BREAKING NEWS: Barbara Bloom OUT

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 6:28 PM ET by Xavier Toups

Photo: CBS

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) – Soap Opera Network can confirm that Barbara Bloom, CBS Sr. VP of Daytime Programming, was fired by the network. The rumour was first reported by Daytime Confidential.

Bloom has been involved with daytime television for almost 20 years. In 1992, she joined ABC Daytime as Director of Advertising. A year later, she became a Program Executive at “One Life to Live” and in 1996 she moved up to ABC’s West Coast Daytime Programming.

In 2000, she became Co-Head Writer of “Port Charles,” though her tenure didn’t last long when Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown took over head writing duties. Bloom continued writing for the show until she jumped networks in 2003 replacing Lucy Johnson as head of CBS Daytime.

Under her watch, two of daytime’s longest running soap operas were canceled: “Guiding Light” went off the air on September 18, 2009 and “As The World Turns” ended on September 17, 2010.

CBS Press Release:

Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President, Daytime, CBS Entertainment, will leave the Network when her contract expires at the end of the month.

“I’ve had the great fortune to work with an extraordinary group of executives, producers and talent who make CBS #1 in daytime,” said Bloom.  “With CBS Daytime teed up for success and stability for many years ahead, the timing feels right for me to make a change now and seek something different. The dramas have multi-year renewals, ‘The Price is Right’ has great momentum with Drew, ‘Let’s Make Deal’ with Wayne Brady is firmly established and ‘The Talk’ is a growing franchise.  I’ve been a writer, a producer and a programming executive, and now I’m excited to see what the next chapter has to offer.”

“Barbara artfully led CBS through several key transitions in her eight years here,” said Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment.  “She helped usher in a new era on ‘The Price is Right’ with Drew Carey and guided delicate programming changes from two daytime dramas to successful game and talk shows while maintaining CBS’s leadership position in the daypart.  All of these efforts have positioned CBS very well for the future.  Daytime is successful, profitable, refreshed creatively and has more variety of programming for our audience.  We wish Barbara tremendous success wherever her talents take her.”