STRIKE VICTIM: JANUARY TCA PRESS TOUR CANCELLED (THR, VAR)

By Nancy Vialatte

In light of the ongoing strike, the January Television Critics Association press tour has been cancelled. Monday night, Dave Walker sent word to members that he has reluctantly become the first TCA president ever to kibosh one of the biannual press tours.

"The machinations that forced this outcome were outside our control," Walker told members. "It was and remains the TCA's preference to stage a January 2008 TV tour, strike or not. Given the current woeful state of the negotiations, as well as broadcast network reluctance to present during a strike, that does not appear possible."

Speculation that the tour would be cancelled has been rife in the past weeks. Up until last week, however, the TCA had a fallback position in case the strike didn't end and the broadcast networks would not participate. There were plans for a shorter tour, based on a commitment from PBS and cable networks, notes the Hollywood Reporter. But, that unraveled when a couple of weeks later PBS changed its mind and opted not to take part in the tour and several cable networks, including the MTV nets, also reconsidered their previous decisions to participate.

Walker had tried to persuade the broadcast networks that a tour during the strike would be at least as valuable as a normal tour. NBC, however, had said it would not participate and the other networks were noncommittal.

"We just ran out of time," Walker told Variety. "Even if there were a stunning surprise settlement, the networks have said it would be difficult" to throw together a January tour.

The cancellation will have a small, but notable, impact on the Los Angeles economy as the event brings a few hundred reporters and publicists to the area for a series of press conferences and parties.

The Universal City Hilton, where the tour was to be held, will take the hardest hit. But the broadcast nets and cablers also cumulatively spend a couple million dollars throwing offsite parties at various clubs and eateries, notes Variety.

Until now, the TCA tour has proven itself a stalwart and indeed was staged during the 1988 WGA strike and also went on barely four months after the terror attacks of 9/11.

In his message to critics, Walker said that this cancellation does not threaten future tours, either in January or July. "It's the TCA's intention to continue the TV Tour in both January and July for the indefinite future," he said.