If you’re an advertising executive — or even a TV critic or reporter — don’t count on spending your usual spring week taking in star-studded shows at Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker tells Reuters in an interview that he may well pull the plug on the upfront presentation, by which he means that big, glamorous show his media company hosts each May at Radio City to roll out its prime-time lineup for the coming season.

Zucker says he’s going to meet with the advertisers one-on-one to negotiate commercial deals, but says that this year he could forego the glitzy presentation because of… you guessed it, the screenwriters’ strike.

“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,” he said.

His comments are the strongest indication yet that the upfronts will be scrapped this year. If NBC pulled its show, ABC, CBS and Fox would likely follow. And, really, such a decision makes sense. After all, the networks may not have anything to unveil in May, unless the strike settles soon.

On that note, hopes for a breakthrough in the 10-week old strike by screenwriters have risen with word of a new deal between the major film and television studios and the Hollywood directors’ union.

The tentative three-year labor pact between the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was announced Thursday, five days after the two sides opened formal talks.

Keep an eye on:

• Hyundai Motor North America flip flopped, first saying that it was thinking of pulling its Super Bowl ad time, then later deciding to run its ads after all. (Ad Age)
• U.S. sales of video game hardware and software are hot, rising 28 percent in December thanks to the popularity of new consoles like Ninetendo’s Wii. (Reuters)
• Popular crime writers — including Lee Child and Tom Thorne — are increasingly turning to the Web to dig up ideas for their next blockbuster. (Reuters)