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The troubles that are part of imaginary life on daytime dramas are hitting those shows for real in the form of budget cuts and dismissals.

"All My Children" regulars including longtime stars Susan Lucci, Michael E. Knight and Ray MacDonnell are seeing their paychecks shrink as part of a cost-cutting policy being applied to all three of ABC's soaps, including "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital."

This follows word last month that, in a moneysaving measure, two veteran cast members of NBC's "Days of Our Lives," Deirdre Hall and Drake Hogestyn, will be released after decades on that show.

After being pre-empted for much of 1995 while networks carried coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, soaps never regained their former loyalty from viewers.

The number of daytime dramas has also steadily diminished. Whereas a decade ago, there were a dozen, today there are just eight. NBC currently airs only "Days of Our Lives."