http://bulletins.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus...ec-8e2e4a0c8556
MySpace bulletin posted by Pierre Bernard Recliner of Rage, Oct 18, 2007 11:12 PM:

"I do have one more request...

Pray for all of us in television. In two weeks there likely will be a writers strike.
Which means tomorrow or the week of the 5th could be the last time you see new Conan or any other talk show on the air for a long while. This will also affect some of your favorite TV shows.

Prepare for more reality shows and repeats.

The last strike was in '88. I was told it lasted 5 months"

Why on earth would there be a writers strike? I really hope this isn't true

Some info for example here:

http://www.reclaimthemedia.org/labor_right...kpile_sh%3D5233

"The three-year pact between studios and the Writers Guild of America expires Oct. 31 and talks are scheduled to begin in July.

That gives both sides little time to resolve complex issues involving how much TV and film writers should be paid when their work is distributed on new media platforms, including the Internet, cell phones, digital media players and other devices. The writers argue the payments — modeled after the structures used for DVD rights — are too low.

Older battles also remain to be resolved, including the revision of a decades-old formula for compensating writers for work that appears on DVD."



They wouldn't tape Late Night with just music and guests, would they?

That story made me think of this song. At least for the New York writers. http://youtube.com/watch?v=9nXjt1gY45c

The supposed reason for the strike isn't THAT applicable to the LN writers. I mean they don't have seasons of shows out on DVD (thought that would be wonderful). Full episodes on the internet and clips on youtube and video iPod, yes. Ok, so maybe it's pretty applicable. I'd hope they would vote no to the strike though. A writers strike would be absolutely horrific. Isn't our love compensation enough? I read somewhere that the final decision about the strike will be announced later today.

I know! Late Night is definetely the happiest part of my day, going months without it would make me a wreck

I asked Aaron about it in a blog comment, hopefully he'll answer my question tonight!

I know! We would all wither and fade if the Late Night writers withheld their goods and services from us. It's almost not ethically (or even psychiatrically) right. It's a little concerning that Pierre said something -- that makes it seem like a pretty big possibility. I guess we'll see.

Awe, Easy Street, song. It seems lots of the writers don't make that much. I could be wrong? I hope everyone is REASONABLE and a compromise is reached ASAP.

Here's to the sponsors! They really do help foot the bill.

WRITERS GUILD STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE PASSES
WGAE
October 19, 2007
Vote Draws Record High Turnout

In an historic demonstration of unity, members of the Writers of Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) have overwhelmingly authorized a strike in the event WGA negotiators determine that a fair and reasonable contract cannot be negotiated with the networks and studios. The current contract expires on October 31. Members of the two Guilds cast 5,507 votes with 90.3% voting for authorization. This vote represents the highest turnout in Guild history, surpassing the previous Guild record of 4,128 votes cast in the 2001 MBA contract ratification.

"I am both impressed and gratified by this vote. It shows an overwhelmingly engaged and activated community of writers who care about this negotiation and support our goals. It is now up to the AMPTP companies to begin to bargain seriously concerning the issues important to our members," stated WGAW President Patric M. Verrone. "Writers do not want to strike, but they are resolute and prepared to take strong, united action to defend our interests. What we must have is a contract that gives us the ability to keep up with the financial success of this ever-expanding global industry."

"We're gratified by the massive show of solidarity our members have given our negotiating team by voting in such overwhelming numbers for a strike authorization. Our negotiators can now begin the next round of bargaining strengthened by the knowledge that their hard work and commitment to a fair, meaningful contract - no matter what it takes - are so fully recognized and supported by television and screen writers across the country," said WGAE President Michael Winship. "This historic vote sends an unequivocal message to the AMPTP, loud and clear. We will not be taken advantage of and we will not be fooled."

"Writers have spoken in resounding numbers to give our negotiating committee the power we need to negotiate a fair deal that will protect our profession long into the future. A vote like this paints an extremely accurate portrait of where we stand as a Guild: united, confident, and strong," said John F. Bowman, chair of the WGA Negotiating Committee.

The official strike authorization ballot was mailed to members on October 1 and asked the following question: "Should the WGAW Board of Directors and the WGAE Council be authorized to declare a strike, if and when they deem it advisable to do so, in connection with negotiations for the 2007 WGA Theatrical and Television Basic Agreement?" Writers have answered that question.

The vote gives the governing bodies of the two guilds authorization to call a strike after the current contract expires on October 31. Negotiations began on July 16, but little progress has been made on the primary issues, including compensation and residuals for new media, contract enforcement, Guild jurisdiction, and a proposed increase in the DVD formula. Talks are scheduled to resume on Monday, October 22, at the WGAW headquarters in Los Angeles.
-----------

BTW, I'm pretty sure Chris Albers (Late Night's head monologue writer) is still the president of the Writers Guild, eastern division. Just a fun fact.

Here's an article from the perspective of a humble late night TV viewer who I pretty much love because he refers to his child as "demon spawn". He suggests that if there is a strike, there's a chance late night shows could come back without writers -- Letterman and Johnny Carson apparently did that back in '88. That's preposterous. I mean there can't just be a half hour of Conan blabbing off the top of his head in place of where the jokes and sketches were...

Better Late Than Never
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/22/2007

If the looming writers' strike happens next month, it could shut down the late-night talk shows.

Late-night was an early casualty of the last major work stoppage, which began in March 1988. That strike lasted 22 weeks, and the collateral industry damage was put at $500 million. That was back when a half-billion bucks was a half-billion bucks, and not just 1/20th the value of Facebook.

But let's forget the industry a moment and try to gauge the immense emotional toll. This late shift would make me much more stressed and infinitely less cool. Not to mention less entertained, informed and engaged.

Currently, a typical night in Casa Grossman has me pining for 11:35 p.m. First, the missus and I must chase our 20-month-old demon spawn until he runs out of things to stick in power outlets and goes to bed. This is followed by an hour of my pregnant bride blaming me for the fact that she can't imbibe her beloved beer(s) in said condition.

Finally, when she goes to bed, I can reunite with the late-night crew that makes me laugh so I don't start to cry: Dave, Jay, Jimmy, Jon, Conan, Craig and Spike.

Their shows let a complete tool like me at least fake being somewhat hip.

For those of us who don't know where all the cool video clips are on the Interweb (to quote the eloquent Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock), the late-night shows are there. And a Jimmy Kimmel monologue originally tipped me off that "Chocolate Rain" was a once-hot YouTube clip and not some bad 1970s porn film.

If history repeats, this is the kind of diverting stuff we'd sorely miss come strike day.

The 1988 strike gutted late-night. Johnny Carson and everyone else closed up shop immediately and aired repeats. Carson was the first to return in early May, sans writers. As the producer of his show, he was able to cut a deal with the Writers Guild a few weeks after he came back, and the Guild allowed his scribes to go back to work.

David Letterman came back live in late June, but without his other 12 writers -- �though he apparently did have jokes faxed to him quietly.

You can expect the shows to shut down at the outset this time, as well. And much like Carson in 1988, it may be Letterman and Jay Leno who dictate if and when the others go live again.

While Dave owns his show, NBC owns The Tonight Show, so don't expect side deals for Jay. But neither will want to stay dark too long and risk having to cut staff. And when one comes back, the other will follow.

If everybody returns without writers, some shows could be better positioned than others. True, some topical jokes write themselves.

For example, Playboy TV sent out a press release last week promoting new shows that now last just 10 minutes. I don't need a staff of 13 writers to know why that's funny.

Kimmel, however, relies heavily on video clips in his monologue, so he could feel free to insert his own comments. And unlike Monday Night Football producer Jay Rothman, most people find him pretty witty off the cuff, as evidenced by his annual killing at ABC's upfront.

Craig Ferguson's opening monologue is supposed to be just him riffing on a different topic every night. I guess we'd find out quickly how much of that opener is really Craig's own riff.

I'm not smart enough to know exactly what the writers and companies are fighting over. But here's what I do know: If this column gets increasingly bitter in a month, it's because I lost my late-night crew.

You always seem to forget that Conan O'Brien is one of the BEST writers out there. He is very capable of writing his own sketches and hiring actors to play the parts. But it would be exhausting for him to keep doing that 5 nights a week. However, I would miss his regular writers whom I learned to really appreciate and care about.

I never forget that Conan is an amazing writer. I just don't think of it as his primary function on the show. He's more of an editor (in my mind), and a joke deliverer and interviewer. So this hypothetical scenario would be a bit of a role shift for him. There's no doubting that he can write a great sketch and whatnot. But there's no way the format of the comedy (monologue jokes, a desk piece with ~12 little jokes or one big joke or 3 or 4 medium-sized jokes, and an act 3/4) would be the same as it is now without any other writers. That'd just be insane for one person to do all by themself, and especially 5 days in a row. So I'd have to think Conan would improvise in most of the places where (written) jokes would normally be.

