Emmys show may still go on

BEVERLY HILLS, California (CNN) -- The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is planning to go forward with a retooled Emmy Awards telecast, but it will happen without producer Don Mischer, who on Thursday dropped out of the twice-postponed show.

"We are determined to put a show on the air in the next 30 days," ATAS President Jim Chabin told CNN before entering a meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in which plans for the show were to be discussed.

"We've had meetings with our CBS partners, our broadcast partners, we've had meetings with our producers and now it's our opportunity to discuss (with) them internally about how we might proceed with a show that's sensitive to the country and sensitive to the television industry and something the Academy and CBS will be proud to put on the air," Chabin said.

EXTRA INFORMATION Indepth: Emmys 2001

An announcement about the telecast may come Friday or early next week, after the ATAS meets with CBS President Les Moonves later Thursday.

Chabin said at least two dates in November were being considered for the telecast.

"I know that CBS had looked at November the 11th and the 18th and I think that somewhere in the month of November we're going to try to get our show up and on the air before the holiday season takes everybody's attention away," he said.

Mischer produced the original Emmy awards show that was postponed after the terrorist attacks on the United States. He also produced the reconfigured telecast that was to air last Sunday but was postponed indefinitely after the U.S. launched military strikes on Afghanistan.

In a written statement, Mischer said he had no choice but to focus on his next assignment -- producing the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games from Salt Lake City, Utah.

"We're only 15 weeks away from the Opening Ceremonies on February 8," Mischer said. "While we regret not staying the course with the Emmys ... we must now concentrate on the Olympics."

The ATAS is considering several options for the Emmys, including a proposal to hold it on a military base, perhaps in a USO-style broadcast reminiscent of Bob Hope's shows.

"We think it's a terrific idea but we just don't know if it's feasible. So we're going to be doing our work in the next few days to look at all the potential options," Chabin said.