Despite Soap Opera Digest reporting on Tuesday that she was staying, TV Line is now reporting that Monday’s report by CBS Soaps In Depth was correct when it said actress Susan Flannery had informed producers and writers at “The Bold and the Beautiful” that she planned to leave the series at the end of her contract. To compensate, Flannery agreed to sign a short-term deal that would allow her to wrap up Stephanie Forrester’s 25-year storyline.

Read More >>

Photo Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS

Soap Opera Digest held off on reporting any news of Susan Flannery‘s reported decision to leave CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful” yesterday, but today there seems to be a reason why. According to the magazine’s website, Flannery is staying on as Stephanie Forrester.

In CBS Soaps In Depth‘s report yesterday, they indicated that Flannery had signed a short-term contract with “B&B” that will allow the series to write her character off the show, but according to Bradley Bell, Head Writer and Executive Producer of the soap, “Susan, for quite some time, was thinking she needed a break or just have some personal time.” He further states, “She’s been through a lot personally; we know that she had her own battle with cancer and she’s had such an amazing career that she will continue to have as Stephanie Forrester, but I think it’s not so much as a disagreement between her and the show, but more Susan figuring out where she is right now and what she needs. Now, Susan is going to have an incredible time with a new storyline that we’ve never seen before; something completely unique and interesting.”

While Bell’s statement doesn’t necessarily add much contradiction to In Depth‘s reporting, Digest states it will have the full story in its next issue (due out Friday).

“It will never be the same now without Ronn and Susan. Sad!” said Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Forrester) yesterday, in response to a twitter follower who had just learned of Flannery’s departure.

Source Interlink

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — On Sunday, November 13, The New York Times reported that American Media, Inc., which earlier this year purchased the licensing rights of both Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly from owner Source Interlink, in which the company now oversees all aspects including editorial, advertising, marketing and distribution, would be launching a new weekly magazine dubbed Reality Weekly.

The magazine, which is set to launch in January 2012 with a newsstand price of $1.79 per issue, has long been expected. After all, reality TV related programming and “stars” have graced the covers of People and Entertainment Weeky, and even celebrity gossip mags Us Weekly, Star (which is owned by American Media) and Life & Style.  With coveted supermarket placing between both Weekly and Digest, many often wondered if, along with dwindling audience for the soaps, American Media took over the mags just for their positioning and would shutter the mags in place of magazine’s such as Reality Weekly. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Although I do not personally subscribe to either Digest or Weekly, it recently came to my attention that Soap Opera Weekly no longer provides subscriptions for soap fans wishing to receive their Weekly at home as it and numerous other magazines have done since their inceptions. This was later confirmed as the magazine no longer provides an online subscription via the Zinio magazine subscription and tablet application service. Digest and Soaps in Depth (both ABC and CBS editions) continue to provide subscriptions, however.

An American Media representative told Soap Opera Network “Absolutely not!” when asked if the launch of Reality Weekly had anything to do with the company’s decision to stop providing subscriptions for Weekly. “We made it a 100 percent newsstand mag that generates a million dollars of editda per year,” the rep continued. EDITDA stands for Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

In an industry plagued with erosion, it’s safe to say that at least our soap magazine’s appear to have more longevity than some of the soaps themselves.