Major U.S. studios have now reportedly cancelled dozens of contracts with writers and producers due to the ongoing writers strike — giving good reason to believe the current television season can’t be saved. The picket lines south of the border still threaten to see the Academy Awards suffer next month — much like we all suffered watching the Golden Globes get pared down to a pitiful version of its former glamour.

As the strike and the potential lack of new pilots continue to raise questions about what will happen when upfront time rolls around, top executives at CTV and Global were approached about what plans are being prepared for the spring and fall — just in case the strike continues for much longer.

CTV said it may be premature to comment at this time, but CTV president of creative, content and channels Susanne Boyce provided this statement: ‘Our approach to the strike remains the same — to continue to plan for future scenarios, while acting quickly on opportunities for our viewers and advertisers. More than ever, the so-called television season is now a year-round endeavor, and our schedule reflects that, as evidenced by more than a dozen series launching on CTV over the next few months.’

Over at Global Television, Canwest broadcasting SVP programming and production Barb Williams had more to say about issues relating to the writers strike.

Are you concerned about the recent news that major studios have terminated deals with writers and producers?

Williams: ‘The fact that some of the development deals are being cancelled is not a big statement in itself. There’s a point of view that some of those are deals that the studios would have been happy to get out of anyway, and this is just a good excuse. When the writers strike ends, whenever that is, the good writers will be working again instantly.’

Do you think the upfronts in the U.S. will be cancelled? And what’s the likelihood that Canadian upfront presentations will happen if there is a lack of new pilots?

Williams: ‘I don’t know. Nobody knows. I think there is some talk now that we need to think about it maybe not happening in exactly the same way at exactly the same time as it always has — whether that means it might still happen later, or without as complete a known fall schedule as we have had in the past.

‘But as long as there’s television on the air — interesting, different television — I believe people will watch it, and advertisers will want to be there. So we may go at it a little differently, but I don’t think the business is in jeopardy.

‘If there aren’t pilots there in May, then we won’t do what we’ve traditionally done. But we’ll do something else. Maybe they’ll come a little bit later, or all at once. We’ll have to wait and see what there is. In some ways, it gives us all a shorter window. You worry about next week, but there’s not a lot of point worrying about May right now, because there’s not too much you can do about it. You just try to keep your eyes wide open and your ear to the ground.’

Is the writers strike causing Global to consider alternate plans for fall TV — options such as more homegrown shows, or primetime programming sourced from the U.K., for example?

Williams: ‘I would imagine all broadcasters are paying a little more attention to alternative programming than we would have at this time last year. It’s not that I think we have our heads in the sand or anything. It’s just hard to plan for something that you don’t know anything about.

‘It’s causing broadcasters in Canada and the U.S., and I’m sure around the world, to rethink their strategies. Many broadcasters around the world depend on American product — probably us more than anybody — but it is a worldwide story. In some ways, it’s forcing broadcasters to be a little more creative and far-reaching in their ideas.

‘And sometimes ‘far-reaching’ means looking closer to home, not farther away. All the broadcasters are looking at what this does as an opportunity for Canadian content — whether it will stand out more in the midst of less fresh American product. CBC is doing that, and we’re very excited about the launch of The Guard on Jan. 22. It is possible that it will get additional sampling because it’s fresh content on TV, and there’s just not as much of that to compete with. So the strike causes an interesting dilemma, not just a scary dilemma.’

There has been speculation that audiences’ appetite for scripted programming in general could drop as a result of the strike. Are you worried about this?

Williams: ‘We’re not seeing that. In fact, Prison Break came back with new episodes [the week of Jan. 14], and it launched strongly, so we have a great run of Prison Break ahead. We are trying, in small ways, some different things than we would typically do, and they seem to be working, too. Out of Prison Break, we ran a movie [50 First Dates] on Monday night that did extraordinarily well.

‘So I think people are still coming to their televisions, and when you give them interesting stuff to watch, they’ll watch it, even if it’s not exactly what they expected or would have had. As long as you give them interesting and fun entertainment, they’ll be there.’

From Media in Canada