UPDATE (11/11 – 3:30 PM): Stephanie Sloane has departed a360media as VP, Editorial Director. In addition to overseeing Soap Opera Digest (see story below), Sloane also oversaw teen books such as J-14 for the publisher whose print editions are also being folded, Soap Opera Network has confirmed. The print edition of J-14 is no longer being published, effective with the January 2024 issue. Sloane exited a360media at the end of October 2023. Her position was eliminated by the company.
PREVIOUS (11/10 – 9:53 PM): With the weekly print magazine discontinued and the final issue on newsstands now, Soap Opera Network has learned that Stephanie Sloane has exited Soap Opera Digest as VP, Editorial Director after 33 years.
The owner of the iconic brand, a360media, made the decision in late October to shut down the magazine and shift more resources to digital. As a result, Sloane’s position was eliminated.
Hitting newsstands in 2024, a special edition magazine under the Soap Opera Digest branding will be released four times per year. The magazine previously released 52 issues per year.
Courtesy of a360media
Earlier this week, we exclusively reported that subscribers to the weekly print edition of Soap Opera Digest will receive notification from a360media on Woman’s World being provided as a replacement magazine for Soap Opera Digest to honor the remaining balance of issues left to serve. Additionally, some digital subscribers have indicated they’ve received a refund voucher from magazine distributors such as Zinio in lieu of their subscription being transferred to Woman’s World.
Following Sloane’s departure, Soap Opera Digest has formally expanded on its digital output via its website, soapoperadigest.com, including the release of key features that were previously found exclusively in the magazine, such as late-breaking news, comings & goings, interviews, weekly previews and columns.
Soap Opera Digest was founded in 1975 by Angela Shapiro and Jerome Shapiro.