I really hope everything gets back to working in a reasonable amount of time

Even if Conan is one of the best writers, that doesn't mean he can write an entire hour-long show five nights a week, that's just absurd. I would LOVE if it was just him talking about himself and what's going on in his life, but I don't know how much other people would enjoy that.

You know what, GOOD LORD, you think you know a lot for a 15 year old. ---I know you mean well ...but Trust me you DO NOT, no teenager does, even bright ones like you.
I need to do that late night survey,... For the record, I am an adult and have done enough theatre and have had plenty of work experience in the Arts to tell you it can be done--- as long as they have someone like Conan to run it. He is amazing and IS the reason it is called late night with conan and not late night with the writers. The writers are needed and will be missed and hopefully it will not go that far but like the article said Carson had to do it in the 80's and so could O'Brien.


Anyway, Conan would not have to do an hour of writing, I never said that absurd statement. He has interviews and he could add a few more to the list, plus his guest band... And Pierre with the graphics could do more of the 'if they mated', The Walker Texas Ranger Lever-maybe even pick another show to highlight and laugh about, Desk Driving, Conan's Legs, Conan and Max/Worm hang out- where they never really say anything just walk together and leave, etc... and the famous look alike shots. Conan could even bring in some broadway theatre people to do some ensembles like they did with Les Miserables.
Bottom line, if need be, Conan O'Brien, more than anyone, is up for the challenge in running HIS show, without the great and I mean great late night writers. Lets all pray it does not get that far!!!

BTW I like you Liz and think you are awesome and I mean that!!!!

Sorry, I really don't mean to sound that way! I just mean that in interviews Conan makes it sound like a lot of hard work doing what he does already, but with even more on his shoulders I couldn't imagine!

I think you're awesome, too!!

Hey thanks, and that's OK. N/P I didn't mean to 'sound that way' either, sorry too!

As of right now are we still unsure whether there will be a strike or not? I'm so curious because I'll be in NY the week of the 5th and was going to try for standby. That's obviously not going to happen if they won't have any new shows going on!

The current contract expires October 31 and if "a fair and reasonable contract cannot be negotiated with the networks and studios" by then, there will be a strike, authorized by ~90% of the Writers Guild members.

I'll just have to pray and keep my fingers crossed then!

If worse came to worse and Conan had to fire all the writers, gosh that sounds horrible. Then he could for a while hire them from the UCB for the sketches, as performer/ variety acts or something. It would be a way of getting around the red tape, though I imagine that there would be serious anomsity because they would appear to be scabs and then there is also the idea that they would not be getting paid the same as they were before. This is bad for all parties envolved. . . I just thought of this! Conan is considered a writer for his show, he could strike aswell. I guess it comes down to what does Conan envision himself as a host or a writer and who does he support. Conan very well could strike with his staff, with all the ramifications that are involved if a strike comes to pass I hope that Conan is on the line with them. I can't imagine the dynamic for the writers and Conan if that wasn't the case. Just my thought though.

I'm kind of shocked anyone would suggest that Conan would fire his writers, at least over this. I think there is a mutual, genuine respect and admiration between Conan and the writers (personal and professional), and I think Late Night is their collective show and they see it as such. I doubt Conan would fire the uniquely talented group of writers who he has worked so closely with for so many years and who have all helped each other to get where they are today as a very brilliant, successful, Emmy-winning team. Each one of them is essential to the team, and I think Conan would be the first to realize that. I also realize that Conan is a member of the Writers Guild -- I think anyone who's considered a writer for the show is required to be a WGA member. As such, I think he'd be required to strike, too, so that's another reason I didn't quite understand the idea of him being able to come back without the staff writers.

Talk about a I know what you mean... I am sure Conan is sitting down and deciding what he must do if the Strike moves forward.

No one loves these writers more than you Sissarui330. You've even written them and got positive responses back. I know you are just putting it all out there, as a... OMG 'what if'! It did occur to me that since Conan is a writer and talk show host, what is the protocol or contractual legality for him in this matter? hmmm

Here's an article about it!

http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian....xml&coll=7

TV writers' strike may not be a bad thing
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The Oregonian

T he first thing you need to know about the writers' strike poised to hit the television industry next week is that it's not necessarily bad news for TV watchers.

In fact, an industry-freezing strike might be the best thing to hit American TV since the 1988 writers' walkout.

We'll get to that later. But first, let's take on the bad news.

The 5,000-plus writers' guild, which also represents movie writers, has been unable to reach an agreement with the alliance of producers about how writers should benefit from income generated by digital sales of the shows they write.

Last week more than 90 percent of the guild's members voted to approve a strike if their leaders decide one is necessary after their contract expires Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Once a strike is called, all writing for TV shows will stop immediately. Although many producers prepared for the strike by commissioning far more scripts than usual during the summer and early fall, the extra stock will only keep their shows in business for another few weeks. Most prime-time production will dwindle by early winter, then grind to a stop.

Assuming the strike continues for a while -- and the last major walkout, in 1988, dragged on for 22 weeks -- most prime-time shows will shift into repeats by midwinter, or else disappear altogether.

Fans of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" will be the first to feel the pain, as their topical, writer-centric programs either vanish or shift into formats that emphasize guests, rather than prepared material. Late-night talk shows -- Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show," David Letterman's "Late Show" and Conan O'Brien's "Late Night" and so on -- will go through similar mutations.

Soap operas will burn through their backlog of finished shows (generally four weeks' worth) and then either go into repeats or leave the air. And while prime-time dramas and comedies that are already on the air will continue apace for weeks, midseason entries, such as ABC's "Lost" and Fox's "24," will be limited to either six- or eight-week mini-seasons, or else take the year off.

News writers are covered by separate agreements, so their work will continue. Only faster and far more furious as they spread out to fill the holes in the schedule. Expect blanket coverage of each and every celebrity meltdown and real-world disaster, and plenty of midseason football, basketball and hockey games, too.

Don't forget reality shows. Already beloved by the networks for being so inexpensive to produce, the quasi-documentaries and talent shows will become all the more valuable, thanks to their nonstriking writers. The "Lost" loss will surely be the "Survivor" gain.

All across the industry and on both sides of the screen, a writers' strike will be jarring and unsettling. A crisis, to be sure.

But crises can be invigorating, too, particularly for people locked into patterns that have grown stale or dysfunctional.

TV executives love to talk about taking chances and thinking outside the proverbial box. But once a strike truly takes hold, the brave talk is going to have to stop -- the network box will have exploded into powder.

All of their usual patterns, rules and expectations will be gone. You'll start seeing faces and programs you never thought you'd see on American TV. The networks may actually begin to surprise you.

Already, NBC is talking about replacing its own version of "The Office" with episodes of the original, and arguably better, British version.

Other non-mainstream shows, imports and domestic, may get a shot at the vast network audiences. Meanwhile, the late night talk show hosts will have the chance to prove their mettle as the stand-up comics most of them once were.

Recall how "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson and then-"Late Night" host David Letterman reached unforeseen heights of weirdness, and often hilarity, by facing their audiences night after night with almost no prepared material. Letterman, famously, got a shave on the air. Carson was just his charming, bone-dry self.

And that's not the reason why so many network executives, top producers and even some creative types aren't exactly dreading the prospect of a Hollywood writers' strike.

The producers' keening need for new scripts early in the season has already thrown opportunities to relatively inexperienced writers who now have earned money and credits they otherwise wouldn't have received. Holes in the network schedule may open up showcase slots for shows that were either canceled quickly or never quite made it onto the air.

Meanwhile, network executives, already stung by the distinct lack of buzz and viewers for the new fall shows, are purported to be less than dismayed at the chance to pull the plug on so many underperforming shows at once. Usually such rampant cancellations imply failure on the part of the execs. In the midst of a strike it's someone else's fault: a blameless do-over.

Still, what really matters for viewers is what does, and doesn't, end up on the screen. No one likes the prospect of having their favorite shows vanish into the limbo of an open-ended labor dispute. But this time around you've got a whole Internet full of entertainment options to explore. And shelves already groaning with DVDs. Once the networks figure that out they'll have to redouble their efforts to draw viewers back to their own corner of the media universe.

It's impossible to say what they might come up with. And that's a good thing.

Peter Ames Carlin: 503-221-8562; petercarlin@news.oregonian.com

Did any one else think it was weird that the guy added his number to the bottom of his article because I found that to be strange. Just saying.

If there is a strike, maybe he provided the phone number so we can call him nightly at 12:35 weeping about how unaffected we are by it.

Apparently a lot of people think that Conan could handle the show without a writers staff!

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/p..._a_sure_bet.asp


"Which host will be most able to ad lib it without a team of writers to come up with patter?

The winner: NBC’s Conan O’Brien, with 31.4 percent of the vote. In second, with 19.6 percent, NBC’s Jay Leno, and third, at 17.7 percent, CBS’s David Letterman. Comedy Central's Jon Stewart got a more modest 11.8 percent while Stephen Colbert got just 2 percent."

Wow. they really have confidence on him.

