Come next September, CBS will have a new hole to fill on its daytime calendar. That’s the month As the World Turns will come to its end.

Today’s cancellation announcement comes just three months after Guiding Light officially closed up shop. World, like Light, has been on the air for over 50 years.

“We are disappointed and saddened by the news that the show is not being renewed,” exec producer Chris Goutman said. “It will certainly be a loss for all of us, and for the show’s loyal audience.”

The death of ATWT comes during a turbulent time for daytime dramas. The economic downturn has already cost Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn their Days of Our Lives jobs and nearly forced Eric Braeden out of his Young and the Restless post. Meanwhile, All My Children has relocated from New York to Los Angeles while One Life to Live faces rumors of its own axing.

While it’s doubtful As the World Turns will be able to save itself, efforts are reportedly being made to find the sudser a new home. “We are proactively seeking a new outlet to carry the show, and are open to exploring innovative formats and relationships that will enable the future success of ATWT,” TeleNext media senior VP/managing director Brian T. Cahill said.