Kelly Kahl Hanging In

"CBS has been running relatively quiet so far this month, but plans to soon roll out “Big Brother” and the second season of “Jericho,” both Feb. 12, along with the “fans vs. favorites” edition of “Survivor” on Feb. 7. The network also has the Grammys on Feb. 10, which could experience some talent boycotts due to the writers strike, but isn’t expected to be as effectively crippled as the Golden Globes were.

Though many expected CBS to be more strike-proof than competitors due to its self-contained drama repeats, its encores have performed modestly since the start of the new year.

“We’re not getting blown out of any nights. We’re hanging in there in pretty well,” said Kelly Kahl, senior executive VP of programming operations at CBS.

Mr. Kahl added that he’s impressed with the eight-episode second season of cult favorite “Jericho,” which he’s been able to schedule against nothing but repeats on NBC and ABC due to the strike.

“With the short season order, these episodes are flying,” he said. “It’s like boom-boom-boom; the show moves like a freight train.”