If they mated doesn't require much writing...at least.

but without the monologue and skeches it will be just guests and Conan impro goofing around. Might work for a short time but after some time he would have to at least strip himself naked to get more viewers...

hey, not a bad idea


(who needs writes, Conan has us to fill them in, right )



ok j/k
those guys are all very awcellent!

What that's really saying is: Rank these comedians' improvising skills in order from best to worst. I don't understand why Colbert is at the bottom of that list, though. It looks more like the result of a "Which show feels the least written and most improvised?" poll. Late Night seeming the most improvised could technically be seen as a compliment to the writers for writing in an individualized way for Conan... and a compliment to Conan for making what he does look effortless.

Hmmm "Which host will be most able to ad lib it without a team of writers to come up with patter?"
The winner: NBC's Conan O'Brien" LNG, I took that question at face value to mean exactly what it reads, Which HOST COULD AD LIB IT WITHOUT---WITHOUT THE TEAM OF WRITERS... WINNER CONAN O'BRIEN... I feel if they meant it your way they would have written it that way. Their point is if worst came to worst, which Host could manage the most without the writing team. Conan won.

It's well known that Harvard graduate Conan O'Brien started his career as a professional Comedic Writer. Conan is an Amazing Writer and performer. He is Funny, Witty and Brilliant. And Last night, wow, Conan did tons of hysterical ad libing and there were no so called sketches. The show ROCKED!!!
Conan O'Brien, has amazing ad libing ability, he just does... never under estimate the king(Conan) of comedy.
With that being said, Conan's team of excellent writers are incredible and thee Union Writers deserve a fair pay raise. They honestly DO. So they best get it so all these great shows can go on as scheduled.
I do believe his fellow writers on his show are the BEST out there. Conan knows how to hire them and they make a great ensemble to his team.

... Keep Rocking Conan O'brien! I love you. You ARE the reason, I stay up late to watch your show...

STRIKE UPDATE: DVDs Back on Front Burner as Sides Still Battling
Writers Guild of America, Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers Exchange Statements
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/31/2007 11:59:00 PM

The television industry is now officially on strike watch as the Thursday 12:01 a.m. deadline looks to have come and gone without a deal, and the sides were still firing public barbs at each other over the DVD-formula argument as of Wednesday night.

The Writers Guild of America West has a meeting set for Thursday night in Los Angeles and, after the public statements from both sides Wednesday, many in the industry will be expecting a walkout soon.

While the WGA has yet to make anything official at press time, many industry insiders expect it to walk out as soon as Monday.

The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers put out dueling statements Wednesday night, with the DVD formula battle back on the front burner.

The WGA claimed that the companies “refused to continue to bargain unless we agree that the hated DVD formula be extended to Internet downloads.”

The AMPTP claimed that it told the WGA it has “been working hard to come up with a package in response to your last proposal. But we keep running up against the DVD issue. The companies believe that movement is possible on other issues, but they cannot make any movement when confronted with your continuing efforts to increase the DVD formula, including the formula for electronic sell-through.”

The WGA said in a statement that “After three-and-a-half months of bargaining, the AMPTP still has not responded to a single one of our important proposals. Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs and jurisdiction, has been ignored. This is completely unacceptable.”

The AMPTP said in a statement that the “magnitude of that proposal alone is blocking us from making any further progress. We cannot move further as long as that issue remains on the table. In short, the DVD issue is a complete roadblock to any further progress.”

Finally, the AMPTP claimed that the WGA said it did not want to talk on Thursday because it had a membership meeting. According to the AMPTP, when it asked the WGA about meeting Friday, the WGA “advised they would call us.”

The WGA had not responded to that account of what took place at press time.

Apparently there is going to be a strike and the details as to when it will start will be announced at a 10am meeting in LA on Friday (today).

Some articles:

Writers will strike, union leaders say
Thousands rally after talks with producers deadlock. A walkout could begin Monday unless a deal is reached.
By Richard Verrier, Claudia Eller and Maria Elena Fernandez
Los Angeles Times
November 2, 2007

Leaders of the union representing Hollywood's film and television scribes declared Thursday night that they would go on strike in what would be the first walkout by writers in nearly two decades.

Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America told thousands of members gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center that they would notify members of the timing of the walkout by e-mail this afternoon, according to people present at the meeting.

Although the announcement moves the entertainment industry closer to a debilitating strike, there is still an outside chance that an agreement on a new contract may be reached in the next few days.

A prolonged strike would destabilize Southern California's signature industry and spur a domino effect across the Los Angeles economy, throwing untold numbers of people out of work. Television viewers could notice an immediate change: David Letterman's Top 10 list on CBS, for instance, could be reprised from an earlier show.

Thursday night's rally of about 3,000 film and TV writers occurred a day after talks with their employers broke down amid disputes over DVD residuals and pay for programs distributed over the Internet. The writers' employment agreement expired at midnight Wednesday.

The union's board of directors is set to formally ratify the strike plans at a 10 a.m. meeting today at the West Coast guild's headquarters in the Fairfax district.

Barring a last-minute deal, a strike would probably start Monday, people close to the guild said. That would mark the first time in nearly two decades that writers had walked off the job. The guild represents about 12,000 film and TV writers, of which roughly 7,000 work regularly.

At the packed Convention Center, guild leaders were greeted with multiple standing ovations and cheers by members, many of whom were clad in red T-shirts emblazoned with "United We Stand."

"This is a watershed negotiation for the Writers Guild," David Young, the union's chief negotiator, told the raucous crowd. "This is not the average negotiation. This has the potential to determine writers' income from the Internet and new media for the next generation and beyond."

The studios' chief negotiator said he was still committed to reaching a deal with the writers.

"By the WGA leadership's actions at the bargaining table, we are not surprised by tonight's recommendation," said Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. "We are ready to meet and are prepared to close this contract this weekend."

On Thursday afternoon, Hollywood was acting as if a strike had already been called.

"This feels like Armageddon," said entertainment attorney David Colden. Studio executives were scrambling to give writers script notes so they could hand in final drafts while writers were holed up finishing their projects. Agents and lawyers were drawing up contracts, scurrying to get their clients paid before a work stoppage.

The guild had instructed all writers with offices on studio lots to pack up their belongings.

"We've been told by our strike captains to clear out our offices today," said Nicole Yorkin, an executive producer on FX's "The Riches." She said she and the writing staff, who work in Santa Clarita, were rushing to write final scenes for the drama's second season, deal with executives' feedback on drafts and make casting choices -- all before the end of day Thursday.

The union also requested that writers turn in all drafts of their work to make sure no one violated rules that prevent them from writing during a strike.

Studio executives were going to extraordinary lengths to ensure that some of their top producers and directors who are also writers can keep working. One senior executive said he was making plans to move the editing suite of a feature film off the lot so his writer-producer could continue his work as a filmmaker without crossing a picket line.

On Wednesday, as executives drove onto the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, they were handed copies of two memos from the top brass outlining strict instructions on dealing with pickets, who are expected to show up across town at studios and production sites.

The memos cautioned staffers to "remain calm, proceed slowly so as to not endanger the picketers in the crosswalk or in the sidewalks; leave your vehicle windows up; do not talk to picketers. They may try to argue with you and provoke a dispute."

A looming strike has heightened anxieties on both sides, reflecting the unique relationship that exists between writers and their studio bosses.

"There's so much tension because we're in so deep with our writers," an executive said. "They're killing themselves right now for us trying to turn in scripts, and tomorrow we're going to be on opposite sides of the table. It's really bizarre."

In Hollywood, labor relations are distinct from most other industries. In sharp contrast to auto and grocery workers, for example, writers and studio executives essentially work as partners on projects.

"They're joined at the hip, unlike many manufacturing situations where there is a clear separation between labor and management," said David Smith, a labor economics professor at Pepperdine University.

A writers strike poses a real dilemma for writer-producers such as Marshall Herskovitz.

"Working producers are torn," said Herskovitz, president of the Producers Guild of America. "They certainly identify with the creative community and sympathize with what the writers are asking for. But they're concerned like everyone else about the negative effects of a drawn-out strike."

A strike wouldn't halt production entirely, but it would immediately disrupt some late-night TV programs, such as Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" on NBC. Some series could stop production as early as December once networks used up their stockpiled scripts. Studios have enough films in their pipelines to supply theaters in 2008 but are rushing to finish future movies before a possible strike by actors in June. "It's a bad day for our town," said producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose credits include the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise and three "CSI" TV series. "When you have a labor dispute like this, nobody wins."

**** Wolf, executive producer of TV's "Law & Order" franchise, concurred: "This whole thing has brought the town to the precipice of disaster, and there is not one good thing that could come out of it." But writers feel they have a just cause, complaining that they've been shortchanged for years by the studios. "We are ready to do whatever we need to do," said Jessica Goldstein, who writes for "My Name Is Earl."

Not every writer favors a strike, though many dissidents fear speaking out.

