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Is the strike-affected sked so bad?

The Television Critics Association has just cancelled its traditional January meeting, and it makes sense. Since the screenwriters' strike talks with Hollywood producers broke down again last Friday, is there really anything on TV that's gonna be worth writing about? Time will tell for Canadian audiences. In the past week, both CTV and Global have come forward with lists of new shows that media buyers and viewers can expect to see in January (click here and here for MiC's coverage), and both broadcasters have assured clients that ad dollars spent will not be wasted. So what's the big fuss about the writers' strike? Is the situation really all that bad for Canucks?

"There's a lot of programming that's available for broadcasters, from within North America and even from outside of North America - depending on how long this strike goes," says Television Bureau of Canada president and CEO Theresa Treutler. "I think all broadcasters are just as displeased with the strike as the buyers are. However, every broadcaster is totally committed to delivering on the original contracts and honouring their initial negotiations. Certainly in both letters, there's been mention of bonusing or pre-compensation. So there is a safety net to ensure against any kind of audience shortfall."

ZenithOptimedia president/CEO Sunni Boot isn't as worried about the situation as she was when MiC surveyed media buyers at the end of November (click here for that story). With the January shows promised by CTV and Global, along with dependable hockey and news audiences in Canada, Boot says the mood among buyers at ZenithOptimedia isn't so bad. "We think we're going to be able to make it," she says. "The problem is that nothing has an exact schedule yet. The issue right now, because this is happening, is that we can't manage it. We do not have a schedule from January 1 to February 28. We have a contingency schedule from January 1 to January 15. It's being parceled out because nobody knows. But the broadcasters and the buyers are working well to try and deliver on clients' needs. It's a tough game, though."

So far, says Boot, the majority of the upcoming shows - about 75% - will have similar characteristics for media buyers. But that leaves about 25% of primetime that ZenithOptimedia's buyers may have to "piece together differently," she says. And given the timelines, that's a problem. "I am worried in the sense that there's going to be about 25% of programming that we're going to have to work very, very hard to replace. And we'll have to replace the ratings on the fly, because schedules are going to change. It's not like we can put a whole schedule to bed. We're going to have to revisit it on a much more stringent basis."

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