And the Strike keeps on Strikin'

Neither the writers nor the producers are in a giving mood this holiday season, as the writers' strike enters its sixth week. There had been some hope that a resolution could come soon, but negotiations soured on Friday, with both sides pointing fingers. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers blamed their counterparts for an alleged strategy that, quote, "seems designed to delay or derail talks." For their part, the Writers Guild of America claimed the producers' chief negotiator ended the negotiations after he asked them to drop some demands. The strike began November 5th.

The Guild, which is seeking more compensation for digital programming, said Friday that producers wouldn't alter their recent proposal of 250 dollars for a year's use of an hour-long TV show on the Internet. To put that figure into perspective, writers currently receive a 20-thousand-dollar-plus residual for one network rerun of a TV episode.Hundreds of out-of-work Hollywood employees, including set designers and restaurant personnel, rallied on Hollywood Boulevard

"The Strike"

More from the AP on the Strike

Film and TV writers prepared to go on strike Monday for the first time in two decades to break what has become a high-stakes stalemate with the world's largest media companies over profits from DVDs and programming on the Internet.

Writers Guild of America board members voted unanimously Friday to begin the strike at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time (3:01 a.m. EST) unless studios offered a more lucrative deal with a bigger cut from video sales and shows sold or streamed over the Web.
"The studios made it clear that they would rather shut down this town than reach a fair and reasonable deal," Patric Verrone, president of the western chapter of the guild, said at a news conference.

The union said it would stage its first pickets in New York and Los Angeles after strike captains meet Saturday to finalize details.

Both sides agreed late Friday to meet with a federal mediator on Sunday in a last-ditch effort to avoid a strike. The meeting will take place at a neutral location to be determined, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said.

Earlier in the day, J. Nicholas Counter, president of the producers' group, called the writers' strike "precipitous and irresponsible" in a prepared statement.

Producers believe progress can be made on other issues but "it makes absolutely no sense to increase the burden of this additional compensation" involving DVDs and the Internet, he said.
Last year alone, members of the western chapter of the guild were paid $56 million in additional compensation from DVD residuals, he said.

The first casualty of the strike would be late-night talk shows, which are dependent on current events to fuel monologues and other entertainment.

"The Tonight Show" on NBC will go into reruns starting Monday if last-ditch negotiations fail and a strike begins, according to a network official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person lacked authorization to comment publicly.

Garth Brooks and Tommy Lee Jones were the scheduled guests.

Comedy Central has said "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" would likely go into repeats as well.

A message left seeking CBS comment on plans for "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York was not immediately returned Friday evening.

During the 1988 writers strike, Letterman, then host of NBC's "Late Night," and longtime "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson initially went off the air but later returned as the walkout dragged on for 22 weeks and cost the industry about $500 million.

Daytime TV, including live talk shows such as "The View" and soap operas, which typically tape about a week's worth of shows in advance, would be next to feel the impact.

The strike will not immediately impact production of movies or prime-time TV programs. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.

There could be widespread disruptions in Hollywood as other unions support the writers.
Officials with the Screen Actors Guild have told members they must report for work but encouraged them to join picket lines during their off-time.

A similar message came from the head of a local Teamsters union. However, those workers were told they were protected by law from employer retribution if they honored strike lines.
John Bowman, chief negotiator for the writers guild and the producer on an upcoming TBS show "Frank, TV," said he would not cross picket lines, even if it cost his job.

"Unfortunately we have to inflict as much damage as we can as soon as possible in order to get this thing over," he said.

The economic impact of a strike is hard to estimate because not all production will be halted at once, economists said.

"There definitely will be pain," said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.

The entertainment industry contributes about $30 billion a year to the Los Angeles economy, or about $80 million a day, he said.

**Even though we are talking about multi millionaires 20 times over (Letterman, Leno etc) who don't need the money, this should be wrapped up soon...a long strike would be bad for everyone..

Strike!

The AP Reports...

LOS ANGELES - Television and movie screen writers said Thursday they would go on strike for the first time in nearly 20 years in a dispute over royalties.

Four writers told The Associated Press that Writers Guild of America President Patric Verrone made the announcement in a closed-door session, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
"There was a unified feeling in the room. I don't think anyone wants the strike, but people are behind the negotiation committee," said Dave Garrett, screen writer for the movie "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo."

Writers said the guild board would meet Friday to formally call a strike and decide when it would start. They said guild members would be told Friday afternoon.

Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, said in a statement the alliance was not surprised by the action.

"We are ready to meet and are prepared to close this contract this weekend," he said.
Officials had called a meeting of the union's 12,000 members for Thursday night.
Guild members recently authorized their negotiators to call the first strike since 1988, if necessary.

Writers said the line of questioning inside the meeting wasn't whether the group was going to strike, but how it would be carried out. The mood was subdued as writers filed out of the building.

Janis Hirsch, a veteran TV writer, was among the 10 percent who voted against striking.
"It's sad, but I've got to support my union. At this point it makes sense," she said.
Many writers said that beyond royalties, respect was at stake. They said they had never commanded the same clout in the entertainment industry as actors and directors.
"I don't think it's something we can negotiate for," said Paul Guay, who co-wrote the movies "Liar, Liar" and "Heartbreakers." "What we can negotiate for is money. How we assess respect and worth in this town is money."

The first casualty of the strike will likely be late-night talk shows, which are dependent on current events to fuel monologues and other entertainment.

The strike will not immediately affect film or prime-time TV production. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.

The key financial issue in the talks involves changing the formula for paying writers a share of DVD revenue, then applying the same equation to money made from material offered over the Internet and other digital platforms.

Studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, are dead set against increasing DVD royalties.

Writers and actors have been fighting for years to reverse what they see as a huge mistake made at the dawn of home video, when no one was sure if selling movies on VHS cassettes would ever make money.

The unions agreed to ignore the first 80 percent of revenue from the tapes and later DVDs, assuming most of the money represented the cost of manufacturing and distribution.
Writers settled for just 1.2 percent of the remaining 20 percent, a figure that amounts to about 3 cents on a DVD that retails for $20.

Writers are now asking for their share to be calculated on 40 percent of revenue and argue the same formula should be used for digital distribution because studios have almost no costs associated with that technology.

Consumers are expected to spend $16.4 billion on DVDs this year, according to Adams Media Research.

By contrast, studios could generate about $158 million from selling movies online and about $194 million from selling TV shows over the Web.

**I have heard rumors this won't last long, but you do never know...

Brian Stelter writes this piece on "TV decoder.com"..for those of you who don't know who Stelter is, he writes a TV blog for the New York Times... nuff said!

The impending writers’ strike would obviously be bad news for viewers, who would likely see repeats and reality shows start to crowd out scripted shows during prime time. In the wee hours, late-night hosts would probably have to spend a lot of time winging it.
But advertisers would also suffer “and would make networks share their pain,” the Associated Press notes. In the event of a strike, media buyers are “not going to get what they paid for,” says analyst Shari Anne Brill of Carat USA. “There will be severe under-delivery [of viewers] on the schedule if you get repeats and less-desirable reality shows. It puts the networks in a horrific make-good situation.”As noted by today’s Los Angeles Times, “the danger is that TV viewers, without their favorite shows, would turn to the Internet and other forms of entertainment that are increasingly grabbing younger audiences.”
Representatives for the studios and the Writer’s Guild of America will meet again on Tuesday, this time with a federal mediator present. The WGA contract expires Wednesday night.

The studios have been planning for this for over a year...there are tons of new shows "in the can" and don't think every reality show that HASN'T been pitched and produced won't be ready to air a week after the strike hits...up next on CBS...it's Survivor...Burger King Bathroom!