Daytime drama fans might not have a lot of viewing choices in the near future if networks can't continue to justify the production costs of soap operas versus the audiences they receive.

Just weeks after CBS pulled the plug on "Guiding Light," the network has hinted that its lead-in, "As the World Turns," isn't much safer.

CBS President Nina Tassler told reporters attending the recent Television Critics Association press tour that no daily scripted drama is safe right now.

"It's hard to say," Tassler said.

CBS already has plans to replace "Guiding Light" with a remake of the game show "Let's Make a Deal" hosted by comedian Wayne Brady. Such a program is cheap to produce and has a better chance to attract a more diverse audience than what soap operas tend to grab.

Audiences for soaps have been eroding over the years, just like much of other television with more choice in cable, as well as a much more diverse way for people to entertain themselves without having to depend on the boob tube. On top of that, a lot of the daily audience from soap operas -- women -- have become far more common in the work place, and the number of people who stay home to raise kids just isn't want it was even a decade ago.

Even some mainstays like "The Young and the Restless," which has been the No. 1-rated soap for two decades, could be under threat if viewing habits don't change soon. Even that show had some casting turmoil recently when Melody Thomas Scott struggled to renegotiate her contract as part of across-the-board pay cuts.

Interesting enough, Y&R is actually quite young compared to other soaps, having first debuted in 1973. ATWT first premiered in April 1956, four years after "Guiding Light" moved to television, according to The New York Post.

ATWT has worked to attract a younger, female demographic in recent years with the inclusion of a popular gay couple. Even the Y&R has tried that, itself adding some gay characters in recent months, including the return of Phillip Chancellor III this past summer, and making his character gay.