TV networks to unveil shows to critics in July

NEW YORK (MediaWeek) - The Television Critics Assn., whose annual winter press tour was wiped out by the newly ended Hollywood writers strike, will kick off the summer incarnation July 8 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox usually get two days each to tubthump their new fall shows for a coterie of TV critics from around the United States. But TCA president Dave Walker said the networks were unsure whether they would have enough new programming scheduled, in the wake of the WGA strike, to fill the allotted time.

Another variable is a possible actors strike, which would stop production of the shows on the networks' fall schedule. The Screen Actors Guild contract expires June 30. Walker said he is investigating a backup plan for the summer tour, and one option could be moving it back into August.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter