KEY POINTS:
Don't panic. Even if the American scriptwriter strike goes the distance, you won't be left with a test pattern blaring from your television screens.
That's if everything goes to our major broadcasters' plans, anyway.
Then again, the strike being undertaken by the 12,000 US writers who put the words into actors' and talkshow presenters' mouths is threatening to not only pull the plug on the current seasons of popular shows like Heroes, it could also have a impact that will linger long into next year.
The strike came after production companies refused the writers' demand for a share of the income they make when shows are reproduced and resold on DVD and the internet. Unless there is a resolution within the next two weeks, and despite some stockpiling, the major US networks are expected to run out of scripts to shoot by the end of the month. This will not only mean curtailed current series, but also a delay or cancellation of new shows planned for next season.
TVNZ's head of television Jeff Latch says they are in daily contact with their suppliers. "At this point it doesn't look like it will have an impact, but the question is how long the strike will continue to run. For the moment our suppliers are saying there is nothing to be worried about."
Latch says they had always planned a five-month lag between the launch of the new shows in the United States and their arrival on our screens, so they still have time up their sleeves.
Rick Friesen, TV3's Chief Operating Officer, is concerned about the impact on next year. If the writing process is delayed, then each series may feature fewer episodes than currently planned to fit within US seasonal scheduling. TV3 has already launched a new season of shows to run over summer which would have ordinarily been held over to next year. This move was explained as a reaction to the growing trend among fans to download their favourite shows early, rather than wait for a network to broadcast them. If necessary, he says, TV3 will begin looking for new content from other sources.
Over at Prime, programmer Karen Bieleski says they draw their shows from a wide enough range of countries to lessen any impact from the strike, although they are already having to screen repeats of the Late Show with David Letterman. She says they have already received several new shows which have yet to be scheduled, while their highest rating programmes do not come from the United States and are therefore unaffected.
While there doesn't appear to be much chance of an early end to the dispute, which also affects the jobs of television production crews, Californian Governor Arnold "The Terminator" Schwarzenegger has reportedly begun a private campaign to get the warring parties together for fresh talks.