"There are so many Norma Raes out there, I can't say anything," said a top writer-director, referring to the young textile worker and union organizer played by Sally Field in 1979's Oscar-winning movie.

richard.verrier@latimes.com

claudia.eller@latimes.com

maria.elena.fernandez

@latimes.com
------------------


Writers Set to Strike, Threatening Hollywood
By MICHAEL CIEPLY and BROOKS BARNES
The New York Times
November 2, 2007

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 -- Hollywood's two decades of labor peace shattered Thursday night, as movie and television writers declared they would embark on an industry-wide strike for the first time since 1988, when both writers and Teamsters walked out.

The writers' union said it would inform its members no later than Friday afternoon as to when the strike would begin, according to a person who attended a union gathering Thursday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The strike would pit union writers, whose position has been eroded by reality television and galloping technological change, against studios and networks that are backed by big corporate owners like General Electric and News Corp., but are also unsure of the future.

The walk-out threatens an instant jolt to television talk shows like "Late Night With David Letterman" (sic) and "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,"� which rely on guild writers to churn out monologues and skits. And if the strike drags on, audiences could see the eventual shutdown of soap operas, TV series, and movie productions, as they exhaust their bank of ready scripts.

In the near term, a writers strike will have an immediate impact on more than 200,000 workers in the movie and TV industry here, and the thousands more who produce or sell entertainment elsewhere in the United States and abroad. The dispute may also signal more labor trouble to come, as directors and actors face similar issues when their contracts expire next June.

Over the long haul, multiple strikes could lead to a drastic overhaul of the economics of Hollywood. They could redefine the industry's relationship with its highly unionized work force at a time when DVD sales are cooling and changing movie and TV markets have workers and companies alike vying for their perceived fair share of a yet-to-be identified next digital bonanza.

"I'm afraid that everybody's in for a terrible time," said Norman Lear, the writer, producer and entrepreneur whose career spanned the disruptions of the 1980s -- when Hollywood weathered five strikes by its guilds -- and the years of relative peace that preceded and followed that tumultuous decade.

The leaders of the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East were expected to order their roughly 12,000 members covered by a contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to stop work and be assigned picket duty when the strike begins.

The strike call follows more than three months of contentious negotiations. Ultimately, the two sides gridlocked over the writers' insistence on a sharp increase in their residuals payments for the re-use of movies and shows on DVDs, and on new payments for the distribution of such works on the Internet, over cell phones, and elsewhere. Producers refused to boost the DVD payments, and rebuffed demands related to electronic distribution, arguing that industry economics and still-shifting technology made accommodation impossible.

In a statement issued Thursday night, J. Nicholas Counter III, president of the producers alliance, said: 'By the W.G.A. leadership's actions at the bargaining table, we are not surprised by tonight's recommendation. We are ready to meet and are prepared to close this contract this weekend.'�

A strike by the writers threatens to tear a hole in the economy of Southern California, even as it already copes with a collapse in home sales and widespread devastation from last month's fires.

The entertainment industry contributes an estimated $30 billion annually, or about 7 percent, to the economy of Los Angeles County, according to Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Show business also helps drive the local tourist economy. "If tourists see that the entertainment industry is shut down, we worry they will think the entire city is shut down," said Mr. Kyser. He noted that restaurant business in the southeast San Fernando Valley -- home to Universal Studios and the largest concentration of production -- has already dropped 30 percent as anticipation of the strike grew in recent weeks.

Indeed, most of those affected by such a strike have no direct stake in its issues.

The New York-based book industry, for instance, may find studios reluctant to buy film rights to new works at a time when no writers are available to adapt them for the screen. "In the first part of a strike, buyers will be sitting and waiting to see if it gets resolved,"� said Amy Schiffman, who specializes in literary sales for Hollywood's Gersh Agency.

Similarly, thousands of businesses, whether mom-and-pop companies that train dogs for television shows or lumber yards that specialize in building materials for sets, face possibly dire consequences, some sooner than others.

"I'm really scared,"� said Oren Ashkenazi, owner of TVC Television and Cinema Wardrobe Clearners, located near the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank, Calif. The cleaner processes up to 2,000 garments each night for television programs like "24"� and is not set up to accept retail customers.

At Green Set, a 13-acre tree nursery that rents plants to set decorators, employees are facing sharply reduced hours. Meanwhile, owner Dan Needham, who just provided flora for Steven Spielberg's upcoming "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," said he is trying to break into the party business. "This is an awfully good reminder of the need to diversify," he said.

Some may find an upside in the disruption. Starbucks thinks it might benefit from more people looking for a place to hang out, said a corporate spokeswoman. And others will make a business of financing those out of work.

"We've already seen an in increase in inquiries about our service," said Steven Blume, chief operating officer of Content Partners, which buys so-called "participations" -- stakes in movie and TV show income -- in return for ready cash.

Talent agencies are considering layoffs. Hollywood's development executives will be idle or reassigned. And story departments will soon see a near-halt to the flow of 100 or so new scripts and rewrites that flow through a major studio in a typical week.

That a halt should be called to so much activity stems at least in part from recent leadership changes at the West Coast guild, which is much larger than its eastern counterpart and represents a preponderance of Hollywood writers. In 2005, Patric M. Verrone, a longtime animation writer, was elected president of the western guild on a promise to shore up the declining stature of unionized writers within the industry.

By Mr. Verrone's count, perhaps 95 percent of Hollywood's work was done by guild writers in the 1980s. More recently, he has said, the figure dropped to about 55 percent, as companies like Viacom Inc. used non-guild writers to work on increasingly popular animated, reality and other shows for its MTV, Comedy Central or VH-1 television units.

At the same time, writers of guild-covered feature films saw their earnings decline in the last decade, as big studios like Warner Brothers or Sony Pictures Entertainment increasingly relied increasingly on specialty or genre film units that were frugal in spending on scripts, or on films acquired from outside producers who might spend less on writers than a major.

Mr. Verrone and his colleagues launched an organizing drive, cleared the guild of staff members who were seen as too close to management, and vowed in the current negotiation to undo what they saw as an unfair formula that paid them too small a share of DVD sales, while establishing a more favorable pay scale for any new medium that might ultimately replace the ubiquitous discs.

In the same years, Hollywood's networks and studios became aligned in new corporate configuration that left the big studios and networks in the hands of six big media and manufacturing conglomerates: General Electric, News Corp., Sony, Time Warner, Viacom, and the Walt Disney Company.

As entertainment executives and these often distant owners wrestled with questions of their own about eroding influence -- few in Hollywood were unaware that changing technology has almost gutted the traditional music business -- the prospect of a confrontation with writers, and perhaps later with similarly aggressive actors, became all but inevitable.

Perhaps doomed from the start, the current negotiations began in July with a demand by the producers: The writers had to agree to postpone setting compensation for new media until an industry group could study the matter, or accept a radical restructuring of the residuals system, under which companies would make payments only after they had recouped the cost of movies and programs.

Writers rejected both options. The producers eventually withdrew both, but refused to meet the writers' demands. Now, the best prospect for solutions at the bargaining table may lie not with writers, but with the anticipated start of still unscheduled negotiations between producers and the Directors Guild of America.

During Hollywood's more than 19 strike-free years, the directors sometimes reached agreements that were later followed by writers and actors -- a pattern Mr. Verrone and his fellow guild leaders have promised to avoid in the current round.

Whether writers can ultimately enforce their agenda will depend much on the organizational will of an unlikely union: The West Coast guild, according to its own statistics, is about 72 percent male, 93 percent white, and includes many members who annually collect hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond guild-mandated minimum payments for the glamorous task of writing movies and television shows.

In 1988, a similar array of writers maintained their strike for five months, though not without severe internal strains and the repeated threat of secessions that ultimately did not occur.

Much about entertainment changed because of the earlier strike. Reality television began to flourish, their cheaper production costs and decent ratings appealing to both broadcast and cable networks. And a booming market in so-called "spec" scripts -- presumably fed by work written at home during the walk-out -- followed the strike.

Too, writers were forbidden that year even to write for the Oscar broadcast, leaving presenters to quip for themselves. And it could happen again, for the 80th Academy Awards this coming February.

"People who complain about the humor on awards shows should wait to see what they're like without writers," said Bruce Vilanch, the longtime gag writer, Oscars contributor, and, soon, a striking guild member.

So I'm confused. Did they go on strike? Will Conan be on tonight?

I read that they have and that Late Night will go into repeats immediatly.

Hang on, they haven't gone on strike yet.

Check the Writers Guild (east) website for the most accurate and recent info.

The most recent article there (posted 11/2 3:39 am EST), addressed to the Members of the Writers Guild of America, East states: "Today, Friday, November 2, the WGAE Council and the WGAW Board will each meet to vote on the negotiating committee's recommendation, and if approved, determine the exact day and time a strike will commence. Immediately upon the conclusion of those meetings, you will be informed via e-mail of the results, which also will be posted on our website, www.wgaeast.org."

