Phil Redmond 1978–2008), "Brookside" (Channel 4, 1982–2003) and "Hollyoaks" (Channel 4, 1995—). For over twenty years he also ran his own independent production company, Mersey Television, before selling off the company in 2005. Redmond also created the daytime legal drama, "The Courtroom" which was cancelled after 38 episodes. In 2013 Phil Redmond published his autobiography Mid-Term Report. In 2016 Phil Redmond published his first novel Highbridge which was follow up from a short Ebook called "Hightbridge the Beginning" which was published in 2015. In 1989, Redmond was awarded the post of Honorary Professor of Media Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, where
Soap Opera Digest had up to 1.4 million subscribers. In 1980, Network Publishing Corporation purchased the magazine from Shapiro, who went on to found "Soap Opera Update". Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation bought the magazine from Gerry M. Ritterman in 1989. Ritterman had owned "Soap Opera Digest" for three years before selling it to Murdoch Magazines; Ritterman earned more than $50 million from his share of the $70 million purchase price. According to Ritterman, he'd purchased the magazine at 750,000 subscribers and sold it at 1.3 million. Murdoch sold Soap Opera Digest to K-III Communications in 1991. K-III was renamed Primedia in 1997, and