P & G took its programming to the television airwaves and by 1959, had 13 different soap operas on the air each day. Today, "Guiding Light," the only show to survive from that era, and "As the World Turns," are two award-winning programs that continue to engage viewers in the lives and loves of their fictional inhabitants.

SOURCE: SoapCity

Contact: Sal Cataldi of Cataldi PR, 212-244-9797, for SoapCity; or Don
Levy of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, 310-840-7315; or Sheryl Fuchs of
Procter & Gamble Productions, 212-474-5808

Website: http://www.soapcity.com/