The Associated Press is reporting that the strike will start Monday, but this is their assumption, for now.

Also, I guess Chris Albers (Late Night's head monologue writer) is no longer the president of the WGA east since that letter is signed "Michael Winship, President, Writers Guild of America, East".

I pray to God and every god and will cross everything on my body that is crossable that Tuesday's show will happen! I'm supposed to be there! I will seriously cry if suddenly the show doesn't happen. AT LEAST Monday and Tuesday they can TRY to do new shows- I mean it's LATE NIGHT the show is screwed up and unprofessional as it is- Conan himself has even said it! LOL I don't care if they go into reruns starting next Wednesday but before then I HOPE they can have new. Oh, the anticipation!

Cynopsis
11/02/07

Good afternoon. It's still Friday, November 2, 2007 and here is your WGA strike update ...

It's official. At a press conference held just minutes ago, WGA announced it would go on strike as of Monday, November 5th.

The press conference was conducted by WGA West head Patric Berrone, WGA East's Michael Winship and the WGA negotiating committee chair John Bowman.

As mentioned this morning, the first shows effected by the strike - late night talkers which depend on writers for their day and date opening monologues. Those shows will likely go into repeats as soon as the strikers begin picketing. The majority of the scripted TV series would begin to see the effects of a strike in 1st and 2nd qtr 2008.

The biggest issue facing the two sides of this debate right now are the DVD and new media residuals. Currently the formula is based on the home video formula created years ago when VHS and the sale of home video movies were first introduced. That formula provides that the first 80% of the revenue from sale of VHS tapes (and now DVDs) goes to the cost of manufacturing and distribution, and of the remaining 20%, writers are awarded just 1.2%, or about 3 cents on every $20 VHS or DVD. The WGA is now asking for their percentage to be based on 40% of the sale, and the same formula should be applied to all new media.

Later -- Cyn
11.02.07

The latest from the WGA website:

"4:30 p.m. EST, Friday, November 2nd: The WGAE Council and WGAW Board unanimously voted to call a strike. The Writers Guilds will go on strike Monday, November 5th at 12:01 AM. At that time, all Guild-covered work under the MBA must cease. We will be sending more detailed information over the weekend."

Oh man. I hope the writers can say goodbye to us in some way before they have to walk out. I will miss them so. Who knows how long the strike will last -- there are predictions that it could last into the new year. There are probably a few sketches written for next week, but I think desk pieces (if they're staples) are usually written the day of the show, so I'm not sure if there could be a few shows early next week or if tonight will be the last. I really hope the writers eventually win this battle.

Really, it could last until the new year????? That would be horrible!! Horrible! I haven't even been paying much attention to it, what are they even striking for?

I read last time carson and letterman in honor of the writer's strike shut down all new productions as long as they could then went back to doing their show.

When you have other studio/crew people who make just a couple of hundred a week that are dependent on the shows running to get paid; what will happen to them? This strike can ruin their livelihood, their home life. What will they do for income if this strike carries on and on? Claiming Unemployment helps only a percentage then it runs out...

This Strike effects lots of other families who are not writers.


I feel sick inside and depressed about all of this. And if I read this correctly- with the writers asking for double the percentage of what they were getting on the dvd sales, -that doesn't seem reasonable. -from 3 percent to 6 percent! If this is one of the many things they are striking for, well, I don't see the strike ending anytime soon. Maybe to ask for 4.5 or 4.75 increase from 3 percent is negotiable but a big double the amount jump like that seems extreme to me in the bargaining tool. Maybe the writers org. start high and work their way down? I don't know enough about it. -Just thinking out loud.
It seems both sides have agreed to many of the other terms but the unyielding disagreement is on the DVD thing which is causing them to strike.

I am not sure, though. Just a great big sigh.

I feel sick to my stomach

My understanding is the writers would like a raise from ~4 to 8 cents per $15-$20 DVD that is purchased. I don't think that's asking anything outrageous or unthinkable. The writers are a huge, essential part of TV & film and deserve their fair share. The producers think 8 cents is too much and will not budge on their stance. The other main issue is the revenue from internet / "new media" (iPods, cell phones, etc.).

Here's an article that explains the situation pretty clearly:

The Big Question: Why are Hollywood's scriptwriters going on strike, and does it matter?
By Andrew Gumbel, Los Angeles Correspondent
The Independent
Published: 02 November 2007

What's the story with the writers?

Hollywood's film and television writers could go out on strike as early as today. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been talking to studio representatives on and off for the past three months and has made absolutely no progress in negotiating a new three-year contract. The old one expired at midnight on Wednesday -- Hallowe'en night -- and a last-ditch effort by a federal mediator to broker some sort of peace collapsed six hours before the deadline.

In theory, the WGA could instruct its members to keep working under the old contract while it continues to negotiate -- for several more months if necessary. But an unusually militant WGA leadership appears bent on confrontation in an attempt to force the studios' hand. Thousands of WGA members were expected to meet at the Los Angeles Convention Center late last night to discuss their next move. Most people in the industry expect a strike sooner rather than later.

So what's their grievance about?

It's an old, old story, dating back to the last writers' strike in 1988, if not further. The WGA believes its members have never been properly compensated for new media platforms, starting with home video in the 1980s through to the current era of DVDs, online streaming, mobile phone downloads and more.

After two decades of disgruntled acquiescence, the writers have decided enough is enough. They currently make about five cents on every DVD sale, which they regard as an outrage given the ever-increasing revenues of the media conglomerates who own the studios and rake in the bulk of the money. They are pushing for royalties -- or residuals as they are known in the business -- at double the current rate.

Why won't the studios deal?

Nick Counter, the head of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers who is negotiating on the studios' behalf, says a new deal on DVD residuals is out of the question. He argues that the new media landscape is still too uncertain for the studios to be able to commit to higher payouts to writers, especially since production and marketing costs on movies and television shows are rising faster than can easily be forecast for more than a few months at a time.

That argument, though, masks a deeper reality, which is that the studios and their corporate backers have very deep pockets and can probably weather a labour dispute for as long as it takes. In other words, they have decided to stare down the writers in the full expectation that the writers will blink first.

Aren't they very highlypaid as it is?

Yes and no. It's certainly true that the top scriptwriters command fees of well north of $1m (£480,000) per movie. Top television writers and the showrunners -- the leaders of teams of writers -- like John Wells, who started ER, or Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) or David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, The Practice), or Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue) have no financial worries in the short or long term. Anyone working on their shows, or writing a major studio film, will do very nicely indeed. But there is a difference between lavish compensation and financial security.

Most of the 7,000-odd WGA members in regular work hop from show to show, with frequent fallow periods in between. When they are working, they have no problems. But when they are not, they rely on residuals from successful past shows to keep up with mortgage payments, children's college fees and other commitments. Many worry about their "nut" -- the amount of money they need to average each month to maintain their lifestyle. Nothing infuriates them more than constant reruns of their old shows on television, or skyrocketing DVD sales of a hit movie, without much more than the tiniest of bumps in their bank accounts.

Is there an issue of respect here?

You bet there is. Ever since the rowdy days of the 1930s, when Hollywood writers first agitated to form a union -- the WGA eventually came along in 1941 -- studio heads have regarded them with suspicion if not outright disdain.

The resentment, arguably, stems back to the advent of talking pictures, when producers saw the need to hire writers in the first place as an irritating extra expense. It didn't help that many of the writers flocking out to California from the East Coast and beyond were intellectuals with raging egos and, often, radical political views. The writers quickly came to harbour resentments of their own -- notably, the fact that the director of a movie usually gets the lion's share of the credit, and that the studio owns the copyright to their words and has the (frequently exercised) right to change them partially or, indeed, completely.

John Gregory Dunne, the late novelist and screenwriter who was married to Joan Didion, wrote entertainingly in his Hollywood memoir Monster of how some scripts end up 100 per cent removed from the version submitted by the writer whose name appears in the credits.

Another powerful encapsulation of the power balance in Hollywood came with Robert Altman's movie The Player, in which a producer murders a writer and gets away with it.

So didn't they go on strike before?

Since 1988, when the writers walked out for 22 weeks, there has usually been a peacemaker figure to ward off industrial action. On the producers' side, it was often Lew Wasserman, the legendary agent turned Universal Studios chief who died in 2002. On the writers' side it was most recently -- during a hairy negotiating season in 2001 -- John Wells. Now, though, the WGA has a much less accommodating leadership, spearheaded by David Young, a veteran union leader who has represented builders and garment workers in the past. He and Nick Counter have made little secret of their loathing for one another.

How would a strike be felt?

It depends on how long it lasts. The first shows to feel the brunt would be topical television programmes like late-night chat shows, with their opening monologues pegged to the day's news, or satirical newscasts like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (whose host, Stephen Colbert, has launched a tongue-in-cheek presidential bid).

The television stations work months in advance and are very well stocked on scripts for their various drama series and one off dramatic production as well as comedy until at least next spring.

