Abstract
What is described as ‘a major leap of faith’ by producer Danie Odendaal (Labuschagne, 2010:62) has turned out to be somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. For one, 7de Laan was, at thetime of the study, the most popular Afrikaans soap in that it reached a bigger audience than anyother Afrikaans soap, such as Binneland2 (M-Net and KykNET)3 and Villa Rosa (kykNET) (TVSA,2010). It further held its own in the fiercely competitive timeslot of 18:30 during which two othersoaps, namely Isidingo (SABC 3)4 and Rhythm City (e.tv), were then broadcast. The soap hasalso received the Voters’ Choice Award for best soap opera two years’ running at the South AfricanFilm and Television Awards, thereby confirming its popularity. Although initially commissioned forthe upper-income category (De Lange, 2007: 3), 7de Laan now has a much wider audiencebase, which includes viewers from different socio-economic, racial and language groups. Usingreception analysis as point of departure, this study used in-depth interviews with a cross-culturalsample of viewers to describe the appeal of 7de Laan.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
