• Variety , Wednesday, December 12, 2007 11 AM

The writer's strike has led to the cancellation of the TV Critics Association winter press tour -- a possible indication that management is ready for a long fight. The fate of the semiannual event -- treasured as a perk by critics and by the nets as a way to get cheap publicity -- has been unsure ever since NBC announced it would pull out last month.

Now, with negotiations having broken down and logistical concerns looming, the plug has been pulled. "We just ran out of time," says TCA chief Dave Walker. "Even if there were a stunning surprise settlement, the networks have said it would be difficult" to put together anything for January.

The two-week event typically brings several hundred reporters and publicists to Los Angeles for a round of press conferences and parties. Walker stresses the cancellation was not his group's idea and notes "our preference has been to present a tour, whether there's a strike or not," adding that 130 TCA members had registered for the event. Still, network insiders seem to now think chances of a settlement by early January are thin.

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