Leno vows to get show back on air

Comedian Jay Leno is the host of NBC's Tonight Show

US talk show hosts Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien have vowed to resume recording their shows in January - despite their writers being on strike.

With no further talks scheduled in the seven-week-old dispute, Leno said he felt it was up to him to get his 100 non-writing staff members back to work.

"Of course my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible," said fellow TV star O'Brien.

Both shows have been airing repeats since the beginning of the strike.

O'Brien said he would do the "best version" of his show under the circumstances and make clear his support for the writers' cause.

The announcement follows reports David Letterman and Craig Ferguson, Leno and O'Brien's late-night rivals, are seeking an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) to enable them to return to the air.

'Disappointed'

The WGA, however, has refused to allow its members to write for the Academy Awards or Golden Globe ceremonies.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which awards the Golden Globes, had requested a waiver for the guild allowing the 13 January ceremony to go ahead as normal.

The organisation said it was "disappointed" the WGA had denied its request, but added it would seek to reach a deal similar to that sought by Letterman's company Worldwide Pants.

The walkout - prompted by a dispute over how writers should be paid when their work is screened on the internet - has brought much of the US television industry to a standstill.