Canny movie producers went on a script-buying splurge in September and October, although the quality of their purchases is far from assured.

However, a long walkout could start causing serious problems around January or February. Movies will keep coming out, but they will undoubtedly get lousier as time goes on.

Are the writers right to go on strike?

Yes..

* They deserve a fair share of increased revenue from DVD and new media formats

* It is the only they are likely get their due from a notoriously intransigent industry

* Producers may not like writers, but they can't live without them

No...

* They refuse even to consider the concessions that have been offered by the producers

* Confrontation will just alienate and embolden the studios more

* The media conglomerates are too powerful, and will just wait any strike out until the writers fold

-----------------


From "Strike in limbo as contract expires", Variety, Oct. 31-
...The negotiating session ended as many others have, with both sides issuing statements blaming each other for being stubborn and unprofessional.

Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, said the companies believe they can make a deal by moving on other issues but insisted that increasing the DVD formula is a nonstarter.

"The companies believe that movement is possible on other issues, but they cannot make any movement when confronted with your continuing efforts to increase the DVD formula, including the formula for electronic sell-through," he said. "The magnitude of that proposal alone is blocking us from making any further progress. We cannot move further as long as that issue remains on the table."

The WGA shot back, accusing the companies of being nonresponsive to its move earlier in the day toward a compromise with a package of proposals that included movement on DVDs, new media and jurisdictional issues, though it declined to provide details. It asserted that it had also taken nine proposals off the table.

"The companies returned six hours later and said they would not respond to our package until we capitulated to their Internet demand," the WGA said. "After three and a half months of bargaining, the AMPTP still has not responded to a single one of our important proposals. Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs and jurisdiction, has been ignored. This is completely unacceptable."

In a troubling development, Counter warned that without the guild backing down from its DVD stance, negotiations would be at an impasse.

The DVD dispute centers on the 1985 formula, under which homevid residuals were paid on the basis of 20% of wholesale revenues -- equating to scribes receiving about 4¢ for each disc sold. The WGA's seeking a doubling of that rate, asserting it agreed to a discounted deal two decades ago to help the fledgling business survive.

Studios and nets have steadfastly nixed any boost to DVD residuals, contending the revenues are crucial to moving film and TV projects out of deficit amid sharply rising costs.

The WGA's also seeking to hike electronic sell-through revenue from 1.2% of the licensing fee for each downloaded item to 2.5%.

-----------------

From "Hollywood Writers Want Money, Respect", 11/1/07, Forbes.com-
.... Guild members recently authorized their negotiators to call the first strike since 1988, if necessary.

"The guild has never had the resolve to go the distance," said Harris Goldberg, screenwriter of "Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo." "They feel that if they don't do it now, they're never going to be able to do it again."

Respect is also at stake, with many writers feeling they have 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." .....

-----------------

I had read that there may be negotiations over the weekend, but this article says the producers didn't agree to that.

From "Hollywood Writers Set Strike for Monday", 11/2/07, the AP-
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 will stage its first pickets in New York and Los Angeles after strike captains meet Saturday to finalize details.

J. Nicholas Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, called the 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.

The negotiations began in July and were joined this week by a federal mediator. Verrone said the union was open to negotiating over the weekend.

"We are committed to seeing this through and are willing to engage in any further discussions if the studios so desire," Verrone said.

The statement from the producers alliance did not say if it would agree to weekend negotiations.
..........
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.

-----------------

From "WGA votes to strike Mon.; more talks set for Sun.", Hollywood Reporter, updated 6:15 p.m. PT Nov. 2, 2007 -

The federal mediator in the WGA's contract talks has summoned negotiators to a last-ditch meeting, set for 10 a.m. Sunday, in an effort to avoid a writers strike.

The place for the meeting -- just called by Juan Carlos Gonzalez of the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service -- hasn't been pinned down yet. The dramatically positive development Friday evening follows news earlier Friday that the WGA West board and WGA East Council had accepted a negotiating committee recommendation and set a writers strike for 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Barring a weekend agreement to forestall the walkout, pickets are expected at studios and networks on both coasts.

"We have 48 hours and what we really want to do is not strike and come to a resolution," John Bowman, chair of the WGA's negotiating committee, said at a news conference Friday to announce the strike decision.

.... There also has been speculation that the AMPTP will deliver a new proposal to the guild over the weekend. The most troublesome issues to date in the WGA-AMPTP contract talks have been DVD residuals and new-media compensation. .....

"The WGA leadership continues to mischaracterize the current provisions for compensation in new media," Counter said Friday prior to word of the Sunday meeting. "When a consumer pays to view a TV program or a feature film for a limited period of time, the writer gets a residual. When the consumer pays for a permanent download of a TV program or feature film, the writer gets a residual. ...

"It is crucial that we have provisions that encourage, not inhibit, our ability to experiment, innovate, analyze and adapt to the transformative changes confronting us," the AMPTP president said. "We cannot ignore the challenges of today's economic realities, the shifts in audience taste and viewing habits and the unpredictability of the still-evolving technology.

"Our goal continues to be to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that will keep the industry working."

WGAE president Michael Winship said the decision to strike was not one "we take lightly."

Winship added there might still be time to craft a deal before the strike begins, and he urged the studios to "come back and bargain fairly."

-------------

David Letterman was quoted as saying this week, "It might be fun . . . to tune in and see what I can come up with on my own" (MSNBC). I don't know if that was serious or a joke...

Also, "Television host David Letterman described producers as 'cowards, cutthroats and weasels' on his CBS show on Thursday" (BBC News).

-------------

An interesting picture:


Daily Show writer Rob Kutner, a member of the Writers Guild of America East, hands out informational leaflets outside Rockefeller Plaza Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 in New York. Movie and television writers were set to strike for the first time since 1988. (AP Photo/Gary He)

a.) That is an awesome shirt. And b.) An informational leaflet?? I wonder what it says. I mean... is there a way we can help the writers?? I wish I knew.

-------------

At any rate, the writers have got Tom Cruise on their side. He said: "I just want to make movies, and I know that's what they want to do, so let's handle it quickly and to their betterment, and let's go" (EuroNews).

Sorry for the excruciatingly long posts but I've dug up some more info.
There are videos on Defamer of both Letterman and Jon Stewart commenting on the strike on Thursday night (Nov. 1).

Letterman Prepares His Viewers For The Writers Strike
Defamer, 11:38 AM ON FRI NOV 2 2007

As nearly every article we've read to date on the possible impact of the writers strike has pointed out, the first victims of the walkout will be late-night talk shows; without the script lead-times enjoyed by sitcom and drama productions, their hosts will immediately be pushed in front of the cameras without material produced by their absentee writing staffs, forced to read from cue cards offering no more detailed commentary on the day's events than [NEXT THREE MINUTES: RIFF UNCOMFORTABLY ON HOW YOU HAVE NO ONE TO WRITE JOKES ABOUT WHATEVER IT WAS THAT BRITNEY SPEARS/GEORGE BUSH/HILLARY CLINTON DID TODAY.]

On last night's Late Show, David Letterman tried to gird his audiences for the unpleasant TV realities that await them, even allowing for the possibility that he and Paul Shaffer could suddenly disappear, a network mercy-killing that would spare them from months of trying to fill dead air with agonizingly strained banter punctuated by Shaffer's trademarked blasts from his Hammond organ.

---------

Jon Stewart Savors His Last Pre-Strike Moments Of Having 'Words' To Use
Defamer, 3:12 PM ON FRI NOV 2 2007

A commenter on our earlier post about David Letterman's writers strike segment on last night's episode of The Late Show recommended that we go back to check out Jon Stewart's comments on the same topic on The Daily Show (the program we're going to miss most of all), in which he let viewers know that they could watch reruns during any strike-related hiatus for free on their fancy new website, a gift made possible by the generosity of advertisers unafraid to throw their money away on a medium likely never to generate enough profits to share with the employees who come up with all those "words" he's fond of reading. We followed the reader's helpful advice and found the clip. Enjoy.

---------

And Brian Stack re-posted this on AST:

WHY THE TIME IS NOW
(The following was written by Micah Wright on WriterAction. [writeraction.blogspot.com- which I found is "an online community and resource center of over 2000 professional screenwriters" who are all WGA members.] It's in response to a writer who takes issue with WGA leadership.)

The AMPTP clearly never intends to pay us one single cent for internet delivery. The music business model clearly indicates that internet delivery for most, if not all content is the future. What then were we supposed to do when faced with rollbacks and refusals to bargain in good faith? Pray? Or just swallow the b ullshit they were trying to shove down our throats, and forget about not only what we're making, but also what every person who ever follows us into this union will ever make?

People like you keep b*tching about the DVD negotiating point, and yeah, you're right: DVD was lost 20 years ago, but there's no magic rule which says we can't reopen that topic. More importantly, though, DVD didn't take off for almost a decade after the '88 strike... the Internet is here NOW, and it's here FOREVER, and if we give in and allow them to pay us ZERO on Internet delivery, we can just kiss the idea of ever getting paid residuals goodbye forever.

