NBC’s CEO Jeff Zucker has been hinting that the network will cancel their song-and-dance spectacular for advertisers at Radio City Music Hall in May. Although no official announcement has been made, the writers’ strike is affecting the spring series of presentations, which preview upcoming shows and schedules to lure advertisers into spending the big bucks for the best spots. With writers still on the picket lines, there are no new scripts to start developing in time to show Madison Avenue.
His most recent remarks came during an interview with the Financial Times, in which he suggested the strike will lead to a number of permanent changes in the TV business. “Things like that are all vestiges of an era that’s gone by and won’t return,” Zucker suggested.
He was even more specific in another interview with Reuters last week.
“When people say the upfront, there are two things: One is the dog-and-pony show at Radio City and the second is the way we sell the inventory,” Zucker said. “The way that we sell the inventory in an upfront selling period is not going to change. Whether we still need to do the dog-and-pony show is completely under review here and you can look for an announcement on that from us very soon.”
