The TV Zone

If you can believe Michael Eisner - and you can, can't you? - then we've got great news for you: The writers strike is over.

He's a guy, I should add, who's in a pretty good position to know, and not just because he ran Disney for what seemed like an eternity; he also runs his own investment company (Tornante) that has stakes in media companies, so he's got money in the game.

But not too fast. This from a WGA spokesperson just a little while ago: "The strike is NOT over - as you know, we are under a press blackout, but I can tell you that the strike is NOT over."

Eisner made his "it's over" declaration a few hours ago during an interview on CNBC's "Fast Company, Eisner - the feisty former chairman of the Mousehouse, now with an occasional hosting gig on CNBC, was flat-out blunt (he always is) about the end. He told anchor Dylan Rattigan "They [studios and writers] made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It’s going on Saturday to the writers in general" for agreement. He was apparently referring to scheduled meetings here and in Los Angeles between writers and the Writers Guild scheduled for this Saturday. He added, "A deal has been made. They’ll be back to work very soon. I know it’s over."

Eisner's declaration is the first by an industry bigshot affirming widespread reports over the weekend that a deal had been struck Feb. 1. Both studios and the Guild, under a self-imposed media blackout while negotiations have been underway, declined comment, while a spokeswoman for the WGA could not be immediately reached for comment.

He also took a potshot at the writers: "I think this was not the time [to strike]. If there was going to be a strike, it should have been three years from now when you really knew the definition of the online business and where you knew the revenues were coming. I think a lot of writers lost their deals and they will not be reinstated," referring to dozens of those writer/producer contracts that were terminated by the studios over the last month.

Here's the place to go to see Big Mike insist that the fat lady has sung.

(Photo: Forbes.)