It's not self-righteousness which is driving this negotiation... it's quite simply the greed of the AMPTP, which clearly sees this as the year in which they intend to break the WGA on the rack once and for all. But you don't see that... you seem unable to get it through your head that the AMPTP doesn't want to ever pay us anything. If you think these people are so reasonable and that they deal in good faith, then try talking to writers who work in Animation and Reality... THAT is the future that the AMPTP has in store for EVERY WRITER IN THE WGA. Because if they don't have to pay residuals to the woman who wrote The Lion King, then why should they ever have to pay one to YOU? Or anyone else?

Oh, and before you give me some ****ing sob story about the disastrous strike of 1988, let me bring you up to date with a more RECENT story: mine.

I came to this guild having had a "successful" career writing Animation for $1400/week for five years. During that time, I wrote on several of Nickelodeon's highest-rated shows. My writing partner wrote and directed 1/4 of the episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" and I was responsible for 1/5 of the episodes of "The Angry Beavers." The current value that those shows have generated for Viacom? $12 Billion dollars. My writing partner topped out at $2100/week. In the year 2001, tired of not receiving residuals for my endlessly-repeating work (even though the actors and composers for my episodes do), I joined with 28 other writers and we signed our WGA cards.

So, Nickelodeon quickly filed suit against our petition for an election, and set about trying to ferret out who the "ringleaders" were. In the meantime, they canceled the show that I had created 4 episodes into an order of 26. Then they fired the 3 writers who'd been working on my show. Then they fired 20 more of my fellow writers and shut down three more shows, kicking almost their entire primetime lineup for 2002 to the curb, and laying off 250 artists.

Then, once the WGA's petition for election was tied up in court over our illegal firings, Nickelodeon called in the IATSE Local 839 "Cartoonists Guild" -- a racket union which exists only the screw the WGA and its own members -- and they signed a deal which forever locks the WGA out of Nickelodeon, even though we were there first. Neato!

Then Nickelodeon's brass decided --out of thin ****ing air-- that myself and two other writers had been "the ringleaders" of this organizing effort, so they called around to Warner Bros. Animation, the Cartoon Network, Disney Animation, and Fox Kids, effectively blacklisting the three of us out of animation permanently.

And why did Nickelodeon do this? Why were they so eager to decimate their own 2002 schedule, fire 24 writers, break multiple federal labor laws, sign a union deal, and to even bring back the ****ing blacklist? They did all of that to prevent us from getting the same whopping $5 residual that the actors & composers of our shows get.

For five lousy ****ing bucks, they destroyed three people's careers and put 250 artists out of work and f ucked up their own channel for a year.

Ahh, but my episodes run about 400 times a year worldwide, though, so obviously Sumner Redstone (Salary in 2001: $65 million dollars) and Tom Freston (2001 salary: $55 million) were right to do what they did... myself and those other 23 writers might have broken the bank, what with each of us going to cost them another TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS each! OH NO! That... that's... FORTY EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS!

A YEAR!

So don't come crying to those of us who have EXPERIENCED what the AMPTP plans for all of the rest of you, that people who are deciding to stand up to bully-boy tactics like that are the crazy bunch of "horads" lustily marching "through" the streets searching for blood. The AMPTP are the barbarians sacking Rome in this scenario.

The AMPTP and their glittering-eyed weasel lawyers are a bunch of lying, blacklisting, law-breaking scumbags, and the fact that they haven't budged off of ANY of their proposals in the last three months proves that what they have in store for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU is exactly what they did to us at Nickelodeon, and what they can do any day of the week in daytime animation. Or reality.

Strike or no strike. That's their plan: to winnow down your membership, to snip away at your MBA, to chew away at your health & pension plans until there's just nothing left of the WGA. Why? Because they've had a good strong drink of how much money they make off of animation when they don't have to cut the creators in for any of the cash, and now they want to extend that free ride to all of live action as well. THAT is why they have pushed for this strike at every step, with their insulting press releases, with their refusals to negotiate, etc. -- because they're HOPING we go on strike, and that enough cowards and Quislings come crawling out of the woodwork after six weeks that they can force us to accept the same deal that Reality TV show writers have.

If you doubt me, go read their contract proposals again... there's not ONE of them which isn't an insult and a deal-breaking non-starter.

So can we PLEASE stop hearing about how it's the current WGA management which is the ****ing problem here? Because, frankly, that canard is getting a little stale.

Or perhaps you prefer presidents like the President of the Guild back in 2001 who just threw up her hands when we were fired and blacklisted out of our careers and said, and I quote, "oh well, it was a good try"?
-----------

... Clearly there are some underlying issues and hidden motives that we are not aware of.

Blitz weighs in on the strike:

"Generally, if you've ever tried to discuss creative ideas with executives and then later thought about their notes while seeing their homes, you too would be joining the picket line.

I've had only a few pitch meetings that didn't end with me being rushed to the ER with nausea. The reason I'm able to pay for such hospital care is because previous generations of writers were willing to un-work hard enough to force people whose great professional interest and skill is making and not sharing money off of creative people to either make and share an almost fair slice of that money or else lose money. It's a shame but the thing about con artists is, if you give them the chance of ripping you off, they'll never not do that.

If I were you- whoever you are- I'd watch more live comedy instead of TV or movies right now. It's fun to go out, helps the strike move faster, and you might meet someone special and/or unintentionally hillarious."

HA, I was going to go see "live comedy" next week when I'd go to see the Conan taping, but that's not going to happen now! I'm so sad right now.

I found more on what went on outside Rockefeller Center Friday:

With Resolution Unlikely, Writers Guild Sets Strike for Monday, New York Times, 11/3/07


... Already on Friday, writers spread leaflets outside NBC's offices in Manhattan at Rockefeller Center, explaining why they are seeking a bigger share of billions of dollars in revenue collected by the studios and networks.
.......
During the leaflet distribution at Rockefeller Center on Friday, more than 50 writers spent an hour pleading their case with passers-by. "We're certainly not claiming we're coal miners," said Brian Kiley, a monologue writer for "Late Night With Conan O'Brien. "But at the same time, we don't want to be taken advantage of." � ...


Hmm. That'd be quite a sight to see. A bunch of people with "writer" shirts, who I also happen to adore, explaining their cause to me.... DANG, I wish I lived in New York.

----------

From Stack on AST (11/2/07):

"Talk show hosts can actually do interviews during a strike if they decide to go back on the air. At least that's how it was back during the '88 strike when hosts like Carson and Letterman came back on TV a few months before the strike was over. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if some or all of the talk shows, including ours, came back on the air before THIS strike is over, assuming there actually is a strike, of course, and there most likely will be, unfortunately.

While it would obviously strengthen the WGA's position if shows like ours and "The Colbert Report" stayed off the air during a strike, I do feel for all the non-writers at the shows who are caught in the middle of all this crap. I'd hate to see anyone lose their jobs, and I know that's a real possibility. This whole thing sucks for everyone concerned.

I don't expect anyone outside of this to feel any sympathy for the WGA, and I know I'm a lucky b astard to work as a writer. I just hope that a strike can still be averted somehow, and if not, that it's as short a strike as possible."


And he posted a link to an article about Letterman's support of the writers:

Letterman sides with Hollywood writers as strike looms, Times Online, 11/2/07
"The veteran American broadcaster David Letterman used his prime-time show to speak out in support of Hollywood writers poised to go on strike, a move which could take some of the country's most popular programmes off the air from Monday.
Letterman, whose nightly programme will be affected next week if the strike goes ahead as expected, described producers as 'cowards, cutthroats and weasels' on his show.
The 60-year-old television host invited viewers to imagine what his show would be like without his team of writers producing new material. 'It might be fun ...to tune in and see what I can come up with on my own,' he joked. ......"

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Kristina, if the WGA and AMPTP can't negotiate a deal this weekend and there is a strike starting on Monday, you could always join the writers (which could quite possibly include Conan) on the picket line at NBC. Sounds crazy, I know. But that could be equally or more gratifying than seeing a live taping of the show, at least for me and anyone who supports and appreciates the writers / would like to stand up for them.

I didn't even think about that. I should do that. I'm not sure if or when I'll be there on Monday but Tuesday I still planned to be there just to see Rockefeller Center and NBC studios- just look around outside. I'm not a picket person at all, but it would still be fun to watch them and maybe talk to some of them. And see CONAN! If he's there. Conan tapings aren't rare of course and they happen everyday, but to see something like this IS rare. If I see them I'll take pictures (I'll have my camera EVERYWHERE while I'm there!) and I'll let you all know the details when I get back!

You make me happy. And better you than me in NYC for this, as I'd be drowning in a puddle of my own drool. An assemblage of creative, passionate "intellectuals" with "raging egos" and "radical political views" who are male? Yes, please. (P.S. Everyone I know who's met any of the Late Night writers actually says they're really humble, so you can safely disregard the ego part of the stereotype. Also, they're supposedly very approachable and nice, so don't be afraid to talk to them, if you can muster up the courage.)

