Michael Bruno

Combined, 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live' cover more than 80 years of television and boast legions of fans, but that didn't stop ABC from announcing yesterday that the two Agnes Nixon–created soap operas will be leaving the airwaves. 'AMC' will exit in September, and 'OLTL' will air its final episode next January.

It's impossible to imagine daytime TV without Erica, Tad, Viki, Dorian and Bo, but that's exactly what we're going to have to get used to.

Why are these beloved programs leaving us? AOL TV spoke to daytime talent manager Michael Bruno, known for his Simon Cowell–esque comments as a judge on the defunct SOAPnet reality series 'I Wanna Be a Soap Star,' for some insight.

Bruno, who put stars Rebecca Budig and Bobbie Eakes on 'AMC' and currently represents Ricky Paull Goldin ('AMC') and Austin Peck ('OLTL), speaks candidly about what this loss is going to mean to the fans and to the people who work on these programs.