Barbara Bloom: It Is A Time Of Great Change & Opportunity

Advertising Age published a profile of Barbara Bloom, CBS Senior VP-Daytime. Here's an excerpt where she discusses the cancellation of AS THE WORLD TURNS and GUIDING LIGHT, hiring practices, and the future.

"It is a time of great change and great opportunity and more viewing choices," said Ms. Bloom, 49. "Staying at the forefront of making sure you're the choice that is taken is always a battle."

While the decision to cancel the soaps was made at a more senior level than Ms. Bloom's, she is the one who has to navigate through its aftermath. "I've always thought the mandate is to make this the most competitive and engaging daypart as possible, and for a long time, we worked very closely with Procter & Gamble to try to keep the shows able to fulfill that mandate, and then it became clear that wasn't happening," she said.

Ms. Bloom said she tries to keep her audience in mind, and then works to hire people and manage operations so that those viewers are attracted and engaged. "I always try to be really clear about what the universe is that I'm operating in," she said. "Am I empowering the people who are working on those shows? That's the way I work." And that's how she pushes forward during times that test TV executives. " We really are trying to do the best by both our audience and the company."