It may seem like the dust has just settled from this year's Daytime Emmy Awards, but there is already talk about what to do about next year's ceremony. Soap fans may remember that there almost wasn't a Daytime Emmys telecast in 2009. CBS was to have broadcast this year's ceremony, but the network bowed out, citing the bad economy and the telecast's sagging ratings. ABC was given the option to step in and take over, but it, too, passed. There was endless talk about where the telecast might eventually land, with the Internet and several cable channels leading the buzz. In the end, the Daytime Emmys were broadcast on the CW, home of the soapy primetime drama Gossip Girl and Tyra Banks's America's Next Top Model franchise.

The ballots for this year's Daytime Emmys haven't even been printed yet, but that hasn't stopped some from looking forward in an effort to prevent the "will it or won't it air?" confusion from clouding what is meant to be a celebration of the best of daytime television. Getting the Daytime Emmys on the air in 2010 isn't a done deal, but the producers of the most recent Emmy telecast are apparently ready to do it again next year. Jim Romanovich, President of Worldwide Media and Entertainment for Associated Television International, states that his company has activated its option to produce the telecast. So what exactly does that mean?

"Well, not much. But it's a start," Romanovich enthuses. "What it means is that after months of careful deliberation, we have committed ourselves on paper to produce next year's event. This was all based on the caveat of two things: First, that the daytime genre, especially the soaps, are collectively strong enough and want [the Daytime Emmys] to continue, and two, that we can top what we did this past August -- including the venue."

After three years at the posh Kodak Theater in Hollywood, in 2009 the Daytime Emmys relocated to the much-smaller Orpheum Theater, a historic venue in downtown Los Angeles. While fans were thankful that there was an Emmy telecast, that didn't necessarily mean that they were completely happy with the way things went down.

A much-hyped special tribute that was to have served as a send-off for Guiding Light, which ended in September after an amazing 72-year run, was snipped and condensed into a 90-second tribute. Fans of the long-running program felt that their show was slighted, especially when compared to the time devoted throughout the telecast to honoring 40-year-old Sesame Street, a show that is still on the air. Some also questioned the decision to have Vanessa Williams host the telecast and allowing her to perform two musical numbers.

The ratings for this year's Daytime Emmys hit an all-time low, but that was not necessarily indicative of a lack of interest from viewers. Though 2.3 million viewers tuned in, there were others who were unable to tune in because they were either unable to get the CW in their area or were unsure exactly what the CW was. The year before, when ABC broadcast the Daytime Emmys, more than 4 million viewers watched the telecast.

"We got involved in this past Emmys show because we were fans of the genre and felt it was a prestigious thing to do. We wanted to give the shows a platform of celebration and recognition. As we moved into the summer, we realized this was more of a survival mission not only for the Daytime Emmys, but for the soaps themselves," Romanovich explains. "That show had to be great because it could very well have been the last. There's a chance that it still may be the last. When I said that my announcement doesn't mean much, [it] is because there is so much more that has to happen. But our decision was key to this even moving to the next step. Now all the rest of the pieces have to come into play such as NATAS, the broadcaster, and the date. When that all happens, we'll make a formal joint announcement with NATAS."

Will the Daytime Emmy telecast continue? Tune in tomorrow for the continuing saga of the Daytime Emmys.

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