As for not being a "picket person"... I think (very) generally that writers aren't either. They seem like a gentle, peaceful bunch. But that doesn't mean they won't stand up for what is right when they need to, and unfortunately it has come to this. On any other day, it'd be rare to see the Late Night writers outside of their natural habitat, deep within the bowels of Rockefeller Center. I think you should definitely take advantage of this rare opportunity to support them, if you can. You represent all of us. May you go forth and do us proud.

East Coast Writers Take Their Case to the Streets
By ANDREW TANGEL and JACQUES STEINBERG
New York Times, November 2, 2007

Members of the Writers Guild of America East took their contract dispute to the public this morning, gathering at Rockefeller Plaza to hand out fliers with their reasons for going on strike against entertainment producers. Organizers estimated more than 50 writers took part in handing out leaflets near the ice rink and a live taping of the NBC's "Today" show.

If it was unusual for the Guild to publicize its cause, it was just as strange for behind-the-scenes writers to take the limelight.

The event was probably "much nerdier" () than a typical labor demonstration, said Steve Bodow, the head writer for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

"I think it's very important that the public to know what writers look like,"� Mr. Bodow mused.

But the crafters of scripts and monologues for some of the most popular American television shows did indeed sound like labor activists.

"The majority of writers are barely making a living and the majority of writers' careers are very short-lived,"� said Chris Albers, a writer for "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." "So we feel that if these companies are going to be making a lot of money off of what we create, and we only have a few years to be in the game, then it's fair to compensate us so that we can support our families."

If writers do strike on Monday morning as planned, television viewers will first notice the difference in the entertainment talk shows. "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," "The Colbert Report," "Late Night With Conan O'Brien,"� and "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" will all revert to repeats on Monday, at least for the time being.

Kimberly Izzo-Emmet, a CBS spokeswoman, said producers of "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" were "waiting to see what happens" before deciding what to do next. Those shows were transmitting a similar message directly to representatives for the entertainers and others who had been booked as guests for next week. An ABC spokeswoman said the network was readying several contingency plans for its late-night talk show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live,"� which she declined to specify.

Should those hosts attempt, at some point, to put on new episodes of their shows without benefit of writers, then the Writers Guild would be watching closely. Mr. Letterman and Mr. O'Brien, among others, are credited as writers on their shows, as well as hosts. While the guild would probably permit them to appear on a show stocked with interviews, comics and musicians, those hosts could draw the guild's ire if they told too many one-liners in a monologue, which would suggest they or someone else was writing. "If David Letterman wanted to go on his show and tap dance, we can't stop him,"� said Sherry Goldman, a spokeswoman for the Writers Guild of America East. "We prefer he not. And he can't write."

Still, there is precedent for a host's appearing during a strike. After initially putting on reruns during the last Writers Guild strike, in 1988, Johnny Carson and Mr. Letterman eventually reappeared on "Tonight"� and "Late Night,"� their respective NBC shows at the time. In addition to booking extra guests, Mr. Carson at one point filled air time by perusing the family photo albums of his sidekick, Ed McMahon. Mr. Letterman often relied on a bit he called "Hal Gurnee's Network Time Killers,"� named for the show's director.

This time, the shows are already making light of the contract dispute. During Thursday's show, Mr. O'Brien touted his writers' intelligent brand of humor, which he said was "never idiotic and arbitrary." Then he introduced a cactus wearing a chef hat and playing "We Didn't Start the Fire" on the flute.

At Rockefeller Center this morning, some passersby, like Linda Johnson of St. Paul, Minn., were sympathetic to the writers.

"I don't know a lot about it, but they should go on strike if they're not getting a fair deal," Ms. Johnson said. Others were unaware of the conflict's details, but said they hoped to continue to see fresh content.

"If it forced reruns, that would upset me," said Lucas Grosse, 27, of Omaha, Neb.

Mr. Grosse, a copy editor in town to watch the New York City Marathon on Sunday, also offered his services should the writers strike. He has no experience in writing for television, however.

"I've never really thought about, it but I could do it,"� he said.

Former Gov. George Pataki of New York also walked by the writers but offered only qualified support.

"I love creativity,"� Mr. Pataki said, apparently in a hurry to get somewhere else. "I didn't come out to support the writers, but it's nice to say hello to them and wish them well."

Asked if he sided with them, Mr. Pataki, a Republican, replied, "I hope they can get it resolved, and I understand their concerns,"� then briskly walked away.
-----

I love the ending of that story.

The WGA east website says:

When and where are we picketing?

"Join your fellow writers on the picket line on Monday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., around Rockefeller Plaza on 49th St. You may contact us this weekend to sign up for a picket shift or, even better, attend all day. After Monday, we will be picketing at various locations around New York every day. Time on the picket line will be broken into 9:00-1:00 and 1:00-5:00 shifts."

So, on Monday, Rockefeller Plaza is the location for all the TV & film writers in the NYC area, which includes those from Conan, SNL, Colbert, Stewart, & Letterman. I think it'd be really awesome and inspiring to just be near so many brilliantly talented writers. But I find inspiration in odd places. I guess on Monday's Today Show they might show some coverage of it, since that's taped very near to where the picketing will be.

I would LOVE to go join them! Sadly I live too far away

There was no negotiation made between the producers and writers before 12:01 am which means the writers are officially on strike now.

All WGA members (that includes Conan) pretty much have to picket, according to this:

There are two picketing shifts, 9 am - 1 pm, 1 pm - 5 pm, and the Guild "expects" all members to picket 4 days a week/4 hours a day. Tonight, the WGA urged an "overwhelming response" pressured members to pull one 4-hour shift a day for the first week. "I've heard that a couple of people are greeting the news that their presence is required on the picket line with the very human and yet disappointing, 'Cool... So, um, what happens if we don't show up?'" a WGA email said. "So be aware: Failure to picket is a violation of Strike Rule 10, which says: 'You must picket and/or perform other strike support duties and cooperate with Guild committees charged with enforcement of the Strike Rules...' Absent a valid medical excuse, non-writing employment, compelling personal circumstances [necessary child or elder care] or emergency, you are obligated to perform these duties when and where requested. If there is a personal circumstance making strike support duties impossible when requested, members are required to arrange alternate times to contribute to the strike effort...' Basically, failing to picket is a punishable offense. The Strike Rules Disciplinary is now forming to handle disciplinary issues. Strike captains will keep track of people who don't show up and are required to first warn those people and then forward the names to the Committee. -Deadline Hollywood Daily


What to Expect on the Picket Line

Physically:

1. Arrive to your post at least half an hour early -- it will be hard to find parking. Expect to walk a few blocks. Expect chaos. Embrace the chaos. It's our chaos.
2. If you don't have a post, go to wga.org and pick one.
3. Wear a red shirt. Find other writers in RED SHIRTS. Sign in. Pick up your picket sign. Begin.
4. Stay on the sidewalks - they are public property. We have the right to be there.
5. If you feel someone needs to step up and lead - be that person.

Mentally:

1. Expect to be booed by some and cheered by others.
2. Expect to hear rumors that get your hopes up, only to be dashed when the truth comes out. It's an emotional roller coaster ride intended to demoralize the troops - understand that it is merely strategy. Move on - full steam ahead.
3. Our jobs are now to picket. Four hours a day. Five days a week. Focus on the day to day. Week to week. Don't let up until we hear that the negotiation has officially been settled.
4. Understand that the AMPTP owns a majority of the press - they will paint us badly. Don't let it get to you. If you feel unclear on the facts -- talk to other writers.

It's gonna be tough, but remember we're doing this for each other, for future writers, for SAG, the DGA, the Teamsters, and other unions in our industry of artists and laborers.
--------------

This sucks.

I think that is so absurd!! What if there is a writer that is perfectly happy with their job and doesn't agree with any of this?! The WGA needs to lighten up, now it's THEM acting like a big network that doesn't care about the little man.

Well well

from all the Hollywood writers on strike in there, guess who made it to the papers in here

http://www.iltalehti.fi/viihde/200711056806581_vi.shtml

I just turned on CNN and an anchor was interviewing Seth Meyers (SNL's head writer) on the left of the screen, and on the right, they were showing shots of the crowd at Rockefeller Plaza -- and there stood our beloved Kevin Dorff! He was gazing off into the distance, wearing a black jacket and black baseball cap and was holding a "Pencils Down" sign (as was most everyone else).
That is madness!
(I didn't get a chance to watch the "Today Show" at all, btw.)


The WGA website says:

"We must make a strong statement early in this struggle. Our hard work now will produce a strong contract for all writers. .... An informed and mobilized membership is key to winning a strong contract. The more members who have a Contract Captain to keep them informed, mobilized and working the picket lines, the greater the impact of our actions. "

Also, ~90% of the WGA members authorized a strike should it be deemed "necessary" so there shouldn't be too many who are against it or its requirements.